• Bibliophiles Unite for National Book Month!

    ByLauren book review, Christian, entertainment, Grace & Truth Link Up
    8 Comments

    October gets a lot of pink press, and you know Breast Cancer Awareness is important to me (see last week’s post).

    But October is also National Book Month!  I love reading and recently completed a fun exercise about books I thought I would share.  

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    On Day 39 of Chase the Fun:  100 Days to Discover Fun Right Where You Are, Annie F. Downs asked, “What is your all-time favorite book?  Why?”  I haven’t journaled all of her prompts as I’ve perused, but this one appealed to me.  I am a self-proclaimed bibliophile after all.  Here are my thoughts:

     

    Emily Climbs by L.M Montgomery was given to me for my 15th birthday by an older lady in the church, whom I chose to adopt as a grandmother figure.  She wrote a sweet message on the inside cover quoting 2 Timothy 2:15.  “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”  She signed it, “With Love.  Your adopted grandmother and friend, Elva Melson.  I cherish that copy all these years later.

     

    About the Book (It’s National Book Month!)

     

    When the blurb on the back cover starts, “Emily Starr wants to be a writer more than anything else in the world”, how could it not be my favorite?  That was me!  Still is.

     

    Montgomery made her heroine spirited, just like her more famous character, Anne of Green Gables.  But Emily’s love of the written word captured my heart and attention.

     

    Only a handful of years ago I pulled this paperback off my bookshelf to show my daughter.  I saw “Second in a Series” written on the front cover.  What?!?  How had I never noticed this before?  I could have read more of Emily Starr and had no idea!  But now that I knew more books existed, I had to find them.

     

    At the time, I struggled to locate the other two.  The first was first published in 1923 after all.  I ordered Emily of New Moon and Emily’s Quest from a used book store.  (They are readily available on Amazon now.  In fact the first in the series – at the time of this publication – is in the Amazon Classics series and free on audio for Prime members!)  I enjoyed all of them, but none could take the place of the original as my favorite book of all time.

     

    Now it’s your turn!  Drop a couple of lines below letting me know what your favorite book of all time is and why you love it!  Let’s celebrate National Book Month together.  And maybe one of us will find a new favorite!

     

     

    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

     

    I featured a post on friendship last week and I couldn’t help but do the same today.  Jo Davis from hopesecure.com wrote beautifully about our need for connection and our responsibility in it.  Read With Skin On.

     

    The Link Up

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

     

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

     

     

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.

  • We Will Dance: After Cancer

    ByLauren Breast Cancer Awareness, Christian, family, Grace & Truth Link Up, Jesus, joy, lament, marriage, special needs, suffering
    8 Comments

    “We Will Dance”

    I’ve watched the sun rise in your eyes
    And I’ve seen the tears fall like the rain
    You’ve seen me fight so brave and strong
    You’ve held my hand when I’m afraid
    We’ve watched the seasons come and go
    We’ll see them come and go again
    But in winter’s chill or summer’s breeze
    One thing will not be changing

    [Chorus:]

    We will dance
    When the sun is shining, in the pouring rain.
    We’ll spin and we’ll sway
    And we will dance.
    When the gentle breeze becomes a hurricane,
    The music will play
    And I’ll take your hand and hold you close to me
    And we will dance.

    Sometimes it’s hard to hold you tight
    Sometimes we feel so far apart
    But sometimes we dance as one
    And feel the beating of each other’s heart
    Some days the dance is slow and sweet
    Some days we’re bouncing off the walls
    But no matter how this world may turn
    Our love will keep us from falling and …

    [Chorus]

    The music will play
    And I’ll hold you close and I won’t let go
    Even when our steps grow weak and slow
    Still I’ll take your hand and hold you close to me
    And we will dance…

    What This Song Means to Me

    Steven Curtis Chapman released this song in 2003 on his “All About Love” album.  I owned the CD.  I listened to it often.  My marriage was still as shiny and new as our wedding rings and I loved all the songs written and dedicated to his wife.  I’m a romantic, but this one wasn’t a favorite.  However, I came across it on Spotify a couple of weeks ago and the lyrics hit completely different.
    2003 Chuck and Lauren had barely started life together.  We were in love and thought we could weather any storm.  2022 Chuck and Lauren have lived through some things.  In 2003, our first born was already having seizures, but we had no idea how severe her medical and developmental problems would become.  We struggled with the challenges of a blended family and have now seen the aftermath of divorce devastate.  Had we any idea then how difficult raising a teenager in the information age would be?  Nope.  And we never dreamed we would grind through job loss and financial insecurity.

    It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month

    We have now both had cancer.  Breast cancer for me and tonsil cancer for him.  Cancer changes you in ways I cannot describe.  Our bodies are forever altered with scars you can see and scars you can’t.  Surgeries, injuries, treatments and chronic pain checker our histories.
    As a couple, we have depended on God more than we ever thought we would need to.  We begged Him for healing, thanked Him for mercy and walked with Him through incredibly challenging things.  He has moved on our behalf in ways we asked for and in ways we didn’t expect/ still haven’t seen.
    What I’m saying is,

    we have lived some life since 2003.  And our marriage is all the sweeter for the storms.  Would I choose any of them?  Emphatically no.  But I know now how strong we are now.

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     I KNOW.  When SCC sings, ” the gentle breeze becomes a hurricane”, I remember the day a phone call rocked our world.  As he’s “seen the tears fall like the rain” I understand and remember (and not that far back).  When the sun is shining,” or “in the pouring rain”, Chuck keeps on dancing with me.  I am so grateful.

    Public Service Announcement:

    I don’t wear pink in October just because I like it (although I do).  A mammogram caught my invasive ductal cell carcinoma at Stage 1.  That day was over 5 years ago.  I’m not sure I would be here today had I waited for a physical manifestation.  Go get squeezed ladies.  It may not be your idea of a fun time, but it’s important!  Also, if you are not yet subscribed to this blog, do it now.  You will receive my ebook This was Not On My Bingo Card:  Essays on Cancer and Related Surprises.  
    Testimonial from a cancer patient I shared the ebook with: “I woke up about 2AM the night before last, and after several attempts to go back to sleep, I realized that I was having anxiety about my upcoming surgery and a few other events coming up. So, I got up and read your essays on breast cancer. I shed some tears, at times laughed, and felt empathy and completely related to many aspects of your journey. I did feel much lighter and was able to stop worrying after reading, so thank you for sharing your personal experience.”
    And now for this week’s featured post from the link up.
    Paula from simplycoffeandjesus.com wrote about a problem I have been talking about for years (and even have a podcast idea about) in Sustaining Friendships from Midlife and Beyond – A Woman’s Guide.

    The Link Up

     

    1. Share 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

    2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

    3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

    Grace and Truth_Meet Hosts

    We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

    MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LAUREN SPARKS
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

    TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
    Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

     Now Let’s Link Up!

    You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

    Click here to enter

     

     

    If you liked this post, do me the huge honor of using the buttons below to share it to your favorite social media accounts. And if you want to get these essays emailed to you once a week, subscribe!  Lastly, my posts may contain affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy anything from one of these links, I will receive a few pennies to help offset the cost of this website at no additional charge to you. Thank you in advance for your help.