For Love of Country

"For Love of Country" by Howard Schultz and Rajiv Chandrasekaran

I am so grateful that I live in America and I know that my freedoms came at a high price.  My heart is indebted to those who have served and their families.  This book contains stories of those that have served and their sacrifices.  It also has stories about how our veterans are helping out communities and what they are doing when they come back and rejoin the workforce.  Our veterans have so much to offer and teach us, they just need to be given the opportunities.  "We let them protect us, yet we go on with life as usual."  I believe this shows a disrespect to those that deserve our utmost respect.  How can we ignore those that have given so much for us?  "They need to return to a nation that feels connected to them."  We need to give back and have faith in our veterans.  "There can be no greater act of love by a father for his fallen son than to take his place in the ranks in the midst of war."  Powerful and inspiring.  "What we do with our failures makes us the person that we are.  When we fail, we have two choices: we can quit, and that becomes a habit, or we can learn and grow from those failures.  If you choose to grow, you can become a great leader."  Learning from our failures is the greatest gift we can give ourselves and those around us.  "After everything you have been through in the wars, you still want to help people.  All of you make us proud to be Americans."  Our veterans have given so much and when they come home they continue to give.  They are used to service and helping others and this is what they want to continue to do.  "In an era when the work ethic and collective spirit of young adults have been called into question, we cannot ignore how many of them stepped up in a moment of need; how professionally, selflessly, and honorably they preformed their duties; and how often they risked their lives to save their comrades.  Their character deserves to be celebrated with the same pride the nation shows for the World War II veterans."  "It is unhealthy for a nation to become detached from those who secure it.  Our volunteers have given the rest of us a remarkable freedom, but that freedom comes with the responsibility to understand their sacrifice, to honor them, to appreciate what they can offer when they return home, to care for those who are wounded, and to mourn those who have given us their last full measure of devotion."  I think that says it all.  What will you do to show your appreciation?

The Mistletoe Promise

"The Mistletoe Promise" by Richard Paul Evans

I really like this author for his short and sweet books.  He always has a great message in them and they are quick reads.  This story is about Elise whose marraige has ended in divorce.  Elise has kept to herself and is not looking forward to another lonely holiday season.  She is eating lunch and is approached by a stranger that offers her a propostion.  His propostion is that until Christmas they pretend that they are a couple so that neither of them have to endure a lonely holiday.  There are stipulations, like no drama and no deep questions.  Elise surprises herself by saying yes.  Her heart begins to open and she finds herself loving this man but she has a secret that might ruin it all.  "I once read that the secret to happiness is having something to do, something to look forward to, and someone to love."  And I believe that "something to do" involves serving others.  "The thing is, when you grow up with crazy, you don't know what sane is.  You might suspect that there's something better, but until you see reality, it's impossible to comprehend."  I belive a number of our foster kids feel this way, they don't know what family is supposed to look like.  It takes getting out of crazy to know you were even in crazy.  I really enjoyed this book for its simplicity and its message of redemption.  Secrets have less power when they are shared.

Blue-Eyed Boy

"Blue-Eyed Blue" by Robert Timberg

This is a memoir about a man who served in the Vietnam War and was severly burned on his face and arms as a result of a land mine.  The book tells how he overcame a highly disfiguring injury and did not let that fateful day define him.  He became a Washington news reporter, overcoming the stares from the public.  He searched for meaning beyond that fateful day in Vietnam.  "You can't march a generation, or a portion of a generation, off to war, have its members suffer the pain and anguish that accompanies all wars, then tell them that it was all a big mistake, without sooner or later paying a price."  He is speaking of the Vietnam war and how many gave their lives and limbs and came back to a country that said their sacrifice was a mistake.  I can't imagine how that must feel for our veterans.  Wether we believe in a war or not I believe that our veterans who sacrifice so much for our freedoms should be honored.  "I'm convinced that I did the best that I could, but the best that I could wasn't good enough."  This is a veteran speaking about his time in the war.  He lives with this fact every day, that his best just wasn't good enough.  The book opened my eyes to some of what our veterans feel coming back from war.  I understand how mentally and emotionally they struggle when they have seen the things they've seen in war.  We can not expect them to be whole and functioning with out giving them help, it's just absurd.  "The death of a fellow soldier in combat, especially a friend, is an imprinting experience."  These are the kind of things that change a soldier, for the rest of their lives.  I appreciated how the author overcame his trials and how it brought to light the battle our soldiers face at war and when they come home.  

