The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi by Kathie Lee Gifford

My husband picked up this non-fiction title at the library and we enjoyed reading and discussing it together. Both of us were transported back to our 2013 Fortieth Anniversary celebration in Israel when we walked the same places, and listened in amazement to the guides and teachers who brought a cultural context to the words of Jesus (that we thought we knew well).  

Gifford's book title refers to Jesus the Rock, Israel the Road, and God's Word the Rabbi (teacher).  Not only does she bring her personal reflections, but also  included are incredibly interesting facts by Rabbi Jason Sobel.  Even after traveling to Israel ourselves and being overwhelmed with new knowledge, this Rabbi added an even greater depth of enlightenment on the Word of God as seen through the eyes of a Jewish man.

Not only is Kathie Lee Gifford a successful newswoman, author, musician and philanthropist; she is a deeply committed woman of faith who exhibits joy, vulnerability, integrity and honesty in her interactions with the American people.  I'm a fan.

How the Light Gets In by Jolina Petersheim

 In this very modern re-telling of the Biblical book of Ruth, Jolina Petersheim delivers a very real life situation that grabs the reader from inception to very stunning conclusion.  Ruth Neufeld is a heroine who struggles with motherhood, with a difficult marriage, with heartfelt loss and yet finds the ability to hope in a positive outcome.  The author uses handwritten letters and journal entries to let the reader in on the backstory of Ruth and Chandler's love story.

With her unique cultural heritage, Petersheim develops her story in a Mennonite community in Wisconsin and makes us better understand the deep faith and convictions of these people.  She weaves the characters realistically and makes us enjoy a people who are different than us...but so much like us.

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

"I am born on a Tuesday at University Hospital Columbus Ohio, USA -

A country caught between Black and White."

So begins this beautifully crafted poetic memoir, intended for the juvenile fiction shelf, but perfect for adult readers.  Woodson traces her early years in Ohio, to her stable life in South Carolina with loving grandparents, to her Brooklyn home with new challenges and freedoms; and her words draw us in to smell, hear and taste the different places she has lived and learned.

Early in the book as her mother moves as directed to the back of the bus with her three children, "her hand moves gently over my brother's warm head.  He is three years old, his eyes open to the world, his too-big ears already listening.  We're as good as anybody, my mother whispers.  As good as anybody." Although Woodson's theme isn't racism, this memoir definitely touches on it because it's the '60's.  Rather the theme running throughout is that Jackie can become "as good as anybody" in her dream of writing. 

The young Jackie loves words, stories, family tales, and memorizing but she struggles in school to read; unlike her sister.  After standing before a class and reciting a book called the Selfish Giant, her teacher is astonished and proud, finally seeing the brilliance of this young dreamer.  When her classmates ask her how she memorized the whole book Jackie thinks, "How can I explain to anyone that stories are like air to me, I breathe them in and let them out over and over again."

Brown Girl Dreaming received the Newberry Honor Book award as well as the Coretta Scott King Award.  Moving. Captivating. Creative artistry.

 

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

 A thoroughly enjoyable read, Nina Hill captured my heart.  Anxious, organized, and settled into her quiet life; Nina has no desire to expand her horizons nor to invite new people into her circle.  Unfortunately life sometimes throws curves, and Nina suddenly finds herself with a new, very large family when the father she never knew passes away.  Waxman fills this story with lots of witticisms, trivia facts, strangely weird but lovable characters, and a bit of romance.

What I found intriguing is the way that Nina discovered herself in her new family...others who had bookshelves crammed with reading material, others with her exact red-gold hair, others who dealt with loneliness because of their quirky and bristly personalities that seemed to put people off.  She finally felt at home...in the eyes of these new strangers who were becoming friends.  Of course, Tom the pursuer, also added some security and confidence with his ..."I love you exactly like you are"statements.

As only a book lover could, Nina's friend Liz says "I wanted to ask him to give me more time, but I couldn't find the right words.  It's always so easy in books and so hard in real life".  An apt quote for all of us in the difficult situations that life gives us.

