A Walk in the Woods

I love reading about the outdoors, as well as self-sufficiency and ruggedness. So a book about walking the Appalachian Trail appealed to me greatly. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson is not just his experience walking parts of the trail but also delves into the history of the trail, the area cities he camped near, the forest conservation (or lack of) in the United States, and more. 

While Bryson did not walk the full 2,100 mile trail, he did get over 800 miles in throughout a years time and writes of his travel companion as well as fellow hikers with great humor. There were parts I laughed out loud at and other parts I cringed at, hoping that person was not reading this book!

I wish there had been a little more about the actual living outdoors. Except for bits and pieces of stocking up for food or cooking noodles or setting up camp I didn't get the full feel of life in the woods. Judging from the parts Bryson writes about I wonder if all they ate were Snickers Bars and noodles (and what type of noodles? Ramen? Butter Noodles?) the whole time, along with some other junk food. Can hikers really sustain themselves on that type of diet? How long does it take one to set up and take down camp? Cook breakfast? I could have used more of that information in the book to feel like I was really there, really roughing it.

It turned out to be an entertaining as well as educational book. I didn't know a lot about the Appalachian Trail before starting this book and kind of fell in love with it by the end. While I can't imagine hiking over 14 states, I do think it would be awesome to do a week long hike somewhere. This book made me put that on my bucket list.

This is also a movie starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, I'm thinking I'll need to check it out!

This book was sent to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.  
 

Life, Lately

It's a quiet Saturday morning. Scooby-Doo is playing in the background and my coffee and a blueberry scone are at my side. I'm delaying the real start of the day. Because it involves lots of cleaning and chores. Fun times.

School is starting in a little more than two weeks. So we are trying to soak up the rest of the summer. 

On my birthday I chose to go to a local state park. Nature calls me whenever I feel stressed and is my form of meditation. While the kids and hubby played in the water I basked in the quiet on a blanket on the sand. This photo is a new favorite of mine. 

Sometimes, just sometimes, housework can be beautiful. After spraying the outside of the kitchen window with a hose to get rid of the cobwebs and dirt, I came inside to rainbows, sparkles, and awesomeness. I couldn't resist snapping a photo.

Yesterday several garage sale signs popped up around town so we made several unexpected stops. For under $20 I got all three kids Halloween costumes AND Becca's "big" Christmas present (Each child gets to choose a "want" for Christmas and I know that Littlest Pet Shop is always on Becca's list...a whole box of them for $15? Can't beat that!). There's nothing like being ahead of the game...thanks to another garage sale a few weeks ago I also have Amy's "big" Christmas gift hidden away - two American Girl Itty Bitty twin dolls, with several outfits, for $10! 

The littles had fun trying their costumes on - though Amy screamed any time Joe got near her. Guess his alien costume looks a little too real!
 

Painful Joy

Birth

Death

Marriage

Friendship

Life

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Rejoice always,  pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
 

Buck Up Birthday Girl

I think we can all agree that birthdays as adults just aren't as special as they were when we were children. The magic kind of fizzles out.

I haven't looked forward to my birthdays since Jacob passed away. After all, I can't have the one thing I want for my birthday.

And several of my birthdays before that have not so great memories. My 29th birthday was spent in the hospital with Jacob (though it was his last chemotherapy treatment...so that was a special celebration!). My 30th birthday was spent at my mother's house with two of my children, Jacob and my husband were in the hospital because that is when Jacob was in isolation with his stem cell transplant. My 31st birthday was when my son was dying. 

So yeah...it's no longer a day I look forward to.

This morning I awoke to a messy house. I called the cafe to reserve some cupcakes and was informed that the wedding day cupcakes were just all bought out. At 8:30 in the morning. My head hurts. I feel like crying.

I told myself to stop it with the "woe is me". My dad, when asked if he felt old on his birthdays, would respond "I'm blessed to get to be this old." He passed away a day before his 61st birthday. I remember that with every year. I'm blessed to reach age 33, not everyone has that chance. How well I know that.

I turned on the radio in the kitchen and got to work baking my own cupcakes. Jacob always said that he wanted a cupcake store when he was older...so I MADE my own cupcakes. It's saving me $14 and will probably taste better anyhow. The lyrics blasting through the speakers spoke to me:

"What if blessings come through raindrops? What if healing comes through tears?"

Life doesn't have to be perfect to be good. If life is filled with love, laughter, and a purpose it is one well lived. Today is a blessing. So this buttercup will buck up today...though it is my birthday so I can cry if I want to. ;)
 

Everywhere

I see miracles in my surroundings...daily...hourly...

In nature. The sights. The sounds. The smells.

In the souls around me. Both the ones here and the ones passed.

In the signs. Of comfort and love.

In the company of others. Understanding. Support. Healing. Hope.

Everything is a miracle. In everything is God.
 

Funny Stuff

Thanks to my sweet sister-in-law who surprised us with Jim Gaffigan tickets, we had a wonderful Saturday night, sans children!

I LOVE Jim Gaffigan! His books are hilarious, his stand up is clean. A comedian who is not crude or uses vulgar language is a rare find, but Jim is a family man and his comedy often centers around being a father (and his love of food!). 

Perfect date night! :)

Messy Grace

No one wants to be used as an example, so a whole book on how to respond to the homosexual community may seem at first glance a  tad "too much". Yet is is a hot topic issue these days and there does seem to be an "us vs. them" mentality, which is a sad thing.

Messy Grace by Caleb Kaltenbach is about how a pastor with gay parents learned to love others without sacrificing conviction. LOVE is the key word in this book. While it may focus on homosexuality, the point of this book is for Christians to love everyone. 

This book was an interesting insight into the pain that those in the LGBT communities feel from most Christians. Judgement, hate, fear. Christians should not portray any of these to anyone. We are not to judge, hate, or fear anyone. 

On the other hand, just as one would not want to be judged for being gay, the tables do turn because Christians get judged for being Christian. Kaltenbach felt judged as well as pushed away when he professed being a Christian to his parents. 

Gays are judged by their lifestyle. Christians are judged by their convictions. This book shows us that the judging needs to stop and the loving needs to start.

(Pg. 107) *We can be accepting but not approving.
*We can be loving without applauding.
*We can be compassionate without commending. 

This goes for all areas in our life. I can love a friend who lives with a boyfriend. I can support a daughter who gets pregnant out of wedlock. I can be there for a cousin that gets divorced. 

That's not to say that I need to start changing my convictions on those matters. It's to say that my place is not to judge someone else and to love everyone. That is the part of Messy Grace. People don't like to feel that you are "against" any part of their life. You may seem judgmental if you don't agree with a lifestyle.  I get that.  Kaltenbach writes "Typically, when we wrestle with the tension of grace and truth, we either go all the way to the grace side, where everything is deemed acceptable, or we go all the way to the truth side, where we speak truth and have no love. It’s harder to live in the tension of grace and truth".

While I do not agree with everything in this book, it opens the dialog. It preaches love and not judgement. It's a great book since this topic is such a big one these days.

This book was sent to me by Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest opinion.