Small Victories

"Small Victories" by Anne Lamott

This is the second book I've read by Anne, while a little unconvential I do appreciate her candor and honesty.  This book is about "spotting improbable moments of grace".  This seems to be a running theme in the last few books that I've read, finding grace in the moments that seem like there is not a bit of it.  Life is hard, and messy, and painful, and full of grace and wonder and joy.  It's how we choose to look at things, and choosing is the hard part.  "I didn't know that wounds and scars were what we find welcoming, because they are like ours."  Wounds and scars are what draw us to others, knowing they have been through hardship and come out the other side is very encouraging.  Why do we try and hide our scars?  "...let's face it, it's so inspiring and such a relief when people find a way to bear the unbearable, when you can organize things so that a small miracle appears to have taken place and that love has once again turned out to be bigger than fear and death and blindness."  "You want to protect your child from pain, and what you get instead is life, and grace."  None of us can completely protect our children from pain and pain is where growth happens.  "This is how we make important changes-barely, poorly, slowly.  And still.  He raises His fist in triumph."  God rejoices with us when change is made, no matter how slow.  "I know that when I call out, God will be near, and hear, and help eventually.  Of course, it is the 'eventually' that throws one into despair."  Oh the waiting, the hardest part of God's perfect timing.  "Hope is not about proving anything.  It's choosing to believe this one thing, that love is bigger than any grim bleak s*@# anyone can throw at us."  Love is always bigger because God is love.

All The Light We Cannot See

This is an amazing book.  It is a very large book, over 500 pages but don't let that deter you, it is well worth the read.  The book is about a blind girl who lives with her father in Paris.  Her father works at the Museum of Natural History.  When the Nazis occupy Paris, Marie-Laurie and her father flee to stay with her reclusive Uncle.  They carry with them what might be the Museum's most precious jewel.  Meanwhile, an orphan named Werner is recruited to an academy for Hitler Youth.  He is very good at mathmatics and fixing things.  His abilities take him into the heart of the war and here he realizes the cost of where his life has taken him.  It is here that he has a brief and unexpected encounter with Marie-Laurie.  They are both trying to survive the awful war.  Their chance meeting will set the course for the rest of their lives.  This book is well written, mixing history with a bit of whimsy.  It keeps you turning pages and hoping for survival.  I highly recommend reading this book.  

One Thousand Gifts

"One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp

The author writes in a very different way, almost like poetry.  The book is about how the author started making a list of 1,000 things that she was grateful for and found joy through this.  She was able to find joy in the simplest things throughout her day and even joy in the hardships.  It is a book about learning that joy and greatefulness take action and those actions can change a heart.  Choosing to be grateful takes giving up control and trusting that we have a God who will take care of us no matter the situation.  Being thankful is the building blocks to the bridges of trust as we look back and see all that God has done for us and blessed us with.  Writing our blessings down, the little things that we are grateful for every day helps us become more aware of them and how blessed we truly are.  

What's Your God Language

"What's Your God Language" by Dr. Myra Perrine

This is a great book to figure out how you best communitcate and feel closest to God.  If you are feeling frustrated because early morning quiet times are not working for you this might open your eyes to other forms of connecting with God.  This book gives the nine main ways that people find connection with God.  The book has a few quizzes to help you figure out where and how you feel closest to God.  It gave me a new perspective, helped me feel less frustrated, and gave me new respect for others who do not connect like I do.  God created us all different so why wouldn't there be different ways to connect with Him?