A Feast for Your Soul

As a follower of Jenny Gehman’s Little Life Words since their inception on Substack, I eagerly awaited a collection of her writings in book form. Jenny’s book, Little Life Words, 60 Meditations to Soothe, Center, and Strengthen Your Soul, has not disappointed! Her writing style gives one the feeling of sitting down with a good friend and a cup of tea and having that friend speak loving wisdom straight from her heart to yours.

I know Jenny. She is a soul friend. So I know Jenny is no stranger to pain and suffering, to life and work challenges, or to the emotional turmoil that can overtake each of us, but she uses these struggles to root herself and the reader in the love and kindness of God. Friends of mine, who are also regular readers of Jenny’s words, frequently comment about the timeliness of her words for them. Her wisdom is like that: timely and timeless.

Jenny’s book, like her bimonthly blog, is crafted to be read at a rate of no more than one a week so that there is time for reflection and digestion. Each meditation includes a personalized reading out of Jenny’s experience, questions to ponder, a practice to hone the impact of the meditation, and simple prayers, including an opening phrase that is simple to remember and can be carried with one throughout the week: "Stand by me" (p28), "Fill my plate" (p. 49), "Set me free" (p. 94). Jenny shies away from a quick-read devotional format and instead invites readers to do a deeper dive that may have a more lasting impact.

I love the first meditation of the book, which beckons us to begin with a bow. Drawing from the image of a square dance and bowing to one’s partner, I easily pictured my experiences with square dancing, and I now carry within me Jenny’s invitation to bow metaphorically to those I encounter each day, or to the experiences and emotions I face. What a beautiful grace-filled posture with which to face life.

Little Life Words' imagery and story telling snagged me. Whether it’s lifting my “soul bowl” to God (p.53), watching Jenny’s full grown sister crawl over a car seat to sit in solidarity with her (p. 28), or husband Dan chasing a bird loose in the house (p. 76), I am there with Jenny. When she breaks out into song, I join in, "Sustaining grace, how sweet the sound, that holds the whole of me. There is no weight you cannot bear; I rest myself in thee” (p. 59).

Jenny’s ability to dive deep through using a variety of biblical translations for specific emphases, imaginative biblical story telling, researching word meanings, and creative word usage—“(K)not this day!” (p. 154)—keeps me engaged and delighted. As Jenny prays, “Spread a canopy of kindness over us” (p. 127), I too find myself adopting this grace-filled prayer to whisper over my loved ones and strangers.

At one of Jenny’s book signings I was seated beside a woman who said she had a folder of all of Jenny’s blogs that she had downloaded and printed. “Now that I’ve downsized the number of books I own, I guess I won’t buy her book,” she said. But the woman not only bought a book for herself, she bought a number for family members as well. “This will be a keeper,” she said, “It needs to be on my shelf and will be read many times.”

I too have bought numerous Little Life Words books as gifts and even placed one in an Airbnb where we stayed. The book is a treasure that will keep blessing those who partake of it. It is a feast to “soothe, center and strengthen your soul.”

Cheryl Hollinger

James Street Mennonite Church

Lancaster, PA

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