Deliberate Acts of Kindness: Service as a Spiritual Practice [Paperback]

Meredith Gould (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 15, 2002

An indispensable guide to the spiritual and the practical aspects of devoting one’s time and energies to the service of others.

Deliberate Acts of Kindness is for people who are ready to supplement"random acts of kindness" with intentional acts of generosity, decency, and integrity. More than simply a handbook for volunteers, it explores the significance of service as an expression of spirituality and the commitment to something greater than oneself.

Meredith Gould guides readers through their journeys, from recognizing when they are ready to answer the call to service to finding the right place to donate their time and talents. She offers invaluable advice on discovering the types of work that best suit their personalities and the areas in which they can make the greatest contributions. There is helpful information on how to get involved, as well as sensible suggestions about what to do when things go wrong in a service situation.

An easy-to-read mix of tips, quotations, reflections, and short narrative passages, Deliberate Acts of Kindness presents a comprehensive, honest look at what service is like on a day-to-day basis. Its insights will help new volunteers and veterans alike negotiate the practical difficulties that sometimes arise and achieve the spiritual maturity that comes from answering the call to service.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

An indispensable guide to the spiritual and the practical aspects of devoting one?s time and energies to the service of others.

Deliberate Acts of Kindness is for people who are ready to supplement"random acts of kindness" with intentional acts of generosity, decency, and integrity. More than simply a handbook for volunteers, it explores the significance of service as an expression of spirituality and the commitment to something greater than oneself.

Meredith Gould guides readers through their journeys, from recognizing when they are ready to answer the call to service to finding the right place to donate their time and talents. She offers invaluable advice on discovering the types of work that best suit their personalities and the areas in which they can make the greatest contributions. There is helpful information on how to get involved, as well as sensible suggestions about what to do when things go wrong in a service situation.

An easy-to-read mix of tips, quotations, reflections, and short narrative passages, Deliberate Acts of Kindness presents a comprehensive, honest look at what service is like on a day-to-day basis. Its insights will help new volunteers and veterans alike negotiate the practical difficulties that sometimes arise and achieve the spiritual maturity that comes from answering the call to service.

About the Author

MEREDITH GOULD, a freelance writer and editor, is the author of Staying Sober and Tips for Your Home Office. She has written articles for a wide variety of periodicals, including New Age Journal, New Woman, Utne Reader, and Vegetarian Times. She lives in Princeton, New Jersey.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Image (January 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385502435
• ISBN-13: 978-0385502436
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.5 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,041,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Despite academic training which included completing a doctoral dissertation, Meredith Gould never intended to write books. After grinding out academic journal articles during her decade as a Sociology professor, she graduated to writing for regular folks.

An essayist and lifestyle reporter for nearly two decades, Gould was published in magazines and newspapers -- when she wasn't writing public relations blather about pest control and wall coverings. Some sort of strange interior, possibly bio-chemical and definitely psycho-spiritual thing happened after her first book was published in 1998.

Why Is There a Menorah on the Altar: The Jewish Roots of Christian Worship (Seabury, 2009) is her seventh book. "I guess I'm a book author," says Gould, who is swift to point out that being a mid-list author is hardly lucrative. "Providing editorial services and communications strategy for the consumer healthcare industry pays the rent."

For literary relaxation, Gould blogs about the spirituality of everyday life at More Meredith Gould (http://meredithgould.blogspot.com). She's also the editor of The Virtual Abbey blog (http://www.thevirtualabbey.com) and currently serves as the abbess for that virtual community of modern monastics.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What the World Needs Now, January 30, 2002

By 

Suzanne Grenager (Lewisberry, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deliberate Acts of Kindness: Service as a Spiritual Practice (Paperback)

WONDERFUL!! The world needs this now more than ever! Good stuff about boundaries, and levels of service, and how it figures in religious traditions, as well as how to figure out whether the alleged call is of the heart or of the mind.

Reading this has helped me sort out intriguing doubts and questions I've been having about some of the service I've seemed called to lately. I got both clarity and affirmation from this wise guidance that I'll not only use myself, but to help coach clients.

What's more, the material is beautifully organized, and expressed with the delightful, tongue-in-cheek irreverent and eminently readable wisdom that is Gould's trademark as a writer.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Finding My Place According to Meredith Gould", January 27, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Deliberate Acts of Kindness: Service as a Spiritual Practice (Paperback)

From the tzedakah of Judaism to St. Benedict to Buddhism's dana and Hinduism's seva, Meredith Gould highlights the significance of good works in all spiritual/religious traditions.

This is a very nifty--and practical--book! She holds our hands as she guides us along the journey of doing good--the upside and what she calls the "shadow side of service." She teaches us when and how to say yes or no, how to manage volunteer assigments, and even <gasp> how to recognize burnout and what to do about it.

She writes with great and gentle humor, warning newcomers to community work of booby traps they may trip over while on the path to kindness and self-fulfillment.

This is a tips book for people who seek to aid their communities in any way they can and for people, already active volunteers, who wish to probe further into what they and their organizations can accomplish.

What a treasure.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hey! I'm the author..., January 29, 2002

By 

Meredith Gould "Visit my blog!" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deliberate Acts of Kindness: Service as a Spiritual Practice (Paperback)

And there's some stuff I want you to know about me and my book.

First, if you know anything about book publishing, you know that it's like elephant gestation. IOW, it normally takes at least two years before a book *idea* makes it into print. I'm telling you this because I happen to think it is very cosmically weird that I proposed this book *way* before the horrific events of 9/11/01.

This leads neatly to my next point: I'm a sociologist by education and training,which certainly led me to suspect that service would be the Next Big Important Thing after decades of unrelenting "Me" focus. Especially among aging Baby Boomers like moi.

As for identifying service as a spiritual practice, I credit years of traipsing the path to spirit and...well...I explain more in the "Foreword."

I hope you enjoy reading my book and that it inspires you to get involved in--or deepen your existing--service to others.