The Walk Series by Richard Paul Evans

The Walk by Richard Paul Evans (Book 1)

Miles to Go by Richard Paul Evans (Book 2)

This is really a great series. I can't wait for the next 3 books to come out. In the books we meet Alan. He has it all. He is a very successful advertising person who started his own ad agency. He married his high school sweetheart - and the love of his life. They live in a big, expensive home. They have it all.

Then, in less then two weeks Alan loses everything. His wife, his home and his ad agency. There is nothing left to live for. He decides against suicide and decides instead to walk. He picks the furthest place on the map from Seattle and decides to walk there - Key West, Florida. In book one, he doesn't even get out of the state before something bad happens. (I don't want to give it away and spoil book one.)

Then we pick up the story in book two where he meets Angel. She is a true angel of mercy sent by God to help him in his time of need. And the story continues. It is a great series. I love his writing style.

You Know When the Men are Gone by Siobhan Fallon

A very interesting book that helps those of us that are not in the military get a better understanding of how deployment affects those left at home and affects the family relationships of those deployed. I really loved the book. It is a collection of short stories about various families and it takes place at Fort Hood. I did find myself wishing that she had continued a few of the stories and gave us more of a completed picture. I do find that with really good books I want more - to follow up with the characters and see what happens next. I was left with that feeling after this book.

Tunneled in

Here's a good one for you. I came home and found pieces of cardboard on the counter. They were small, scrap like pieces. Hmmmmm - what is this? Where did it come from? (I asked.)

My husband pipes up and says - 'ya, about that. I tunneled in.'

What? You tunneled in where?

We wanted burgers and it is too hard to get them out of the top of the box. So I tunneled in. I opened the freezer and saw --- it honestly looks like a mouse chewed through the box to the goodies inside.

Libby

I had opened the cabinet in the bathroom - it is a small cabinet - where we keep a small garbage container. I was emptying the garbage and Libby decided to take advantage of the opportunity to climb on in. The second picture shows Libby leaving but give a better idea of the size of the cabinet. It is not a large space - but large enough for a cat!

When I Lay My Isaac Down by Carol Kent

What an unbelievably good book! And but for the grace of God there go I.............

The parents had done everything right - raised their son to know the Lord. Their son graduated from the US Naval Academy and was a Navy Lieutenant. Late one night they got the call that their son had shot and killed the ex-husband of his wife. This book does not defend the action but walks through the devastation the parents faced - the guilt, the shame, anger and grief. She talks about how this became her Isaac situation - just like Abraham had to lay down his Isaac in order to fully trust God, in this book she relates to having to lay her own son down -- and learning to trust God fully, to lean on him. And learning how to forgive.

We all want our kids to turn out well, knowing and following Christ. But they will make mistakes --- we hope they won't be huge, life altering or even life ending mistakes. As parents we all have the potential to be prideful --- see I was a good parent --- see how well my child has turned out. But what if you were a good parent and yet your child turns from the Lord, commits a crime, does something horrible? How often have I looked on a scene where a child is out of control and thought ill of that parent - without knowing all the struggles, without any knowledge of what that child is really like. Maybe the child was having a bad day, maybe the child was sick. Maybe no matter what was taught the child strayed. As parents we all wrestle with the guilt of not having that perfect child. I often think of how God must feel - we are all his children. He is our Father and yet we can't even for one second of the day be perfect for him. We sin, we stray.

This book was very good and recommend reading it. She told the story very well. And dealt with the emotions but never once defended the act.

Kids say the funniest things

First to set the scene - my oldest son is 15 and my youngest is 7.

My youngest loves to pass wind --- thinks it is just the most hysterical thing in the world.

(It must be a 7 year old boy thing!)

Well, my youngest and oldest were riding in the car with my husband a few days before. They were also taking a friend of my oldest - who happens to be a girl. They are truly just friends. Our family is friends with her family.

Now we fast forward the few days and our youngest is at home passing wind in the house. Horribly smelly wind. My oldest finds it offensive and proceeds to tell my youngest that the girl who road with them found it horribly offensive when he had passed wind in the car. It smelled so bad that the girl was sliding all the way over away from my youngest. (He was thinking that letting my youngest know girls find it offensive would be an incentive to stop it.) My oldest said, 'yah, she was almost on my lap, cause she wanted to get away from you.'

My youngest (without missing a beat!) says, "you're welcome!" (with a dry kind of amused voice).

My husband who heard this whole thing about about split a gut laughing.

Great sign

A local church has this sign - I really loved it!