tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49164850571642056442024-03-18T19:37:16.855-04:00Home JoysServing the Lord with Gladness
Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.comBlogger1587125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-4968907824730583282024-02-22T17:22:00.004-05:002024-02-23T08:09:11.307-05:00Sisters Spring Reading Challenge - With Duet Books!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0wurbN0QRjMNq5SHrvE41Dd8JcQzmm-jrBVYu8nzZgWiSd4yP3Y9weZ9umYrXw0erYD9OsDmiWP91tH3_Fmi9BPqGSjmcVRYLdyNcYqM9kUpw8kJ7DGp2Ww7irKBOZL0ZYm1zaPpqeQ3SkR8yKyS6zj8G8b977n8gfE24NSMHn_WPcebLLNdFEQ2bL0/s4032/PXL_20240222_212242555.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR0wurbN0QRjMNq5SHrvE41Dd8JcQzmm-jrBVYu8nzZgWiSd4yP3Y9weZ9umYrXw0erYD9OsDmiWP91tH3_Fmi9BPqGSjmcVRYLdyNcYqM9kUpw8kJ7DGp2Ww7irKBOZL0ZYm1zaPpqeQ3SkR8yKyS6zj8G8b977n8gfE24NSMHn_WPcebLLNdFEQ2bL0/w400-h225/PXL_20240222_212242555.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Charity and I have enjoyed discussing various reading challenges that we'd like to do in 2024. We are both looking forward to reading some of the unread books on our TBR and have the goal of stretching ourselves. </p><p>(Charity gave me Milton's <i>Paradise Lost</i> for Christmas, and we are going to attempt to read it together. Are we crazy? Talk about out of my comfort zone!) </p><p>If you are new here, every season (spring, summer, fall), my sister Charity and I come up with several reading challenges. These are just-for-fun challenges that we plan to do ourselves, and we welcome you to join us. No prizes. No sign-up forms. No pressure. Just the fun of reading together. We don't require any specific titles and keep the categories vague so you can read the books you want to read, while hopefully challenging you (and us) in our reading life.</p><p>This year we plan to have several duet reading challenges each season.</p><p>For a duet challenge, we will read two books that harmonize with each other. This doesn't mean two books in the same series or sequels, but two books that are different in some way, yet harmonize. </p><p>I have often have the happy coincidence that two books I'm reading harmonize. Maybe one book references a book I just read or lends insight into a topic that I was reading about in another book. I say my books start "talking to each other," and my reading pleasure is enhanced.</p><p>So this year, we are going to attempt to increase our reading pleasure by purposely choosing books that harmonize. You can even turn these book duets into trios by reading three books that harmonize. </p><p>For this spring, we have two book duets, one other book challenge, a Bible reading challenge, and a book related activity.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeSA-wFc6EqHErErmcB8odFc6oy-ZgJM-XG8U4wjPBy2fwAeuRefIamz4PNY1Z_crF5Ui0TNpRlYkXAxWUUaiBeE02MaH9dP-quIg18X1vvz1NkhKRWBligb_uT7BssNiIbdetbJ3y9LLcCdbnnQD9sRGQz_Pu_KXdCRdjDpMgBGzswd0ZSj08PbkA8M/s4032/PXL_20240222_212318004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeSA-wFc6EqHErErmcB8odFc6oy-ZgJM-XG8U4wjPBy2fwAeuRefIamz4PNY1Z_crF5Ui0TNpRlYkXAxWUUaiBeE02MaH9dP-quIg18X1vvz1NkhKRWBligb_uT7BssNiIbdetbJ3y9LLcCdbnnQD9sRGQz_Pu_KXdCRdjDpMgBGzswd0ZSj08PbkA8M/w400-h225/PXL_20240222_212318004.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p><b>Sisters' Spring Reading Challenge</b></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>1. Duet Challenge: Read two books that are by the same author but in a different genre. </b></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Some talented authors wrote in various forms, such as fiction and nonfiction or prose and poetry. Reading more than one type of their writing can give insight into their writing skill and process. </p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Some author examples are Katrina Hoover Lee, Andrew Peterson, Mark Twain, Dorothy Sayers, G.K. Chesterton, C.S. Lewis, Wendell Berry, and E. B. White, but there are many more. Pick your favorite author and see if they have written books in more than one genre. You may find that your favorite novelist also wrote essays. Or that a poet you enjoy also wrote history. </p>
<p align="left" style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>2. Duet Challenge: Read
two books connected to the same author.</b></p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
could be done in various ways. Y</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">ou could choose </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">a biography of the
author, </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">a book that was</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">
influenced by the author, or </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">a
book by an </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">author that
influenced him or her.</span></p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">For
example: Let's take Jane Austen. You could read a classic Austen novel</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> and a biography of Austen. </span>
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Or you could read a book that was influenced by </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">Jane
Austen</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"> such as <i><a href="https://amzn.to/49phqxs">A Jane Austen Education</a></i> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;">by William
Deresiewicz. (Not from a Christian perspective.)</span></p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">O</span><span style="font-weight: normal;">r
read a book by one of the authors that influenced Jane Austen, such as Frances
Burney or Samuel Johnson.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Writers often write about the authors who have influenced them, so there are many directions that this challenge could go. If you read a book and the author references another book that you haven't read, find that book. </p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I recently read <i><a href="https://amzn.to/48qJtLP">A Chance in the World</a></i> by Steve Pemberton, a true story about a boy who edured an abusive foster home. He told how books, especially <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3uHsOFQ">Watership Down </a></i>by Richard Adams, gave him the courage to hold onto hope. Now I want to read <i>Watership Down</i> and find out why the book was so meaningful to Pemberton. This is just one example of how one book author could connect to another book.</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I can't wait to hear what you all read for this challenge.</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>3. Read a book that celebrates beauty.</b></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">You can take this challenge many different directions. It could be a book with a beautiful cover, a book of poetry, a book that encourages beauty in homemaking, nature, creativty, art, or words, or even a book that promotes inner beauty.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Some examples: </p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/49oPbio">A Home in Bloom </a></i>by Christie Purifoy,</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4bMVgHe">Adorned</a></i> by Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/49lMLBm">A Garden to Keep</a></i> by Jamie Langston Turner</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3SVpb7A">Adorning the Dark</a></i> by Andrew Peterson</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>4. Take some notes every day </b>(or most days, we aren’t legalistic here)<b> about
your Bible reading.</b> </p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">This
can be just sentence or two of your thoughts on the Bible passage or a verse that stood out. I know that I get much more out of my Bible reading when I read with a pen and journal, but I've fallen out of the habit. I'm excited to start again.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>5. Place
a book in a free library box.</b><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Many
communities have little boxes in parks or other public places for
books that you want to discard. I have a stack of books that I was going to take to the Goodwill, but instead, I'm looking forward to visiting some of the free library boxes several parks and stocking some good books.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> If your community doesn’t have one,
then find another way to give away a book. Some libraries and coffee
shops have free shelves.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I'm excited about these challenges, even if they are a bit stretching.</span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">What are you looking forward to reading this spring?</span></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-9653933606397402162024-02-02T16:07:00.005-05:002024-02-02T16:07:42.699-05:00Worship in the Hungry Seasons: the Limits of Productivity<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVlzJMJxYJVvPINbBzIvLVQURzpjPGCQCoUB46ErlmxHruNkb1oJRMTCejRrVcz7zlmbmZqYBAeZYebDMSAwtJlFf1C0G0565MK9qKIzS7TDdCZMZrZAOm2ZM8yNcfW2_oxbLTa_LUS6fKb-GpnkqyJW8cC1kkGBPP7H3xwlcjg4Xp9Doh3PWs8C6PRA/s4032/PXL_20240120_125455053.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVlzJMJxYJVvPINbBzIvLVQURzpjPGCQCoUB46ErlmxHruNkb1oJRMTCejRrVcz7zlmbmZqYBAeZYebDMSAwtJlFf1C0G0565MK9qKIzS7TDdCZMZrZAOm2ZM8yNcfW2_oxbLTa_LUS6fKb-GpnkqyJW8cC1kkGBPP7H3xwlcjg4Xp9Doh3PWs8C6PRA/w400-h225/PXL_20240120_125455053.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I began reading time management books as a teen. I was a voracious
bookworm, reading nearly every book in the house, including my mom’s
books on home organization. I checked books out of the library on
topics such as decluttering. Before I turned twenty, I listed <i>Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People</i> as one of my favorite books.</span><div><br /><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Most teens weren’t reading productivity guides, but I was the
oldest of nine, a bossy type-A Big Sister. Add my personality to a
culture that admired efficiency and getting-it-done and, well, maybe
I put too much value on productivity.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
I married someone with a similar personality. Ed dreamed of more
projects than could be completed in a year of Saturdays. We both had
trouble saying <i>no,</i> which meant that we did crazy things like
serve as youth leaders when we had two children under the age of two.
We loved goal lists and always wanted to do more—read more books,
can more vegetables, invite more guests.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2S20KYpNjb1a-qhvIFnVHcazVZX8lFZzHP7sI-CZm9bX6IQj1AmiTgLWnzu3gtJlOp047XXso9TbC3Laz3FvkXfx93sXaet8QX1XQ39OmBI_qZg7kV8GWcgQq-zPpOR7UfLr1nZZI5aukBJ94IB4YZSbSmb5IuEPudOuwvCKIIdKc5DQomEVu1vU4aE/s4032/PXL_20240116_153817493.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_2S20KYpNjb1a-qhvIFnVHcazVZX8lFZzHP7sI-CZm9bX6IQj1AmiTgLWnzu3gtJlOp047XXso9TbC3Laz3FvkXfx93sXaet8QX1XQ39OmBI_qZg7kV8GWcgQq-zPpOR7UfLr1nZZI5aukBJ94IB4YZSbSmb5IuEPudOuwvCKIIdKc5DQomEVu1vU4aE/w400-h225/PXL_20240116_153817493.jpg" width="400" /></a>
</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
I loved my life and how I was spending my time. People regularly
asked me how I got it all done. And I’ll admit it—I was proud of
being capable and productive.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
But then Ed was diagnosed with brain cancer and told he had only a
year or so to live. He was only forty and life felt too short, but by
faith Ed believed that God had given him enough time. He longed for
more years with his family and grieved the suffering that his death
would bring, but his soul was at peace. He chose “It Is Well with
My Soul” to be sung at his funeral as his testimony. As the tumor
consumed his brain, Ed became childlike, not looking ahead to
tomorrow, not worrying about the future, not angry with his lack of
productivity. In two years, cancer stole his intellect, his speech,
his motor skills, and finally his life, but it never destroyed his
peace.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
Peace was harder for me to find. As Ed declined, I had to pick up
tasks I had never carried before. I was anxious at the thought of
parenting alone and accepting help felt like failure. The time
management books and productivity mindset that served me well in
times of plenty had limitations in the hard times.</span></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nAfvB30oSMhORfoNE99lafYOr8Bbtsd1JoxhJRdIBBSWsg2AS0gA3xMy8_V3E_J0IHc7MTMZlYEx5q3lDSyjhiQPfCMCUuNHlbCU6tIcWRu56vBiumysEPhDdnXY_bMviFL3yHFqowddq722okUX6HNiSpudUuFuu-LS7o8fC1MqaZ1czv1fjtHr_9E/s4032/PXL_20240121_221946484.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nAfvB30oSMhORfoNE99lafYOr8Bbtsd1JoxhJRdIBBSWsg2AS0gA3xMy8_V3E_J0IHc7MTMZlYEx5q3lDSyjhiQPfCMCUuNHlbCU6tIcWRu56vBiumysEPhDdnXY_bMviFL3yHFqowddq722okUX6HNiSpudUuFuu-LS7o8fC1MqaZ1czv1fjtHr_9E/w225-h400/PXL_20240121_221946484.jpg" width="225" /></span></a></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. A productivity mindset lives in summer, reveling in the abundance
of growth and harvest. But humans all experience seasons of
winter—seasons of death and doubt, desire and drought. Winter can’t
be avoided, rushed, or despised because it isn’t productive. It
must be accepted as a natural season.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
2. A productivity mindset can’t change the reality of human
fragility. Whether forty-two or ninety-two, our earth years are
fleeting compared to God’s eternity. My efforts at time management
appear pitiful when compared to God’s vast expanses of time in
eternity.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
3. A productivity mindset may fear the future. What if I get sick, or
the economy slows down, or I’m caught in traffic? My careful plans
could derail. I could run out of time. Jesus pointed out the birds as
a model. They follow instinct to build nests, fly south, and find
food, but they don’t stress about the future.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">
4. A productivity mindset always wants more—it is never content. In
contrast, at the end of Creation week, God rested. He wasn’t weary;
God never tires. He hadn’t run out of creativity, energy, or
ability as we humans do. In His boundlessness, God could have created
endless plants and animals, but He said it was enough. Could I choose
contentment and rest?</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5. A productivity mindset focuses on me and my accomplishments. Time
management only has value when it brings God glory. If a meal chart
helps me be a calmer mom, it is a good thing. But if organization
feeds pride and becomes an idol, it is not of God. All personalities
have their tenancies toward sin, including mine.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">6. A productivity mindset values those that are successful, but in
God’s upside-down kingdom, the greatest in the kingdom are the
least</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">—the
helpless, homeless, and handicapped, the infants, infirmed, and
imprisoned. Those who have nothing to give, who rely totally on God,
have a special place in God’s heart.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">7. A productivity mindset desires self-sufficiency, but God
prioritizes humble dependence on Him. He gave stern words to the
church in Laodicea who claimed they had no need of God</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">.
My productivity could hinder my relationship with God if I didn’t
realize my desperate need for Him.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">8. A productivity mindset sees negative experiences as something to
fix. But only in acceptance do we find joy and the ability to rest in
God. Cancer brought an end to Ed’s productive life on earth. My
efforts couldn’t change that fact. For me, cancer brought a
rearranged life, the shuffle of grief, the awareness of weakness—and
the need for acceptance.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But as He has for the animals, God provided ways to survive the
barren seasons. Though I am limited by time, daylight, weather,
energy, and abilities, God is not. He stands above human limitations.
When I worship God in the hard times, I’m praising His work, not
mine. When I’m no longer trying to impress others by my
productivity, I can allow them to see my barren shelves, my bruised
heart, my blighted prayers. I can give others opportunity to care for
me until spring comes again.</span></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ll probably always love the bustle of summer, the excitement of
harvest, the days filled with activity and productive projects. I may
always enjoy reading about time management and be tempted to value
time by what I accomplish. But I counter the longing to do more and
be more with worship. I want to walk through the hungry season, the
dependent years, the times of weakness, with hands lifted in worship.
