A few borrowed thoughts

I wish I could take credit for these but they come from my daily devotional. I found the picture online.

Intense love does not measure, it just gives.–Mother Teresa

Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower. —Hans Christian Anderson

Lord, help me to bring the dark places of my life into the sunlight of Your promise.

WEBA Book Club post & questions

We are currently reading a Tree Grows in Brooklyn. It got off to a slow start, but honestly, I love this book. I added this picture of an old library postcard because I just liked it and like to think this is like the library that Francie spent so much time in.

The main character, Francie, age 6, is an avid reader (she is reading a book a day in alphabetical order)and incredibly austute in her observations. She describes a friend at confessional with her as "Maudie, who lived a less complicated life, had fewer sins to confess and had gotten out sooner."

Some other favorite lines for me are:

The child must have a secret world in which live things that never were. It is necessary she believe. She must start out believing in things not of this world. Then when the world becomes too ugly to live in she can reach back and live in her imagination.

It was the first of many disillusionments that were to come as her capacity to feel things grew

There had to be dark and muddy waters so that the sun could have something to background its flashing glory.

Discussion Questions:

Q1. Chapter 9 describes the conversation in which Katie's mom, Mary, and Katie are discussing how to keep Francie from living the life of poverty and hardship that they both have. Mary says the secret is reading and the two books that must be read are Shakespeare and the Protestant Bible. The Bible is a given, but if you had to recommend a book (or books)for a parent to read to a child, what would make your "must read list"?

Q2. I cannot NOT ask you guys about Chapter 10 in which Katie says that she will love her son more than her daughter, but must not ever let her know. Help me out here, do you have an insight into this or why she feels this way?

Q3. Chapter 19 starts with Francie's entrance into school. This is going to be another question about Katie Nolan because I am not understanding her yet (or wanting to like her and not being able to is probably more accurate). Katie doesn't want the kids to get lice or sick so she douses Francie's hair with kerosene and makes her wear garlic around her neck (I guess to keep other kids away). It is a heartbreaking description (one of many about Francie's ostracism) that the kids would cut a large wake around her as she walked. Arguably, this might have saved Francie's life since she was already a frail child, but it just hurts to think about a 6 year old being such an outsider. What do you think about this, about Katie's total disregard for the children's feelings (it is a constant theme in the novel so far and I am sure you could come up with many more examples of this)?

Another McMichael baby on the way-and it is a girl!

I am not delusional enough to think that you guys are all going to ooh and ahh over these, but this is our little one at 28 weeks. I am due April 8th and would appreciate any and all prayers for her and for me. If you can tell from the picture, she looks an awful lot like her big brother Deacon with that little upturned nose. The second pic shows her arm and hand as well. Who says we don't live in a time of miracles?!

" For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb,
I praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;in your book was written every one of them,
the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none." Psalm 139 13-16

Liam and Uncle Josh

Christmas Eve 2008

What are the holidays without your friends?

Some of you might recognize this little cast of characters. Cooper, Julian and Lucy all came over for a visit.

Who is this guy?

Santa made a house call to my sister's this year and we got to join in in the fun. Liam isn't about to cry, though he does look like it. I think he is just tired of smiling!

Thank you, Lord, for undeserved blessings

Every time I think "What did I ever do to deserve such a creative, compassionate little boy (with such style!)?" a little voice inside reminds me I did nothing, he is just a gift. Liam truly is and blesses me and his Dad every day.

Deacon turns 1!

Doesn't this face say it all? "I didn't think I should eat that, but the lady insisted!"

Deacon and Daddy

These two just have a special bond. Deacon absolutely lights up when Randy enters a room and is always looking around once he hears his voice. He follows Randy around (crawling) all morning while he is getting ready for work. It is the most adorable thing-to see two of the people I love the most just really get each other.

Christmas Tree Shopping

The McMichaels and Browns have started a bit of a tradition...well, two years running anyway. The day after Thanksgiving we meet at a really neat tree farm (the Kinsey Family Farm) and get a Christmas tree. They have other great activities for big and little kids, a tractor hay ride, marshmellow roasting, free hot chocolate, and Liam and Haley's favorite activity, running in and out of the Christmas trees chasing each other.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

I have just started this book last night after almost a week of staring at it on my kitchen counter. I am a little intimated by the cover-not my usual sassy cover showing high heels or cartoon pictures of women (the cover of the last book I read was a woman floating on a flipflop in a sea of chocolate) and then I read the foreword. Okay, now I am officially initimidated. I have formed a kind of book club with my two friends, Jenn and Jess. Jess was the one who chose this one. I don't believe I have read anything that would qualify as a "literary classic" in a very long time-I hope I don't need cliff notes. Will keep you posted on how it progresses, but I finished the first chapter last night and so far, so good....I am not usually a fan of the whole finding-beauty-in-pain-and-struggle, but I would guess that is part of the point of having a club, exposing myself to different types of books.

It has been awhile...

Okay, so it has been a really long time since I posted anything, but it was one of my resolutions this year to be better about updating this. I have some new pics that should be up soon.