READERS GUIDE

Questions and Topics for Discussion

1.  Kreis’s journey of personal reflection was spurred by a single event: being asked to give a speech about her life. Can you think of a time that your own life took an unexpected turn after one particular moment?
 

2. What is your definition of home? Do you think Kreis ever really found a place to call “home”?

3. Do you think the energy that Kreis dedicated to making her immediate world a beautiful one distracted her from important relationships in her life? How did her definition of beauty change as time went on?

4. Is there something that your family has created or contributed to that will outlast you, or is larger than the individuals who contributed to it? For the Beall family, this is Blackberry Farm; for your family, it could be a different type of legacy.

5. When her house burned, Kreis saved her calendar and address book and Sandy saved his computer. What would you save from your house? What would you miss most about your home if it was lost? 

6.  What did you think about the ways that Kreis’s family reacted to her accident and the aftermath? Why did this event become such a turning point in all of Kreis’s relationships? 

7.  In order to recognize and hear God in her life, Kreis needs to retreat to the small, silent Shed. Do you think silence and solitary space play a role in faith?

8. Many of the key relationships in Kreis’s life are severed over time, for different reasons. Do you think she would have changed if those breaks hadn’t happened?

9. Do you know anyone who has lost a child? How did you respond to Kreis’s discussion of Sam’s death and how she coped? Would it change what you might try to do for a friend or family member? 

10. Kreis’s life has gone through many physical, emotional, and spiritual phases. Do all of our lives have phases? If so, what are some in your life so far?

11. Have you ever been to Blackberry Farm? If so, do you see it differently after reading this book? If you have not been there, how do you imagine it to be different than other hotels or resorts?

12. Do you think Kreis has found peace?