October Refreshment...the End

 After watching Pixar's Coco movie a few years ago, the Walkers have celebrated "Day of the Dead", a Mexican holiday associated with All Saints Day...which has the idea of giving honor to family members who have passed away.  So with that in mind, we visited my parents' graves and shared memories of them, as well as stopping by Amy's gravesite too.  Our final day together was on Halloween, so we planned a FULL day!  First heading to South Haven since Jenny had been schooling the kids all week about Michigan, we wanted to make sure they saw a lighthouse and enjoyed Lake Michigan.  Cold doesn't matter to kids, so they ran barefoot on the beach and climbed the dunes....possibly 42 degrees.  Then on to visit some special friends who had treats ready for our dressed up warriors.  We ended the day with a firepit in the driveway, passing out candy to our 200+ treaters.  It was a gorgeous night, and a wonderful end to their visit.  My descriptive words for these kiddos at this stage:  Evy- planner  Abbott - designer  Elliott - adventurer.

October Refreshment.....the Middle

 Walker Family Fun Day is always a highlight of our times together!  Even though Boppa had just had emergency gall bladder removal, he was able to enjoy this day with all of us.  A trip to Shipshewana IN to an Amish farm...which had lots of zoo animals too!  Like zebras, talking parrots, moose, camels, lynx....

All masked up: Evy (7) and Abbott (almost 5).

Abbott, loving on a baby duck while Elliott needed warming up!                  

Ben wanted a pic by this MI sign, but we didn't plan for the bright sun in the kids' eyes😎

Jenny and I were able to get out for a Girls' morning, dressed in our "Relaxed Covid Apparel"..meaning no make-up and "go out as you are"; kids had fun at a local park, and Boppa dropped Jenny, myself and the kids at the Nature Center for a brisk hike in 39 degree weather.  We are pictured looking for the birds' nests!

And who couldn't LOVE Michigan in the fall- here's something the kids don't get to do at home!

October Refreshment....Beginning

  After this 2020 season of cancelling travel plans, of staying home, of not dining at restaurants, of not going to movies.....we GOT TO welcome the 5 California Walkers in October for two full weeks!!   What a highlight of this monotonous COVID year!!

The Beginning:  apple picking at Brookside Farms, applesauce making, lawn mowing the leaves, Barbie car excitement, campfire dinner, and 3 year old Elliott learning to ride a two-wheeler !

 

                                                         

    

 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

Brit Bennett writes convincingly and honestly about situations that arise in the Black community.  In her first book, The Mothers, she covers the very caring church mothers who sometimes overstep their boundaries in relating to the young people...with some judging and outspokenness.  In The Vanishing Half, Bennett tackles "Passing".  

The Vigne twins were inseparable growing up in the tiny town of Mallard, Kentucky where the whole Black community was light-skinned.  The problem was that the community totally looked down on darker skinned African Americans.  After watching their father's murder by white men, Desiree and Stella, become more and more convinced that they need to get away from this town.  So they disappear...away from the town, away from their mom, away from the bad memories.  Desiree, stubborn and resilient, chooses to marry a very dark black man; probably an unconscious decision to be her own person and not let the voices from her past control her...but it backfires when his abusive rage explodes.  Desiree and her young daughter flee back to Mallard.  Stella chooses another life entirely...passing as white.  She disappears from New Orleans where she and Desiree had started a new life, and walks into a white world where no one ever knows who she really is.

This was an intriguing read about family choices: leaving the past totally behind, never having another person to confide in fully, caring more about the carefully crafted life created than about the mother and sister who were left behind to mourn her.  But, was the cost of Stella's decision worth her pretend life?

The Giver of Stars by JoJo Moyes

 Having read the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, I was interested to see how these novels would compare.  I found two very compelling storylines.  Book Woman focused more on the life of Cussy Mary and the history of the Blue People of the Appalachians.  Giver was a broader story of women who were "before their time":  fiercely independent, adventuresome, fighters for their rights, living life on their own terms.  The novel begins with English born Alice who moved to this traditional small Appalachian town with her new spouse, who was totally under his father's thumb.  Chafing under the strict expectations of the father-in-law,  she finds an opportunity to flee the house by joining the "Pack Women", a library program created by Eleanor Roosevelt (another great example of an independent spirit).

