Denise Roy, author of “My Monastery is a Minivan,” has written a new book called “Momfulness: Mothering with Mindfulness, Compassion, and Grace.” And boy, is it good. It’s the best book on parenting I’ve read since Jon Kabat-Zinn’s “Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting” seven years ago.

I cracked open my copy of “Momfulness” on one of those late afternoons when I’d been running in a dead heat from school meetings to blogging to walking the dog and dropping the kids at religious school without looking at myself in the mirror or eating much more than a few handfuls of honey-roasted peanuts and a cup of tea with milk in it (yep, even I screw up). Yoga? On such a day, how could I fit it in?

So I started reading “Momfulness” and then, gulp. I saw myself. I felt as though Roy (who is a family therapist and minister) was reaching her loving hands across the country (from where she lives near San Francisco) to pat my carpal-tunneled, stressed-out-mom forearm gently. She understands. She is with you in your most mom-ish moments! She has three grown sons, an 11-year-old daughter, and an 18-year-old foster daughter from Iran.

The book is sliced into chapters on presence, attention, compassion, embodiment, community, and “seeing the sacred.” Each section ends with a meditation or to-do list I think you’ll find valuable. My guess is that progressive Christians and Christian-Buddhists will enjoy this book most. But anyone whose life is stressful, kid-filled, and lacking in moment-to-moment contentment will find value in it.

If an audio version appeals more to you, here’s good news: Random House Audio will be releasing Roy’s “Meditations for Mothers” as an audio book in April. Read on to see how Roy centers herself when the family is running late for school, getting irritable, or frantic.