This Blessed Mess, Finding Hope Amid Life’s Chaos, by Patricia H. Livingston

In this small book Ms Livingston gives us ( in the words of Henri J.M. Nouwen) “eyes for the hidden treasures of our lives.” She says she has discovered that life can be chaotic at times, and that it is not true that working hard and doing what we think is right will guarantee a favorable outcome.


As this author is wont to do, she sprinkles into her pages dozens of stories, most of them good-natured and filled with encouragement and hope but also a measure of chaos. She shares how she tames these times of chaos, and she says that they are often filled with energy and power. She calls these chaotic times “messiness”—and she finds that along with the “messy” parts there are blessings, which we too can find if we but look. Among the secrets of transforming chaos into a blessing are to approach it with a good sense of humor, to focus on the concerns and needs of others, to pay attention to the good in every situation; and also to remind ourselves of times when we came through chaos well and unscathed.