Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Commonwealth was our 2nd read for the Sizzler Book Club at Otsego Library.  The author did a good job delving into the characters' thoughts by switching the story line to each one at different points.  The story centered around one family's divorce and how it affected the six children, throughout their lives.  It particularly focused on the death of one boy, and the trickle effects of the "secret" surrounding that death.  Each character added little pieces of information to that day as the story progressed.  At first, when the character and the timeline switched, it took me a while to catch on, but in the end, I appreciated the author's approach.

My overall thought throughout was that our choices in life do not just affect us, there are ripple effects to our kids, to our friends, to our church families...sometimes our selfishness rears its ugly head, we succumb to the pull of that, and we are left with the fallout.

Strings Attached by Joanne Lipman and Melanie Kupchynsky

My friend, Sheila, passed this book on to me.  It reminded me of the movie, Mr. Holland's Opus, starring Richard Dreyfuss....as well as of my own band experience with Mr. Richard Swinsick, a respected musician in the education field who touched hundreds of lives.

Mr. "K", as he was affectionately referred to, came to NJ with memories that he tried to bury of his violent background in war torn Ukraine.  Unbeknownst to his students, that baggage made him into the teacher they knew:  disciplined, demanding, hopeful, creative, sometimes angry, sometimes tender.  It was in the years that he was fleeing for his life, as a young teen --that he heard a violin being played from an open window (one of the only beautiful things he had ever experienced), which instilled in him the dream of being a musician.  That dream kept him going and expanded into teaching others to appreciate and "feel the music".

This book was co-written by 2 of his students, one a competent  violist and the other his daughter, who became a principal violinist in the Chicago Symphony.  Both write in the first person, concurrently weaving each story as the years go by; from their early beginnings at young ages and through to a final concert for Mr. K at his funeral.  This is the story of a life-giving man who changed the lives of his students, amidst personal obstacles.

Mr. Swinsick also brightened our lives, by expecting the best from us; by urging us to pick ourselves up when we "failed" at solo & ensembles; by building a team that depended on one another in marching and concert season; and by fully giving of himself.  Both of these men, as well as countless other music teachers, knew that music would change us and make us better....for all of our lives.

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Very intense read because of the violence and evil treatment from slave masters and anti-abolitionists towards slaves and the harborers of runaways.  The interesting twist is the author's premise that the Underground Railroad was actually real--real rails deep underneath the ground that provided escape from southern plantations to places of freedom in the North.

There were many ideas introduced that made me unsure as to whether the author simply took liberties in his fictitious rendering, or if there were elements of truth.  For instance:  that SC actually initially accepted the runaways and provided jobs (after all, this state was in the deep South); that the runaway patrollers could go as far North as needed to capture slaves and return them (I thought that the runaways were given their freedom when they crossed the Mason Dixon line); that Freedom Farms such as the IN Valentine Farm actually were created and used for good; that there could possibly be those who were only interested in their own "gains" as they appeared to be working for the cause of the runaways (SC movers, grave diggers, masters who promised freedoms that were never given).

Overall, a story of the redemption of Cora, in all of the violence, turmoil, disappointments and victories that were hers.....with characters who joined in with her along the way.

