Bittersweet by Susan Cain was picked for Oprah’s Book Club as their 99th selection. Oprah’s Book Club sent me a copy of the book and invited me to join the discussion at the end of the month. What an incredible opportunity. Not only was it a blessing to chat books with an Icon, but this book hit home with my current life cycles. Review and discussion details below!

“We need to remember that grief is this multitasking emotion.  That you can and will be sad, and happy.  You’ll be grieving and able to love in the same year or week, the same breath. We need to remember that a grieving person is going to laugh again and smile again…they’re going to move forward.  But the doesn’t mean they’ve moved on.” 

I am in this odd season of “in between”.  I am a mom of three, but my boys are outgrowing me.  One is engaged, one is in college, and one is about to graduate high school.  It’s a unique season for a mom.  I have poured so much of my own self into them, for so many years, knowing that the goal is for them to be independent humans that leave. But it is still hard to wrap my brain around the close I get to a quiet home. I am so very proud of each of them.  But I’m also so sad to be left behind.  It is a bittersweet season indeed.  

“Remember the linguistic origins of yearning.  The place you suffer is the place you care.  To open your heart to pain is to open your heart to joy.” 

This is where this thoughtful book comes in.  Bittersweet is a @oprahbookclub selection. It arrived during just the right season for me, as I battle daily with these conflicting emotions of joy and sadness.  Bittersweet is an analysis of that tension.  How can we be happy and sad at the same time?  How do we allow ourselves to process these opposite, equal emotions at the same time?  And why is it OK to not just pretend to be happy during these seasons but allow ourselves this time sitting in the discourse.

“There’s someone like me.  I am not alone in my story.” 

There are so many books on what to expect when you’re expecting, but not a lot to prepare a mom for this next season.  As I read this, I not only felt thankful that I am not, indeed, going crazy for feeling ALL THE THINGS right now.  But by reading and processing, I feel seen.  And further more that by sharing my story, I’m helping people feel less alone.  

“Whatever pain you can’t get rid of, make it your creative offering.” 

If you are experiencing a season of transition, I think this book is very helpful to make you more aware of the power in these moments, how to embrace it, and move forward with purpose. Thank you Oprah Oprah’s Book Club and Susan Cain for choosing Bittersweet for Oprah’s Book Club and allowing me to join this powerful discussion. 

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