"Meta Herrick Carlson has done it again. Ordinary Blessings for Parents is for every person who loves a child. In a society that gets judgy about parenting, where fear, shame, and not-enoughness reign, Meta says what we are desperate to hear about the tiny and holy moments, reminding us to pay attention to this sacred role. Superb and true, a refreshing gift."

"With a tender heart and a wise soul, Meta has written a bevy of blessings for the ordinary moments that mark our days as parents. What a gift to have these words to accompany us through mundane and holy moments. These blessings will serve as faithful traveling companions in your parenting journey."

"Four things anyone in a parenting role needs: patience, love, community, and Meta Herrick Carlson's Ordinary Blessings for Parents. This is a book that I plan to keep as a close companion as my child grows, and give to anyone who needs encouragement on their own path of parenting. There are times on this journey when it's hard to find the right words. Having Meta's words close by helps me feel better equipped to continue on, wherever the path may lead next, always finding the holy in the ordinary."

"My tears began with the table of contents. They continued as I read and envisioned not just my own story but all the people in my life who 'fit' each blessing. Meta has a gift with words, with saying what needs to be said and speaking the truth of the inside-outness of being someone who loves a kid. She writes to all the different ways of becoming and being a parent. To have your role so clearly seen, validated, and then blessed is such a gift--to all of us."

"Parenting is like driving on a dark road, blindfolded, with no map. Meta Herrick Carlson knows this in her bones, and has written a blessing for every curve. With words of celebration, grief, questioning, and other partners on the parenting journey, Meta reminds us that wherever we are, whether we have it all together or feel it falling apart, we are connected by the holy experience of guiding these beings who have been entrusted to us."

"Pastor Meta Carlson offers hope and strength to parents in the face of both the anticipated and the unimaginable, the joys and hardships of being a parent. Her honesty and vulnerability are refreshing, beautiful, and grounding as she offers language for bringing the sacred into the day-to-day experience of raising children."

"These simple prayers validate the often overlooked emotions and invisible struggles parents go through - reaffirming that you are enough and you are not alone."

"Here are blessings for dad bods and breast pumps, sticky hands, stretch marks, broken hearts, and first apartments. With a simplicity that belies their depth, Meta's blessings, prayers, and meditations are able to frame up a house for your soul that feels as familiar as home while at the same time proving surprising and new."

"Parenthood and caregiving often feel like a fumble-stumble from one moment to the next. Carlson gifts us with Spirit-infused words that catch us, hold us, honor us, and help us rise again."

"Meta Herrick Carlson's words clarify and indict, affirm and subtly shift, spinning wonder out of the chaos of parenthood. Thumbing through this book is like walking a long hallway of memory, pausing deeply at moments that were swept away before being noticed. With Meta's help, attention and pause will help me bless the ordinary moments of beings who are becoming right in front of me."