A Walk To Beautiful

"A Walk to Beautiful" by Jimmy Wayne

I read this book for my work as an advocate for foster children.  It is the story of a boy who when he was 10 was abandoned by his mother and put into foster care.  He was in and out of foster placements and group homes until one day he was taken in by an older couple.  He became a famous country singer and vowed to help children, like he had been, who are aging out of the foster system.  It is a sad story that parallels so many kids in the foster system and yet it is a story of someone who has been there, who has been able to rise above due to some helping hands and promised to pass that help along to others.  "And I wanted to tell those kids, and anyone else who would listen, it's not where youv'e been, but it's where you're goin'; it's not who you were in the past, but it's who you are today-that's what really matters."  Often the past these kids have was not of their choosing.  Someone has to choose to look beyond their past and see who they are.  "If you really want to do something, you can find the way."  "Bea and Russell didn't talk about loving God and loving people; they just did it."  I think this world could use a little less talking about love and more showing it.  "When circumstances drag on you, weighing you down to the point you think you can't take another step, muster the courage, stay strong; keep walking.  Don't walk only when it is convenient; don't merely walk till you get tired; keep walking through it all.  Walk to Beautiful."  And that walk to beautiful looks different for each one of us.

Hope Heals

"Hope Heals" by Katherine and Jay Wolf

This is a powerful book about a 20 something woman who had a major stroke 6 months after having a baby.  It is a story of amazing miracles, hard work, and a tenacious spirit.  Katherine chose to fight to live for her son, she chose to find hope in the One that heals.  Jay, her husband, lives out his marraige vows, never leaving Katherine's side, helping her to regain her life.  The struggle and beautiful love this couple shares is truly inspirational. "I suppose in that moment, I realized that when we most need our intangible God to be made tangible, we need look no further than His people to make him manifest."  We need to be the hands and feet of our loving God.  And when we are in crisis we need to remember that God is with us in the people surrounding us.  "Perhaps in the breaking, we can find the healing we long for."  To truly be healed is to face the fact that we are broken and need healing.  It is here that we find His grace and love to put us back together again.   "In fact, the whole miracle thing really stung because the "miracle" had left me unable to live normally."  Katherine lived through her ordeal and it was a miracle that she was even alive.  But being alive she was left without many normal functions and the life as she knew it was gone.  People on the outside see the miracle but don't see the daily struggle to live with that miracle.  "To know you will be saved, even if you don't dare envision how, is to have the wick of hope rekindled."  "I have come to realize that believing in God is not possible without also believing God.  He says He is my hope and strength, and I am taking Him at His word."  We have to know who He is, is character and believe what He says is true.  "I don't think any of us can tell our most vulnerable stories in the moments they occur for fear that they may undo us.  We have to wait until we are in a season of safety before we can open up our deepest wounds."  "I found that acting in love inevitably provoked true feelings of love, and the reverse was no less true."  Love is not just an emotion, it is so much more.  Love often takes action even when we don't feel like it.  This, this is when real love takes hold, to act out love when the feelings aren't there.  When we do this, love-the emotion- is sure to follow.  "When we collectively mourn our losses and strain toward hope, our hearts expand.  We begin to respond with empathy and realize that we all share the story of brokenness, and thus we all share the need for hope."  Truly an inspiring story filled with hope for all of our brokenness.

A Golden Voice

"A Golden Voice" by Ted Williams with Bret Witter

This book is about the YouTube sensation Ted Williams.  He was a homeless man with a "golden voice"  Someone took a video of him on the street doing his radio voice and put it on YouTube and it went viral.  Literally a day later he was being flown to NY to appear on the Today Show.  The story is more about his fall and life as an addict and homeless man than the fame.  It is a truth telling book of what happens when addiction takes over a person's life.  It gives a real look into homlessness and the struggle to survive.  Ted has faced a lot of demons in his life and by the grace of God he has been able to put those demons to rest.  Another honest book with redeeming love flowing through it.  Ted speaks about never giving up hope, there is always hope even in the darkness.  We serve an amazing God who never lets us go and will go into the muck and mire to bring us into the Light.  An inspiring story that our prayers are heard and there is always another chance to do right.

