Posted May 24, 2014 Book: God's Bucket List: Heaven's surefire way to happiness in this life and beyond Author: Teresa Tomeo Image. New York. 2014. Pp. 169 An Excerpt from the introduction: How do we come to find God's bucket list for our lives? We can start by embracing the belief that God is very large and very much in charge. That said, I read through the Bible a few times, looking for clues. Of course, neither the Old or the New Testament uses the words "bucket list." We do have the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount --- definite listings of things we should and shouldn't do. But over the last couple of years, I began asking myself what if there were an actual bucket list that God designed for us and wanted us to follow? What would be on it? This book is a bit of a thought experiment (mixed with some personal stories to help keep me grounded, since sometimes my mind can really fly high, as well as go in sixteen different directions). I don't intend to play God here or to understand God. . . . .I may not be able to fully understand God, but through my own life's ups and downs I have come to know for certain that He loves us and wants to remain close to us, so it would stand to reason that His bucket list for us must be something pretty special. What I intend to do in this book is to imagine how God applies that everlasting, unconditional love to a bucket list for me and for you. Maybe it includes a journey. Maybe it's all about building something or fulfilling a goal you were never quite able to achieve. And while I'm not a betting woman, if I were, I would bet that God's bucket list could help us lead fulfilled and love-driven lives. An Excerpt from the Book: Looking back, I realize that this is when I discovered another one of my grandfather's gifts. It's something that in our current frenetic times is frowned upon, dismissed, or in some circles even despised. My grandfather had mastered what the Italians refer to as l'arte di non fare niente --- the art of doing nothing," or more simply put, learning to be still. I can remember arriving in Jersey City and running up the long, dark staircase to my grandparents' apartment. Often I would be greeted by Grandma Tomeo, but not Grandpa. When that was the case, I knew where to look. He would either be down the hall, sitting in his favorite chair, smoking his pipe, and, yes, doing pretty much nothing, or he would be sitting on the bench in the park across the street, where he might be feeding the pigeons or chatting with his friends. For the most part, he was just relaxing and doing nothing other than enjoying the bit of greenery available in the heart of a then very gritty Jersey City. Table of Contents: 1. Be still (or, be like grandpa) 2. Think vocation, vocation, vocation 3. Read the directions 4. Say yes to the Mass (or remember there is no Easter Sunday without Good Friday) 5. Do your homework (or, connect the dots) 6. Take stock 7. Live with it (or, remove the plastic covers) 8. Fall in love