Leaving Before the Rains Come

"Leaving Before the Rains Come" by Alexandra Fuller

This was an interesting book and a different read than my normal.  I didn't realize till about 3/4 of the way through the book that the author was writing about her life.  It is about her life living in Africa and then marrying a man from Wyoming and how much her life changes after marraige and her move to the states.  It is a book with tragedy and overcoming that tragedy.  The book tells how drastically different life in Africa is compared with to life in the U.S.  "The problem with most people is that they want to be alive for as long as possible without having any idea whatsoever how to live."  It's so true, we all get lost sometimes and forget what living is really about.  We all get caught up in the supposed to's or have to's and forget the beauty of connection and family and love.   "...there is nothing like the profound loneliness of early motherhood to make a person ache to be embraced by their person of origin."  Motherhood makes us all long for our mothers I believe.  Those early days of motherhood can be scary and make you feel all alone.  Yet becoming a mother makes us appreciate the woman we call mom and forms a bond that wasn't previously there.  "Easy is just another way of knowing you aren't doing much in the way of your life."  God doesn't call us to easy and really most things that are worth while take work.  These are the times that we have to have the biggest faith, when things are hard.  It is when we see God work and truly feel Him.  I don't agree with all of this book but it was an intereting read and I liked learning more about Africa and life there.  I appreciated the authors look at tragedy and being willing to overcome.

Chains

"Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson

I sped right through this book.  This is a story about a young slave girl sold to a family in New York with her sister during the American Revolutionary War.  America is fighting for freedom yet she is still enslaved.  The girls have lost their family, been taken to a new place, treated poorly, yet they must hold on to hope.  This story speaks of the unjustices America has comitted to people of color.  This story tells of the spirit of humans and the hope that we carry for a better life.  This book is written as a historical novel.  Many of the events in the story happened in our history.  I enjoyed this book for the hard look at the injustices that have occurred in Americas history and for the hope that we can all make a difference.  

Liz Here Now

"Liz Here Now" by Todd Connor

This is an Incredible book, make sure you get your hands on this one.  It is a true story about a little boy who grew up in a severly abusive home.  He lived in a wealthy family where what was done in the home was kept secret so as to keep up appearances.  The story took place in the '60's and his family had a maid.  This maid, named Liz, was the one person that cared and saved this little boy and his siblings.  The book was written to honor her and all that she did and was to this little boy.  One person can make a difference.  "What she didn't know was that such abusive cruelty that took only minutes of real time would inflict a lifetime of devastation."  What happens in a matter of minutes can affect one persons whole life.  "Desperation sometimes makes people do things without any thought to where the action might lead.  All we know is the next step to take, with no idea where that will lead or how to deal with the aftermath."  Sometimes it's a matter of survival, there is no time for thought, just action.  Liz took action out of a deep love for these children, not thinking of what might occur after her actions, just that she needed to do something.  "She always told us that everyone has a hero inside, but most didn't know it on the inside and so they couldn't show it on the outside."  It just takes one person to believe, one person to have the courage to speak up.  This book honors Liz for the courage and love she showed in saving these children.  It is a book that inspires the reader that one person truly can make a difference with God's help, that love can and does conquer.  It is also a harsh reality of what happens in too many homes to innocent children.  It is a cry for help that something needs to be done, that someone, many someones, need to do something.  

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.