2019 Best Book Awards, Finalist: Spirituality—Inspirational 2020 International Book Awards, Winner: Spirituality—Inspirational  In Small Simple Ways: An Ignatian Daybook for Healthy Spiritual Living , author, editor, and retreat leader Vinita Hampton Wright offers her trademark compassion and encouragement to lift readers up and help propel them forward. This book covers 52 weeks (Monday through Sunday) structured into four-week sections focusing on a principle of spiritual growth as taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola, including God in All Things, Spiritual Freedom, Imagination, and Reflection. Each day connects the general focus with a specific aspect or action of healthy spiritual life such as Compassion, Discernment, Generosity, Gratitude, and Integrity. Sundays are reserved as a day for resting our hearts in God. Through practice and repetition of these basic thoughts and actions that build upon themselves over the course of a year, Small Simple Ways will help you step into your future with good, healthy spiritual habits.   In keeping with the philosophy of St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises, that practicing them regularly will help us grow, the author has set out practical ways in which we nurture spiritual habits. I loved how practical the book is and so devoid of high-flown language. The short prayers are simple and meaningful. I'm definitely going to use this book for reflection and growth. -- Corinne Rodrigues ― Everyday Gyaan Published On: 2019-08-20 A lovely devotional that would make a great gift for anyone. ― Lisa's Everyday Life (blog) Published On: 2019-09-15 Vinita Hampton Wright is a veteran editor and writer of books and articles on Ignatian spirituality. She leads workshops and retreats on writing, creative process, and prayer. Vinita and her husband, Jim Wright, live in Arkansas. To the Reader Small Simple Ways is designed for your daily, forward motion.   We often have the sense that we’re not moving forward—that we are not growing spiritually and developing into the people God created us to become. Sometimes we’re stuck, stopped by failure or destructive habits. We might be emotionally overwhelmed or simply out of ideas.   We imagine a fresh start, a major shift within that will set us toward inner progress.   We forget, though, that God places us in a world of time, divided by months, years, decades, and eons—but also into instants, moments, hours, and days. Days are where we live. And our forward motion happens day by day and step by step. We grow into our God-imagined selves when we embrace this day or moment, making what might seem a minor choice or doing something that often is quite simple. Yet these simple acts and daily steps take us through profound conversion and maturity over time.   This perpetual daybook provides fifty-two weeks (Monday to Sunday) structured into four-week chapters. Each chapter has its own spiritual focus, which is a principle of spiritual growth and practice as taught by St. Ignatius of Loyola. These are not exclusively Ignatian principles; any Christian tradition recognizes and uses them, but they may have slightly different ways of talking about them. However, Ignatius’s Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) has specialized in helping people grow spiritually by focusing on these principles and developing spiritual practices related to them. Formation: Weeks 1–4 God in All Things: Weeks 5–8 The Examen: Weeks 9–12 Gratitude: Weeks 13–16 The Two Standards: Weeks 17–20 Spiritual Freedom: Weeks 21–24 Consolation: Weeks 25–28 Desolation: Weeks 29–32 Imagination: Weeks 33–36 Emotions: Weeks 37–40 The Physical Senses: Weeks 41–44 Reflection: Weeks 45–48 Love: Weeks 49–52   The year of weeks is structured around these principles. In addition, each day connects the broader focus with an aspect of Christian character and/or action. The book cycles through these topics every two weeks: Compassion Courage Creativity Discernment Good Habits Generosity Gratitude Humility Integrity Joy Openness Wisdom   For example, Mondays will help you take an action of compassion or gratitude, Tuesdays an action of courage or humility, and so on. Every Sunday there is a prompt for resting. In this way, Small Simple Ways will help you practice Christian traits and actions systematically through one year. The structure may sound complicated, but really it is simple and builds upon repetition, which makes for forming good spiritual habits.   The work of bringing together focus, concept, and practice was done in the writing of this daybook. For you, the reader, the work is one short reading every day and one suggestion for action. Often, the action is simply a prayer, meditation, or exercise to help you engage with your life and the God who loves you.   Small Simple Ways proposes to do three things: inspire you to recognize grace and opportunity in each day; - challenge you to take one action every day to live out your faith; and - a