Because of Jesus. </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">It is well with my soul.</i></p><div id="sdendnote1"><p class="sdendnote-western">(This article was first published in <i><a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/products/quiet-of-winter">Commonplace: The Quiet of Winter</a></i> by Daughters of Promise Ministry)</p></div><div id="sdendnote3">
</div></div>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-43466779905730752612024-01-18T07:19:00.002-05:002024-01-18T07:19:24.039-05:00Woodstove Altar<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW345cZdAsJkKV6W2ilsVOzpQn4eDlc2dymzwhF_Rs7TwRUusnKPBy_7X8VbudDI8-kR7DIRXRkMs94_I3IoO0AgDtbaur2cPKQ04lvoiUrQfZA8KBjTpWarnBfOdT7fR6JlFF02PwLtCtBh-Q2q2O6Bo5o0vTmb64Yq9bjxldVVmoPZm5zacbLZviB4/s4032/PXL_20240116_015630646.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: inherit; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFW345cZdAsJkKV6W2ilsVOzpQn4eDlc2dymzwhF_Rs7TwRUusnKPBy_7X8VbudDI8-kR7DIRXRkMs94_I3IoO0AgDtbaur2cPKQ04lvoiUrQfZA8KBjTpWarnBfOdT7fR6JlFF02PwLtCtBh-Q2q2O6Bo5o0vTmb64Yq9bjxldVVmoPZm5zacbLZviB4/w400-h225/PXL_20240116_015630646.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">This is the fifth winter that I've been in charge of our outdoor woodstove. You'd think I'd have accepted it by now, but every fall it hits me again.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">When I'm crawling into bed and realize I forgot to fill the woodstove, or when I wake up to a cold house and know that the fire went out, or, despite my best efforts, the house is STILL cold, and I'm not sure if the culprit is the fan or the compressor or the thermostat - the woodstove becomes an analogy for all the hard things about widowhood.</span></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5Kv1R5-rVLcK1KDF0erJCgSM64m5t1kChCn1Ms03uGrMBjSSMB4W71jKuV2wSMF2lxrJGtTB8eVtKWoLp4BijqXD0ebP1qFqSCF9biCX5k42XB8LQinQJQTf4VmfZxpgblLOPTOPGlRd1sp-1iZoIY9D8kMI_t-GvB4hWlo23JMA7n2mFzZpnM5eJmA/s4032/PXL_20240116_123047884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5Kv1R5-rVLcK1KDF0erJCgSM64m5t1kChCn1Ms03uGrMBjSSMB4W71jKuV2wSMF2lxrJGtTB8eVtKWoLp4BijqXD0ebP1qFqSCF9biCX5k42XB8LQinQJQTf4VmfZxpgblLOPTOPGlRd1sp-1iZoIY9D8kMI_t-GvB4hWlo23JMA7n2mFzZpnM5eJmA/w225-h400/PXL_20240116_123047884.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">I know I'm blessed with brothers and sons that spend hours cutting wood to fill the woodshed. I'm grateful that a few years before his death, Ed had put in a radiant heating system for a cozy house. But that doesn't replace the fact that I still wish Ed was here to pull on his boots on frigid mornings and windy nights and fill the woodstove.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">But as the weeks go by, I find my attitude changing. I still don't love this chore, but I learn to accept the task. I find a rhythm of pulling on gloves and boots, crunching over the frozen yard, sliding open the stove door, and heaving wood into the depths.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">On clear nights, I flick off the woodshed light and gaze at the stars. I don't do this often enough - take my eyes off earth and my problems and look into the gigantic universe and worship the Creator of it and me.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Then I turn to the gleaming lights of our home. My heart hurts with the longing to keep the ones inside warm and safe.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">It is a job too big for a woman who struggles to keep the woodstove filled. But it isn't too big for Him.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">And filling the woodstove has become, again, an altar of worship.</span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-7FvIcSErWzSRDnJGk8io7LFxdL1ikjnmt8pFEz2kZTKwL84sxV93-fc3O5gx8xD5ndBlMkEV1Xlafh4I0G6Y3a_TdpiGhsKg7oSZpqKZdDDRxNS6I2GOHDIVbI9BUPnaZb2f3yz1ZSVnjlPphQhX65JFh_hZf5S-ySMh5U7RI1n2jko7knd2fmCAqQ/s4032/PXL_20240116_123143994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-7FvIcSErWzSRDnJGk8io7LFxdL1ikjnmt8pFEz2kZTKwL84sxV93-fc3O5gx8xD5ndBlMkEV1Xlafh4I0G6Y3a_TdpiGhsKg7oSZpqKZdDDRxNS6I2GOHDIVbI9BUPnaZb2f3yz1ZSVnjlPphQhX65JFh_hZf5S-ySMh5U7RI1n2jko7knd2fmCAqQ/w400-h225/PXL_20240116_123143994.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">This post was written on Instagram. If you wish, you can follow me there @homejoysmom</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I began blogging way back in 2008 on Blogger. As new platforms cropped up (Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress), I just kept on Blogspot. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Fifteen years is a crazy amount of time, and sometimes I wonder if it is time to change. I've struggled the last couple years to find an email provider for the blog that works well. (If you read this blog by email, you may have missed the recipe for <a href="https://homejoys.blogspot.com/2023/12/brownie-batter-dip.html">brownie batter dip</a>.) Maybe I should switch to Instagram or Substack or some other platform. But I don't want to lose the archives here. And I don't want to be sucked into another time-draining social media platform.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">So for now, I'm experimenting and learning over at Instagram, while keeping this site alive. I'd love to hear your input. Are you on Instagram or Substack? What are the pros and cons? If you are reading this, I know you read blogs, but do you think your blog reading will continue?</span></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com81tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-62239309967894339702023-12-30T19:36:00.001-05:002024-01-01T17:13:28.928-05:00Brighter Winter Recommendations<p>I love sharing books. Yesterday my sister and a friend were at my house discussing the<a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/pages/brighter-winter-2024"> Brighter Winter Reading Challenges</a>. Both went home with a stack of books. </p><p>If you live near me, please come on over. Nothing is more fun than talking about books while prerusing book shelves. But for those who don't live near me, here are some book recommendations for the various Brighter Winter Reading Challenges.</p><p><i>This post contains affiliate links.</i></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsdaRJt8TzoZxIHusTUjGPzIWBVkAUlt5YnFtVrfcVrYfMO54WyzcYVJz_ZddrVfk1T22p4rAZa8ikHIc34px2xUAGfU2az2KznwMz9QjPRr2WyoonYV5_OtQXwQvn_VFVHvx8fDe79jyKgpUhn0Vx_Xl0qntOda6zi3YH8wjkNez6WBdx5brPfvm7WA/s4032/PXL_20231231_000051511.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCsdaRJt8TzoZxIHusTUjGPzIWBVkAUlt5YnFtVrfcVrYfMO54WyzcYVJz_ZddrVfk1T22p4rAZa8ikHIc34px2xUAGfU2az2KznwMz9QjPRr2WyoonYV5_OtQXwQvn_VFVHvx8fDe79jyKgpUhn0Vx_Xl0qntOda6zi3YH8wjkNez6WBdx5brPfvm7WA/w400-h225/PXL_20231231_000051511.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><i><br /></i><p></p><p><b>Books set in the continent of Africa</b></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3ttL3ya">A Long Walk to Water</a></i> by Linda Sue Park (middle grade)</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3vbBmVm"><i>West With the Night</i></a> by Beryl Markham (classic memior)</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/4aPLWBY"><i>The No. 1 Ladies Detective</i> Series</a> by Alexander McCall Smith (fiction, also an author who uses three names)</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/48d42vO">Cry the Beloved Country</a></i> by Alan Paton (classic)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Books that center around a bookstore</b></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3RYxsIv">84, Charing Cross Road</a></i> by Helena Hanff (classic nonfiction)</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3RIxx1p">The Last Bookshop in London</a></i> by Madeline Martin (fiction)</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3H2Gpdx"><i>The Printed Letter Bookshop</i></a> by Katherine Reay (fiction)</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3RKsLAL">Parnassus on Wheels </a></i>by Christopher Morley (classic fiction)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Books that feature a teacher or education</b></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3H6YLtG">Dangerous Minds</a></i> by LouAnne Johnson(nonfiction)</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3tArBQ7">Wednesday Wars </a></i>by Gary D. Schmidt (middle grade)</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/41EA5T2">A Year of Miss Agnes </a></i>by Kirkpatrick Hill (middle grade)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPxioYFbrZcEZX5Z30FqXnJzh9nAveqXdNHHS860y9IDhyphenhyphenTwR2s-UI-PbhUWXLmlGeuRZhCXk1Vfkg3hE837K4y6kBiThL4kdNkgkbgO0rH87SDqKvS-bUKSH_1sWLcF641TkmWTzo5tAwEW7HU98vj0qdCSZLyG6p-bpLloNNnME8OL_DyvPAXYKgnM/s4032/PXL_20231231_000015626.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVPxioYFbrZcEZX5Z30FqXnJzh9nAveqXdNHHS860y9IDhyphenhyphenTwR2s-UI-PbhUWXLmlGeuRZhCXk1Vfkg3hE837K4y6kBiThL4kdNkgkbgO0rH87SDqKvS-bUKSH_1sWLcF641TkmWTzo5tAwEW7HU98vj0qdCSZLyG6p-bpLloNNnME8OL_DyvPAXYKgnM/w400-h225/PXL_20231231_000015626.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>American Classics</b></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3NNpOOx">My Antonia </a></i>by Willa Cather</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/48b8nQa">The Old Man and the Sea</a></i> by Ernest Hemingway</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3S08EzF">To Kill a Mockingbird</a></i> by Harper Lee</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Newbery Awards or Honor chapter books</b></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/41FbvRU">The Giver </a></i>by Lois Lowry</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3tAWDHH">Shiloh </a></i>by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (an author who uses three names)</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4aDtVXc">A Single Shard </a></i>by Linda Sue Park (an author who uses three names)</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3tAWRyx">Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH </a></i>by Robert C. O'Brien</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3TDrSfT">Sing Down the Moon</a></i> by Scott O'Dell</p><p><i><a href="Gone-Away Lake ">Gone-Away Lake </a></i>by Elizabeth Enright</p><p>(And so many more. You can find the complete list online. My library has a special shelf with Newbery books.)</p><p><br /></p><p><b>A book which has a family unit of 4+ children as the main characters</b></p><p>Many children's classics depict large families. I plan to read a book to my girls for this challenge. Some examples . . .</p><p>Melendy family - Elizabeth Enright</p><p>Moffat family - Elanor Estes</p><p>Ingalls family - Laura Ingalls Wilder</p><p>All-of-a-Kind Family - Sydney Taylor</p><p>There are many other books that would fit this category - even classics such as<i> Pride and Prejudice</i> or <i>Little Women</i>.</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Book by an Anabaptist author</b></p><p>The easiest way to find a book for this challenge is to go to the <a href="https://cambooks.org/">CAM Books</a> or <a href="https://christianlight.org/shop-books">Christian Light</a> websites.</p><p>Or look up self-published authors such as Emily Steiner, Dorcas Smucker, or Katrina Hoover Lee. If I hadn't just read <i><a href="https://homejoys.blogspot.com/2023/11/a-fragile-heritage.html">A Fragile Heritage</a></i>, I'd pick it.</p><p>What books do you recommend for these categories? I'm sure I missed some great ones!</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-75765294004333247602023-12-29T10:00:00.001-05:002023-12-29T10:00:00.230-05:00Choosing Books for the Brighter Winter Reading Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrtPjW9shanDkZjtrlDVmBiLi89NB6CzBO4LFyMybLu8RbH39lD59jMmzd1Glr4IYFhidl_auoUfFH7bbUAOEeAU2ScArXPTf3sOlI2SlcM66_DBC87l8mcDItsuacQYxUaEcNWZCznXK_q33OPV2Q6zlx4EFwUFNzt_6zo4c-0DBIvdT-Us2CFXDWMA/s2919/PXL_20231222_140536598.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2919" data-original-width="2237" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrtPjW9shanDkZjtrlDVmBiLi89NB6CzBO4LFyMybLu8RbH39lD59jMmzd1Glr4IYFhidl_auoUfFH7bbUAOEeAU2ScArXPTf3sOlI2SlcM66_DBC87l8mcDItsuacQYxUaEcNWZCznXK_q33OPV2Q6zlx4EFwUFNzt_6zo4c-0DBIvdT-Us2CFXDWMA/s320/PXL_20231222_140536598.jpg" width="245" /></a></div><p>Since the winter of 2020, I've been enjoying the <a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/pages/brighter-winter-2024">Brighter Winter Reading Challenge</a>. The beginning of this challenge coincided with my first year as a widow, when I was reading much more, since I didn't have Ed to talk to in the evenings. </p><p>I love that Brighter Winter stretches my reading into new genres, gives my reading focus, and allows me to share reading with friends. This is the fifth year and by now it is a highlight of my winter. </p><p>You can find more information about <a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/pages/brighter-winter-2024">Brighter Winter Reading Challenge on their website,</a> but briefly, this free reading challenge gives you a grid for January and February. You record the books you read for each challenge and qualify for drawings for prizes.<br /></p><p>The day that Brighter Winter shared the reading grids, I printed them off and began choosing books. I begin filling in the grid with a pencil. When I read the book, I'll record it in pen.</p><p>Over the years, I've worked out a system for choosing books for Brighter Winter. This may sound rather obsessive, but I definently read more if I put some thought into my reading goals, so maybe you will get ideas for choosing your next book, even if you don't participate in Brighter Winter.</p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">1. First I considered my reading goals for this winter. For me this includes reading unread books already on my shelves, participating in a book club, and prereading books for my children.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">2. Next I looked through the shelf of unread books in my room. I started by pulling books off that shelf that would fit one or more of the Brighter Winter categories. (You can use the same book twice to check off the categories for Brighter Winter so I always like to find books that can fit two categories.)</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">3. Then I looked through the audiobooks that I saved in<a href="https://www.everand.com/g/7idh1w"> Everand (used to be named Scribd - you can try it for free</a>) and picked ones that would fit in the categories. I like to choose one or two audiobooks each month of the challenge, depending on their length.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">4. Next I checked my TBR list for any other books I've been hoping to read. I have a gift card to Thriftbooks that I can use to purchase any books that I would like to add.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">5. Since my goal is to preread some new books for my children, I checked my library for some Newberry, Calacott, and Coretta Scott King awards. If I put a hold on them now, they will be waiting the next time I'm at the library.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">6. And last, but maybe best, I ask friends for suggestions. What are good books that include teachers? Or adoption? Book conversations are The Best and talking about books is one of my favorite parts of Brighter Winter. Several years ago, some of my friends who are all participating in Brighter Winter, formed a Whatsapp group so that we could discuss our reading. It has been a fun way to get some more book suggestions.</span></span><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0HTtx27UYWl3uPrBTPEYDR7_DdAFECRf1Fox-44YSTVDLpMrlgjcIVLCW3sEEyTWwwZDBiygyni7sXLeGEtX-hQQX1hhPdF7MkcihzkeJR0-weAFNI3ITO07Al3ImmHvM3NVkLzgR7mCHlL7C5cHVO4Qv_vWuf5O14TG019QsJKk73JrqL806hj60TU/s3082/PXL_20231222_140424778.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3082" data-original-width="2259" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_0HTtx27UYWl3uPrBTPEYDR7_DdAFECRf1Fox-44YSTVDLpMrlgjcIVLCW3sEEyTWwwZDBiygyni7sXLeGEtX-hQQX1hhPdF7MkcihzkeJR0-weAFNI3ITO07Al3ImmHvM3NVkLzgR7mCHlL7C5cHVO4Qv_vWuf5O14TG019QsJKk73JrqL806hj60TU/w294-h400/PXL_20231222_140424778.jpg" width="294" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Choosing books for Brighter Winter is so much fun! I'll change my mind lots of times, pulling books on and off the shelves, switching one for another. I'll have at least one long book gab session with my sister Charity and probably send her home with an armload of books. Likely I'll take books to church to lend to others doing the Brighter Winter Challenge. To me, sharing and talking about books is as fun as reading books.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">And when January 1st rolls around, I'll be so excited to start reading that I will likely wake up early to start on the stack.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">If you haven't signed up for<a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/pages/brighter-winter-2024"> Brighter Winter Reading Challenge, </a>you still can.</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">If you are doing the Brighter Winter Challenge, how do you choose your books? Which category excites you the most? I hope to share some Brighter Winter reading suggestions in a future post.</span></span></div></div>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-58096973461765752352023-12-26T07:21:00.000-05:002023-12-26T07:21:00.122-05:00Brownie Batter Dip<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcVvIsZEZN0oACXQPx8Um2ARdghYisxgOBv0vxW55PF1s449hdpRxikGe1daB0n0NhYXTAzwMkmg8rSJRBv1Yv8uSNVjyRvSkcQ8ONCCVLtu4s7qwfyLpGnmBfuCVB2atoTeBVcQY65obAMHvnUh-YnWp5CrG4iKcqi8NjKhQtLvlY4FscsnwhyphenhyphentvHn0/s4032/PXL_20231110_172848065.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcVvIsZEZN0oACXQPx8Um2ARdghYisxgOBv0vxW55PF1s449hdpRxikGe1daB0n0NhYXTAzwMkmg8rSJRBv1Yv8uSNVjyRvSkcQ8ONCCVLtu4s7qwfyLpGnmBfuCVB2atoTeBVcQY65obAMHvnUh-YnWp5CrG4iKcqi8NjKhQtLvlY4FscsnwhyphenhyphentvHn0/w400-h225/PXL_20231110_172848065.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Dips are so fun for quick gatherings. My daughter has been making this one for us. We all love it. and I usually have the ingredients on hand. This is a dip for those who'd rather lick the bowl than eat the baked brownie. </p><p>We usually serve it with apple slices, but pretzels and Teddy Grahams are great, too. </p><p><br /></p><p><b>Brownie Batter Dip</b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>1 pack (8 oz) cream cheese, </b>softened</p><p><b>1/4 cup butter,</b> softened</p><p><b>2 cups confectioners' sugar</b></p><p><b>1/3 cup baking cocoa</b></p><p><b>1/4 cup milk</b></p><p><b>2 tablespoons of brown sugar</b></p><p><b>1 tsp vanilla</b></p><p><b>Optional: 1/4 cup mini M&Ms</b></p><p><b>Dippers: apple slices, pretzels, Teddy Grahams</b></p><p>In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Beat in confectioners' sugar, cocoa, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Sprink with M&Ms if desired. Serve with dippers of your choice.</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-49679939500877602922023-12-11T08:56:00.001-05:002023-12-11T08:56:16.421-05:00Sisters Fall Reading Challenge<p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7vsI2ZEtvD-zXQwWzZEWGmxPf0PqasVEBY5EnrnUI__PFTPeX-w2Vn4iG6B4UHiFVshFTb0LFW-cUL3iMxShMtwWGDG_Of_TPG067ToB0zPAZ__Tk1SJfiMl65GMyzctC93Ega5qefGxQ9dcMebBD89w0JNUv4rlfiEX39QUfSSCNMkdF2tZgGQnNWo/s3471/PXL_20231207_183446898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3471" data-original-width="2146" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7vsI2ZEtvD-zXQwWzZEWGmxPf0PqasVEBY5EnrnUI__PFTPeX-w2Vn4iG6B4UHiFVshFTb0LFW-cUL3iMxShMtwWGDG_Of_TPG067ToB0zPAZ__Tk1SJfiMl65GMyzctC93Ega5qefGxQ9dcMebBD89w0JNUv4rlfiEX39QUfSSCNMkdF2tZgGQnNWo/w248-h400/PXL_20231207_183446898.jpg" width="248" /></a></b></div><b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sisters' Fall Reading Challenge </span></b></div></b><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">We both enjoyed so many great books this fall. I'm never sure if it is because I happend to find great books or if I was simply in the mood to enjoy reading more this fall than sometimes. But whatever the reason, I've loved reading the past few months. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Here is a glimpse of our reading this fall (and a photo shoot at the local library where we both grew up prerusing the shelves.)</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>This post contains affiliate links.</i></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQbri9EcZMfYLix-kr-uz947KyVPPs0UoNSK9TKCe_3azB292YMIWpiZ_uG2-PFctzzp45GJx-ny0xrwJ5RoHGo814u3U4ESRSTr-4C_e4y8PS2GEjg2xJsOcl7A98Po52Qon5kn-kJPGe7cAplGQ7l72iHm9EwIJcqwcUWQRi8kzAMDxPJ1symo79hM/s3122/PXL_20231207_183158967.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3122" data-original-width="2264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcQbri9EcZMfYLix-kr-uz947KyVPPs0UoNSK9TKCe_3azB292YMIWpiZ_uG2-PFctzzp45GJx-ny0xrwJ5RoHGo814u3U4ESRSTr-4C_e4y8PS2GEjg2xJsOcl7A98Po52Qon5kn-kJPGe7cAplGQ7l72iHm9EwIJcqwcUWQRi8kzAMDxPJ1symo79hM/w290-h400/PXL_20231207_183158967.jpg" width="290" /></a></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Read a biography. </span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity<i> - <a href="https://amzn.to/3GDJm48">The Wright Brothers</a></i> by David McCulloulgh </span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">While reading this book, I thought “Did I actually learn about the Wrights in school?” As always McCullough dug deep and gives an incredible story of the men who were determined to fly. I found this story engaging and learned a host of information that I won’t be forgetting for a long time.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/47Rl6Ye">The Bridge of Love </a></i>by Grace Nies Fletcher</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">As a young man, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrell_Vories_Hitotsuyanagi">Merrell Vories </a>asked to be sent to a difficult place of service where Jesus' name was not known. In 1908, he moved to a small town in Japan to serve as an English-language teacher. He spent the rest of his life in Japan, teaching the way of Christ, marrying a young woman from a noble family, becoming a Japanese citizen, and suffering during Word War 2.<i> The Bridge of Love</i> shares the inspiring story of Merrell and his wife and what God can do with two lives committed to Him. After reading their story, Merrel's hymn, <a href="http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/l/t/b/t/ltbtlgoh.htm">"Let There Be Light, Lord God of Hosts"</a> has more meaning.