The Noticer by Andy Andrews

This book was my choice for a quarterly book review at work, and it was a good encouragement in how to relate, motivate and "notice" other people rather than concentrate on "my stuff". Jones was an older gentleman who makes himself at home in a small community on the coast. He comes alongside the broken, the discouraged, the greedy, the lonely, the needy and appears to know each person's issues and background. One of the first questions he asks, in trying to help Andy mature and move ahead is " what is one thing that other people would change about you, if they could?" Tough question -- I think for me, it might be my controlling nature. I get carried away with plans & orders. The whole community comes together when Jones "disappears" -they share all the ways he touched them. Indeed he was Jesus in this place, and the author tries to make us think how we can help meet needs by being "Jesus" to those we meet.

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

Interesting read about three women involved in individual crises, landing together for a summer in Nantucket. Character development was good, felt like I understood each one by the end. Related most to Vicki as she was in chemo for lung cancer, facing all the "what if's"; believing that she would die; trying to imagine what her kids' lives would look like without her. The relationship between she and her sister changed as they swapped roles; putting behind them all the differences and realizing that they needed to embrace each other. Vicki accepted the weaknesses and loved her. This made me wish I had let go of the differences and fully loved both of my sisters better, saying out loud what I saw in their lives that I loved-- things I see so clearly now.

The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom

Although I did not enjoy the fantasy genre, the message in this story resonated with me. Our culture is so consumed with time—the way we use it, the hurried life, the unending to-do lists, the workaholics. We do not appreciate the moments and the daily gifts from God. We do not smell the roses often enough. We do not cherish the conversations nor listen well to others—because we are so conscious of the things we “ought to” be doing or getting completed. Our priorities are out of whack. Some great quotes: Only God can write the end of your story. A heart weighs more when it splits in two: it crashes in the chest like a broken plane.