Technically the story of Colson's experience as the single mom of an autistic son, it's also an encouragement for anyone facing challenges that seem insurmountable to keep going, seek joy, and choose a positive attitude.
p.97 Cleaning is as mindless as eating, but you can still button your jeans in the morning. A clean house always makes me feel better.
p. 102, It's time to throw out my ideas of what I though life would be, should be, and let joy fill up those brand new vacancies.
p. 118, Vision statements are easier to live by when life turns out like a Hallmark commercial.
p. 132, I wondered if selflessness is what makes people more beautiful.
p. 156, In her selflessness, she not only left the door open for us to have a relationship with our father, but she used her own foot to wedge that door open. (Speaking of how her mom never spoke negatively about her dad after her parents divorced.)
p. 156, I didn't realize until later the power of his advice, that praying for someone else lets us see a ray of God's immense love for them, and some of that light spills back onto us. (Speaking of her dad's admonition that she and her son pray for her son's dad and his new family.)
Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall, written by Nina Willner
One never knows how they'll respond to a particular situation until they're actually faced with it. From escape to active compliance to quiet non-compliance, the members of this family faced a totalitarian government in different ways, all trying to do what they felt was best for themselves as individuals and for their family as a whole. All made sacrifices, all were strong, all were committed to each other. I really enjoyed this book, a mix of general historical information and the personal details of one specific family.
God's Smuggler, written by Brother Andrew with John & Elizabeth Sherrill
I've known about this book for as long as I can remember, but I'd never read it. It's the neat story of Andrew van der Bilja, a man who spent decades sneaking Bibles and bringing encouragement to Christians living in countries where Bibles are prohibited and/or practicing their faith is against the law. It's also a story of a deep love for people and an even deeper faith in God. Religious freedom is something that should never be taken for granted! This is a school book that Silas has already read and Devon will read soon, but I read it on my own.
A Man Called Ove, written by Fredrik Backman
I tried this book once before and bailed on it, but was encouraged by several friends to give it another try and I enjoyed it the second time. Ove is a grouchy old man with strong opinions about how things should be done. He's also a man whose life feels aimless, a person who needs to matter to someone. And he's a man of integrity, a hard worker who believes actions speak louder than words. The book made me laugh in several places, but it was also a good reminder that we never know someone's whole story or how far our acts of kindness may reach in their lives.
A woman blogging anonymously about how lonely she is. A hurting man who stumbles across her blog and, relating to her feelings and admiring her honesty, sets out to find her. A chance meeting between the man and a waitress that turns into more than friendship. A fairly predictable love story that fulfilled my desire for some literary fluff.
A moonshiner who takes his craft very seriously, a preacher who believes alcohol is evil, a son who craves his father's approval, and a small town during Prohibition. Assigned for school by Sonlight, I read it on my own.
Friendship and family, following societal norms and bucking the system, romance and war, refugees and gypsies, dreams and goals, unity and conflict between social classes ... it's all in this story that I stayed up reading way too late one night. Recommended by my friend, Sharon, at The Compulsive Reader.
p. 12, "My father always says that if we were as quick to own our own faults as we are to apologize for those of others, society might truly advance."
p. 14, Lady Marbely had moved with the slow drag of a woman waiting her internment in the family crypt, her life and home dusty with protocol and made reclusive by walls of superiority.
p. 17, "Humiliation is the sport of the petty," an admonition of her father's that she found all to useful this past year.
p. 282, "Cheerful company is as welcome to melancholy as lemon juice on a burn," said Agatha.
Look at the picture of poop, guess what type of animal it came from, then lift the flap to see if you're right.
** This post contains affiliate links and I'm grateful when people use them. **