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvlrkgKYSfRbS6f-QAS-qdpJ1fwgzakyZL8wOD0VSg1wollqMJ4e-8frjiidHcbj3AeFU-KrLUBSPUdX6zb_FlksMKewKDQurASMWSDxVwwYPcqUG7AGymVScrEPLnBeeL-fBscm7Bz2tOuFp9AMMCoPV7g6sUbBYRNOu_xG0PhZgd0N28BshQmi6yYQ/s4032/PXL_20231207_183536996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibvlrkgKYSfRbS6f-QAS-qdpJ1fwgzakyZL8wOD0VSg1wollqMJ4e-8frjiidHcbj3AeFU-KrLUBSPUdX6zb_FlksMKewKDQurASMWSDxVwwYPcqUG7AGymVScrEPLnBeeL-fBscm7Bz2tOuFp9AMMCoPV7g6sUbBYRNOu_xG0PhZgd0N28BshQmi6yYQ/w400-h225/PXL_20231207_183536996.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Read a book set in England. </span></b></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Charity -<i> <a href="https://amzn.to/3NnJBnt">Towers in the Mist </a></i>by Elizabeth Goudge</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Set in Oxford during the 1500s, I enjoyed this historical fiction of a time period I rarely read about. The story is based around the happenings in the university at Oxford, the Leigh family, and a boy from the street that wants to learn. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;">Gina -<i><a href="https://amzn.to/3tdzN8Q"> The Two Mrs. Abbotts </a></i>by D.E. Stevenson</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white;">I've been on a huge Stevenson kick the past few months. Her books are so cozy and cheerful. <i>The Two Mrs. Abbotts</i> is the third in the <i>Miss Buncle </i>series, but Miss Buncle doesn't play a main role in this book. Instead we get to learn to know her friends in Wandlebury as they experience the challenges of World War 2. I checked the publication date and found that this book was written and published during World War 2. To me it read like historical fiction, but to the author and the first readers, it was their reality. I'm certain that those readers found it just as warm and delightful as I did.</div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Read a book with a subtitle.</span></b></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Charity- <i> <a href="https://amzn.to/3NnF2tl">Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making</a> </i>by Andrew Peterson</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">As an author and musician, Peterson loves creating beauty. This book is full of hope and inspired me to fully embrace the beauty in a world of darkness. I found myself with a list of books, poems, and songs to enjoy after finishing this book.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"> </span></div><div style="background-color: white;">Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/48a6WRv">With: Reimagining the Way You Relate to God</a></i> by Skye Jethani</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white;">How do I relate to God? Does fear force me to try to control God? Do I attempt to manipulate God by my religious activity? I didn't agree with every word of this book, but it made me think deeply and realize anew how much God desires a relationship <b>with</b> His people. It inspired me love God more, and I'll be rereading this book.</div><div style="background-color: white;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgae98kDOyxWZut3noihhDjm3T-sL9FHH-3Fuo5xkImaZQsQXYpmjTo5pOSzs1y-v2ETpiMCjhi6qJyhErOYWW2nIyb1WA3MM3Drv3N2qdx8kWidPG-73MwvTE0JppeeTMoNTE99SCriYD5l5HcuxcY1lubfamcXAlh5lTNcl9HtsO4DfA0B5VLyt-YYj4/s3158/PXL_20231207_183607956.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3158" data-original-width="2255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgae98kDOyxWZut3noihhDjm3T-sL9FHH-3Fuo5xkImaZQsQXYpmjTo5pOSzs1y-v2ETpiMCjhi6qJyhErOYWW2nIyb1WA3MM3Drv3N2qdx8kWidPG-73MwvTE0JppeeTMoNTE99SCriYD5l5HcuxcY1lubfamcXAlh5lTNcl9HtsO4DfA0B5VLyt-YYj4/w285-h400/PXL_20231207_183607956.jpg" width="285" /></a></span></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Choose a Bible character, study his or her life, and draw a time line of their life.</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity - David</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I wanted to choose a character that I could spend a lot of time on. David’s life is packed full of action. Though I knew his story well, I was blown away by how much happened to him from a young man until old age. Studying David’s life made me realize the importance of prayer before making decisions. It was also beautiful to see how God fulfills his promise to David through the our king Jesus. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Gina - Peter</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Peter has always been my favorite apostle, but I never read through the Gospels and Acts just looking at Peter. I also read Peter's letters in a couple different versions. Knowing the facts of Peter's life and his eventual martydom, put perspective on his words to the church.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQBquW_L9uRHVm-6WC6hQe1vTfMwpNJx5N0hboFKbpNZRtO8B_UdTM_DrXr2jr-V-aW-ZY9SslzYnoulCARiKiaAJ3zX0PjJB47WTkovEtRhM7yV7M3xkFp8vFrhVQHXFwsMnilxltq-WEApA7zjleN46EnAySiD6BOovyD9o-VLwdtr0RnUYKedmgBI/s3223/PXL_20231207_183219843.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-weight: 700; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3223" data-original-width="2128" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQBquW_L9uRHVm-6WC6hQe1vTfMwpNJx5N0hboFKbpNZRtO8B_UdTM_DrXr2jr-V-aW-ZY9SslzYnoulCARiKiaAJ3zX0PjJB47WTkovEtRhM7yV7M3xkFp8vFrhVQHXFwsMnilxltq-WEApA7zjleN46EnAySiD6BOovyD9o-VLwdtr0RnUYKedmgBI/w264-h400/PXL_20231207_183219843.jpg" width="264" /></a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;">Did you read any extra good books this fall?</div>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-11513966709901783732023-12-02T08:59:00.001-05:002023-12-05T16:12:17.909-05:00Sisters' December Reading<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ8hcI1BOpMF4Kr_5Hgf-n9vI_smVP84CYkk_F9RkU76WTuTRh2ElaLNW5yFBndr0vbhDcPIYj0ZWmTMkiaBjDe1oCa_XPJESysOIoQgK2KwdEZ1lYpKnSB7nvnrfO6Y0xlhbpzyNem0ph3kYQdXHrMNOmR8diCSjkTmo4GOOKGHOzr_X5YMLSRoHLdo/s4032/PXL_20231202_134203820.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ8hcI1BOpMF4Kr_5Hgf-n9vI_smVP84CYkk_F9RkU76WTuTRh2ElaLNW5yFBndr0vbhDcPIYj0ZWmTMkiaBjDe1oCa_XPJESysOIoQgK2KwdEZ1lYpKnSB7nvnrfO6Y0xlhbpzyNem0ph3kYQdXHrMNOmR8diCSjkTmo4GOOKGHOzr_X5YMLSRoHLdo/w400-h225/PXL_20231202_134203820.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity and I don't plan to post reading challenges for winter. But we thought we'd share a few book recommendations for December in case you want some book ideas. </span></p><p>(We are looking forward to the <a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/pages/brighter-winter-2024">Brighter Winter Reading Challenge</a> in January and February. Registration is open now.) </p><p><i>This post contains affiliate links.</i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Children's Christmas Picture Books</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity - <i style="color: #222222;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3T2txLG">The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey</a> </i><span style="color: #222222;">by Susan Wojciechowski</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I grew up with a few very special Christmas books. This treasure is beautifully illustrated and the story is about redemption, simple acts of kindness, and the hope in Jesus. Mr. Toomey is grumpy and keeps to himself ever since he has lived on the edge of the village. What no one understands is that once his life was filled with laughter. The widow and her son have something to offer that might bring the light back into his eyes. I can’t wait for my little boy to be old enough to call this book part of Christmas. </span></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Gina -<a href="https://amzn.to/412tem1"> <i>Christmas Day in the Morning</i> </a>by Pearl S. Buck</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">A young boy wants to give his dad a special gift, and what would be better than doing the barn chores for him? I'm not sure I've ever read this to my children without getting a catch in my throat at the love between parent and child.</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Middle-grade Christmas Books</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div>Charity <i>- <a href="https://amzn.to/3T79T1a">Jack and Jill </a></i>by Louisa May Alcott</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">This isn’t exactly a Christmas book, but it opens with snow and sledding and so I always thing of it as warm, cozy, and Christmasy. The subtitle calls it a village story and it is just that. A story about a group of friends and what happens in their lives as they become young men and women. I loved this story as a girl and I’m thinking about dipping back into it this month. Alcott often has lovely Christmas scenes in her stories so many of them are great December reading options.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div>Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3RpMtTm">Turkey for Christmas</a></i> by Marjuerite de Angeli</div><div><br /></div><div>I love the warmth of de Angeli's books and <i>Turkey for Christmas</i> is a short book that I read aloud nearly every Christmas. Maybe it is so special because it is a story of her own childhood, and the difficult winter when money was tight because of her sister's hospital bills. Bess didn't think it possible to have Christmas without turkey, but if they bought a turkey, there would be no money for presents. </div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Adult Christmas Books</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><i>Charity - <a href="https://amzn.to/3uGHGUJ">Christmas Stories</a></i><a href="https://amzn.to/3uGHGUJ"> </a>by Charles Dickens</div><div><i><br /></i></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most of us are very familiar with<i> A Christmas Carol,</i> but did you know that Dickens wrote five Christmas novellas? My goal is to read the last two this Christmas. If you reread Dickens' well known novel or try one of his lesser known novellas, I’m quite certain he won’t disappoint! </span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Nb2Ro2">A Symphony in Sand</a> </i>by Calvin Miller </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">This book is hard to categorize. Is it an allegory? Poetry? Fantasy? Miller rewrites the Christmas story in free verse allegorical form and makes me think of this familiar story in a new way. It has been several years since I read it, and I'm looking forward to a reread. </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Cozy Books</b></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity -<i> <a href="https://amzn.to/4a6cC0X">The Mitford Series</a> </i>by Jan Karon</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">I’ve been rereading a few of Karon’s cozy novels and loving every moment of it! Not only does she have one book that is dedicated to just Christmas, but most of her books have a chapter or two about Christmas. Set in the fictional town of Mitford, South Carolina, Father Tim is a rather average Episcopal priest, except that he is surrounded by interesting happenings and hilarious people. <span style="color: black;">This is my favorite series when I need a light, comfortable book to read.</span></span></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina -<a href="https://amzn.to/3RqtB6D"> Jamie Langsdon Turner's</a> books</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Since reading Turner's newest book, I've been longing to reread her whole series. Most are set somewhere around Derby, North Carolina and, though each one is about a different character, they manage to meet other characters from other books. Turner's books aren't just a cozy read, they make me think. I wrote a<a href="https://homejoys.blogspot.com/2014/06/to-see-moon-again-and-other-books.html"> review of the series</a> quite a few years ago.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">And for the new year...</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b>Goal Setting/Organizing Books</b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Charity - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Gx1IU5">The Lazy Genius Kitchen</a> </i>by Kendra Adachi</span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">I read this book soon after setting up my own kitchen. The author walks you through the different parts of your kitchen and habits and gives tips on the best way to organize, plan meals, and decide what is important to you. I also enjoyed the beauty of the graphics which made it a pleasure to read. </span></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina -<i> </i><a href="https://amzn.to/481j1Zb">Living Forward </a>by Michael Hyatt and Daniel Harkavy</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I read this book last year and am considering a reread. It helped me consider what I want my future to look like and what habits I need to build today to become the person I want to be. In some ways, losing Ed has made me cynical about planning for the future because I know plans can colapse with a dignosis. But on the other hand, I've learned how brief life can be and how I want to use each day wisely.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">Do you have books that you enjoy rereading in December? Are you setting goals for your winter reading?</div>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-23327794239103847062023-11-29T09:11:00.001-05:002023-11-30T09:50:23.589-05:00Hope in the Dark<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikUj6BPT7OlKR4oge952pOTrBa7RCGcQsCLfTSoSIq52zmkiRNAqTUGq4vX1xsCtYQsdlmAMO2yaZQT_Cipx0KVHc57RSRadrgXPN3MCTEi8NDDmK8i23IzIqCMJUfnhdtp6cbvX1mAAMMpnD-wW5tHvY-T3mI616dham1V2AO6cPQriTcUPlx-DBgs0/s4032/PXL_20231113_141646784.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhikUj6BPT7OlKR4oge952pOTrBa7RCGcQsCLfTSoSIq52zmkiRNAqTUGq4vX1xsCtYQsdlmAMO2yaZQT_Cipx0KVHc57RSRadrgXPN3MCTEi8NDDmK8i23IzIqCMJUfnhdtp6cbvX1mAAMMpnD-wW5tHvY-T3mI616dham1V2AO6cPQriTcUPlx-DBgs0/w400-h225/PXL_20231113_141646784.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>It is no secret that Christmas is a hard time for many people. For those who are lonely or grieving or feeling abandoned - Christmas with it glitter and lights and smiles can feel like a gut punch.</p><p>My friend Geneva Eby has struggled with Christmas. It was a reminder of her broken family and a dad who walked away. A few years ago, Geneva began to study the Biblical characters who lived before Christ, before the Light came to the world. That study became <i>Hope in the Dark,</i> a devotional journal that was just released by Daughters of Promise Ministry. </p><p><i>Hope in the Dark </i>examines the lives of thirteen Bible characters with short devotionals. Then Geneva shares questions to help the reader examine their own life and the hope found in Jesus. The book is laid out into twenty-five days so that it can be used as an advent journal for December 1-25. But nothing about the book's text or design screams Christmas so it can be used any time of the year. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0dASc_bsOIHnMXsZvFfoo2y44RpursZREa3YmG_gN5-KgDUFcGYzjeH_29fk15SmwyC4HzwF5f8CxDyUeF1leBuZYzObrcgfym0e-BtiV-jtinZmAMf6H4AqFB6RcG3UNqwn0mXG1NtZOjagabpkskOFlMWFfezn4gqve8HryqHb6yhMCvW3hwlW9NQ/s4032/PXL_20231129_124046522.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs0dASc_bsOIHnMXsZvFfoo2y44RpursZREa3YmG_gN5-KgDUFcGYzjeH_29fk15SmwyC4HzwF5f8CxDyUeF1leBuZYzObrcgfym0e-BtiV-jtinZmAMf6H4AqFB6RcG3UNqwn0mXG1NtZOjagabpkskOFlMWFfezn4gqve8HryqHb6yhMCvW3hwlW9NQ/w400-h225/PXL_20231129_124046522.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p>I was given a review copy of the book so began it in November. I've been wanting to begin journalling more, and I thought this might be the perfect tool. There is plenty of room to write in the book and the pages are uncoated for smear-free writing, but I chose to use a separate lined journal to record my answers. </p><p>Though each of the Bible characters were well-known to me, Geneva's insights into their lives helped me look at them in a new way. The act of writing encouraged me consider my response to the truth of God's Word. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eL7UceHjPqKCYO7MTHlO5u0fTY6gE5dWILeoHhQSxMhaFcAe39JBRvUj0d-IpMC47jYh0wV_nu_bC_9F0p4AzkLzVnFoZ3ED7wqnvn00_1BbqWdmJEOvmyylRtX-TEgj7NFI3pPSfIhGVSuIQjIyqwK91i-2UMsqgQuy6HYBAnoX8hlostzQeC33Jjw/s4032/PXL_20231129_124017596.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8eL7UceHjPqKCYO7MTHlO5u0fTY6gE5dWILeoHhQSxMhaFcAe39JBRvUj0d-IpMC47jYh0wV_nu_bC_9F0p4AzkLzVnFoZ3ED7wqnvn00_1BbqWdmJEOvmyylRtX-TEgj7NFI3pPSfIhGVSuIQjIyqwK91i-2UMsqgQuy6HYBAnoX8hlostzQeC33Jjw/w400-h225/PXL_20231129_124017596.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p><i>Hope in the Dark</i> would make the perfect gift to remind someone going through a hard time that God is with us and that even from the beginning, He was preparing a plan of hope for us. The restful photos and full-color design make this a lovely as well as meaningful book.</p><p>You can purchase <a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/products/hope-in-the-dark?_pos=1&_fid=117a4bc96&_ss=c"><i>Hope in the Dark </i>from the Daughters of Promise.</a> The first shipment sold out quickly, but they will have more available soon. I was given a free review copy of<i> Hope in the Dark,</i> but was not required to give a positive review. You can read more of Geneva's writing on her blog, <a href="https://genevaeby.blogspot.com/"><i>One Brave Thing.</i></a></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-84605453657267136742023-11-24T08:24:00.002-05:002023-11-24T10:26:44.650-05:00A Fragile Heritage<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbimD5xI9lBqK_ALU4xZ6sJZBHWOX2ISB3-7zJSZbJL7CzHDoP3uCg8mBE5Wl6BXgP89uMMRPWOqk9a63tIW_dQIxcwSTXBQw054PksRnSt6iSsRTnyGKfg5oofcTeX0TXP3PKhwchY2Y4jTwVCENiYDMAtDFS3hGzIm4VcUuK7_7tXjDLTDSWZmOCmA/s4032/PXL_20231122_123820837.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbimD5xI9lBqK_ALU4xZ6sJZBHWOX2ISB3-7zJSZbJL7CzHDoP3uCg8mBE5Wl6BXgP89uMMRPWOqk9a63tIW_dQIxcwSTXBQw054PksRnSt6iSsRTnyGKfg5oofcTeX0TXP3PKhwchY2Y4jTwVCENiYDMAtDFS3hGzIm4VcUuK7_7tXjDLTDSWZmOCmA/w225-h400/PXL_20231122_123820837.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p>We Mennonites love our heritage. We love family history. I'm pleased that I can trace my ancestors back ten or twelve generations to German or Swiss immigrants on a ship to Philadelphia in the early 1700s. We love that we can get together with about other Mennonite and find common connections. It is a bond, a privilege, a legacy, a heritage. </p><p>But Sheryl Leinbach found that it is a legacy that may carry heartbreak and suffering. A fragile heritage. </p><p>I met Sheryl ten years ago. She told me that she was writing a book about her family's crushing experience with maple syrup urine disease (MSUD). Her daughter was now healthy, but only after excruciating experiences of strict diets, painful procedures, many hospital stays, and, eventually, a liver transplant.</p><p>But the real agony was that MSUD was an genetic disease, passed through Lancaster Mennonite families and descendants. Sheryl's daughter had been so very sick because Sheryl had unknowingly married another MSUD carrier.</p><p>Over the years I talked to Sheryl numerous times about her book. We discussed writing memior, simplifying confusing genetic information, and Sheryl's desire that fewer children would suffer genetic diseases. </p><p>But I didn't actually know much about Sheryl's story. Last week I picked up a copy of <i>A Fragile Heritage</i> at a bookstore in Lancaster County. I cracked it open one night before bed and didn't lay it down until after midnight. The same thing happened the next night. On the third night, I knew I couldn't miss sleep yet again so I placed <i>A Fragile Heritage </i>in another room less I be tempted to read until the last page. (I'm not sure what this says about my self-discipline.)</p><p>I'm not typically drawn toward medical stories, but Sheryl's story sucked me in. It wasn't just a story of amazing doctors who transform medical care (though it includes much about Dr. Morton and the Clinic for Special Children). It isn't just a story of God's grace carrying a family through very hard experiences - though it is certainly that. </p><p>Like me, Sheryl wanted to protect her children from pain. Like me she wanted to be the perfect mom. She read the books, wrote the goals, made the plans. Like me she wanted to control the outcome of her children so they would grow up strong and healthy in body, mind, and spirit. But her best efforts failed. She couldn't be the perfect mom. Her child was very sick despite her best efforts, and no one knew when her child would get even sicker. Her husband cracked from the stress, and as a carrier, all this suffering seemed like their fault. </p><p>And what about the future. Should they have more children? Could they bring more children into the world that could also have MSUD? How could they prevent this disease from reaching their grandchildren? </p><p>Sheryl's honesty and huge amounts of research show through this book. The only thing I knew about genetics were dim memories of science class and pea plants, but Sheryl's careful explanation made sense. Her vulnerability in showing the challenges of a child with a genetic disease will help me be more sympathetic to other parents with sick children. </p><p>You can purchase<a href="https://christianlight.org/shop-books/new-books/a-fragile-heritage"> <i>A Fragile Heritage</i> from Christian Light </a>or at your local Mennonite bookstore or fabric store. Though I consider Sheryl a friend, I purchased the book at full price, and she doesn't know I'm doing this review.</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-41945817193542385202023-11-11T08:45:00.000-05:002023-11-11T08:45:20.508-05:00Mystery<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AhBqN8EqAGfdFXQdSwyUV2AnzKZjmB8payyvFJrG_zB2IbqCwrxrU977nKeJBgs5dK3a82Y51wDTvlq6oa-KbczSG4IyiYcXE0Ije8AFz0DrnmaJcMX0r0rq1OlsmH52M9nZZOh6TuKoZlH9cM6xqRK6K7OWO9QckLONX81vjn_sTVZ9eL7a6doihaw/s3188/PXL_20231111_121249315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3188" data-original-width="2213" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0AhBqN8EqAGfdFXQdSwyUV2AnzKZjmB8payyvFJrG_zB2IbqCwrxrU977nKeJBgs5dK3a82Y51wDTvlq6oa-KbczSG4IyiYcXE0Ije8AFz0DrnmaJcMX0r0rq1OlsmH52M9nZZOh6TuKoZlH9cM6xqRK6K7OWO9QckLONX81vjn_sTVZ9eL7a6doihaw/w278-h400/PXL_20231111_121249315.jpg" width="278" /></a></div>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I hold
his hand tightly, my eyes locked in his.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">We
speak age-old words</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">For
better or for worse; until death do us part.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">How
does God make two one?</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">We’ve
planned this day for months</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">and
can’t stop grinning.