Moyes develops great characters who display amazing loyalty and encouragement to one another.  When their leader is thrown in jail for trumped up murder charges by a small town sheriff and little-minded men, the women persevere in their quest to bring education to the far flung areas of the mountains...and they solidify their friendship by accepting one another with their faults and strengths.  Moyes knows how to engage plot twists that bring an emotional response, as well as introducing themes that are relevant today.  Women's roles, racial tension, corrupt business practices, and supporting community were the underlying issues which drew these strong women together....and made this a 5 star read.

Fall Reads

 The Sea Keepers's Daughters by Lisa Wingate

I was very interested in reading some lighter fare as the election tension progressed in September so I made a concerted effort to pick some random reads!!  Whitney makes a trip to North Carolina to pack up some of her deceased mom's things, but runs into difficulty with her stepfather...while discovering some hidden historical details about her father's family, and remembering special memories of time spent there with her mother.  A romance thrown in is always an added benefit!  Enjoyable quick read.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

This was recommended by a Book Club friend.  It was a totally unusual read for me:  young 11 year old Flavia is an amateur sleuth who happens to be ten steps ahead of the local English constable investigating a murder.  Lots of funny, irreverent dialogue between the three sisters, and a satisfying ending.

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

This is one of my favorite authors for light-hearted stories with emotional tugs.  There is always whimsy and magical pieces involved in the narrative of Allen's stories.  I'm a big fan because she weaves believable characters, with some difficult baggage...and somehow I am rooting for those misfits by the end of the tale!

China Dolls by Lisa See

Our book club selection for October, China Dolls was a read that I didn't enjoy.  During World War II,  three Asian American women meet each other as they are searching for jobs in the Asian (Oriental) Nightclubs near Chinatown in San Francisco.  The story chronicles their ambitions as circumstances pull them in and out of one another's lives.  I enjoyed getting a better picture of the war from the American side, and the difficulty faced by the Japanese Americans who were yanked from their homes and placed in internment camps, out of the deep fear and distrust of the American government after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  However, even though the women had many horrific experiences, the author did not engage my emotions in the way in which the book was written...it felt mechanical rather than warm.  See's The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane was a much better read for me.

The Color of Compromise by Jemar Tisby

In my ongoing exploration of racism, this was a heavy hitter because Tisby presents a very detailed history of how the American church has worked against racial justice.  He takes you on a historical and religious journey from America's early colonial days through slavery and the Civil War, then continues through Jim Crow.  I re-learned some history and de-bunked some myths concerning what I imagined the North and South to believe about slavery. I was extremely impressed by the pages of bibliography that he includes, to back up his facts.  This book made me look inward and feel ashamed of our past as Christians who could support slavery rather than do what was Biblical; who chose to want a good economy rather than making black people equals; who turned a blind eye rather than being uncomfortable.  Tisby gives many suggestions as to "where we go from here" in the last chapters.  This is a compelling and difficult read for the times in which we live.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris

An engaging, but disturbing read.  Based on the true story of Lale Sokolov who was imprisoned at Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Poland, in 1942.  Impossible for me to understand how this man survived the horrific sights and cruelty that he observed; but an even harder thing to grasp was the love story that occurred between Lale and Gita.  Lale sees Gita's "dancing eyes" on the first day of their meeting....after he tattoos her number into her arm.  He had not wanted this job, and definitely was appalled at marking these beautiful women with ink; but those dancing eyes spoke to him.  Their love develops over the next three years, until the Russians arrive to disperse the Nazis.

The Author's Note says this:  "The Tattooist of Auschwitz is a story of two ordinary people living in an extraordinary time, deprived not only of their freedom but also their dignity, their names, and their identities.  It is Lale's account of what they needed to do to survive.  Lale lived by the motto:  'If you wake up in the morning, it is a good day.' "

I might have to disagree about the "ordinary".  This man was a risk-taker who discovered ways to assist so many people as they struggled in this evil place.  He gave dignity, he cared, and he made life better...that takes an unusual person.  I was also encouraged to read about so many others in the story who contributed kindness and provisions along the way, to those in unspeakable distress. 

