It seems I go through seasons where I read a lot of books all at once and then a long stretch of not reading anything of substance.
So here is the list from my latest reading phase:
- A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
- Prisoners of Hope by Dayna Curry & Heather Mercer
- Return with Honor by Captain Scott O'Grady
- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Sometimes I end up with themes to my reading...looks like this one was suffering during war... with an English novel thrown in for lighter reading. :)
Have you read any of the above? What were your thoughts after-wards?
For a myriad of reasons it's been kind of a difficult week so I'm glad today is a "down" day with not a lot of plans. Things popped up that weren't serious but just threw bumps in my life's path.
- a flat tire discovered the night before a trip.
- no phone service for three days (normally that wouldn't be a problem but it's the one I use for work).
- a 2 1/2 hour trip in dense fog.
- a mind that kept wandering instead of focusing on the tasks at hand.
But there were also glimpses of God's glory and redemption too. Hope remains in the brokenness of this world.
- a robin singing in a tree.
- warmer temps that melted away the snow.
- a dog that's excited to go on a walk with me.
- roses in a vase on my desk.
- big band music.
- family that installed a light fixture in my bathroom.
- a full moon shining through the dark clouds of night.
- a fuchsia sunset set against a pale lavender/blue/gray landscape
These are the sights, sounds and memories I want to store up, to take out in my old age and relive through the telling. Not the bumps in the road, the worries, the stresses...though those have a place and a purpose too. They show me how dependent I am on my Heavenly Father. They also remind me to look forward to the day when all things will be made new.
On my walk to the mailbox this morning I heard a strange sound. Well, it wouldn't be such a strange sound in May but for the 16th of February it is.
You may think I was hallucinating. That the cold and snow and wind have made me delusional...but I saw it with my eyes.
A ROBIN!
He was sitting in the top of the tree scolding me as I walked by. At first I thought I was hearing things but then I saw his red breast in the rays of the morning sun.
Amazing what one bird can do for my spirits. Spring will come again, flowers bloom, warm winds blow, and green grass grows. God's promises are just as faithful. He does not leave us in the winter of our sins. He brings redemption like spring to our souls. This is hope on a February morn.
