Disclosure: I am an honored member of The Fringe Hours launch team and received a free copy of the book for review.

Before I talk to you about the book, The Fringe Hours, I’d love to tell you my ‘Jessica’ story.

Last year, I was at a conference, getting breakfast in a buffet line. I looked up and immediately recognized the brunette that was walking up behind me. I smiled and loudly proclaimed, ‘I know you!’. Then my brain began searching and searching for how on earth I knew her. (Do you remember that moment in Dirty Dancing when Jennifer Grey says, “I brought a watermelon!”? Yes, that was exactly how I felt.)

I was sure I’d met her in person before, I just had to place where. She smiled and introduced herself and asked when we had met before. We started going over all the usual things – where we lived, where we went to college, what we were involved in…

Then, I wanted to hide under the table. Ummm… She was Jessica Turner. She leads the Bloom book studies for (in)courage. Yes, she had been in my living room – on the television as I watched their book club series. Oh my goodness. Seriously?! Major fan girl fail.

She was so incredibly gracious and immediately invited me to join her for breakfast. She made this incredibly uncomfortable and embarrassing meeting wonderful and sweet and memorable.

Needless to say, when I had the chance to join the launch team for her first book – I jumped at the chance!

(photo editing playtime – done in those Fringe Hours)

I received a copy of the book and dove right in.

My sweet husband asked me how it was going and I looked up and told him – I wasn’t sure if I agreed with what she was saying.

He gently reached across the table and asked me to tell him more. I told him I wanted to support her, but I didn’t think we were really supposed to purposefully carve out time for ourselves. Weren’t we just supposed to love, serve, rinse, repeat?

He smiled and said, “Katie, even God took a day to rest. You need to learn to say no and find time to rest – whatever that looks like to you.”

Wow. How am I almost 40 and hearing, really hearing those words for the first time? I fell into a pile of tears and realized that I just don’t always allow myself to really do things that I just love if there are “other things” to be done.

If the sink has dishes, then those must be done first before I edit pictures.

If there is laundry to put away, then that must be done first before I catch up on reading my favorite blogs or books.

This beautiful book is helping me learn that those things can (and should) be put behind finding time to rest and enjoy and create and breathe.

Jessica points out that when she takes the time to do her latest project in those Fringe Hours, it pays huge dividends in the other areas of her life – her joy, her attitude towards others, and her energy level.

I am finding that I could not agree more.

Her book is being released on February 17th and I know that it would absolutely bless you! Now, I’m off to make some valentines and surprise my littles with these Fringe Hours.