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

       American Dirt is an eye-opening chronicle of the journey of a mom and her son from Acapulco Mexico to the "american dirt" of Tucson, AZ.  Lydia and Luca are shellshocked from the unimaginable cartel deaths of every member of their family except themselves.  They move through the 20 days of running for their lives in a fog, developing unheard of skills like jumping onto a moving train, while stuffing down the grief and losses they feel.

This story is the tale of a mother's heart, a tale so far removed from our safe lives that it caused this reader to tear up innumerable times as the heroine does everything in her power to get her 8 year old son to safety.  I was struck by the raw courage and hope that it takes immigrants to reach "el norte".  I am sure that I would not have the stamina nor strength to keep facing such insurmountable obstacles.

Cummins did American readers a huge service in writing this book.  I realize that not all immigrants are running for their lives, there certainly will be an element of undesirables clamoring to our borders... but for the most part, asylum seekers must get the opportunity to start new lives as well as the many others who reach our borders wanting a better life for their families.  Our government needs to care more and do the hard work of assisting the undocumented in getting citizenship...less costly, less hassle, more timely.

White Fragility by Robin Diangelo

Frustrating..Eye Opening..Hard Read..Academic..Enlightening..Important.
Our July book group tackled this non-fiction read, very applicable as our nation once again is embroiled in a necessary fight to understand, acknowledge and eradicate the racism that permeates our culture.

As with some of my earlier reads on racism, I wanted to deny or get defensive about some of the illustrations and dialogue; but Diangelo consistently pursues the premise that EVERY white person in America is racist.  We don't intentionally choose this, but the very founding of our country's constitution and subsequent policies and laws have made whites the superior race in America.  White men decided that blacks were less worthy so they did not get the advantages that whites automatically held: the right to vote, to purchase land, to go to the better schools and colleges, to move up in job opportunities.  In this way, our system has continually held back the advancement of black people...and we have done nothing to improve this unfair situation, except to take advantage of our privilege and to enjoy our lives.

The second theme is that whites are afraid to talk about this issue, thus making them "fragile".  When in discussions during her racial training consultant work the author most often faces anger, hostility, silence, fear, and guilt as she tries to navigate this topic with whites.  Mostly we say that we do not see color (wrong), or we have family members and friends who are of color (doesn't matter), or we argue that Affirmative Action gave too many positions to blacks (wrong)....what we don't do is simply and humbly acknowledge that we have had a part (actively or passively) in this ongoing injustice.

Our group had a great discussion on this (I love these Sizzlers!), even though most of us agreed that it was hard to plow through.  What I do know is that I want and need to continue to educate myself more on this topic, not necessarily to be an activist--but to just enlighten more friends and family about the ongoing history of our injustices;  and to fight for my two grandsons that they may fully enjoy ALL of the freedoms that I take for granted.

Covid Summer Reads

THE PIECES WE KEEP by Kristina McMorris
Because I enjoyed this author's Sold On a Monday, I tried another of her books.  She ran two story lines, one from WWII and the other present day.  Vivian falls deeply in love with a German during the war, and though she ends up marrying a different man; that first love haunts her as she raises his child. Audra is a veterinarian reeling from the loss of her husband, and trying to parent a hurting child. Both stories were intriguing, but my disappointment came at the end when I didn't feel she connected the stories together in a satisfying way.

I will try a few more books from McMorris as she is very readable and she develops some unusual plots.  The poor ending, in my opinion, did not dissuade me enough to give up on her!

PEACE LIKE A RIVER by Leif Enger
With the turmoil of Covid and Social Justice protests swirling around us, I found great satisfaction and calm in this book.  Each of the main characters added an important element to the development of the story.  Eleven year old asthmatic Reuben narrates; nine year old Swede, as the only girl, "manages" her brother and her father as she writes beautiful poems describing the plots and twists of their lives; teenager Davy commits the ultimate deliberate revenge to two low-lifes who briefly kidnap and frighten his sister; and Jeremiah, a single father, constantly gives grace and redeeming love to these kids as well as to all he meets, driven by his limitless faith in God.

I truly loved this story.  Enger is a character developer, not a page turning author.  His phrases sometimes need to be re-read to appreciate their depth of meaning.  He incorporates the best in people with quirky traits.  His story stays with you and makes you turn it over again in your head.  He is hopeful in these almost hope-less times.  I will read more from him.

