Silver Linings: Meditations on Finding Joy and Beauty in Unexpected Places

In Silver Linings, Mina Parker and Daniel Talbott present an array of ways of looking at that old cliche: every cloud has a silver lining. Parker writes, "It doesn't take much to shine up your old outlook or try on a new one. One of my grandfather's favorite sayings was 'Into each life a little rain must fall'. Recently I've started to think maybe you don't have to spend your days and nights constructing mental rain shelters in preparation for the great flood that may or may not ever come. Maybe, if you can see the positive, even in the worst situations, that outlook can be its own rainy-day relief." Silver Linings offers quotations and meditations to help lighten the darker moments and revel in the brighter ones that might ensue. It's about making the best of unexpected situations, celebrating the sun in the midst of a dark day, finding a new opportunity when an old way no longer works. Daniel Talbott's photographs the beauty all around us all the time: the momentary reflections in shop windows, quiet moments, and flowers bursting out in unlikely cityscapes. Thriving in all seasons and all places, flowers are the best symbols of silver linings: the products of bright, sunny days and heavy, dark rain clouds. Mina Parker is a freelance writer, editor, and mom. Her other books for Conari are Half Full, Mother Is a Verb, 100 Good Wishes for Baby and Her Inspiration. She has also worked as an actor, a grant writer, and an administrator for several non-profits. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son.