One of my all time favorite inspirational books is Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. I was fortunate to find it when I was quite young and impressionable, and it has stayed gently with me, as the quiet lapping of waves, through the years, growing more relevant with age, rather than less. That is the mark of a true classic in literature, that, and the power to touch our hearts, and spark an 'Aha!' moment in our consciousness. That instant of total identification with the beauty of the expression, the zing of truth that you feel in the pit of your stomach, and the enduring quality of the ideas behind the words all combine to give this book the "treasured classic" status, at least in my opinion. This is a woman who knew sorrow and loss in her life, who was challenged in many ways -- yet she chose to transmute those painful feelings into something quite beautiful, to be joyfully embraced by countless future generations. She chose to wiggle her toes in the sand, open her eyes to the beauty all around, and through the alchemy of words and her perspective, change her sad experiences into something profound and lasting. What a gift, indeed!