THE TEA GIRL OF HUMMINGBIRD LANE by Lisa See
I enjoyed taking this cultural journey into China with Li-Yan (re-named Tina in America).  The Akha people in a remote mountain village, live in poverty as they daily work the tea fields, both adults and children.  See does a great job in explaining the living conditions in the late 1980's which contrast greatly to the western world at that time.  As the story develops, the world seeps into village life but one thing does not change...the love of Pu'er tea and the sustenance and prosperity that it brings to these villagers.

The very personal journey of Li-Yan gives hope that education and taking challenges/risks can bring success; but the strong theme of family and community undergird this.  The ending is a beautiful picture of perseverance, and the enduring love of mothers and daughters.

Though I did not research some of the cultural village oddities presented by the author (acceptance of pre-marital "sowing your oats" similar to the Amish Rumspringa), I found other traditions (like the Village priest calling together the Village to assist in conflicts) to be extremely Biblical.  It was a refreshing change to "travel internationally" into the lives of the Asian people.

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon

For some reason, I keep picking books that portray terrible mothers....it makes me sad because I had a great mom, but Madeline thought she did too--for 17 years.  Madeline lives in a sterile world.  Shortly after her father and brother died in a car accident, four month old Madeline was diagnosed with SCID, a very rare disease that basically means you are allergic to the world.  Every day is the same for Madeline, being contained in her home with her mom, a physician, and her part-time nurse Carla.  Then Olly moves in next door and Maddy falls in love.  Is love worth dying for?

This debut novel for Nicola Yoon was a page turner, a unique "coming of age" read whose main character develops courage, individualism and spunk as she navigates her unusual life.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

In light of the recent racial murders in America, this was a timely book to read.  Sometimes it feels that nothing ever changes.  People fear those who are different.  First they attack with words....then violence feels justified.  It feels like it happens to minorities today even more than ever, although Will Smith says, "Racism is not getting worse, it's getting filmed."  And it happened in the Kentucky mountains to the blue skinned people in the 1930's.

Cussy Mary was determined to be a librarian with the Kentucky Pack Horse Library Service, started by President Franklin Roosevelt to create jobs for women and bring reading to the worst poverty areas of the Appalachians.  I appreciated this peek into our history of these brave women.  Even more interesting was the theme captured of the blue skinned people like Cussy Mary.  She not only endured harsh words and shunning from fellow librarians, but also from law enforcement and most of the little town she belonged to.  The local preacher believed she was from the devil and tried to kill her, firmly quoting Bible passages about "her kind".  Just like the black people, the blue skinned people were not allowed at social events, nor could they use the white restrooms.

In the end, I loved how Cussy Mary's library patrons stood up for her when the sheriff refused to allow her to marry a white.  Those mountain folks who had gotten to know and love her, spoke up.  What a great lesson...when we get to know those who are from a different culture or race, it gets more personal.  We understand more of their struggles.  We identify with them.  We love them.

May we stand up to the racism in our communities.  May we dare to speak up.  May God give us the eyes to see injustice.  May we NOT sit by silently.

Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

A very quick read on Hoopla, this was a great choice for me.  Based on a true life photograph from 1948 of four children with a sign next to them reading "4 Children for Sale"; Kristina McMorris weaves an engaging tale of how reporter Ellis Reed misleads his readers about this family picture.  This has romance, suspense,  Mafia connections, foster care, and family issues; but the real story is  how two people relentlessly follow their hearts to bring a family back together.

I very much enjoyed this author's take on how the Depression era wreaked havoc on families across America, but also how it brought others together.  Because my mom lived through this time, she learned much about being frugal:  not wasting food, saving your best clothes for Sunday, using the "envelope" money method, paying cash for purchases, tucking money away (sometimes literally in various pockets of her clothing!), baking from scratch, using baggies repeatedly.  In the midst of all this, families also learned to depend on one another for fun and to take care of each other. 

This was a heartstring grabber....with a happy ending.

