A Shock to Our Systems
We have made it through our first week of school. This is momentous. After being "off" since mid-April of this year, getting back into it felt a little like trying to start exercising after an extended hiatus. Let's just say it was a shock to the system. Everybody's. There were thrilling "yes" moments, and there were tears of frustration. There were nights I fell into bed exhausted, and another where I lay awake brainstorming ways to motivate respectful behavior in my household.
First week of school is done. On to week number two. :)
The Lord knows the messages I need to hear though. As I slowly go through None Like Him (Jen Wilkin) there are truths I need to know about my God. I need to know He doesn't change. He is the only one who can use the words "never" and "always" with perfect consistency. I need to know He has given me enough time. Not so much time that I can procrastinate and be lazy, or undervalue it. But sufficient time to accomplish what He wants me to do, no more. I must filter my tasks through His plans.... determining whether or not they fit into what's important to Him. Does it glorify Him? Nothing less than relationships are eternal, so what all am I fretting over?
I need to know that we are to make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. The devil wants to throw me off track. He wants me to have wrong priorities. He wants me to feel defeated when everything I'd wanted to do, didn't get done.
God's Word is always perfect - and He speaks clearly through it. That was grace for me this week.
The Paris Wife is the story of Earnest Hemmingway's wife and their life together as he tries to make it big as a published author. So far the story of their move to from America to Paris post World War I has captured my attention. Paula McLain authored of Circling the Sun, the fictional memoir of Beryl Markham, horse-trainer and aviator in 1920's Kenya.
Normally I love a good Jan Karon book. Her stories are well balanced with some real life scenarios and humor. However, they probably would make a pretty corny Hallmark movie... in fact they did! I started watching At Home in Mitford put out by Hallmark, and I had to turn it off. It was just that terrible. :( Sadly, this book didn't live up to the Jan Karon I have grown to enjoy when in need of something light and easy. This story was so choppy, difficult to follow, and she often opened her sections with pronouns, leaving me guessing which character she was talking about.....
I also love a good middle-grade novel. They are quick and easy reads, not overly wordy, and yet still have the capacity to deliver a powerful message.
Counting by 7s has been easy to get into. This book was included in Sonlight's Summer Reading package - I love their picks. :) Definitely reminiscent of the book Out of My Mind that I read several months back--a story told by a girl born with cerebral palsy and non-verbal.
(From the Back)
"Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.
Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read."
First week of school is done. On to week number two. :)
The Lord knows the messages I need to hear though. As I slowly go through None Like Him (Jen Wilkin) there are truths I need to know about my God. I need to know He doesn't change. He is the only one who can use the words "never" and "always" with perfect consistency. I need to know He has given me enough time. Not so much time that I can procrastinate and be lazy, or undervalue it. But sufficient time to accomplish what He wants me to do, no more. I must filter my tasks through His plans.... determining whether or not they fit into what's important to Him. Does it glorify Him? Nothing less than relationships are eternal, so what all am I fretting over?I need to know that we are to make the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. The devil wants to throw me off track. He wants me to have wrong priorities. He wants me to feel defeated when everything I'd wanted to do, didn't get done.
God's Word is always perfect - and He speaks clearly through it. That was grace for me this week.
On My Side Table
I am using spare moments of quiet, and early sunsets (contrary to what we accustomed ourselves to in Canada) for lots of reading! It feels great to be in novels again.The Paris Wife is the story of Earnest Hemmingway's wife and their life together as he tries to make it big as a published author. So far the story of their move to from America to Paris post World War I has captured my attention. Paula McLain authored of Circling the Sun, the fictional memoir of Beryl Markham, horse-trainer and aviator in 1920's Kenya.Normally I love a good Jan Karon book. Her stories are well balanced with some real life scenarios and humor. However, they probably would make a pretty corny Hallmark movie... in fact they did! I started watching At Home in Mitford put out by Hallmark, and I had to turn it off. It was just that terrible. :( Sadly, this book didn't live up to the Jan Karon I have grown to enjoy when in need of something light and easy. This story was so choppy, difficult to follow, and she often opened her sections with pronouns, leaving me guessing which character she was talking about.....I also love a good middle-grade novel. They are quick and easy reads, not overly wordy, and yet still have the capacity to deliver a powerful message.Counting by 7s has been easy to get into. This book was included in Sonlight's Summer Reading package - I love their picks. :) Definitely reminiscent of the book Out of My Mind that I read several months back--a story told by a girl born with cerebral palsy and non-verbal.
(From the Back)
"Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasn’t kept her from leading a quietly happy life . . . until now.
Suddenly Willow’s world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read."
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