As you grow older who are the people who matter the most to you? About 15 years ago, I stood side-by-side with my high school graduating class as one of our speakers told us never to forget our family. He told us to remember our high school years, but also to acknowledge the sacrifices that our families made for us.
Our nation needs to value the basic building blocks of our lives: family. Family is the unit in society that could help make right the degeneration of values, morality, and ethics. Our families help us cultivate our characters and foster integrity within us. As the author of this family blog, family is my life’s focus, so when I was given an opportunity to read Richard and Linda’s book, The Turning: Why the State of the Family Matters and What the World Can Do About It, I knew that it would give me renewed understanding about families around the world. The book not only discusses, what helped cause the breakdown of the family, it also helps us understand how the wrongs can be overturned.
As I read The Turning I was impressed with the world family comparisons Richard and Linda provided and how similar we all share the want to see our families prosper. The book began with the Eyre’s painting a vivid picture of family life around the world. They discussed our similarities and our differences. Although many families in other cultures do not have lots of monetary funds or goods, they seem happy because they have a strong love for their family.
Richard and Linda Eyre are both authors, parents, and world travelers. They have authored over 40 books and committed their lives to helping others understand the importance of family. With 9 of their own children, they put their own personal experiences and ideology into practice. This quote summarizes their mission-statement well,
We believe that our mission statement of celebrating (and loving) commitment, popularizing (or prioritizing) parenting, validating (and teaching) values, and bolstering (and living by) balance is not only the best lifestyle, it is the happiest lifestyle. (Richard and Linda p. 171)
Family is my passion. In fact, I put aside my own professional career to raise my own children and teach them in the admonition of the Lord. Understanding the basics of family is not an automatic undertaking, a person must study it and not just live with their family to recognize its benefits. C.S. Lewis said, “The home is the ultimate career. All other careers exist for one purpose and that is to support the ultimate career.” (p. 89)
Furthermore, the greatest testament to Richard and Linda’s words are their own actions and the significance the role of family plays in the lives of their own children. Many of the stories in the book discuss their children’s world travels and how they saw many forms of families and have chosen to cultivate their own.
The passages are broken down into the effect, the cause, and the probable solution. I recommend this book to any person with a family or someone who desires to have a family in the future. The book encourages parents to align their behaviors in accordance with the specific needs of their family units.
If you’re looking for a book to help you put family into perspective and understand your own unique role. This is the book I would place at the top of my list for understanding the basics. One of the most profound statements Richard and Linda put in the book is
We trade relationships for achievements. We trade communication for busyness. We trade time spent talking for time spent running around and trying to keep up with all those we view as competitors. These are always bad tradeoffs, but we get in the habit of making them. (p. 207)
Over all, I believe that Richard and Linda, are sharing a value guide to how to nurture a person throughout their lives by providing them with real family love. If children in our society had loving trusting family lives our world would be a better place. Thus, it would be great to see this basic unit restored.
How to Purchase The Turning
Reference:
Eyre, Richard, & Linda. (2014). The Turning: Why the State of the Family Matters and What the World Can Do About It. USA: Familius LLC.