Everyone, these days, is busy.but mothers may be the busiest of all. How to juggle your kids' needs with you own needs and your boss's demands (not to mention your husband's)? Katrina Kenison--editor of the Best American Short Stories series--offers refreshing tips for moms who want to slow down, develop an inner life, and get spiritually renewed to boot.

In an essay called "Quiet," Kenison urges mothers to turn their homes into relaxing escapes from the hectic, crowded world around them. This "mood of calm repose" will serve both kids and moms. In "Breathing," Kenison reminds readers to simply "take a deep breath" every once in a while. In "Spirit," Kenison explains that most of what she's learned about God, she has learned from her children.

From the book's lovely opening essay about relishing the stillness of early mornings to the concluding piece on the passage of time, these reflections will calm and inspire. Mothers--and many dads, kids, and singles--will relish "Mitten Strings for God."