Heavenly Miracles

"Heavenly Miracles" by Jamie C. Miller, Laura lewis, and Jennifer Basye Sander

This is just a short collaboration of stories about people who experienced miracles in their life.  It's a quick little read that is uplifting.  It's great to hear how God is working in others lives and that He still performs miracles today.  "In the midst of everyday stress and struggle, we want to believe and be reassured that there is a greater purpose to our lives."  Everyone wants to make sure that their is some pupose to their life, even the mundane of life.  We are all seeking greater meaning.  "Miracles that save lives are not always dramatic rescues; sometimes they are simply brought about by the guiding hand of love."  "You are special and worthy of a miracle because you are loved."  Everyone is worthy of a miracle because we are all created and loved by God.  Sometimes our eyes just need to be opened to the little every day miracles that happen and sometimes God has bigger ones in store for us.  These stories will bring a smile to your face and remind you that there is a God who cares and He is in the business of miracles.  

Heaven Is Here by Stephanie Nielson

I started following this author's blog through another blog a few years ago. It wasn't long after her accident and I was inspired by this woman. The book is about her life, she had the ideal life, handsome husband, four beautiful children and her looks. One fateful day all that changed when her and her husband were in a plane crash. She was burned over 80% of her body. She woke in the hospital months later, barely alive. The book is about her struggle to survive, the pain she had and continues to have just to move each day, her determination to be a mother to her children, her husband who stood by her side and showed her what real love looks like, her faith that she has a purpose here and God spared her. (I do want to preface the rest of this entry with saying that the author is a Mormon. I've quoted the things that she said about God and used my beliefs to explain them.) It truly is an incredible story and she is a very special woman. It is a great book to give perspective on what really matters in this life, and the way we look is certainly not one of them. "How he hoped they would feel God's love in the natural world, just as he did." Stephanie and her husband both love to be in nature and wanted to instill this love in their children. That by being in God's creation they would feel His love for them. I feel this. I look at all that He created and am in such awe. Nature makes me feel closer to Him. "I don't want being physical to get in the way of getting to know the real you." Her husband said this to her when they were dating. What a great thing for a guy to say. "I saw God in those eyes. I saw reassurance. I even saw a glimpse of triumph. I was still me. Those eyes were mine. The life I saw in them came from God, and that gave me hope for the life of my body." This was the first time that she looked at herself after the accident. Oh what a hard moment that would be. She was so disfigured. But in that moment she was given strength. Her eyes were still her. Beautiful. "Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer every child's prayer? Some say that heaven is far away, but I feel it close around me as I pray. Pray, He is there. Speak, He is listening. You are His child. His love now surrounds you." A child's song, a parents response. So simple yet what we all, young or old, wonder from time to time. "When lonely, cold, hard times come, we have to endure, we have to continue, we have to persist...Keep knocking on that door. Keep pleading. In the meantime, know that God hears your cries and knows your distress. He is your Father, and you are His child." And they do always come, don't they? But this life is about enduring, continuing even when it's oh so hard. And the best part is that we are heard, He does care. "We look for Christ's scars because they are evidence of what He did for us. They'll be the first things He shows us when we see Him again. Your scars tell a story, too. Although they may not make you feel attractive, they are a witness of a miracle, that God blessed you to live, and that you have accomplished very difficult things." What a beautiful sentiment. All our scars are a testament of what we have been through, how we have overcome and how God has done great things in us. We shouldn't hide them or be ashamed of them. God uses it all for His glory and our best. He loves us so. "I have accepted myself in a world that does not accept me, because I have learned-and more than any of the lessons of my accident, this is the one I wish I could teach everybody-that our hearts matter most. Your heart matters most, so be gentler and more patient with yourself, and their hearts matter most, too, so be kinder and more compassionate to others. It's a beautiful heart, not a perfect body, that leads to a beautiful life." Good wisdom to live by.