Love Lifted Me

Jade Benson, the main character of Love Lifted Me, the third book in the Songbirds Series by Sara Evans and Rachel Hauck, is just starting to grow strong enough to face the chaos and heartache she's endured in her life, especially in the last few years. Her husband, Max, is trying to prove himself to his wife--his faithfulness to her and his commitment to stay drug free and not return to using pain-pills to chase away his problems.

Readers who have read the other two books in the series know that Jade and Max have run a full gauntlet of struggles and challenges in their marriage. Drug use, infidelity, parent issues...The scene is already set when book three begins, and it's hard to imagine what trials the two of them will go through in this book.

This book is full of hope. There is still enough conflict to keep the reader interested and make her leave her dishes undone and dinner uncooked while she finds out what will happen to these people she's grown to care about, but the tone of this book is markedly different from the first.

The fragrance of grace permeates this story. It's not at all "preachy", but the message of God's love was clear in the lives of the characters. This was a story about losing fear and embracing trust. It was a story of redemption, perhaps the best possible theme a story can have. And it was about love. Love for others. Love for God. His love for us.

Evans and Hauck make a great writing team. The writing is very well done, the imagery and symbolism used colors the story in an even more vivid way. Nothing about this book left me disappointed and I very highly recommend it.

Content.

I was talking to a friend today about where we are in life (not like, literally. Although we have been known to get lost, especially when we try to talk on the phone while driving...but figuratively). She said that for once in her life, she's happy where she is and not in a hurry to rush onto the next thing.

I thought about it and realized I know exactly how she feels. I love my family. I love my job. I love my friends. I love where I live. I, like my friend, am really content with life. I don't even know what to put on my Christmas list for people to buy me, because really, what do I need? Okay, that's not entirely true. I'll still take a Kitchen Aid stand mixer, Starbucks gift cards, CD's, books, and anything else they'll get me, but for the most part, I have everything I could possibly want.

This is such a nice realization for me because I've been writing seriously and really pursuing publication for...Eight-ish years now. And I know that time plays a HUGE role in this business and the people who get published are often the ones who were too stubborn to quit. And I'm not thinking about quitting, so that's not what this is about. But at the same time, it's nice to know that it's okay if I never do get published. (Haha, if you're an agent or editor reading this I'll still totally take a contract...) I would like to, but my life is wonderful as it is.

I think it's kind of like that line in Cool Runnings, which I haven't seen in years, but remember from my high school Chemistry class (wait--why DID we watch that in Chemistry? Ahhh, private school education...). If you're not enough with a gold medal, you'll never be enough without it. I remember at the time thinking that was a strange quote and that it made no sense whatsoever. I think it actually made me a little irritated.

But you know what? I get it now. And it's so true.

How about you? How are you finding yourself more contented than you have been in the past? Anything you need to work on being content with?

Alaska posts ARE coming!

Fear not. The long awaited for (um, as in, almost six months in the making) Alaska posts will be coming soon! I need to make some coffee, look at pictures, and see if I can find words for such a wonderful trip.

And yes, this is my third post in 24 hours. I'm excited about the internet. Sue me. =)

Kaleidoscope Book Review

Ever looked in a Kaleidoscope as a kid? There was one at a park my mom took me to often, and I loved to look inside and see all the colors and shapes. They were all part of one picture, but they were individual pictures themselves and I enjoyed examining them. Patsy Clairmont, in her book Kaleidoscope, compares the book of Proverbs to this. Her book discusses the wisdom found in Proverbs in individual chapters, thirty three of them in all, and the life lessons we can learn from them.

What makes this book unique is Clairmont's informal writing style. Though her words are chosen wisely and carefully crafted together, the book still reads like a conversation with a friend (albeit a wise one) who is sitting down and sharing with you over a cup of coffee (or, as it's December, a Peppermint Mocha). It's a book to be lingered over, and enjoyed in small pieces, not all at once.

