An Invisible Thread, by Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

I am so happy to announce that my website will be up and running in the next couple of weeks! As a result, I've decided to have my blog posts consist solely of book reviews. I hope my reading has spurred your own desire to nestle in with a good book. There are so many of them out there. Here is my latest review:

It was a single question that changed two lives forever. 

A successful businesswoman named Laura Schroff strolled the streets of New York City, lost in her own thoughts, doing her best to block out all of the noise. That is, until the plea of a young boy named Maurice stopped her in her tracks. Laura's response to his hunger was remarkable. And with the planting of a new and an unbreakable bond, the friendship ended up feeding many of her own deep and desperate needs.

I found the parallel of their lives to be extraordinary, even though they'd both come from such a different socioeconomic backgrounds. Laura's own childhood struggles created an empathy that prepped her heart for the kind of pain Maurice dealt with every day. She reached out with Monday afternoon lunches, baking dates and shopping sprees. Laura would purchase necessities and a few fun items too. The story was heartfelt and compelling and it stirred my own empathy for people God may end up putting in my own path. I will certainly have my eyes open in a new way.

I would highly recommend An Invisible Thread to anybody interested in getting lost in a good memoir. I was pleased to see how much the author is doing to ensure her message gets replicated. There are so many others out there with compelling stories just like hers and Maurice's. Her next project includes a compilation of other people's invisible threads.

You can visit her website at www.aninvisiblethread.com. 

The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd

As Jaime rushes to untangle the confusing behavior of her mother, she's confronted with a setting that stirs a lot of unhealed pain concerning her father's death. An unplanned encounter with a monastery monk has her second-guessing the life she's left behind, and she's tempted to surrender to this new awakening. The safety of over twenty years of marriage become less and less appealing, and lines begin to blur along the intoxicating shoreline. A mermaid chair stirs more questions for Jaime than answers. She searches for reasons, and ends up finding her own heart. 

Sue Monk Kidd creates a delightful playground for a woman who might be dangling on the edge of an empty nest. With vivid detail and sentimentality, Kidd weaves a story of sweetness mixed with tragedy that brings the truest part of love to the surface. Back story is revealed in delicious layers and the whole story comes together in a rushing wave of crescendo.

I would highly recommend this novel for its interesting setting, unmatched prose and deep characterization. The ending left me with a deeper appreciation of middle age, and its potential for growth and new beginnings.

A Dream

I'd like to share a post I wrote years ago when I'd spent some time considering the very breadth and depth of God in every moment of my life. Reading it now, I see a vulnerability and freshness that I fear I may have lost through the years. This was the heart of what I hoped to contribute to the publishing world. And it still is.

I have been given a dream. A very low level of my consciousness knows it. Day and night it calls to me in whispers. Words I can't quite make out that make more sense than the things I can hear and see. Wanting so much to see the end result, to really know where this journey will lead.

But I am instructed to be still, to wait and simply be.

I return to the world of blogging for many reasons. Documenting my encounters with a God who has captured my heart seems like a good use of time. The practice posting affords, keeps ideas fresh and fingers flying. But more than anything I find a need to get what is inside, out. Like a dam about to burst, my heart longs to be seen.

In my last post, I spoke of taking steps toward the writing industry. The last couple of months have proven to be more than getting that next paragraph written. Embracing truth becomes necessary for anybody who aspires to become an artist. 

Facing truth ensures death. Death of self.

If you are still with me, I hope you will stick around. I aspire to inspire, much like the griot in Freedom's Pen, by Wendy Lawton. Every gifted storyteller began with one idea - a seed. Every seed must succumb to terrible conditions and surrender to death before the transformation can begin. 

What kind of seed has God handed you? This is your ministry to the world! God needs your voice, your ambition, your heart.

I am just finishing up a book that has stirred the dreamer inside. I would recommend it to anybody who loves to get lost in a good story. Sweet Janxa, with incredible talent, would not have been able to blossom without the Wheatley's. 

You've heard the old saying, "Timing is everything." I'd like to throw in my two cents this morning. God's timing is everything. It can mean the difference between spinning your wheels and reaching the stars.

My dear readers, I hold a special place in my heart for you. I hope to deliver a story to you, through the posts in this blog that will challenge you to embrace truth.

A mighty oak waits to break past that dirt. Patience dear one . . . God's timing is well worth the wait.