Finding Joy in the Empty Nest: Discover Purpose and Passion in the Next Phase of Life

by Jim Burns, Ph.D

Overview

When the kids are gone, you can discover a richer, deeper, and more fulfilling life than you ever imagined!

Whether you've been looking forward to it or dreading it, the experience of coming home to an empty nest brings with it a well of emotions, realizations, and one gigantic, all-consuming thought: Now what? In Finding Joy in the Empty Nest, Jim Burns combines his personal experiences with his expertise as a family educator to help you navigate your new life as an empty nester and find joy in this new season of life.

Rather than offering shallow suggestions of hobbies you should take up, Burns encourages you to actively pursue a fresh start, reinvent yourself, and thrive. Backed by extensive research and filled with interviews with fellow empty nesters, this book equips you with practical advice and timeless principles, teaching you how to:

• Change the relationship you once had with your children for the better
• Face big issues—including aging parents, finances, and kids returning home—with confidence
• Rekindle your fire and purpose to live with passion day by day

Amid Burns' wealth of know-how, you'll uncover what may be the most important takeaway of all: the best is yet to come.

Praise for Finding Joy in the Empty Nest:

"Jim Burns is smart, witty, grounded, and immeasurably practical. Whether you're getting close to the second half of marriage or are in the thick of it, you won't want to miss out on this fantastic book."

—Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, bestselling authors of Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780310362623
Publisher:	Zondervan
Publication date:	05/10/2022
Pages:	192
Sales rank:	247,149
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Jim Burns is the president of Home Word. He speaks to thousands of people around the world each year. He has more than two million resources in print in twenty languages. He primarily writes and speaks on the values of Home Word, which are Strong Marriages, Confident Parents, Empowered Kids, and Healthy Leaders. Some of his most popular books are Doing Life with Your Adult Children, The Purity Code, Creating an Intimate Marriage, Have Serious Fun, and Finding Joy in the Empty Nest. Jim and his wife, Cathy, live in Southern California and have three grown daughters, Christy, Rebecca, and Heidi; three sons-in-law, Steve, Andy, and Matt; and three grandchildren, James, Charlotte, and Huxley.

Table of Contents

Foreword Sandra Stanley xi

Acknowledgments xv

Introduction: Get Ready for Something New 1

1 Empty or Full? Challenge or Opportunity? 7

Principle 1 When your child leaves home and their life fills up with fresh experiences, follow their lead.

2 Reinventing the Relationship with Your Adult Children 23

Principle 2 Always keep responsible adulthood in mind as the goal. And remember, experience is a better teacher than your advice.

3 Reinventing Yourself for the Rest of Your Life 41

Principle 3 Celebrate this rite of passage and embrace the positive change.

4 Your Empty-Nest Marriage: Winning in the Second Half 57

Principle 4 Midlife is about staying in love by falling in love again.

5 Rekindling Romance 76

Principle 5 Untended embers soon become ashes. But a spark can reignite the fire.

6 Midlife Meltdown or Purposeful Living? 92

Principle 6 Find your purpose in midlife and you will set the world on fire.

7 Finishing Well 107

Principle 7 Do whatever it takes to make your top priorities your top priority.

8 Empty-Nest Friendships: Reach Out and Reconnect 121

Principle 8 The keys to a happy life are strong friendships and a good support system.

9 Single Parent, Empty Nest 130

Principle 9 Let go even when you want to hold on.

10 How to Be the Grooviest Grandparent in Town 146

Principle 10 Your greatest impact just might be with your grandchildren.

Questions for Reflection 165

Notes 173