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">A
weighty moment
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">but I
don’t grasp,</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I can’t
comprehend</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">how
much changed in that instant.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>I am
a wife.</b></p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCnRKxwJY3BU9sGl18YPRJAdFwQIQSbhpN_qvUw15un3EFYZRDJHGXACUpsR7RUZDmYXTZjL4CHbRO0rbpgCCEo2On-FdVaHsCBf9tJFcu6bYDBo-xEsFezO_LI_6KpP0JstR2gkBFvQBHf3lmi7N_fZyx0Bt63P3xNWGeGz0oWHu0TGbKhyRX3DLuDE/s579/Cheyenne%20baby.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="549" data-original-width="579" height="379" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaCnRKxwJY3BU9sGl18YPRJAdFwQIQSbhpN_qvUw15un3EFYZRDJHGXACUpsR7RUZDmYXTZjL4CHbRO0rbpgCCEo2On-FdVaHsCBf9tJFcu6bYDBo-xEsFezO_LI_6KpP0JstR2gkBFvQBHf3lmi7N_fZyx0Bt63P3xNWGeGz0oWHu0TGbKhyRX3DLuDE/w400-h379/Cheyenne%20baby.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I hold
tightly to her slippery body, my lips on her damp head.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">She
wails her first breath,</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Flails
tiny hands, missing comforting resistance.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">How did
part of me and part of him make this perfect human?</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">We’ve
anticipated this day for months;</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">he’s
choked up; I’m smiling.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">A
weighty moment
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">but I
don’t grasp,</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I can’t
comprehend</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">how
much changed in that instant.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>I am
a mom.</b></p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I hold
him tightly, leaning over the bed, my cheek pressed into his hair.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">He
gasps his last breath.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I hold
him, but I can’t keep him here.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I turn
off the oxygen; silence drops into the room.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I’ve
grieved the coming of this day for months,
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">watched
the slow dying; now, I have no tears.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">A
weighty moment</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">but I
don’t grasp,</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I can’t
comprehend</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">how
much changed in that instant.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b>I am
a widow.</b></p><br /><p></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-69015932949809717682023-10-28T13:30:00.002-04:002023-10-30T19:56:27.255-04:00Illness and Grief<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfva-xeRa_xblEzXGecZnOI7g1yr8QfdBPwlt1O6gYOMFRsURkcyECcu9ngRWf-hzUE9QuyW5GwcF8rkxFNkqK5Zsrjl_sGpOZpcLhTxIilvZtJVaV0SK2G-IQDjWf38_lpBFxvcpgzOt8C0a3rBo9kga1EwrYD3fbrUmxXbp6kspR61s7WO7zbbX4j4/s4032/PXL_20230911_233939128.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfva-xeRa_xblEzXGecZnOI7g1yr8QfdBPwlt1O6gYOMFRsURkcyECcu9ngRWf-hzUE9QuyW5GwcF8rkxFNkqK5Zsrjl_sGpOZpcLhTxIilvZtJVaV0SK2G-IQDjWf38_lpBFxvcpgzOt8C0a3rBo9kga1EwrYD3fbrUmxXbp6kspR61s7WO7zbbX4j4/w400-h225/PXL_20230911_233939128.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i>A friend asked, how has widowhood changed your life? What do you
wish others knew about widowhood? Here are some thoughts . . .</i></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Our family had been remarkably healthy for years. Ed had seasonal
allergies in the spring. One child had a few rashes as a baby which
she outgrew. Another baby had bronchitis twice that required
antibiotics. But most of our six children had never had any
medications stronger than Tylenol. None of my children had a broken
bone or stitches or been hospitalized since their birth. Our family’s
medical history could fit on an index card.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Do bad things happen in groups? They did for Job, though we know
those events weren’t random but a test from the enemy allowed by
God. Sometimes it feels as if once the wrecking ball starts swinging,
everything falls apart.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A few months after Ed’s brain cancer diagnosis, I heard screams for
help and ran to the door to see my son hobble toward me. Wet grass, a
small hill, and slippery boots somehow resulted in a collision course
with his brother pushing a lawn mower. For the first time, I rushed a
child to the emergency room. Ed left work and met us at the ER.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I wondered what the medical personal thought when they saw Ed’s
nearly bald head clearly displaying a long skull scar. Clearly our
family already had faced trauma. I rode in the ambulance with our son
as they transferred him to a larger hospital and watched him being
wheeled into the operating room twice in the next two days as
surgeons repaired his knee. Thankfully he hadn’t injured any bones
or tendons, and he healed quickly with only an ugly scar to remember
the event.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
But the doctor visits continued. And not just for Ed, whose medical
file grew longer each month. In the two years between Ed’s
diagnosis and death, all but one of us needed medical treatment. A
broken arm, a bull’s eye rash, a UTI, a cut hand, and a leg rash so
severe the doctor called in his co-worker to look at it. </p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">None of
these were chronic conditions and each healed quickly, but at the
time it felt overwhelming. What would happen next? I knew with six
children, accidents and illness were inevitable, but why all on top
of each other? Now? I wanted to hide our latest injury or illness
from our friends and family, because I didn’t want to be on the
prayer list yet again. I didn’t want pity, though I felt like
pitying myself.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35lWRDynRh0TJ_39u08jHgXq8w9r2D0poLotCBRJwQWCW4orm3j1omELgCsQTleCufthMjk1zCkp-oQk5OnowGoSnFcxOL0Kv3dGRNtahVxJw0DusuRgX7_Ipx3ZbgDz8hf5bFreGPxbc05z2gMC9r6ckxfIy5ZP41Vv7rhmr2pVAdE46bxgwuqfgBbs/s4032/PXL_20230914_104341785.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35lWRDynRh0TJ_39u08jHgXq8w9r2D0poLotCBRJwQWCW4orm3j1omELgCsQTleCufthMjk1zCkp-oQk5OnowGoSnFcxOL0Kv3dGRNtahVxJw0DusuRgX7_Ipx3ZbgDz8hf5bFreGPxbc05z2gMC9r6ckxfIy5ZP41Vv7rhmr2pVAdE46bxgwuqfgBbs/w400-h225/PXL_20230914_104341785.jpg" width="400" /></a></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
After Ed’s death, I observed that widows have two reactions to
their personal health.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Some widows become more careful, almost paranoid. It was
understandable. Their heartbeat is the only thing that stands between
their children becoming orphans. Losing a husband, especially if he
was young, makes you realize that life is fragile and contains no
guarantees. It is easy to worry about every sun spot, push mega doses
of supplements, and panic about busy highways.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Other widows become more cynical. They may have tried to eat
healthful diets, taken safety precautions, and prayed for healing and
protection, yet their husband died anyway. Why try to live a
healthful lifestyle if death is inevitable? If you can’t grow old
with the love of your life, living a long life no longer has an
appeal. When dreams for a future together evaporate, life can feel
pointless.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Widows can experience survival guilt. Why are they alive and their
husbands gone? Why were they granted more years, more time with their
children and their husband did not?</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Some widows face financial challenges which not only add more stress,
but also discourages spending money on their own health needs. A widow
with children may focus on her children’s needs to the
determent of their own. Not only is she parenting alone, and may be
too busy for time to unwind and relax, she doesn’t have a husband
to persuade her to get rest or medical help if needed.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
After a traumatic loss, many people experience physical symptoms from
stress. Some women lose hair, maybe as much as 50% of their hair—the
result of hormonal imbalance from grief stress. Some women’s weight
fluctuates, and they become under or over-weight. The distraction of
grief and the inability to think clearly can cause an increased
number of accidents and injuries. Numerous studies have shown that if
you lose your spouse, you have a significantly higher likelihood of
dying in the next six months.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A few weeks after Ed’s death, I began having pain in my right
elbow. Sometime the pain even interfered with sleep. I couldn’t
remember injuring my arm, and the pain seemed to wax and wane without
reason. It was many months before it began to feel normal again and
several years later, I sometimes found myself still pampering that
elbow.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
About the same time that the elbow pain began, I lost my voice. I
could still hold a conversation, but I couldn’t sing or read aloud
to my children. I struggled through homeschooling, and we listened to
an audio Bible for family devotions. At church, I didn’t want to
draw attention by not singing so I mouthed the words and choked back
tears while wondering if I’d ever be able to sing again.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Neither elbow pain or losing my voice were major health conditions, but
at the time, the questions felt heavy. Was my body reacting to
stress? Had I injured myself while caring for Ed? Was my body warning
me to slow down? Did I have a deeper health issues? Was I simply
getting older?</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A few years after Ed’s death, I realized that I hadn’t had a
physical check-up since my last baby’s birth, seven years before. I
knew it was wise to get updated blood work and a general check-up,
but I kept putting it off. Even more important, with my family
history of colon cancer, was to schedule a colonoscopy, but it was
easy to ignore. Ed would have insisted that I schedule the
appointments, but it was hard to force myself to make the phone
calls.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finally I visited my doctor for a physical, updated my blood work,
scheduled the colonoscopy, and asked a friend to drive me the
appointment since I’d be unable to drive home afterwards.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I dreaded the colonoscopy. I had never liked needles. Even though I
had birthed six babies in the hospital, I had never had an IV. When
Ed would get an IV during his many hospital stays, I always carefully
averted my eyes lest I get weak-kneed. I had never had any kind of
surgical procedure nor been under anesthesia, so I fought down
anxiety at the thought of the colonoscopy.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
This is your public safety announcement: If you are over forty, consider getting a colonoscopy. Colon cancer is the third most common
cancer in the US and preventable with a colonoscopy. It wasn’t as
bad as I expected. With my family history, this won’t be my last one so I’m glad I
no longer have to dread it.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QK8EKkcTkCqKdS7yy9jNVtuHTfFZg_1jpq3cckzmmTYtu_fMq_eAvbSUKyIciugut1PJC9AvrrLl9pUTGasRxTkeRV_ktc5l9yPLMNGC13qZr291oJoMnz3pZh0fUGhpzv5MHGZzEv9wzK5P9KZrfzMnnhX4eeKVK1q0j83X8EeuPhy7mqeGY27V8_w/s4032/PXL_20230914_110116843.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QK8EKkcTkCqKdS7yy9jNVtuHTfFZg_1jpq3cckzmmTYtu_fMq_eAvbSUKyIciugut1PJC9AvrrLl9pUTGasRxTkeRV_ktc5l9yPLMNGC13qZr291oJoMnz3pZh0fUGhpzv5MHGZzEv9wzK5P9KZrfzMnnhX4eeKVK1q0j83X8EeuPhy7mqeGY27V8_w/w400-h225/PXL_20230914_110116843.jpg" width="400" /></a></p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Grief affects people differently, but anyone who experiences
traumatic grief will be affected by stress. And stress impacts the
very cells and hormones of the body. Knowing this fact can help make
sense of the fatigue, distraction, maybe even mysterious ailments
after a loved one’s death.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I had a compassionate husband—one that said things like “You go
to bed, I’ll finish the dishes” or “Let’s get a babysitter so
we can go away this weekend.” Part of widowhood has been accepting
the loss of someone who knows my needs and cares for me as himself.
While the modern focus on self-care is perhaps out of balance, we do
need to care for our bodies as temples of God. If you are a tight-wad
cynic like me, you may need to force yourself to schedule the
doctor appointment or buy the vitamins.</p>
<p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And if you are close to a widow, help her care for herself. Ask if she is stressing about finances, offer to babysit so she has
time alone, and encourage her to get needed medical care. It might
feel like prying to ask about her medical needs, but she might not
have anyone else who will.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT892MJaNtk8NscaxHIalV5tPs_VFgtMkgO_o3yhuAop5ekNgSBIp1Xe61ywcbIiFKiflpw264f3zeVLplxCw-XUfhN5s71oZXxHXgTC2W-OxxiVZbt1Dc3eTsMb37Ye9kaxxHErgBKB0DY98vTJ4Sqo4wlmy0I0owvu2ZFOwMAxMZuYy0S3K9_s_INfM/s3264/PXL_20230914_110406495.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1836" data-original-width="3264" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT892MJaNtk8NscaxHIalV5tPs_VFgtMkgO_o3yhuAop5ekNgSBIp1Xe61ywcbIiFKiflpw264f3zeVLplxCw-XUfhN5s71oZXxHXgTC2W-OxxiVZbt1Dc3eTsMb37Ye9kaxxHErgBKB0DY98vTJ4Sqo4wlmy0I0owvu2ZFOwMAxMZuYy0S3K9_s_INfM/w400-h225/PXL_20230914_110406495.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i>All photos from our delightful family trip to Outer Banks, North Carolina.</i></p><p></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-88141325813964192812023-10-09T06:39:00.003-04:002023-10-09T14:47:42.773-04:00A Fruitful Field<p>If you read through old blog posts from ten or so years ago, you'd find that I used to do a lot of homesteading-type activities. For example, we no longer raise chickens for eggs and meat. Sometimes I miss it. Other times I'm willing to accept that my life looks differently than a decade ago. </p><p>I wrote about this quandary for the recent issue of Commonplace. </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJgKXW9gz32GVTkVWGTxIdfiIbYpsu80bb5GMjijmhW4PL57NX8Bkwsj6IQx2vO60IbUGxeJCy6E6420QTgku0ZGDjMRdJZcdJ6cNRLZ2amoduOfkAiTJRygOAjlCdI5eJE1XaFmn-r87yjo9EycDnI2hH5Y4M8hv6aOI9n_wupqUwiefH6gNPLt5Occ/s4032/PXL_20231008_195910736.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJgKXW9gz32GVTkVWGTxIdfiIbYpsu80bb5GMjijmhW4PL57NX8Bkwsj6IQx2vO60IbUGxeJCy6E6420QTgku0ZGDjMRdJZcdJ6cNRLZ2amoduOfkAiTJRygOAjlCdI5eJE1XaFmn-r87yjo9EycDnI2hH5Y4M8hv6aOI9n_wupqUwiefH6gNPLt5Occ/w400-h225/PXL_20231008_195910736.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><b>A Fruitful Field</b></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Soon after Ed and I became engaged, we toured the house that would
become our home. A dusting of snow lay on the ground as we walked
through the backyard to the one-acre pasture. I was smitten.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
The house wasn’t perfect, but I fell in love with that pasture. I
had spent hours of my childhood playing in a pasture like this. I
could envision our future children scrambling over the rocks, playing
hide-and-seek under the cedar trees, and picking raspberries.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
A few years flitted by, and my vision came true. Now, when I walked
through the pasture and avoided the clutches of brambles, I saw signs
of childhood imagination. An overturned crate and a few jars marked a
young lady’s store. Under a pine, old cans and a few rocks created
a kitchen. High in the arms of an oak, a pallet was wedged,
constructing a rough tree house. Our evening routine included picking
burrs out of socks, rubbing lotion on poison ivy, and checking for
ticks.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIhJHx7b4tM_ACm2rqiDi_mB3tstxpJjdCWT6Vg_WJcxEYM99c-8ExqB5k5lOd6bt4WArTR4C9UnsMuDVvi9pEL74R-r7sIU37YpVDkyqe5HqfAn_nDlSum48UH3_lXOqzn9D_oI0Zc9B7nyg7Jrkv4zTcDhstSZjIVlZlksYvxV2cyqptKzQuYbdOYs/s4032/PXL_20231008_194226556.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWIhJHx7b4tM_ACm2rqiDi_mB3tstxpJjdCWT6Vg_WJcxEYM99c-8ExqB5k5lOd6bt4WArTR4C9UnsMuDVvi9pEL74R-r7sIU37YpVDkyqe5HqfAn_nDlSum48UH3_lXOqzn9D_oI0Zc9B7nyg7Jrkv4zTcDhstSZjIVlZlksYvxV2cyqptKzQuYbdOYs/w225-h400/PXL_20231008_194226556.jpg" width="225" /></a></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">We attempted to make the stony field productive. We pastured a few
steers and raised chickens. We dreamed of someday having a milk cow
and perhaps even boiling maple syrup from our own sugar bush. But
eventually the fence fell into disrepair, and the steers began
regular visits to the neighbors. The chickens became dinner to some
wild beast. We quit pretending we were homesteaders, and when
visitors peered into the overgrown pasture and asked what we raised,
Ed simply said, “Children.”</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Besides, <span style="color: black;"><span><span lang="en-US">the
steers weren’t the only ones pulle</span></span></span>d past the
boundaries of our property. Ed and I pushed the stroller in
Hagerstown, our nearby city, handing out Bible Study invitations and
introducing our children to the concrete jungle. As years passed,
Ed’s spare time became divided between work projects at a boys’
camp, Bible studies in prison, and sermon preparations. I remember Ed
looking at the leaning pasture fence on a rare quiet Saturday and
saying, “Maybe we should stay home and work, but the children are
growing up so fast, let’s take a bike ride.”</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Then brain cancer stole my husband. The children and I became
dependent on others for daily sustenance. Fence repair wasn’t a
high priority, and honeysuckle and wild roses prospered in our unruly
pasture.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
When I drove down the road I saw productive fields. A trim pasture
with a quiet herd of black cattle. Tidy rows of peach trees. Orderly
vegetables growing behind a picket fence. Lush acres of corn,
soybeans, and alfalfa. All my life I have valued efficiency,
productivity, and profitability. My personality finds value in what I
do, what I produce, what I give. My pasture didn’t live up to my
standard.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
But I didn’t see slothfulness when I looked at that field. I saw
memories. I saw suntanned creative children spending hours under blue
skies amid waving wildflowers and weeds. I saw a dad who chose people
over projects. I didn’t see regrets.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYCirRrqg0MU0iU7z3zQ3MicfQ-0E5xZ8qf4BmX_k4oo-Z5G6BK5kFU8ZmbFgjBSo63W3MeLpXV8OoeDxOiKPzZCtYUtuzoMDinzs2FP1CgJ7Lxan2eS4KYCKM86ZFL88yjqsAILbJEQrF9Z-toxEYHV2_-2ycaEO_3fsGvugAE6iL2X6iRUlTnxal-A/s4032/PXL_20231008_194139996.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnYCirRrqg0MU0iU7z3zQ3MicfQ-0E5xZ8qf4BmX_k4oo-Z5G6BK5kFU8ZmbFgjBSo63W3MeLpXV8OoeDxOiKPzZCtYUtuzoMDinzs2FP1CgJ7Lxan2eS4KYCKM86ZFL88yjqsAILbJEQrF9Z-toxEYHV2_-2ycaEO_3fsGvugAE6iL2X6iRUlTnxal-A/w225-h400/PXL_20231008_194139996.jpg" width="225" /></a></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
Sometimes I compare my productivity, my fruitfulness, with what
I see in others’ lives. But there are as many ways to live a
faithful life as there are ways to tend a field. </p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Ruth gathered
barley, elderly Elisabeth guided a well-respected home in Jerusalem,
Lydia sewed for the poor, and Priscilla traveled with her husband to
share the gospel while making tents. A praying invalid, a mother of
toddlers, a grandma washing dishes, a teen sending a note of cheer –
all are fruitful fields.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whatever our age, marital status, economic position, or health
condition, each of us can bear fruit. Because fruit bearing isn’t
simply what we do, or how we appear to others, it is about connection
to God, abiding in the Vine, and allowing His Spirit to bear His
fruit in us.<a class="sdendnoteanc" href="#sdendnote1sym" name="sdendnote1anc"><sup>i</sup></a> </p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Yes, obedience and surrender are required, and faithfulness isn’t
optional, but we can’t conjure up love, joy, and peace on our
own—it is the work of God.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Some days I feel like a weedy pasture smothered by burdock and
thistles. Life is often harder and more complicated than I expected.