The issues discussed in and among the Proverbs, such as being careful with what we say, are issues that apply to any Christian, but especially to women. This book will be useful to women of all ages and at all point in their walks of faith. I especially appreciated how the chapters were broken up--first with Patsy Clairmont's insights, then with questions, then with a list of applicable Scriptures. Certainly this is a book that has a gem of wisdom for every woman, set in a personal look into a woman of faith's thoughts.

Breaking News!

I have the internet!!!!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. The internet. In. My. House.

See, we live in a place where it's hard to get the internet. So we've lived here for nine months and been technologically behind the rest of the country.

But we have it.

So I'll be back.

Soon.

We Interrupt this Broadcast...

To bring you a brief note.

Or two or three.

First, I'm aware that it's been more than nine days. I have not forgotten you, faithful blog readers, but I'm so busy soaking up everything about Alaska and running around like a crazy person trying to DO all the things we want to do in the limited time we have, that I just don't have time to sit down and type out everything in the kind of detail I want to.

The bad news is, tomorrow is our last day in Anchorage, so I don't see myself posting 'catchup' blogs tomorrow.

The good news is, if I don't get to it before then, we should be in Alberta, Canada within four-ish days or so, and I think that province is a little on the boring side, so I should have time to type then.

My current plan is to divide the actual Alaska trip into locations (one blog entry for the first part of Anchorage, one for the Seward trip, one for the Homer trip) instead of days, but if anyone has unbelievable objections to that, speak now.

Okay, you can go back to reading. Just wanted to let you know what's going on--I've loved sharing this trip with everyone and can't wait to get back to it!

P.S. It's 10:24 pm and it looks like late afternoon with all the light outside. How DOES anyone sleep here? I can fall asleep fine, it's convincing myself it's time that's the problem.

Day 9

Day 9 Lions and Tigers and GRIZZLIES, Oh my!

Today we started out in Tok and everything was wonderful because we are IN ALASKA. My mom said she could see better today. Obviously it’s because we’re in Alaska. I slept fabulously last night—better than I have this whole trip. Why? Because we’re in Alaska!

We. Are. In. Alaska.

I love everything about this place. I love the way the trees are such a vibrant dark green, the way the rain falls like a mist. We stopped at a creek earlier, in case the salmon were spawning even thought it’s a little early, so that John could see them. But alas, no salmon. It’s okay, though, because he got to see the creek and how clear the water is as it rushes over smooth river rocks.

Today, I saw something I’ve never seen before. We were all looking out the window (well, minus Josh who was napping and my mom who missed it) and we saw this mass of blondish/brown. After a second it finally registered in our brains that it was a grizzley! Nine years. Nine years I lived in Alaska and I NEVER saw a grizzly. I told John he must be a good luck charm because he’s seen almost every animal you could hope to see up here. The grizzly saw us and then whirled around and ran back into the woods. He was enormous and I was excited to see him, but I hope I never see one any closer than we were.

The drive today was only 328 miles, but it took all day because we took our time a little more than we did other days. We stopped for lunch in the booming metropolis of Glennallen and ate at the Caribou Inn. It was yummy! My dad got fried halibut (just like the night before…he’s into variety) and John and I got reindeer sausage. My mom got soup, which was good too, just not as unique to Alaska.

After lunch we drove and drove until we finally got into south central Alaska. I love the whole state (see gushing in paragraphs above), but south central is home. I know my home is currently in Georgia, and I do love the south too. But this is one of the places that I feel at home and comfortable instantly, even if I haven’t been back in a while—in this case, nine years.

The road followed the sides of the mountains and while it offered incredible views of the steely blue rivers rushing by below, it also provided some lets-hold-our-breath-and-hope-we-make-it moments, since the RV is big and the road was a little on the small side.

We got to Anchorage in time for dinner (food is a big theme of our vacations) and picked Alison and Chad up from the airport late, late, late.

And then the real vacation began.