A few months ago, as my new pregnancy companion book was launching, my mother-in-law approached me and made a request she’s never made of me.

She asked me to write a book.

It’s hard entering the second half of life, she explained. Her kids are all adults, and some of her grandkids have started having babies.

She feels unprepared. She feels unsure. She feels like having a book to walk with her would be helpful at the very least.

I agreed.

But I didn’t think I was the person to write it. For one thing, this is outside my experience.

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Thankfully, one of my favorite writers tackled the topic and wrote a book that I can now freely share and endorse: A Season of Mystery: 10 Spiritual Practices for Embracing a Happier Second Half of Life, by Paula Huston.

As I did with her Lent book, I read this book mostly in one evening. I couldn’t put it down.

Huston writes honestly and candidly, in a way that not only engages the reader, but that also plants itself within you. I’ve been thinking about various aspects of what I’ve read for days now.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the elderly, but now I think I have a deeper appreciation for the challenges that come with aging and changing seasons in life. I have a number of “mature mom” friends, and I cherish their wisdom; it hasn’t occurred to me that I support them in their struggles even as I share my own!

I won’t be in my second half of life for a while, but many people I know and care about will be (or are). This book is topping my list of resources to share and reread myself as I support them.

Highly recommended.

Find out more about A Season of Mystery: 10 Spiritual Practices for Embracing a Happier Second Half of Life over at the Patheos Book Club.