A Bigger Table by John Pavlovitz

On John Pavlovitz's blog, Stuff That Needs to be Said, he continually reminds us of what is important about being a believer.  Kindness, Patience, Authenticity, Diversity, Loving as Jesus did.  For those of us who were raised as conservative Christians, as he was, his comments and opinions are extremely challenging because John is not about the status quo or business as usual.  His journey has been scary, slow, emotionally difficult ...and freeing. 

In "A Bigger Table", John continues to risk the ire of conservatives by suggesting that our new media driven/ formulated churches have somehow missed the mark.  He wants to see us reach out wider to the broken people who think very differently than we do, and to set up church differently.  He reminds us that Jesus welcomed Matthew the tax collector, the centurion, Mary Magdalene, the Samaritan woman, a leper....all of the fringe people who had been discarded by both society and the religious order of the day.  And...he wants us not just to minister to them, but to embrace and love them IN OUR CHURCHES.  His book is full of the stories of these people who have been turned out by believers, from fellowships they had lovingly belonged to.

This book was so challenging for me, but so good.  It resonated with my growing conviction that meeting Jesus and walking with him, is not a one-time decision to be counted by evangelists...but a lifetime of processing, walking, submitting, growing.  And we need to be those who walk alongside with encouragement, and with no judgement for the broken who have made huge messes of their lives.  We need to love them right where they are, not demanding change, but offering grace.  I am ready to admit, after experiencing a church that is economically, racially and politically diverse; that my previous "know it all" hard stances were wrong.  I am not ready at my age to start a new kind of church like John is doing in Raleigh, NC.  I don't yet agree with all of his beliefs, but I am intrigued by the journey he has been on and am blessed by the way he powerfully uses his blog to initiate discussions about the wrongs that he sees.  He may be a modern day prophet.  I am trying to listen.

The Dutch House and The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett

Ann Patchett's writing style resonates with me.  She develops her characters well by telling their stories through the viewpoints of other people.  I especially enjoyed The Dutch House, her most recent novel. It centers around a large, uniquely built house in a small town outside of Philadelphia.  The house was purchased by Maeve and Danny's father as a special gift to their mother, but the house did not provide all the beautiful dreams that Mr. Conroy envisioned.  The fairytale he wanted unraveled when Elna came to despise the house and all that it stood for.  Mostly, this book is about the relationship between the two children: through the ups and downs of their father's death, the stepmother's wrath, the abandonment by their mom, and the loss of the house; these two weather it all and stay resiliently connected.  For most of her readers, I'm sure the cruel stepmother struck a nerve; but even more difficult for me was the way the mother walked away, not just from her husband and life--but from her two kids who were under ten years old....so disturbing.  She chose to travel the world and assist other needy people, not acknowledging the deep holes of need that would develop in Maeve and Danny.



The Patron Saint of Liars was a much earlier work.  In the 1940's, Rose is raised by her mother after the accidental death of her father at age 4.  When Rose tells her story, she makes it sound as if she and her mother enjoyed their life immensely, that they had many wonderful memories together; however as the story develops it appears to me that Rose must have had a dis-connect.  When she gets pregnant, she flees from California to Tennessee to a Catholic home for unwed mothers, leaving behind her life with husband Thomas and her mother.  Essentially disappearing.  Finally facing the fact that she could not give up her baby, she agrees to marry Son (although still married to Thomas, whom Son knows nothing about), an older handyman who is smitten with her.  She stays at the home as the volunteer cook.  Once again, the same thread runs throughout this book:  a mother who chooses to assist others in the home, to give advise and love....but who does not interact nor actually care about her own daughter.  Perhaps all of the secrets from her past make it impossible to move forward, so she can only concentrate on her day to day duties without sharing any part of herself with her husband nor Sissy.  It was a compelling read and I thought Rose would finally open up to those who loved her, but it did not happen.  The ending was disappointing for me.  Sister Evangeline and Son were the shining characters --they gave sacrificially both to Rose and to Sissy.  I may need to read one more book by Ann Patchett to see if the "less than stellar mothers" theme continues.  It makes me wonder if the author had a mother dis-connection!