Christmas Days 2016

Snowy, cold days with the Hendrens and the Tegelaars. It was the 12 days of Christmas!  After some horrific flight delays and waits, the Hendrens arrived at 3 am, with kiddos time zones slightly messed up!  Grama (GGma) arrived that Tuesday for a broccoli soup lunch with Donna and Alise to spend a little time with Maelie and Walker; but we all ended up working on a Charlie Brown 400 piece puzzle, and ....finished it that day!! Tegelaars set a record and came through the door at 4:30 on Wednesday, to join us for a chicken taco dinner...and we were off to a racing start.
Favorite Moments:
*Quiet First Morning w/ Maelie, snuggling by the Christmas Tree
*Smiles & laughter from Maelie & Walker, on their first trip down the snowy backyard hill
*Bill & Mar taking the Euchre win against Keith & Mel
*Ringing the Salvation Army bells at Walmart
*Watching Jet share his "ga-ga" with Walker (truck) & keeping him entertained
*Hearing Azi nailing Mikkel's bad habits (that mother-daughter thing)
*Seeing the very clear differences in temperament in the grands at Chucky-Cheese.  Some      immediately jumping into all the fun, others reviewing and determining the best places to use their  tickets, others realizing the importance of following Chuckie in order to get more tickets --just a  great Walker Family Fun Day!
*Sitting between Jet and Azi on Christmas Eve
*Reading Aladdin to Maelie and Walker points to the big blue genie and says "Gwama"!!
*Delighting in Zeal's generosity and joy on Christmas morning
*Playing Racko with Jet, one on one
*Costume participation from all on Christmas Day (Teg clearly the most creative...)
*Putting Trux to bed one night, enjoying his insights--reading One Fish Two Fish, trying to skip a page and he nailed me!!!
*"Almost Grown Up" chatter with Azi
*Bible story every night with all the kids gathered in the living room

Simply hanging out and living life with our kids, marveling at their adultness, special relationships with their spouses, and shared parenting.  So proud of them.

New Years Day Musings

God's sense of humor showed up again today! Love when that happens.  Out on my walk on a sunny 45 degree day, reviewing what Pastor Wes encouraged us to do during worship:  release.  "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creation - old things are passed away and the new has come." (II Corinthians 5:17).  So, what are the old things that need to go in my life?  The 2016 weights that are holding me?  I release my need for approval (again).  I release my worry over appearances.  I release my control over my carefully laid plans.  I release my control over Bill's life and all that I think he should be doing or not doing (please, Lord).  I release my mouth.  I release my judgmentalism.  I release my need to be right.  I release my anger.  It was quite a walk!

The funny part?  I noticed a hair on one of my gloves and attempted to shake it off.  When that didn't work, I carefully reached over with the other gloved hand to gently remove it and shake that hand.  No chance.  Determining to be rid of it, I took off a glove and used my freed hand to get the rascal and throw it off---then I laughed out loud!  How creative of God to give me the exact visual of my struggle to release the junk in my life!  I desperately want to release those "old things" but they sometimes stick and it takes several attempts to truly "let go".

Releasing, relinquishing, relieving, letting go--so that I can forge ahead with freedom into 2017!  It already feels great to know I'm taking baby steps into the new year.

The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels

Truly enjoy the writing of Bill Hybels; relatable, common sense and real.  He did not disappoint in this offering on listening for God's whispers.  This is the book I will take with me on my next prayer day, as a great review and preparation for quietly listening.  Probably the key point Hybels made was that God speaks His word back to us--if I have not been mulling on passages or committing Scripture to memory, those words do not come back to me when I am looking for answers, comfort or direction.

Mostly I loved the personal stories about how God met this man in his need; sometimes broken, sometimes defeated, sometimes fearful.  No matter what I think about huge churches, programs and hype--this is about the daily struggles of one who has loved and served God in both good and bad times.

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

After a strong recommendation from Melody a few years ago, I finally picked up this book at a thrift shop while on our East Coast trip.  It was a captivating read, but also difficult to come to grips with many of the themes: a hard driving missionary father, political upheaval in the Congo, and a mother caught between following her heart to keep her daughters safe or staying with an overbearing husband.  Wow- so many thoughts, so much pondering.

Written from the perspective of all five women in the family definitely gave me more ideas and detail.  It also presented a full understanding of the characters and their relationships.    Leaving Georgia to head to the Congo in the turbulent late fifties as a dedicated missionary family was hard; but staying in the Congo when the mission organization requested that all families leave -- was foolhardy and dangerous.  This father, called to preach and follow God, somehow got lost in his zeal, and came to believe in his own intelligence and convictions with no regard for his family or the people he came to serve.

Each of the daughters were caught in the web of their father's iron will, and each responded so differently; but it was the most difficult for the mother --her struggle to stand up for herself and her daughters took courage and heartbreak.

The other deeper theme almost moved me more than the broken family situation.  The story of a Congo reaching for independence, and electing a young leader who was killed because of countries who were reluctant to give up their lucrative business dealings in the diamond market.  I again was forced to acknowledge that this country that I love, has an ugly underside where political decisions are made daily that negatively affect other places and people, sometimes simply for personal gain for us.  If we fought so hard to be independent, why can't our leaders see the potential and desire in other countries for the same ideals?  How does greed become so imbedded in human hearts that it blocks out objectivity and good moral choices?  

Morning Walk Musings

Hooray--followed through on my "first day back" goal: our for a walk, against the weatherman's prediction of rain!!  I am asking the Lord to give me good listening skills as I walk and here is my take-away for today....
We missed the "peak days" of Michigan's beautiful autumn season (and I heard that this year was particularly spectacular!); however I was struck by the Burning Bushes (I refer to them as Moses Bushes) in our neighborhood--a deeper hue of red than I have noted in other years.  They strikingly stood out in the midst of the almost bare maples, and the yellow hues of the other trees whose leaves are now briskly falling.  I felt God whispering that this is what He wants of us -- to be still standing for Him, with a brilliance of color and purpose in our neighborhoods, at the end of this tumultuous election day.  He is able to be glorified even in this very broken world no matter what the polls reveal.

East Coast Adventure.....the End of the Line

What a whirlwind of exciting days we have had.  Bill and I keep looking at one another, wondering how 2 months could have flown by so quickly.  About 1 week in, we really thought it might drag on and we would get sick of this journey~~~ but we haven't!  Yes, we WILL take more road-trips!

Some mini lessons we have learned along the way:
Less Hurried Means Less Harried
Relaxing for Bill can actually mean more reading!! (5 books down)
Pacing ourselves leads to balance and moderation...and less anxiety.
If there is a choice between a cheap motel and sleeping in the RV...choose the RV:)
Acceptance of one another's weaknesses means a good day!
Flexibility in our schedule makes more interesting memories.
LOVE is an act of unending Forgiveness...
Appreciating our friends means keeping in touch more consistently~~we loved the time we spent with all the friends along the way.  As we chatted, Bill and I realized again how uniquely each person is fashioned and formed, but the common thread is their love of Jesus.  We were amazed and humbled at how God has used them for the Kingdom.  How blessed we are to call them friends!

Here is our route in a nutshell!  God was gracious in granting AMAZING weather, as you will note in the photos (only 2 rainy days!!) and no RV problems!!  Thanks for coming alongside & enjoying it with us!
  

  

  


  

 

  

  

A little disheveled, but happy to be back!  20 states & 6,000 miles.

Tennessee Time Out for Grandparenting!

Seven very full days in Knoxville!  Although we say it's for the grands, lots of our time was spent checking off Mikkel's lists of projects!!  It really was fun since we haven't had any of our own for a few months!  Bill was busy making shelves, shoe racks and assisting Teg in their almost completed main bathroom.  (He's also the BEST meal clean-upper.) I jumped in as school chauffeur, furniture arranger, decor suggest-or, ass't home school teacher, and sounding board.  So sorry we didn't finish de-sorting the clothing, Mik!
Highlights of our week:  Field Trip to Wonderworks (check out Jet on the Bed of Nails!), Halloween Fun, Cheering for our Soccer Kids, Reading Books, and just CELEBRATING our grandkids!

Mik in center, Azi at right!

Note Mikkel as the "Blind Ref" !!

Working on the mudroom lockers.

 

Azi assists her Robotics teacher
with younger students each week.

   

   

 

It's BOPPA time at the games!