I compare myself with that lush field of soybeans and wonder what I
did wrong. </p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">Sometimes it is hard to know if my desire to be
fruit-bearing is based on pride and people pleasing or a genuine
desire for God to be glorified. But the important question to ask is,
Do I receive the Word of God with joy and am I nourishing that seed?
If so, my Master is pleased even if my field looks different from my
neighbors.</p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">I dream of someday repairing our fence and filling the pasture with
spotted goats. Maybe I’ll have another little flock of hens to
scratch among the red clover. But even if this field grew only
memories and nourished children, it has been fruitful.</p><p>
</p><div id="sdendnote1"><p class="sdendnote-western"><a class="sdendnotesym" href="#sdendnote1anc" name="sdendnote1sym">i</a>John
15:4-5</p>
</div><p></p><p align="left" class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><i>First published in</i><a href="https://daughters-of-promise.org/products/fields-and-woods?_pos=2&_fid=2cda14dab&_ss=c"> Commonplace - In Fields and Wood </a><i>in Fall 2023.</i><p></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-46835384877715869322023-09-25T21:04:00.002-04:002023-09-25T21:06:40.555-04:00He Shall Supply - Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnzhBk3IkdmKFc0L0Bi_Z5wKfDsNhpJRfOD821sTRtM8WNe0wb0sgV52FRSCgWYCriu_AJ_03ORwmmudDFxPBbqDghNL_V1GoBBLfdmqUoNj1zVd8OxJFLaCv7H-fHO4EHBXxDvHPtbtO4sIHhIwTeH5QWZEnPGu_dDJXQF8NF8uAHNG7ThyTuaZt3Nc/s4032/PXL_20230916_231236170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnzhBk3IkdmKFc0L0Bi_Z5wKfDsNhpJRfOD821sTRtM8WNe0wb0sgV52FRSCgWYCriu_AJ_03ORwmmudDFxPBbqDghNL_V1GoBBLfdmqUoNj1zVd8OxJFLaCv7H-fHO4EHBXxDvHPtbtO4sIHhIwTeH5QWZEnPGu_dDJXQF8NF8uAHNG7ThyTuaZt3Nc/w400-h225/PXL_20230916_231236170.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> <i>I was going through some files and found this account that I recorded back in 2015. I had completely forgotten about it, and don't remember the details, such as what was the emergency medical bill. But I do remember that God had given me some experiences that bolstered my faith. I didn't know how much I'd need a strong faith for 2017.</i></p><p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“It might work out after all.” Ed pushed his chair back from the
desk.
</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> I
looked up from my book. “You mean you paid all the bills?” I knew
the balance of our checkbook. A new heating system and an emergency
medical bill had depleted our savings. With the recent birth of our
baby and taxes due, finances were tight.</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “All
of them, even the taxes,” said Ed. “I drained the checking account, but
by the time the hospital bill comes, I'll have another paycheck. We
might just make it—if nothing unexpected happens.”</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> I
grimaced. I could guess what he was thinking. Two aging vehicles sat
in our driveway. In the past, they had broken down at the worst
possible times. What were the chances that one, or both, would choose
this time to add some more bills?</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Ed
and our older children spent the next Saturday cutting wood. Late in the morning, Ed pulled into the yard with a pile of wood on a borrowed
trailer. I expected them to stop for lunch, but our
daughter ran into the kitchen with the empty water bottles.</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “Dad
wants to know if you can give us some lunch to take along. We're
going to get another load.”</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> I
threw sandwiches and cookies into a bag, and she dashed out. Soon the
truck was pulling out the drive.</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Later
that afternoon, a tired husband and children came in from the
woodpile after bringing home a second load. “Did the children tell
you about our close call?” Ed asked.</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “No.
Did someone nearly get hurt?” I envisioned tragic accidents with
chain saws and falling trees.</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “Not
that. It was the truck. The alternator went out.”</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “The
what?”</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “The
alternator—the part that charges the battery. I knew the battery
wasn't charging so when I dropped off the load before lunch, I
let the truck run. If I turned it off, I didn't think I'd be able to
start it again. By the time I got back to the woods, even the turn
signal wasn't working. When I turned off the truck, the battery was
completely dead.”</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “Then
how did you get home?” I looked out the window to see whose vehicle
he had borrowed.</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “Well,
your brother Eric happened to be in the woods too. You know how good
he is with motors. And today we were cutting wood from the back of
the wood lot—right beside the junk yard. We walked down to the junk
yard, bought an alternator that fit the truck, and Eric had the tools to
install it.”</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “You
mean it is already repaired?”
</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"> “Yes.
And it only cost $20.00.”</p>
<p class="western" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><i> Wherefore,
if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to
morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye
of little faith? (Matthew 6:30)
</i></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-47858577705573689532023-09-08T05:59:00.001-04:002023-09-08T05:59:54.379-04:00Sisters Summer Reading Challenge Reviews<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimWjJ_LULEJz0rpNALoZ6lK_zPMZd0fe-u-dwbi51S8n5n-3s8PzEuNThr0JJfYozhqCKjAkEBhd7KCyNdFfVUYdvtfk77ndiCT_J48z1Piq23mFJEUyWRYnH-jZTNsqedouXhkN41HkXQa-Ie6BCIHkwj0pIicE86LR7Cr6qHoNAJ6euB65ym1L8_7Y/s3024/PXL_20230830_230038749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="1979" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimWjJ_LULEJz0rpNALoZ6lK_zPMZd0fe-u-dwbi51S8n5n-3s8PzEuNThr0JJfYozhqCKjAkEBhd7KCyNdFfVUYdvtfk77ndiCT_J48z1Piq23mFJEUyWRYnH-jZTNsqedouXhkN41HkXQa-Ie6BCIHkwj0pIicE86LR7Cr6qHoNAJ6euB65ym1L8_7Y/w261-h400/PXL_20230830_230038749.jpg" width="261" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm learning to choose the right book for the right season. It is okay to set a book aside if it doesn't feel right for a specific time. With that in mind, I enjoyed reading this summer. I chose some lighter reads, reread some favorites, and picked some nonfiction on heavy topics (like grief) that were short and doable. The result was that, though summer was busy, I read more and enjoyed reading more than some busy seasons.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">And please, if you don't read at all during a busy season (or any other time) don't feel any shame. These book posts are not to make you feel guilty. Charity and I read constantly. We might read less at times, but I'm not sure we are physically capable of stopping all reading. But if you choose to set books aside for a season, that is totally fine. No shame from us.</span></p><p><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">This post contains affiliate links.</span></i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXAxoVbngm8VA2PKE4QlRV5h3vZEy744ErRO_MCOJ_voxQ2C9r-L7wvdIfgogcd9UokjewnSfHbkcZsYNCMgV0pKOkN58lNN5Ftk3ksVs8B38Ql3MiC4gIWLhGPDPFjw15JJaHv2gm0cq8M1WgXSz9Xh6jq6qURXcDhhH4de-iNWVAXMEF8GRjJh126c/s4032/PXL_20230830_230110724.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuXAxoVbngm8VA2PKE4QlRV5h3vZEy744ErRO_MCOJ_voxQ2C9r-L7wvdIfgogcd9UokjewnSfHbkcZsYNCMgV0pKOkN58lNN5Ftk3ksVs8B38Ql3MiC4gIWLhGPDPFjw15JJaHv2gm0cq8M1WgXSz9Xh6jq6qURXcDhhH4de-iNWVAXMEF8GRjJh126c/w400-h225/PXL_20230830_230110724.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sisters' Summer Reading Challenge Reviews </span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. Read a book by a favorite author that you have never read before.</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/45ZVVRV">Gaudy Night </a></i>by Dorothy L. Sayers</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sayers' detective novels have recently been a highlight of my reading. <i>Gaudy Night</i> is so much more than just a mystery. It explores what it means to be a woman, and if women can be both educated and intellectual while also being wives and homemakers. The mystery is so fun, and I loved trying to figure out "who done it." <i>Gaudy Night </i>is number ten in the Lord Peter Wimsey series.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3EwJ7a4">Every Ocean Has a Shore </a></i>by Jamie Langston Turner</span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">It has been over five years since Turner published a new book. <i>Every Ocean Has a Shore </i>is delightful as all of her others. Three people are in a Chicago deli when it is held up. That day marks the turning point in each of their lives. The book flips between these three as they move to other states and begin a journey toward God. And we get to revisit the beloved Eldeen, a character in Turner's first book, <i>Suncatchers</i>, who has shown up briefly in nearly all her other books.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gTMKutOKCLVZMSua-po1zkd1YMC2c9CgQtwEO3vNA9Af9eF4N3P47h6d5NZTATU2Q985VFkjflwvyPArZfTV4MRgW7LX3qUhEYY2QDh06254oOiBVqnjc4s-oENxQBIn2iVqa0E5USSvjFzNCvzI0pqr5VSBGZZl_vPT782R1f4k9Yi_syxiy1ljoMo/s3406/PXL_20230830_225812531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3406" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0gTMKutOKCLVZMSua-po1zkd1YMC2c9CgQtwEO3vNA9Af9eF4N3P47h6d5NZTATU2Q985VFkjflwvyPArZfTV4MRgW7LX3qUhEYY2QDh06254oOiBVqnjc4s-oENxQBIn2iVqa0E5USSvjFzNCvzI0pqr5VSBGZZl_vPT782R1f4k9Yi_syxiy1ljoMo/w266-h400/PXL_20230830_225812531.jpg" width="266" /></a></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><b style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2. Read a book that contains less than 200 pages.</span></b></div><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3EtquU6">Women of the Word</a></i> by Jen Wilkin</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">In this little book Wilkin brings us a case for Bible literacy and a how to study the Bible. She challenges us that we become what we behold therefore how can we become like God unless we behold Him through His Word? I definitely plan to keep this book close as I learn to study the Bible better. It is also a great guide to use when preparing a Bible lesson.</span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina -<i><a href="https://amzn.to/3r43LuS"> Crazy Busy</a></i> by Kevin DeYoung</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">The majority of the chapters in this book cover a possible diagnosis for why we are "crazy busy." The last chapter gives the cure. (Hint: Find it in the story of Mary and Martha). I love that Kevin is a busy pastor and father of many small children who wrote the book to try to figure out why he was crazy busy and not because he had it all figured out. <i>Crazy Busy</i> doesn't try to help you become more efficient or manage your busyness, but confronts the underlying thought patterns that contribute to the craziness. </span></div></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">3. Pick out three books that you'd like to read. Turn to the first word in each book, and read the book whose word comes first in alphabetical order.</span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Charity - </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3LeGw8o">The Robe </a></i><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">by Loyd C. Douglas</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I finally read this well known classic, and it was so exciting I couldn’t put it down! A young wealthy Roman is sent to Jerusalem during Jesus’ trial which leads to his encounter with Christ and his life is forever altered. Though I enjoyed this book, I don’t believe that Jesus’ robe had power, and I didn’t appreciate the biblical inaccuracies. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3r8qdDd">Jack </a></i>by Marilynn Robinson</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Jack</i> is the fourth book in the <i>Gilead</i> series. Each book in the series follows a different character, and I thought that maybe by reading <i>Jack</i>, I'd understand the prodigal son that played such an important role in the other books. But I didn't. I'm still confused about Jack's life choices. </span>I have no idea how Robinson pulls so much life into such quiet stories. I'm amazed at her writing skill, though I don't think I'm smart enough to appreciate it fully and sometimes just feel confused. But if Robinson writes another book, (hopefully about Della), I'll certainly read it.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT5wCljSbvwu2fMRRFmOgVfdImtOjn58rRI7KoJ3R3O8HpVfUqQwSiKUVfo3YYwblc9F04vMCkGX-GtejQiTlD67osCIZlGGGtOsjw3Bd-oWiCYbMdswAHEUsdV6PPaOJrV49PDm-waGQneOXTaAC2G4nF8ju-PcrbpaghtYUs4wWobv39Ps-jFVHDoc/s3229/PXL_20230830_225708944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3229" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwT5wCljSbvwu2fMRRFmOgVfdImtOjn58rRI7KoJ3R3O8HpVfUqQwSiKUVfo3YYwblc9F04vMCkGX-GtejQiTlD67osCIZlGGGtOsjw3Bd-oWiCYbMdswAHEUsdV6PPaOJrV49PDm-waGQneOXTaAC2G4nF8ju-PcrbpaghtYUs4wWobv39Ps-jFVHDoc/w281-h400/PXL_20230830_225708944.jpg" width="281" /></a></div></div><p><b><span style="font-family: inherit;">4. Read a book of the Bible and a write down the key idea from each chapter.</span></b></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Charity - <i>Micah</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why don’t I write down key ideas from each chapter I’m reading, every day? This challenge was absolutely wonderful! I am entirely too skilled at reading without remembering but finding out the key thought of a passage helps me stay engaged. Micah may be one of those tedious minor prophets but it is so rich.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gina - <i>Nehemiah</i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Like Charity, I was amazed at the difference of reading the Bible with a pen and intention to write down the key ideas from each chapter. After reading Nehemiah, I went on to read Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah since they were men who were teaching at the same time as Nehemiah.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BSQILLvzknHucamFa_mN-mFoL7JkGTWNjBdyV6Vvpm78vZGxD0f_e0JxV3h4_NVjfsatU_w-KLJXSWgjFPwY6ABoqWDjptPAs44PP3Z4mpgRKdGnFQ0p4Uh4l8YPwhR-uKzKdzThDOHbk_q4vgGq3jLlD8qqWcgx-jJ6RZZHLcnKdyQUIsNh3K4Doy0/s3280/PXL_20230830_225655107.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="3280" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2BSQILLvzknHucamFa_mN-mFoL7JkGTWNjBdyV6Vvpm78vZGxD0f_e0JxV3h4_NVjfsatU_w-KLJXSWgjFPwY6ABoqWDjptPAs44PP3Z4mpgRKdGnFQ0p4Uh4l8YPwhR-uKzKdzThDOHbk_q4vgGq3jLlD8qqWcgx-jJ6RZZHLcnKdyQUIsNh3K4Doy0/w400-h276/PXL_20230830_225655107.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: left;">I'd love to hear what books you read this summer!</div>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-31082105138014330402023-08-31T12:02:00.002-04:002023-08-31T12:02:29.547-04:00Sisters' Fall Reading Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLOHSz_kymvw5LgMrxdbkFWgZ0WNELWsTGay_L35yE5-D5ajqq5kqsSamvkEIDd6zbuI-Xrq8SflaBZnWikfhtFUOMiviQkb0mRWlEOpfbPkOne-g6CKWSGk6uostv7Lhi7q_LHdi_VWjSKjt9HApu6n_BEUxitKeuANGTQCGRpk9hURR2Kn058f9C_w/s4032/PXL_20230827_114204450.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLOHSz_kymvw5LgMrxdbkFWgZ0WNELWsTGay_L35yE5-D5ajqq5kqsSamvkEIDd6zbuI-Xrq8SflaBZnWikfhtFUOMiviQkb0mRWlEOpfbPkOne-g6CKWSGk6uostv7Lhi7q_LHdi_VWjSKjt9HApu6n_BEUxitKeuANGTQCGRpk9hURR2Kn058f9C_w/w400-h225/PXL_20230827_114204450.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Summer may have left us panting, but Charity and I are looking forward to our fall reading. We chose a variety of reading challenges for this fall that will both challenge, inspire, and comfort. </p><p><i>This post contains affiliate links.</i></p><p><b>Sisters' Fall Reading Challenge </b></p><p><b>1. Read a biography. </b></p><p>Probably no other genre has impacted my life as much as biography. Reading about people from the past can teach, inspire, and warn. Some of my favorites are<i><a href="https://amzn.to/3sBExVd"> A Chance to Die</a></i>, the biography of Amy Carmichael by Elisabeth Elliot, and<i><a href="https://amzn.to/3PjCtdj"> Ann Judson </a></i>by Sharon James.</p><p><b>2. Read a book set in England. </b></p><p>I'm not sure why I think of England when I think of cozy books. Maybe it stems from reading <a href="https://amzn.to/3QXppeV">James Herriot's books</a> and being grateful to be warm and cozy in my bed while tramping with a vet in the brutal wind of the Yorkshire hills. Maybe it is the delight of detective stories by <a href="https://amzn.to/3sCFNr5">Arthur Conan Doyle</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/3swYhZX">Dorothy Sayers</a>. Or English authors such as <a href="https://amzn.to/3PlBY2z">Elizabeth Goudge</a> and <a href="https://amzn.to/47XT4dO">D.E. Stevenson.</a> If cozy English cottages are not your thing, there are plenty of nonfiction set in England.</p><p><b>3. Read a book with a subtitle.</b></p><p>It seems that subtitles are all the rage in nonfiction. Titles seem to be getting shorter, and I find that I often choose a book because of its subtitle. Find a book with a subtitle that promises a topic that interests you. </p><p><b>4. Choose a Bible character, study his or her life, and draw a time line of their life.</b></p><p>I'm eager to pick a person from the Bible, perhaps one whose life spreads over several books of the Bible, such as Paul or Moses, and dig into their life. Hopefully sketching out a time line can help me put their life events into the context of other events.</p><p>If you care to join us, we hope some of these ideas can breath some crisp fall inspiration into your reading life.</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-49153484148615532822023-08-23T07:32:00.000-04:002023-08-23T07:32:19.566-04:004 More New Books From Friends<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rUQlg2ayvWDgvw61fQN39Nq1mtPfHsX023kjw0-9KH0nOEdd4sTAosIlBHBAgEx83HpoL5n-LvoKHVq9J4c-qKldxdndHEvIj7ltHcqxFfEAoIxXTXCUlDhdhFLvIS0TGP-pDVk4tX4i01mK_w8pIrGVdR2w4cQaZEmujNROlM3aL0pJjlt8X66c/s4032/PXL_20230415_113251066.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rUQlg2ayvWDgvw61fQN39Nq1mtPfHsX023kjw0-9KH0nOEdd4sTAosIlBHBAgEx83HpoL5n-LvoKHVq9J4c-qKldxdndHEvIj7ltHcqxFfEAoIxXTXCUlDhdhFLvIS0TGP-pDVk4tX4i01mK_w8pIrGVdR2w4cQaZEmujNROlM3aL0pJjlt8X66c/w400-h225/PXL_20230415_113251066.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">A few months ago I shared<a href="https://homejoys.blogspot.com/2023/04/4-new-books-by-friends.html"> several new books written by friends.</a> Here are four more new books written by friends. (At least they used to be new. By now, some of these have been out for a year!) Each of these authors I have met in real life at least briefly. I not only like their books, but appreciate them as people. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unless otherwise noted, I purchased these books myself. I included ordering information directly from the author or their distributor. If you live in a Mennonite community, you can probably find them at your local bookstore. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Or if you want to order several of these books, the cheapest option may be from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/faithviewbooks/">FaithView Books</a>. They don't have an website, but you can call and ask for a print catalog or order by phone. </div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheI8BtCSFsnQeG9SewGbf4iuLmIgqNFoyXiQeb2Hu_6Noaf5TvHvnlmQPgLUBwQPxlZ-KLb1irjha3kjAQiiwBDWq05Ao2IwuLgPreYFTmBNYej2gnIUsp1pFjoOfrUDIdf0wmeg1lJTDmN-KQa5MYIQxsteReL971uedc80FZEiFBfZa1l6aP85gd/s3555/PXL_20230415_113303640.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3555" data-original-width="2258" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheI8BtCSFsnQeG9SewGbf4iuLmIgqNFoyXiQeb2Hu_6Noaf5TvHvnlmQPgLUBwQPxlZ-KLb1irjha3kjAQiiwBDWq05Ao2IwuLgPreYFTmBNYej2gnIUsp1pFjoOfrUDIdf0wmeg1lJTDmN-KQa5MYIQxsteReL971uedc80FZEiFBfZa1l6aP85gd/w254-h400/PXL_20230415_113303640.jpg" width="254" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Coming Home to Roost </i>is the latest of Dorcas Smucker's essay collections. I first learned to know Dorcas from her blog when she had a houseful of children many years ago. I've enjoyed each of her essay collections. But now, her last child has found her wings and Dorcas says this is her last collection of stories about her flock, though the door is always open for the returning brood. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Dorcas' down-home wisdom has been an encouragement to me in my own motherhood journey, and I think this is my favorite of her books. In the last years, I've realized that there is so much that a mother can't write about parenting teens and young adults because the stories are not yours. I think that is why I've appreciated Dorcas's level-headed writing about her chickens, fabric collections, the old family van, while considering regrets, middle-age adjustments, and young adult conversations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a book you can pick up and read in any order and would be the perfect gift for that older mom who is adapting to her own nest changes, though I think a woman of all ages and stages of life would enjoy it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Order<i> Coming Home to Roost</i> (and all of Dorcas' other books) at <a href="https://www.muddycreekbooks.com/">Muddy Creek Books.</a> You can follow Dorcas along on her further journeys at <a href="http://dorcassmucker.blogspot.com/">her blog. </a> Dorcas sent me a complimentary copy of her book.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8y7XEnGd7hB-2TNukOq8DOqdlZh2eQBKBBijUFZ9CzasgI_UIP30wtLo4xhdVq7P6aJgaGEfPKnVNot3kGYoLcyFLYAZqrTP0JL1KZ7zbQL84kt-7UlPMW-WV3pXeXMeOD29rCYofvrH9Or47HEkktlxdOcvJrM161QpYwQhNyG5M63RLv-ZxuM5/s3504/PXL_20230415_113316420.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3504" data-original-width="2252" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI8y7XEnGd7hB-2TNukOq8DOqdlZh2eQBKBBijUFZ9CzasgI_UIP30wtLo4xhdVq7P6aJgaGEfPKnVNot3kGYoLcyFLYAZqrTP0JL1KZ7zbQL84kt-7UlPMW-WV3pXeXMeOD29rCYofvrH9Or47HEkktlxdOcvJrM161QpYwQhNyG5M63RLv-ZxuM5/w258-h400/PXL_20230415_113316420.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've known Mary since she was a shy girl in our homeschool group, but it wasn't until years later that I realized that hiding behind the shyness was a lot of wisdom. Mary has written a number of books for women, but her latest book, <i>The Girls Inside,</i> is for girls. <i>The Girl Inside </i>tackles subjects that any Christian girl wonders about including relationships with boys, changes in her body, friendships, and more. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mary speaks bluntly, though with discretion. To me she feels like a big sister or kind aunt, reaching out to a younger teen in her life. I would place the target age for this book to be girls in their upper teens and early twenties, but I found myself challenged and encouraged as a mother of girls. It is refreshing to read a book that holds up a high standard for holy living without heaping on shame. The chapters on body image and thin culture are excellent. This would be a great book for a mother or mentor to read with a teen or for a girls' Bible study. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">You can order<i> The Girl Inside</i> from Amazon (affliate link) or <a href="https://christianlight.org/books/christian-living/youth/the-girl-inside">Christian Light.</a> Check out <a href="https://maryburkholder.com/book-lists">Mary's website </a>for lots of book reviews. Mary sent me a complimentary copy of her book.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL42TURFhG3Zok8EK7SsRuGT_7QqOpNs3c_4vNAVK4fFyMxEMimauJ2Z3eRconHO-gDNmvELM9oAUKfitm5k_04X9QMe22dcmb-l_0wfNUFOcBg83zJkqckwZX3gFxHetRCwGrmEKsTEFXYo9CKk5He1_r9Uy1CtoeLch-2EdI-p5JpHtkUtUpXm3/s3555/PXL_20230415_113321900.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3555" data-original-width="2220" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZL42TURFhG3Zok8EK7SsRuGT_7QqOpNs3c_4vNAVK4fFyMxEMimauJ2Z3eRconHO-gDNmvELM9oAUKfitm5k_04X9QMe22dcmb-l_0wfNUFOcBg83zJkqckwZX3gFxHetRCwGrmEKsTEFXYo9CKk5He1_r9Uy1CtoeLch-2EdI-p5JpHtkUtUpXm3/w250-h400/PXL_20230415_113321900.jpg" width="250" /></a></div><div><br /></div>In October of 2021, seventeen missionaries were traveling home from a Haitian orphanage when they were kidnapped for ransom. For weeks, my first thought when waking in the morning was, Is there any news from Haiti? I knew several of the missionaries just briefly, and I couldn't imagine how their families were coping as one week passed and then another without hearing anything about their loved ones. Like thousands of others, I rejoiced to hear of the group's safe return to their families.<div><br /></div><div><i>Kidnapped in Haiti </i>by Katrina Hoover Lee shares their story. Katrina interviewed each of the members of the group as well as family members and mission staff<i>. Kidnapped in Haiti</i> shares details from both Haiti and the US and Canada during the two months of their captivity. I read this book aloud to my children and found it very faith strengthening. God truly can sustain His children through difficult circumstances. (This is an adult level book, and I did a tiny bit of editing-on-the-fly to avoid a few heavier details that I didn't think appropriate for my youngest children.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Purchase <i>Kidnapped in Haiti </i>directly from <a href="https://katrinahooverlee.com/product/new-release-kidnapped-in-haiti-the-amazing-story-of-seventeen-missionaries/?aff=1">Katrina</a> or from the <a href="https://tgsinternational.com/product/kidnapped-in-haiti/">publisher. </a>You can follow<a href="https://katrinahooverlee.com/blog/"> Katrina's blog</a> or sign up for her<a href="https://katrinahooverlee.com/"> email newsletter </a>to find out more about her writing projects. (This includes affiliate links.)<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhQncdVfzR_DYNs5zTzrIXZuQB4yf9Oe3RjyRCmtj8s17BdPPxrRnV8xEv3Ao8g9JcZcToFm2k54-P7FYuxK_kOKn42v5ubZqrAmW20dojki4yagMCo3R2SxBAix7wZjqIxzLs1uERskKjI_c8QTfqqoK6P9rPXrA-7-e4bsqjlC-9dN2vhlN5xuA/s4032/PXL_20221220_135111004.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhQncdVfzR_DYNs5zTzrIXZuQB4yf9Oe3RjyRCmtj8s17BdPPxrRnV8xEv3Ao8g9JcZcToFm2k54-P7FYuxK_kOKn42v5ubZqrAmW20dojki4yagMCo3R2SxBAix7wZjqIxzLs1uERskKjI_c8QTfqqoK6P9rPXrA-7-e4bsqjlC-9dN2vhlN5xuA/w225-h400/PXL_20221220_135111004.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p><p>I've always loved stories that take me to lands I will probably never visit and show me sights I'll probably never see. Alison Stoltzfus carried me with her to a huge refugee camp in Bangladesh where she served with her nursing skills in 2021. This book was far too short, and I was sad it ended. Alison is skillful with words, and I loved her honesty about both her challenge of showing love in a new culture and climate and opening herself up to love back home. </p><p>I'm hoping that Alison will keep sharing her talent and write more books, but right now she is a busy mother of new twins. You can read more of her words on <a href="https://undersevenstars.com/">her blog</a> and get your own copy of <i>How Beautiful the Dusty Road </i>at <a href="https://christianlight.org/how-beautiful-the-dusty-road">Christian Light.</a> </p></div></div>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-74353450663166779192023-08-18T07:30:00.005-04:002023-08-19T21:52:31.765-04:00When My Little Brother Gets Married<div><p>"How do you feel about Vaun getting married?" </p><p>I've been asked this question countless times in the last months. And I never knew what to say, because three emotions are equally true.</p><p>1. I'm delighted that Vaun found a lovely woman to share his life. As one who experienced a wonderful marriage, I wish it for others.</p><p>2. We will miss Vaun. While others may guess, they don't truly know how much Vaun has done for us the past four years.</p><p>3. But while this will bring change for our family, we've weathered change in the past so surely we will again.</p><p>So who is Vaun? And why will we miss him?</p><p>Vaun is my youngest brother, born just before my twentieth birthday. Of course I dearly loved my sweet baby brother, but with the huge age gap, I didn't relate to him nearly as much as the brothers close to my age. I was busy and flying in-and-out of the house as twenty-year-olds with jobs and a full social calendar do. </p><p>Vaun was six when I married and, in the coming years, he became an adored uncle to my children. They loved going to Grandpa and Grandma's house where Uncle Vaun and Aunt Charity poured attention on them.</p><p>Then Vaun grew up and became the busy teen with job and friends. He lived life on high gear, trying to fill his days with six more activities than he had time for.</p><p>When Ed was diagnosed with brain cancer, Vaun was in training for ministry in the Middle East. He spent almost two years teaching English to refugees. He returned home just weeks before Ed's death, immediatly sliding into a role of helping with Ed's care.</p><p>After Ed's death, Vaun was very deliberate in his care for our family. He spent every Thursday evening at our house, sometimes working on a house project, other times playing games with the children. He went on vacation with our family and took us on a volunteer work project. He spent hours remodeling a rental property for us. </p><p>I battled a bit of guilt, feeling that Vaun had set aside his plans and goals for our family, though he claimed he was doing exactly what he wanted to do.</p><p>We had nearly survived our first year without Ed when Covid hit. Vaun asked if he could move into our house to help with some projects while he was off work. Our bedrooms are small, and he slept on a floor mat sqeezed between my sons' beds. But he stayed with us for the next three and a half year, until his wedding. </p><p>I can't begin to describe all the ways Vaun helped us during those years. It was more than repairing the bathroom ceiling, making coffee each morning, and changing the oil in vehicles. My oldest turned sixteen the week after he moved in. We were entering new territory with new drivers, car purchases, phones, and jobs. Having another adult in the house was a huge gift. While I'm sure we would have muddled through alone somehow, I'm grateful we didn't have to. </p><p>The children's attitudes were much better with an uncle around. But I'll admit that mine was too. For example, after Ed's death, it had been very hard to cook meals. I know it was silly because I still had six children to cook for, but the meals I placed on the table were rather pitiful. Vaun's arrival breathed new life into all of us, helping us care about things like a clean house and carefully prepared meals. </p><p>Vaun helped my boys start a little mowing business, showing them how to send invoices and track spending and income. When my oldest son finished school, he began working with Vaun in construction, a job he seems to enjoy. Helping my boys find employment had been a worry for me.</p><p>Vaun joined us in our projects, taking us on trips and visiting our friends. But he also allowed us to join him in his projects. I was floundering to figure out my role in church and ministry as a widow, and this was such a gift. Whether it was sawing wood for Bible School crafts, planning meals for the TESOL class he organized, or planning a picnic for a Ukrainian refugee family - Vaun's enthusiasm for ministry pulled us into projects and expanded our lives in healthy ways.</p><p>I don't want to turn this into a eulogy, but i thank the Lord for my little brother and his willingness to come alongside our family. He claims to have loved the last few years, and I hope he has. We will miss his Saturday pancake breakfasts, his bedtime stories, and adult conversations. But we are thrilled that Emily agreed to be his wife and look forward to watching the Lord bless their commitment to Him. They bought a house nearby, and we hope to continue to be part of their lives.</p><p>Here is a glimpse of the wedding.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYEeZiLJ1GIy_tXHgpOP3XmQu9OcnGfj3jJSZLV7iq7RmKYlkkbjl3BLuUVL05C3nOtZWovxMu3Es_9uEbFIpr3_hq7QYugHXGx9--cNGxuYntNw6sQemmY8ObBndEbzaE1K8FjxPKCJKWvZSGOcruXnUXN6NZNXsb623WppAyNoU_eKU57TUNAvwezQ/s3395/PXL_20230812_123303308.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3395" data-original-width="2264" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYEeZiLJ1GIy_tXHgpOP3XmQu9OcnGfj3jJSZLV7iq7RmKYlkkbjl3BLuUVL05C3nOtZWovxMu3Es_9uEbFIpr3_hq7QYugHXGx9--cNGxuYntNw6sQemmY8ObBndEbzaE1K8FjxPKCJKWvZSGOcruXnUXN6NZNXsb623WppAyNoU_eKU57TUNAvwezQ/w266-h400/PXL_20230812_123303308.jpg" width="266" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;">Dad was able to enjoy the wedding, though it was the week of his chemo treatment. So gratful for the good health he currently has. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdNEO6gNBo7Mwr3hEjIsGIk0L99Z7-rroQJLoy-ud2KIa5Abgl8_mmwneAoZQ_TRS4Nn02HO8bhbfJ9klvsM9qRfumbteUf6LBMLEWlcBgbMrFn7UrNCrW_TE3EEbL-F4sEIZqBgaNyWN8sganrxZRg25SlT1OK3vfhbAGntnozcgz3LEhYbPnz-4yE4/s3962/PXL_20230812_130247307.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1477" data-original-width="3962" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdNEO6gNBo7Mwr3hEjIsGIk0L99Z7-rroQJLoy-ud2KIa5Abgl8_mmwneAoZQ_TRS4Nn02HO8bhbfJ9klvsM9qRfumbteUf6LBMLEWlcBgbMrFn7UrNCrW_TE3EEbL-F4sEIZqBgaNyWN8sganrxZRg25SlT1OK3vfhbAGntnozcgz3LEhYbPnz-4yE4/w400-h149/PXL_20230812_130247307.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The whole clan! When you are the last of nine to marry, you have a large family photo.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XIL6BDcya1ZMON9RRZu1Nk4fx6qiOQQObTVJJmWzLReUkzhE8RwLdbqOYzsJQSKQM9FZ7Z4WRAYklw8J-t7Bvj8C6QsZnZzOv7LCnLFH1cmMAlbHcGC3tc93iXVwPiba_GKXfuMqjbAwtotv_PuZjCKCjxFOTpn9TjgyQ5E0jJBbeNsEbVwd1JALKTA/s4032/PXL_20230812_125121834.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4XIL6BDcya1ZMON9RRZu1Nk4fx6qiOQQObTVJJmWzLReUkzhE8RwLdbqOYzsJQSKQM9FZ7Z4WRAYklw8J-t7Bvj8C6QsZnZzOv7LCnLFH1cmMAlbHcGC3tc93iXVwPiba_GKXfuMqjbAwtotv_PuZjCKCjxFOTpn9TjgyQ5E0jJBbeNsEbVwd1JALKTA/w400-h225/PXL_20230812_125121834.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The newest little ones.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ej6xRGWZxNgLVPZD_PBi8WZFv0HWsc6XfINfQbGi4mZGGHHtIFW6_K5rRcmM7zwsWx6ACSvsnkCahRZXAPu0NR0r-cweWI5RTXtwmkIT7z4fl7z4ghnIPrFkb916CE7eXIzCtyNS6HaeIZuMOltI2ELT8K8tloVR9mTP_iP8t3aGAUuNZXSKJQrOkMY/s4032/PXL_20230812_124524486.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ej6xRGWZxNgLVPZD_PBi8WZFv0HWsc6XfINfQbGi4mZGGHHtIFW6_K5rRcmM7zwsWx6ACSvsnkCahRZXAPu0NR0r-cweWI5RTXtwmkIT7z4fl7z4ghnIPrFkb916CE7eXIzCtyNS6HaeIZuMOltI2ELT8K8tloVR9mTP_iP8t3aGAUuNZXSKJQrOkMY/w400-h225/PXL_20230812_124524486.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Vaun and Emily with his nieces and nephews.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1OKM0vCjW60vMBPI1cn8K76Pd-CiJcXEy6MYJHNqLCYhw3hLzCo0vDOezR88hGQteE1TR3PbseuyVmcAJSBxXAHxPCZHKp9whWfTNk_ZlG4Pga2-a1NiPcJd2SCcFnZmK3v_Qd9BPEqcuKIKN6rfXdEnezLQddEptbuvVG-nefsvFzHebABetaXVrN0/s1908/PXL_20230812_124103269.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1295" data-original-width="1908" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr1OKM0vCjW60vMBPI1cn8K76Pd-CiJcXEy6MYJHNqLCYhw3hLzCo0vDOezR88hGQteE1TR3PbseuyVmcAJSBxXAHxPCZHKp9whWfTNk_ZlG4Pga2-a1NiPcJd2SCcFnZmK3v_Qd9BPEqcuKIKN6rfXdEnezLQddEptbuvVG-nefsvFzHebABetaXVrN0/w400-h271/PXL_20230812_124103269.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The nine siblings.</div><p>One of the songs we sang at Vaun and Emily's wedding was "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart." This has been a favorite song of mine for years, but I don't think I ever heard it at a wedding. But I thought it was quite fitting.</p></div><div><ol style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><li class="first" style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart</b></li><li class="first" style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 0px;">By George Croly</li><li class="first" style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></li><li class="first" style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 0px;">Spirit of God, descend upon my heart;<br />Wean it from earth; through all its pulses move.<br />Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,<br />And make me love Thee as I ought to love.</li><li style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 1em;">Hast Thou not bid me love Thee, God and King?<br />All, all Thine own, soul, heart and strength and mind.<br />I see Thy cross; there teach my heart to cling:<br />Oh, let me seek Thee, and, oh, let me find!</li><li style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 1em;">Teach me to feel that Thou art always nigh;<br />Teach me the struggles of the soul to bear,<br />To check the rising doubt, the rebel sigh;<br />Teach me the patience of unanswered prayer.</li><li style="list-style-type: none; margin-top: 1em;">Teach me to love Thee as Thine angels love,<br />One holy passion filling all my frame;<br />The kindling of the heav’n-descended Dove,<br />My heart an altar, and Thy love the flame.</li></ol></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a video of the song arranged by Lloyd Kauffman.</div><div><br /></div><iframe frameborder="0" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/QiQ_R-s6h00" width="480"></iframe>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-51405429853508665362023-07-26T08:00:00.000-04:002023-07-26T08:00:01.329-04:00Thinking About Summer Stress<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOGRKtbMwRhmEtlrVT0eY0NEqgsLLwY22DBNqRH82kWg6CddYfh1DwjnABDtcl7OdiDqU0Eyr5gBOKPWzRohLzv2jMcbXKk5FOgYhqtsTNEFaFwKCQ72DZF1GSNpdpoUvK4oJ7DLYspKwJgJsK89QU1UsbkbExKYT8bXw8vYxZn4u-lzK_vzxMV1lQok/s4032/PXL_20230628_224953225.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOGRKtbMwRhmEtlrVT0eY0NEqgsLLwY22DBNqRH82kWg6CddYfh1DwjnABDtcl7OdiDqU0Eyr5gBOKPWzRohLzv2jMcbXKk5FOgYhqtsTNEFaFwKCQ72DZF1GSNpdpoUvK4oJ7DLYspKwJgJsK89QU1UsbkbExKYT8bXw8vYxZn4u-lzK_vzxMV1lQok/w400-h225/PXL_20230628_224953225.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Recently I flipped through last summer's planner to find some information. I read the notes on one particular week when I had two children with emergency medical visits (neither serious). Somehow just reading those notes in my planner gave me a feeling of panic. I could remember the stress of those weeks. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">And then I realized how much less pressure this summer has had. I'm not completely sure why. We are still very busy. Many of the activities from last summer are repeated this summer - even a sibling wedding. But I remember last year waking up on Monday mornings and almost dreading the week. I usually love Monday mornings and the anticipation of a new week, so it was unusual for me to feel discouraged on a Monday. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I don't want to get stuck analizying the past, but this winter I did consider the last year and changes I could take to keep from becoming so overwhelmed. Life will always bring unexpected things (like those emergency medical visits) so I wanted to provide some margin to give a cushion.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I've become aware of how much I find fulfillment in being busy. I love planning events, sharing life with family and friends, and helping others. I can work fast and efficiently and get a lot accomplished. I like a bit of pressure, such as waking up and knowing that I have an hour to study for the Bible study that I'm teaching tonight before going out to pick the green beans. I'm slowly realizing that my personality finds so much satisfaction in activity that it is hard for me to build proper boundaries. It is hard to say "no" to things I love. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">For example, last year four of my siblings bought houses within just a few months. I love to paint. I wanted to spend time with each of my siblings helping in their new houses. My children are old enough to stay home by themselves for the day. But eventually it became clear that I just couldn't be gone multiple days helping paint and not feel the strain, especially if I was also involved in several others things that week. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It seems silly that it is so hard for me to admit that I'm human and have limits. When I had babies, it was easier to stay home. Now I no longer have Ed to tell me, "I think you are doing too much." In November, after helping plan three events in three weeks (on top of quite a few other events in the previous months), I realized I had to listen to my stress level and be the mature person and start saying, "no" to things I really wanted to do. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This year I made a simple guideline that I was going to place priority on serving in my local church and community. I know, that means I can still be quite busy, but it helped me turn down opportunities that were further away. My children aren't babies anymore, but they are still young enough that they don't like me going away too often. I want my children to learn the joy of serving, but they also needed to not feel like they always were given mom's leftovers.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Another deliberate choice I made this year was to look for ways to streamline tasks, even if that meant more work and time (maybe even money) upfront. For example, this spring I tore out some of my perennial flowers, planted some shrubs, and laid down mulch. This will hopefully save future hours. I've also tried to be more deliberate in menu planning and grocery shopping to avoid the last minute "what's for dinner" panic that I had fallen in. I've tried to work ahead on projects (like wedding sewing) to avoid last minute stress. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm still not sure why I'm enjoying this summer so much. But this is only July. Maybe August will be frantic and frustrating and blot out the enjoyment of June and July. Many things are outside my control, and I want to learn how to have peace in times of unexpected stress. But I also want to recognize when change is needed. Even small adjustments can make a difference.</div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTtyCHmWVCQ-FIBZmhl9eoSoOcgZ6BAfq4OMUDjPQ0MpAZ6LAnVa1gcnbmfv-8U65qJFxnZaa-bPViAxLeoda66vu7jIbzfRVIaqdt6ihhly6PoMKtve_dGnMX6ENapzZ-cLOyAvIQioH8Tc7I4kcGHRkhzVQw8Sw_osHDh8_cYhjoBPrke3d21fYhko/s4032/PXL_20230719_134140452.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTtyCHmWVCQ-FIBZmhl9eoSoOcgZ6BAfq4OMUDjPQ0MpAZ6LAnVa1gcnbmfv-8U65qJFxnZaa-bPViAxLeoda66vu7jIbzfRVIaqdt6ihhly6PoMKtve_dGnMX6ENapzZ-cLOyAvIQioH8Tc7I4kcGHRkhzVQw8Sw_osHDh8_cYhjoBPrke3d21fYhko/w400-h225/PXL_20230719_134140452.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiea23yKTApv6UR1j4BywGGKStyTZA8qbLjcN03dL0GOrKQYYQrla2wiPgKhetzhLEaJPK6x5CQwjRSxMVJEORIhgxN8nWCm8OmKdeLuBRgYujJV2gVN_pJW2Tc701uYiOatlZvcAAzn--1eYJYVhJ5sak8ow9aUdUaWWaGGfWQNVBo4Ryu2YpHrP8peyQ/s4032/PXL_20230720_121652432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiea23yKTApv6UR1j4BywGGKStyTZA8qbLjcN03dL0GOrKQYYQrla2wiPgKhetzhLEaJPK6x5CQwjRSxMVJEORIhgxN8nWCm8OmKdeLuBRgYujJV2gVN_pJW2Tc701uYiOatlZvcAAzn--1eYJYVhJ5sak8ow9aUdUaWWaGGfWQNVBo4Ryu2YpHrP8peyQ/w400-h225/PXL_20230720_121652432.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6FSvSLHPfnhceEJ6iPhdnHjS1X7fzMV1JzKZ5Kp5hYgmDo8I2TrCytGPp8GevXW1BRbl0Z-6KcqA9EeEWaZDQeZ24MuUYZ7fYpJUqvuoXGcO_flnxGPhjb6rGouren4ejzjdd2LCHxeCpeqG-PuBrK9UA-bLT9SmC13xVR4OfwUjgqpPrgxny3EqnzQ/s4032/PXL_20230725_181531233.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht6FSvSLHPfnhceEJ6iPhdnHjS1X7fzMV1JzKZ5Kp5hYgmDo8I2TrCytGPp8GevXW1BRbl0Z-6KcqA9EeEWaZDQeZ24MuUYZ7fYpJUqvuoXGcO_flnxGPhjb6rGouren4ejzjdd2LCHxeCpeqG-PuBrK9UA-bLT9SmC13xVR4OfwUjgqpPrgxny3EqnzQ/w400-h225/PXL_20230725_181531233.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S8Q6RLBa2VCoMDO1xus3gNnfIqwnbzfOtYU-WxWzB_40mTTEMvWa2Z-3hAKF4_f8JIr9fOxvZhC7MJ16n_NJRI3UDITnAEje7byEcMpdQSK_gdf20QrEyAGrQbYFazF_cS9K223jleqc1BN8MChhclidE3rXGVj1GNwLY48zcdQjeYptnEBwplZUPwE/s4032/PXL_20230725_205737830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="2268" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8S8Q6RLBa2VCoMDO1xus3gNnfIqwnbzfOtYU-WxWzB_40mTTEMvWa2Z-3hAKF4_f8JIr9fOxvZhC7MJ16n_NJRI3UDITnAEje7byEcMpdQSK_gdf20QrEyAGrQbYFazF_cS9K223jleqc1BN8MChhclidE3rXGVj1GNwLY48zcdQjeYptnEBwplZUPwE/w225-h400/PXL_20230725_205737830.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><p></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-6054098761675691942023-06-24T11:38:00.004-04:002023-11-13T07:52:27.417-05:00Fresh Herb Cheese Ball<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpXiPRfiIEblTinFkskxCU7pivbG8jgMNtz7W1rIQf9BwCaZpQZll7VLkMPjGoZo0ebX2NYw1krRJGQc7UqI7MpLDRXjMEGTCkFHm63IIpyu4Vi2yfmmbEeeNM7jSjRqk6YLyPiqxUQ24fUClLHAbGgUPt0AefcrNYlQIvEBVZba2KsjNVdctBHexGeQ/s4032/PXL_20230429_163418658.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpXiPRfiIEblTinFkskxCU7pivbG8jgMNtz7W1rIQf9BwCaZpQZll7VLkMPjGoZo0ebX2NYw1krRJGQc7UqI7MpLDRXjMEGTCkFHm63IIpyu4Vi2yfmmbEeeNM7jSjRqk6YLyPiqxUQ24fUClLHAbGgUPt0AefcrNYlQIvEBVZba2KsjNVdctBHexGeQ/w400-h225/PXL_20230429_163418658.jpg" width="400" /></a></p><p> I've had an herb garden for years. In fact, I rode my bike to our local greenhouse, before I had my driver's license, to purchase herb plants. I'm not sure why I was so infatuated by herbs, but I nearly memorized my mom's herb book. I loved the smells and textures of herbs. It was such fun to weed among such lovely plants.</p><p>An herb garden was one of the first additions I added to our property when we moved here. I've moved it to different spots, but found I was most likely to use the herbs if they were on a pot on my porch. </p><p>But still, I rarely actually cooked with fresh herbs. I occasionally picked a sprig of rosemary or made a batch of basil pesto, but I was far better at growing herbs than using them. </p><p>Until last year. </p><p>One of my daughters was spending the day at my parent's house, and my mom was making a simple cheese ball with fresh herbs. She came home with the directions and suddenly my pot of herbs was being snipped repeatedly to make herb cheese ball. She loved making it so much that when winter came and our herbs died, she adapted the recipe to use dried herbs. But we were all delighted when spring came ,and she could use fresh herbs again.</p><p>This recipe can be adapted with whatever herbs you have. She likes to have at least three kinds. The amount of herbs is approximate. She simply picks a few sprigs without measuring.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-Y8Uqk6zz9fUswWDEXJz1orhqf9RNA4Cq9TsTaFuJki_zdI83hK0K7VGUyVZKkv3AtVPXYZG2DEctQ9fl-U-b_UMVWurU7mBSzBlDxTOJNhj8lCAR0NOXIAnMCavEh5744yo1XBL2jqKMKCaIbE2UH3OdpgbIZGb6Ibux4xCnnr21uzKx0LetYPDMxM/s3376/PXL_20230429_155627864.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="3376" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-Y8Uqk6zz9fUswWDEXJz1orhqf9RNA4Cq9TsTaFuJki_zdI83hK0K7VGUyVZKkv3AtVPXYZG2DEctQ9fl-U-b_UMVWurU7mBSzBlDxTOJNhj8lCAR0NOXIAnMCavEh5744yo1XBL2jqKMKCaIbE2UH3OdpgbIZGb6Ibux4xCnnr21uzKx0LetYPDMxM/w400-h269/PXL_20230429_155627864.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b>Fresh Herb Cheese Ball</b></span></p><p>1 8oz pack of cream cheese</p><p>1/8 cup mayonnaise</p><p>1 Tablespoon each of chopped basil, chives, oregano, parsley, thyme, and rosemary</p><p>In the winter, use a teaspoon of dried herbs.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrps5G1Xod3nNpISy6IXI8QsOczg5oSC5lrDZ6X38ybKU2cO5-HFbVTHHZtYhBfCQKmp782vwnjQmo7Wq45b6KcjBfsaO2E1mPzfgBlXDFBSaK5qnk4qEj5UPpLPbeKDm4bnoy28m_Q7jT8doJ7H-eXZb-2we-MeHtoswSJLvc5oNsd89aoSZSHgFW4k/s2879/PXL_20230429_163117901.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2879" data-original-width="1965" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrps5G1Xod3nNpISy6IXI8QsOczg5oSC5lrDZ6X38ybKU2cO5-HFbVTHHZtYhBfCQKmp782vwnjQmo7Wq45b6KcjBfsaO2E1mPzfgBlXDFBSaK5qnk4qEj5UPpLPbeKDm4bnoy28m_Q7jT8doJ7H-eXZb-2we-MeHtoswSJLvc5oNsd89aoSZSHgFW4k/w273-h400/PXL_20230429_163117901.jpg" width="273" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Edited: I should have specified that this recipe is more of a spread or cheese ball. We eat it on crackers. If you want to use it for a veggie dip (which is also delicious) add more mayo and be sure to let it sit out of the fridge a bit to soften the cream cheese before serving.</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-23740119430047528312023-06-13T14:10:00.000-04:002023-06-13T14:10:00.438-04:00Sisters' Spring Reading Challenge<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR76BDwQAfPFB6OjA951gDDWONOzhHHbswdnaKFou0o7__11xDGGS4qad_OeA8Wej3Ss0N1Q-JuiBa4QQqkVC7YFfQHnigshG5ur5glLY1z2fkjYxaE1cptLQypeu-OM_5Jc1W0N8tbre7FGPWuLLlv4mCP7-OncSVJKkb8ykX8qjDeVj0idRINb1/s3070/PXL_20230517_161814113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3070" data-original-width="2180" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXR76BDwQAfPFB6OjA951gDDWONOzhHHbswdnaKFou0o7__11xDGGS4qad_OeA8Wej3Ss0N1Q-JuiBa4QQqkVC7YFfQHnigshG5ur5glLY1z2fkjYxaE1cptLQypeu-OM_5Jc1W0N8tbre7FGPWuLLlv4mCP7-OncSVJKkb8ykX8qjDeVj0idRINb1/w284-h400/PXL_20230517_161814113.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><p></p><p>I struggled to read at the beginning of this spring. I'm not sure why I felt so distracted and listless when it came to books - it is an unfamiliar feeling. But eventually I got over my slump, and I read quite a few books that I loved.</p><p>Note: The photos on this post were taken just a few weeks before the birth of Charity's baby boy. Not sure how much reading Charity will get done this summer. Maybe more than usual - maybe far less!</p><p><i>This post contains affiliate links which give me a small bit of credit with no extra cost to you. </i></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIj9kQNyYSIUGga8T0McKrAEbayFP4j41t3s6aakFDaq4Sv3b00-dsPHrF1M2FHv9lnz2acUsRtm2Y2HILZNH_eDXd2Mo49JZRHYZjznl9_6f7SS81Wnh8rdBgg2eBCpppouLQu2IKantTPK9lJg5b_DDzIoIXv43R6oGG8GkhABNo6bMH4k24Cu4p/s3336/PXL_20230517_160946544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3336" data-original-width="2134" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIj9kQNyYSIUGga8T0McKrAEbayFP4j41t3s6aakFDaq4Sv3b00-dsPHrF1M2FHv9lnz2acUsRtm2Y2HILZNH_eDXd2Mo49JZRHYZjznl9_6f7SS81Wnh8rdBgg2eBCpppouLQu2IKantTPK9lJg5b_DDzIoIXv43R6oGG8GkhABNo6bMH4k24Cu4p/w256-h400/PXL_20230517_160946544.jpg" width="256" /></a></p><p><b>Sisters' Spring Reading Challenge</b></p><p><b>1. Read a book that is longer than your average read. </b></p><p>Charity -<i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qAwN4B"> Middlemarch </a></i>by George Eliot</p><p>Long books are delightful as long as I have the time to really embrace the story. Eliot wrote a fascinating novel about family, love, and money set in the fictional town of Middlemarch. I found that I needed to patiently allow the author to introduce me to the cast and weave the plot for a few hundred pages until I was entrapped. Step into nineteenth century England with patience and before long you will not be able to put the book down!</p><p>Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/4647A2M">Island of the World</a></i> by Michael D. O'Brien</p><p>I knew exactly which long book I wanted to read. A blog reader had sent me <i>Island of the World</i> after I told her that I had been searching for a copy, since I had heard rave reviews of it. But I found the book intimidating. Not only was it long (over eight hundred pages!), it is also sad. I've cried over a number of novels set in World War 2, but this book is a level of gut-wretching sad I found hard to read. Set in the Balkans, <i>Island of the Word</i> follows the life of Josip Lasta. I'm only about halfway through, but if it wasn't for this challenge, I wouldn't have gotten that far, and I plan to continue working on it this summer.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuktwSX4C9CfSvyp8EqJXE6sW4DWmVSZFizzL389ztB8Rlwe1FNGgs4C-lv8bGXGhkxDWNxC6gYj7yjtI_crE2_fgqBRT1JI0BpphVy1RxGkTY7p4DMQii-6gZ6iuTfWdbrQCzzm6xyltevXr1OmfG33YyuYyEsZ8T0Vbwa3wNf5Nt91TfkH2nnWm/s3434/PXL_20230517_161428377.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3434" data-original-width="2033" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuuktwSX4C9CfSvyp8EqJXE6sW4DWmVSZFizzL389ztB8Rlwe1FNGgs4C-lv8bGXGhkxDWNxC6gYj7yjtI_crE2_fgqBRT1JI0BpphVy1RxGkTY7p4DMQii-6gZ6iuTfWdbrQCzzm6xyltevXr1OmfG33YyuYyEsZ8T0Vbwa3wNf5Nt91TfkH2nnWm/w236-h400/PXL_20230517_161428377.jpg" width="236" /></a></p><p><b>2. Read a book about motherhood or a book that has a mother as the main character.</b></p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3qBMQiF">Labor with Hope</a></i> by Gloria Furman</p><p>While preparing for the arrival of our baby, I found this book a beautiful way to explore what the Bible says about childbirth and pregnancy. Furman takes you through God's Word and show the hope and eternal analogies that are found all throughout the Bible. </p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3qN5PGY">Mama Bear Apologetics: Empowering Your Kids to Challenge Cultural Lies</a> by Hillary Morgan Ferrer and others</p><p>The authors of this book suggest that we as mothers need to be firmly grounded in truth so that we can help our children navigate the many voices in our world. They give a thorough overview of the many isms that we encounter, such as self-helpism, naturalism, and skepticim. I love that the authors are firm on truth in a loving way and use humor to lighten a heavy subject. </p><p><b>3. Choose a bookshelf,</b><b> count the fifth book from the right and read it. </b></p><p>Charity - <i><a href="https://christianlight.org/books/new-books/how-beautiful-the-dusty-road">How Beautiful the Dusty Road </a></i>by Alison Stoltsfus</p><p>A nurse's memoir of serving refugees in Bangladesh. Join the author on her journey of learning to love the people of another religion and ethnicity while finding her heart is sometimes miles away. I easily slipped into her world and found her skill with words made me grieve it was such a short book.</p><p>Gina - <i><a href="https://amzn.to/3JadYf8">A Place on Earth </a></i>by Wendell Berry</p><p>It always takes me a while to get into Berry's novels. The plot moves slowly and there are so many characters, though the more of his books I read, the more I'm becoming attached to his fictional Port William community. <i>A Place on Earth </i>is set during World War 2 and I was saddened by the unhealthy ways that the characters reacted to grief without the hope of Christ. Yet Berry's skill as a writer and how well he shows life's reality and the gift of the agarian community means his books stay with me long after I finish the last page.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fwHZ36h8O0EQBW92jmBLdG4OAXUHZDd6qqAAPZGCQWx45VadXkQnPb4PMPLnSMSt3RCZEifVtDceQaR2hVw6vLcTDsfQ9etKxvhiuJYrzITCG8N9qQSc_ivq9DumjRLBcHtysZN8yutcF2XYusVniHFYOb3ynH64yWXrr487YhcpqJpv6Sy1UbMk/s3291/PXL_20230517_161600825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3291" data-original-width="2079" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fwHZ36h8O0EQBW92jmBLdG4OAXUHZDd6qqAAPZGCQWx45VadXkQnPb4PMPLnSMSt3RCZEifVtDceQaR2hVw6vLcTDsfQ9etKxvhiuJYrzITCG8N9qQSc_ivq9DumjRLBcHtysZN8yutcF2XYusVniHFYOb3ynH64yWXrr487YhcpqJpv6Sy1UbMk/w253-h400/PXL_20230517_161600825.jpg" width="253" /></a></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b style="background-color: transparent;">4. Choose a word or phrase in the Bible and look up five or so verses that contain that word and read them in context. </b></div><p>Charity - Trust/Refuge in the Psalms</p><p>The last few months I have been strugglign to surrender and trust the Creator. That led me to read all th passages in Psalms that speak of trusting God and/or taking refuge in Him. Writing down teh verses that appliedto me in my journal was so encouraging and is a place I can keep going back to on hard days.</p><p>Gina - Word</p><p>What does the Word say about the Word? That question sent me all through the Scripture, searching what God said about His Word. What a rich gift we have been given.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittmVq-Anwg_qrcBkvwbF09rgByO0nC2CMUcHKONaplsfsZHs1K8iUEE5hDI2LYA7DCO3OG--XX7EgRrzlY8nF04zcJBCEJXyCb7ee6rtUdwtrpYIzIrahEOIU7-Hx9hEOhBJ8bmzMKD_PdObi_-5RqYajjuNAOuIrNCklTB8R1Ej0LzhX2Oxr3KL6/s3398/PXL_20230517_161210893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3398" data-original-width="2225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEittmVq-Anwg_qrcBkvwbF09rgByO0nC2CMUcHKONaplsfsZHs1K8iUEE5hDI2LYA7DCO3OG--XX7EgRrzlY8nF04zcJBCEJXyCb7ee6rtUdwtrpYIzIrahEOIU7-Hx9hEOhBJ8bmzMKD_PdObi_-5RqYajjuNAOuIrNCklTB8R1Ej0LzhX2Oxr3KL6/w263-h400/PXL_20230517_161210893.jpg" width="263" /></a></p><p>Other books I've loved this spring:</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3CqEU6B">Women of the Word </a></i>by Jen Wilkin</p><p><a href="https://www.muddycreekbooks.com/">Coming Home to Roost </a>by Dorcas Smucker</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3P8HJkg">Everything Happens for a Reason</a></i> by Kate Bowler</p><p><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3MXuJva">Will the Circle Be Unbroken </a></i>by Sean Dietrich</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-19607040629789764322023-05-31T07:32:00.003-04:002023-05-31T07:32:20.546-04:00Sisters' Summer Reading Challenge<p> A new season means a new list of book! Yeah! Summer tends to busy, but we still want to read, so we kept these goals lighter.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY9jOikbYNSRrydGJHumwPozXhT0sz7qchZfqRnbFb2JudDRipvnna0hPRWgMVNTh7TIatbd80mbUT-dCovXQV-kFY9LjCVSSFZ5v99LsMskxGGi55RIMYR6wXG0daODKIruHXXpphY3ekt3CbIulTxhJwLktKfjrTJ7WqaW5IH5NwRUXefOiS9cW/s4032/PXL_20230531_112920443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLY9jOikbYNSRrydGJHumwPozXhT0sz7qchZfqRnbFb2JudDRipvnna0hPRWgMVNTh7TIatbd80mbUT-dCovXQV-kFY9LjCVSSFZ5v99LsMskxGGi55RIMYR6wXG0daODKIruHXXpphY3ekt3CbIulTxhJwLktKfjrTJ7WqaW5IH5NwRUXefOiS9cW/w400-h225/PXL_20230531_112920443.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><b>1. Read a book by a favorite author that you have never read before.</b></p><p>It might be a new book by an author, a sequel to a favorite series, or a back-listed book by the author.</p><p><b>2. Read a book that contains less than 200 pages.</b></p><p>In the spring we chose a long book (Confession: I'm still working on mine) so this is a chance to choose a short book. Maybe there is a middle-grade novel that you've wanted to read. </p><p><b>3. Pick out three books that you'd like to read. Turn to the first word in each book, and read the book whose word comes first in alphabetical order.</b></p><p>I have a whole shelf of books that I want to read and I can become paralized on which one to read next. This is a way to force myself to just get started. You can choose an e-book, audio, or physical book.</p><p><b>4. Read a book of the Bible and a write down the key idea from each chapter.</b></p><p>Short or long, pick the book that is best for you in this season. </p><p>I hope you have an excellent reading summer! I'd love to hear what you plan to read.</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-70355173902038751222023-05-21T16:55:00.001-04:002023-05-21T16:55:30.684-04:00One Name<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbCbBkmX-nEw77IuuCxThAXNexLR0ZV2ynJZwLIl1ToKkgqkfpCtAydE38B9TwtRoEPX-w8o16a8emyeUInIs8IqHooQ2N0bIg8Cn752wHhcUXC06aXSrdZOYIxpizAG_8VL2_TPltll9jZ5On_P6mvdgiBo-fGzh_mraCryN-a-FWgNu2amzJuoH/s4032/PXL_20230519_214341373.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbCbBkmX-nEw77IuuCxThAXNexLR0ZV2ynJZwLIl1ToKkgqkfpCtAydE38B9TwtRoEPX-w8o16a8emyeUInIs8IqHooQ2N0bIg8Cn752wHhcUXC06aXSrdZOYIxpizAG_8VL2_TPltll9jZ5On_P6mvdgiBo-fGzh_mraCryN-a-FWgNu2amzJuoH/w400-h225/PXL_20230519_214341373.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>I
slit the envelope</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>and
new checkbooks slide out. </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>For
the last four years, </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>whenever
I wrote a check</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>I
</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span>saw</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span>
our names together at the top.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span><i>Ed
and Gina</i></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>But
not anymore. </span></span></span></span>
</p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>O</span></span><span style="color: black;"><span>n
these new checks,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>my
name stands alone.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<br />
<br />
</p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Those
first months after Ed's death</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>contained
so many papers—</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>vehicle
titles</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>electric
bills</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>bank
statements—</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>each
with a name—his name—</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>that
needed to be</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>removed</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>replaced.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>I
made phone calls,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>handed
over death certificates,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>heard
sympathies</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>from
staff members who have done this often.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>A
couple, with names once connected,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>now
severed—</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>by
death,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>by
choice,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>by
tragedy.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Each
a story.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Now,
my story.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<br />
<br />
</p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>I
still say </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span><i>we,
us, ours.</i></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>I
want to imagine they will always be</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>our
children, </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>and
this our house, </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>the
one Ed provided for us,</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>But
I know that the future is just me</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>and
the responsibility is mine</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>for
my children and my home.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>I
don't like </span></span></span></span>
</p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span><i>me,
my, mine.</i></span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<br />
<br />
</p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span>I
know they are God’s,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span>and
He is here. </span></span></span>
</p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span>But
I miss flesh and blood, </span></span></span>
</p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span>skin
and bone,</span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span>paper
</span><span>documents</span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span>with
his name attached to mine.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>But
I hold the proof in my hands.</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>A
checkbook</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in; margin-top: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>with
only one name. </span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>Is
a stone in a graveyard</span></span></span></span></p>
<p style="background: #ffffff; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.19in;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span><span style="color: black;"><span>the
only place to find our names together?</span></span></span></span></p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-30823831194482379772023-05-11T07:29:00.000-04:002023-05-11T07:29:05.246-04:00Review of Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0DomV98uYffsOCcIwCvNijTvFEreIdCZv8bpMJ8OeihHp9yvFN0-3iSlZpDpmZz1DjoaMXRTTmA4-wqtsNX2HFrvQY-jdVMbauCIO9u6kCsPmlIOiipszCcVP5hX0r9N2vWrz9ST5GyVOteDTwGYlsTqkrjq8JpT4M9Tig151193c9rct3q5E-_9/s4032/PXL_20230511_112215057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0DomV98uYffsOCcIwCvNijTvFEreIdCZv8bpMJ8OeihHp9yvFN0-3iSlZpDpmZz1DjoaMXRTTmA4-wqtsNX2HFrvQY-jdVMbauCIO9u6kCsPmlIOiipszCcVP5hX0r9N2vWrz9ST5GyVOteDTwGYlsTqkrjq8JpT4M9Tig151193c9rct3q5E-_9/w400-h225/PXL_20230511_112215057.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p> I began the month of April with the goal of <a href="https://homejoys.blogspot.com/2023/04/why-read-slowly.html">reading more slowly </a>and reading <a href="https://homejoys.blogspot.com/2023/04/on-selecting-reading-material.html">more poetry. </a>And I did both.</p><p>On a whim, I decided to post a poem a few times during April on my WhatsApp status. I thought it would be a good way for me to pull out some poems I liked and maybe I'd find some new poetry. </p><p>The first week of April was the week of Palm Sunday and Easter. There were so many great Easter poems that I shared a poem every day. Then I didn't want to break my streak. And I found if I didn't share a poem in the morning, one friend would ask where the poem was. :)</p><p>While I guessed that most of the people who saw my status would ignore the poems, I was surprised how many people, even rather unlikely ones, said that they enjoyed the poems. A few even stated that they were sad to see the month end.</p><p>At the beginning of the month, I would have guessed that I didn't have thirty favorite poems. I had decided that I would only share one poem per author, so that cut out sharing my collection of Amy Carmichael poems that I've enjoyed since I was a teen. But I ran out of month before I ran out of poems. I didn't even get to my favorite children's poems.</p><p>I began the month with no planning. Most days I had no idea what poem I would share the next day. I wouldn't say I shared the best examples of poetry by the best poets. Sometimes I shared a poem because it fit the one I had shared the day before. Sometimes I shared a poem because it was the one that caught my attention at 7:00 in the morning. Some of the poems were long-time favorites. Others I found because a friend said, "Have you read any poems by.....?" Some were shared when I asked a poet friend, "Can I share one of your poems this month?"</p><p>Was the month a success? I think so. I read (and enjoyed) far more poetry than usual. I loved finding new-to-me poets and hearing others' favorite poems. </p><p>In case you are curious which poems I shared, here is the list. If they are found online, I'll include a link. If they were found in a book, I shared a link to the book. (Number 14 is a video of the author's friends reading her newly-published poetry book.)</p><p>1.<a href="https://www.poeticous.com/r-s-thomas/the-bright-field"> The Bright Field </a>by R.S. Thomas</p><p>2.<a href="https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/a-sonnet-for-palm-sunday/"> Palm Sunday</a> by Malcolm Guite</p><p>3. The Messiah by Sarah Beiler</p><p>4. The Thorn by Elizabeth S. Riall</p><p>5. As Simon by Lydia Hess</p><p>6. <a href="https://witnessestohope.org/category/poetry/shaw-luci/">Royalty</a> by Luci Shaw</p><p>7. Amazing Grace by Marlene Brubacher</p><p>8. <a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/justin-taylor/seven-stanzas-at-easter-john-updike/">Seven Stanzas for Easter</a> by John Updike</p><p>9. <a href="https://thecurator.org/2020/04/16/emily-j-gingrich-the-lord-is-risen/">The Lord Is Risen! </a>by Emily J. Gingrich</p><p>10. <a href="https://thecurator.org/2020/04/12/gwendolyn-eby-go-and-tell-peter/">Go and Tell Peter</a> by Gwendolyn Eby</p><p>11. <a href="https://christianlight.org/books/music-poetry/calling-your-name">Spring Romance</a> by Janice Etter</p><p>12. Plant Me by Lucy Martin</p><p>13. <a href="https://thecurator.org/2022/03/24/rebecca-weber-when-spring-breaks-forth/">When Spring Breaks Forth</a> by Rebecca Weber</p><p>14. <a href="https://rabbitroom.com/2023/04/video-the-goodness-of-the-lord-in-the-land-of-the-living/">The Goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living</a> by Leslie Bustard</p><p>15. <a href="https://thecurator.org/2019/10/17/daniel-hess-working-with-daddy/">Working with Daddy</a> by Daniel Hess</p><p>16. <a href="https://bibletruthpublishers.com/make-me-thy-fuel/amy-wilson-carmichael/discipleship-april-2006/the-christian/la140089">Make Me Thy Fuel </a>by Amy Carmichael</p><p>17. <a href="https://thecurator.org/2018/05/10/claudia-martin-a-birthday-poem/">A Birthday Poem </a>by Claudia Martin</p><p>18. <a href="https://thecurator.org/2022/02/17/claudia-lehman-anniversary/">Anniversary</a> by Claudia Lehman</p><p>19. <a href="http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/wendell_berry/poems/134.html">Like the Water </a>by Wendell Berry</p><p>20. <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44750/sonnet-19-when-i-consider-how-my-light-is-spent">On His Blindness </a>by John Milton</p><p>21.<a href="https://thecurator.org/product/leaf-2022/"> Thinning Pines </a>by Sarah Martin</p><p>22.<a href="https://thecurator.org/product/leaf-2022/"> Ritual </a>by Lori Hershberger</p><p>23. I Shall Not Want by Jennifer Perfect</p><p>24.<a href="https://wordsfortheyear.com/2016/05/24/what-gorgeous-thing-by-mary-oliver/"> What a Gorgeous Thing</a> by Mary Oliver</p><p>25. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HLol9InMlc">The Mask </a>by Maya Angelou</p><p>26. <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=41842">The Early Bird </a>by Ted Kooser</p><p>27. <a href="https://thecove.org/blog/pray-a-poem-by-ruth-bell-graham-2/">Pray </a>by Ruth Bell Graham</p><p>28. <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44395/gods-grandeur">God's Grandeur </a>by Gerald Manley Hopkins</p><p>29. <a href="https://www.best-poems.net/richard_wilbur/matthew_viii28_ff.html">Matthew VII, 28 ff. </a>by Richard Wilbur</p><p>30. <a href="https://www.plough.com/en/topics/culture/poetry/poems-make-me-red-tailed-hawk-make-me-sheet-moss">Make Me Red-Tailed Hawk</a> by Abigain Carroll</p><p>You could probably find a theme in this collection if you searched for it. Grief, birds, God's Word, gardens, spring, quiet. </p><p>If you are interested in stats - Nine men and twenty-one women are featured on this list. Nineteen of the poets are still living today and all but two were living within the last couple decades. Fifteen, exactly half, of these poets are Anabaptists (probably because I found many of these poems on <a href="https://thecurator.org/">The Curator.</a> </p><p>And best of all, seven of these authors I consider friends. And I could have included poetry by more friends if April had more days.</p><p>So, maybe you could say I most enjoy modern poetry written by Anabaptist women. </p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4916485057164205644.post-24341050555530944772023-05-02T21:32:00.003-04:002023-05-04T11:44:41.292-04:00Favorite Mac-and-Cheese<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrTGKJ0BEDAYydN0kgoVX7GOP_ifpBWrDGRx5ao9zL_FLjbfLukvCfDT21yXXMVupKP4qeXgmhs8HL9ZSfWk2n55muDN9ak6sq1Ba_4g36hxVXSHcSk9xtiwjIcErJTnWGv69sRD4xtSt47omwBiHFMB_FD84uwLvLdqOzIJjHIIm0SsHayDj4iJT/s4032/PXL_20230429_164907921.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="4032" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCrTGKJ0BEDAYydN0kgoVX7GOP_ifpBWrDGRx5ao9zL_FLjbfLukvCfDT21yXXMVupKP4qeXgmhs8HL9ZSfWk2n55muDN9ak6sq1Ba_4g36hxVXSHcSk9xtiwjIcErJTnWGv69sRD4xtSt47omwBiHFMB_FD84uwLvLdqOzIJjHIIm0SsHayDj4iJT/w400-h225/PXL_20230429_164907921.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>If you are a long-time reader of the blog, you know that in the past, I shared lots of recipes. The unexpected result of a blog full of recipes is that typically, when someone asks me for a recipe, I can easily send them a link. In fact, finding recipes on my blog is easy that I'm guilty of reading a recipe from this blog on my phone instead of searching for it in my recipe file.</p><p>But since I haven't been sharing recipes in recent years, newer recipes haven't been included in this filing system. One of those is this Mac-and-Cheese.</p><p>One of the first recipes I shared was my mom's<a href="https://homejoys.blogspot.com/2009/06/baked-macaroni-and-cheese.html"> baked macroni and cheese</a> which continues to be a family favorite. But in 2020, we began helping with a monthly community meal in our nearby city. I offered to make a large electric roaster full of macaroni and cheese and needed to find a different method. </p><p>I combined a few recipes to come up with a version that was simple and delicious. I think I made eight batches that first day, and it was consumed with rave reviews. </p><p>I've lost count of how many times I've made mac-and-cheese for the community meal. It is perfect paired with lots of menu items and any time I offer to bring mac-and-cheese, I am never turned down. Though I think I've made a lot of good food over the years, it is a little embarrassing to realize that the lowly mac-and-cheese has garnered more praise than anything else I've made. </p><p>So I'm sharing the recipe so that I have an easy way to send others the recipe. </p><p>A few hints:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>If you aren't serving the mac-and-cheese immediately, make sure the pasta is fully cooked. If the macaroni is under-cooked, it will continue to absorb the sauce and the result will be a tacky mac-and-cheese. Since we like it super creamy, if I know it will be sitting for a while, I'll add another 1/2 cup of milk.</li><li>Preshredded cheese is a big time-saver, but pre-shredded cheese includes anti-caking ingredients that make the sauce gritty. For best results, buy a chunk of cheese and shred it yourself. It is worth the extra time. If you have lots of mac-and-cheese to make, a food processor is a time saver.</li><li>Feel free to change up the seasonings. How about a little garlic and rosemary? Adding a can of diced green peppers gives a nice zing.</li></ul><p></p><p></p><p><b>Mac-and-Cheese</b></p><p><b>(serves 10)</b><b> </b></p><p><b>16 oz macaroni</b></p><p><b>1 T olive oil</b></p><p><b>4 Tablespoon butter</b></p><p><b>1/3 cup flour</b></p><p><b>4 cups milk</b></p><p><b>4 cups (12 oz) shredded Cheddar cheese</b></p><p><b>1 1/2 tsp salt</b></p><p><b>1/2 tsp pepper</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Cook macaroni in boiling water until soft. Drain the water and drizzle oil on pasta and toss. </p><p>Sauce: Melt butter in pan. Stir in flour. Add milk and stir over medium heat until thickened. Add cheese, salt, and pepper and stir until the cheese is melted. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni.</p><p>At this point you can serve immediatly. </p><p>Or you can place the mac-and-cheese in a crockpot and keep warm until ready to serve. </p><p>Or you can refrigerate the mac-and-cheese and warm it in the oven or crockpot the next day. </p><p>Or you can place the mac-and-cheese in a 9x13 pan and bake in oven for fifteen minutes at 325 degrees. To add a layer of crunch, you can add a crumb topping with buttered cracker crumbs or bread crumbs. (Topping option: Mix 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs, 4 T. melted butter, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, and 1/4 tsp paprika.)</p><p>I make five batches of this recipe and place in a large electric roaster to serve about 75 people.</p>Ginahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05420137490490341730noreply@blogger.com10