Thoughts While Sheltering

As I put away my Easter lawn flag and browsed through my replacement stack, I was excited to locate my bright pink "Stay Calm and Fight On" breast cancer encouragement flag.  With our sheltering confusion, emotional ups and downs and irritability, this flag seemed perfect for a "time such as this".  I wanted to convey a message of hope and motivation to my neighbors.  It flew strong for  10 days...but a loose string caught on my flag stand.  The winds of April added to the unraveling and soon, the flag simply deteriorated into flapping strings that wound tightly around the black stand.

It was depressing.  A flag of hope diminished to nothing.  It seemed so much like the Covid 19 situation that we are currently in.  There were waves of hope and Good News stories at first.  People were hunkered down, ready to beat this and stay put amidst the onslaught; but the strong winds of challenge, disagreement, anger, and resentment blew.  All of the good intentions turned to complaints and impatience.  Our hope unfurled just like my flag...many did not want to "stay calm and fight on". 

Though my flag is on the junk heap, my inward heart is still beating with hope that as we stay the course, God will walk with us and bring stamina and strength for the battle.  He has done it many times before.  He will do it again...He has a great track record.

A new flag will be found.  A new wave of inspiration will begin.

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates

This Sizzlers Club read, endorsed by Oprah's Book Club, was engaging from the start.  Hiram Walker, son of water dancer slave Rose and plantation master, Howell...weaves his story of pain, with great vulnerability. 

Although there were phrases and ideas that sometimes eluded me, it did not deter from the story, and by the end most of those confusions resolved themselves.  One thing that really hit me was my misunderstanding of the Abolitionist / Underground movement.  I pictured courageous people, usually Quakers and Mennonites, doing their parts to host runaways along their way North.  What I never pictured was the long range planning & networking of the "Quality"to obtain plantations that were going under;  and the fact that there was an underside of the murder of some in order to produce the freedom of many.  It made me face once again, that no movement is entirely pure...that we are all a mix of goodness and evil, that as we face a greater call--hard decisions will be made.  It happens in politics, in churches, in businesses, in families, in activist organizations.  And, as much as I detest the Plantation owners and all of their duplicity in the name of God; I also can acknowledge the anguish that Howell Walker felt in his old age...the warring of his soul.

Of course, the other bigger story in his tale is Conducting.  What a perfect word for the gift Hi was given.  This reminded me of A Wrinkle in Time, where love was the key element in travel. In Coates' story, memory is the key.  I loved that the Water Dance and Conducting came from the African slaves because it gives a richness to his heritage, just as when we discover a gift that we realize has come from our ancestors.  An unforgettable read.

Unwanted by Mary E. Sandford

Mary Sandford's first book is a winner.  Published as juvenile fiction, she definitely hits her targeted audience.  Debbie's story is redemptive and full of hope for those kids lost in foster care, feeling friendless and lonely; but it also has a message for the rest of us. In the midst of the uncertainties of life, there are supporting people along the way who play an important role in our healing...and there is God, always orchestrating events and transforming our brokenness into wholeness.

Sandford weaves this story in an engaging way, using historical events to bring the characters to life; as well as giving us a surprise ending.  I also loved her chapter titles (Unhappy, Unjust, Unbearable, Unsure, Unexpected, etc) which corollated to and expanded the "Unwanted" title, until the final chapter, Wanted. And isn't that what we all long for?

***This author is a friend of mine from our long ago days in Downers Grove.  We got re-acquainted on our recent Texas trip, and I found a kindred spirit in our love of words. It was a joy to read her first novel.

Winter Getaway - HOME

I'm sitting home on this Friday night, sheltered in for the duration of this pandemic....never having imagined that God would keep us just ahead of this brewing storm as we traveled from Michigan, through 10 states and back again.  We utilized 2 Airbnb's, 1 home, 4 state parks, 1 National park, 1 unexpected hotel, 1 KOA, 1 Good Sam, 3 private RV parks, 1 Cracker Barrel, 1 Camping World, 2 Hole in the Wall campgrounds, and 1 Tennessee Lawn!!  We listened, we loved, we fought, we learned, we played, we rested, we hiked, we biked, we talked, we laughed, we prayed....my heart is full.

  

  

 





  

 

 

  

And...this is what we "enjoyed" the morning after we arrived home:

And...this is how we feel: