Jesse Tree -- Day 2

Did you start your countdown to Christmas yesterday using the Jesse Tree? If not, don't let that prevent you from doing so! Part of the beauty of this advent countdown is that each day's reading is short, so you can easily combine days 1 & 2 and start today (or combine two days later when you miss one, because, believe me, chances are you'll miss one).

Anyway, here's your info for day two. Blessings, friend, for a simple, joyful Christmas focused on Jesus.

Jesse Tree
Day 2 -- Creation

scripture reading: Genesis1:1-2:3
God created all things perfectly.

key verse: Genesis 1:31
"God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."

suggested symbol: earth or globe

Advent -- a Jesse Tree journey

I had promised, dear friends, to research and publish a list of advent resources. Alas, yesterday, I realized that even if I researched and published it today, you wouldn't have time to make any necessary purchases for it. So ... that's when I got the idea to publish information for an advent display (sometimes referred to as a Jesse tree) here each day.

To do this, I'll be combining information from two resources I own. One is a poster I received in the mail many years ago, and which I have religiously filed away each year after using because I wanted to save it forever. The other is a neat little advent devotional box I purchased at Community's Christmas Bazaar. Both of these resources use scripture and visual images to communicate the redemption story.

For each day in December preceeding Christmas, I'll post (in the morning) a scripture reading and a suggested "symbol" to accompany that reading (my poster has illustrations of symbols, and my devotional box has little leather ornaments with a drawing of an appropriate symbol). How you choose to represent the symbol is up to you. Here's your chance to be as creative as you want to be! (I once knew a lady whose symbols were little ornaments she'd made out of sculpey clay and hung on a miniature tree). I'll be hanging my leather ornaments on a leafless tree branch (I'm aiming for a Martha Stewart minimalist sort of look here). You might want to draw a tree on poster board, then let your kids draw the symbol after each night's reading. Today is day 1, but don't let that discourage you; I believe you can quickly decide what you'll use for your tree and how you'll represent your symbols.

My hope is that this will provide a Christ-centered resource for Christmas -- in the midst of a world that has secularized and commercialized what was meant to be the celebration of His birth.

So ... onto day 1.

Jesse Tree
Day 1 -- Branch

scripture reading: Isaiah 11: 1-2.
God chose Jesse's son, David, to be king -- and it was through this ancestral line that King Jesus -- the one who was promised, the one about whom Isaiah prophesied -- would come. Jesus was born in the line of Jesse 1000 years after David.

key verse: Isaiah 11:1
"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit."

suggested symbol: tree or tree branch onto which you'll "hang" (or draw, or embroider, or whatever) your ornaments


(NOTE: I just found a jesse tree resource online which provides a coloring page for each day. Some of the days scripture and symbols might not match up with mine, but you still might want to check it out.)

For the Love of Books: A Virtual Feast of Books

(prepare for a long list)

At long last, friends, here is the virtual book list compiled over the last week. What a treat it is to see which books resonate with you, which ones qualify in your estimation as a book worth recommending. I appreciate so much those of you who provided lists; I know that I've already identified a few new books to read (and I'm moving them to the top of my list). And a special shout-out to Daniel Russell (the only man who braved the heavily female Sweet Communion blogworld and offered his contribution) and to Virginia Tillery (who created the fabuloso Book Feast blinkie ) -- salute.

Now, some of my favorite quotes about books/stories, and then the list:

"Reading is a sage way to bump up against life. Reading may be an escape, but it is not escape from my own life and problems. It is escape from the narrow boundaries of being only me." Gladys Hunt

"[stories] help us see, however, that our own story is not big enough, that the world is larger and more varied than our limited experience. ... They help by calling us into relationship – with other people, with other places and times, with creation, and with God." Daniel Taylor, The Christian Imagination

"One book read thoroughly and with careful reflection will do more to improve the mind and enrich the understanding than skimming over the surface of a whole library. Indeed, the more one reads in this hasty, superficial manner, the worse. It is like loading the stomach with a great quantity of food which lies there undigested. It enfeebles the intellect, and pours darkness and confusion over all the operations of the mind." Hawes

"How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book." Henry David Thoreau

"The Bible is so good with chocolate. I always thought the Bible was more of a salad thing, you know, but it isn’t. It is a chocolate thing." Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

“The magical proposition of the gospel, once free from the clasps of fairy tale, was very adult to me, very gritty like something from Hemingway or Steinbeck … Christian spirituality was not a children’s story. It wasn’t cute or neat. It was mystical, and odd and clean, and it was reaching into dirty. There was wonder in it and enchantment.” Donald Miller, Blue Like Jazz

THE LIST

Anna
Hannah Coulter, Wendell Berry
Poetry by Philip Larking
Gilead, Marilynne Robinson

Daniel
On Mexican Time, Tony Cohan

Debbie
Redeeming Love and Atonement Child, both by Francine Rivers
Nights in Rodanthe and The Choice, both by Nicholas Sparks
A Wife After God’s Own Heart and A Woman After God’s Own Heart, Elizabeth George

Elizabeth
People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander
A Thousand Splendid Suns, Kahled Housseni

Emily
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer

Jawan
Worldliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World
When Sinners Say "I Do": Discovering the Power of the Gospel for Marriage, Dave Harvey
Whiter Than Snow: Meditations on Sin and Mercy, Paul David Tripp
Covenants: God's Way With His People, O. Palmer Robertson
Same Kind of Different As Me, Rob Hall & Denver Moore
The Back of the Napkin, Dan Roam
The Waiting Child: How the Faith and Love of One Orphan Saved the Life of Another, Cindy Champnella

Jenny
Burning Bright, Tracey Chevalier
Virgin Blue, Tracey Chevalier
Memory Keepers Daughter, Kim Edwards
The Night Journal, Elizabeth Crook
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara Kingsolver

Jessica
My favorite book of late is Peggy Noonan's When Character was King, a biography about President Ronald Reagan. Noonan was his speech writer during his first term in the White House and has amazing insight into the who's, what's and why's that made Ronald Reagan the confident leader that he was. The book is filled with personal stories laced with the humor that Reagan was known for. I am not a political junkie, but I loved this book and finished it with a great respect for our country's former leader.

Kathy
Captivating, Eldredge
You Can Hear the Voice of God, Sampson
The Holy Spirit in You, Prince
Boundaries, Cloud/Townsend

Kim
The Book of Lost Things (super creepy, but well written)
Jane Eyre

Laura
Bible Study: Sonship by World Harvest Mission
Autobiography: A Severe Mercy, Sheldon Van Auken
Faith/Crafting: Faith Books and Spiritual Journaling, Expressions of Faith Through Art, Sharon Soneff
Faith: The Path of Celtic Prayer, Calvin Miller
The Pursuit of God, Tozer
Poetry: The Singer Trilogy, Calvin Miller
Devotional: My Luggage Isn't Heavy, by the missionaries of World Harvest Mission
Cookbook: Keeping Good Company, Roxie Kelley
Fiction: People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks
Burning Bright: Tracey Chevalier
Wanting to Read: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New E., Brock Clarke

Melissa
My Name is Asher Lev, Chaim Potok
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers

Missy
Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
Redeeming Love, Francine Rivers
Twilight series, Stephanie Meyer
Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier

Pam
The Painted House, John Grisham
Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
Nicholas Sparks books

Rachel
Emma, Jane AustenChrist the King, Anne Rice
The Relentless Tenderness of Jesus, Brennan Manning
The Reason for God, Tim Keller
The Beautiful Cigar Girl, Daniel StashowerC
hange Me into Zeus' Daughter, Barbara Robinette Moss
All Over but the Shoutin' and Princes of Frogtown, Rick Bragg
Ellen Foster, Kaye Gibbons
Taste and See, John Piper
Evil and the Justice of God, N.T. Wright
Losing Battles, Eudora Welty
A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole
Odd-Egg Editor, Kathryn Tucker Windham
Selected Writings of Martin Luther and John Calvin
Selected Poems by John Donne

Shirley
Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd

Honor Roll (some of Laura's all-time favorites)

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
The Kitchen Boy by Robert Alexander
Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks
The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield
March by Geraldine Brooks
Windows of the Soul, Ken Gire
Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge
Pilgrim’s Inn (aka Herb of Grace), Elizabeth Goudge
books by Chaim Potok
books by Francine Rivers
The Nazi Officer’s Wife by Edith Hahn Beer
No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith
The Quantity of a Hazelnut by Fae Malania
The Lenten Tree by Dean Meador Smith
The Bedside Book of Birds by Graeme Gibson
An Egg is Quiet, Dianna Aston
Cook’s Illustrated magazine
Mind’s Eye, Paul Fleischman
short stories by O.Henry
For the Love of Knitting by Kari Cornell

A note on finding books: Melissa asked about where to get books. Obviously, the library is a good source. And often I can borrow one I want to read from a friend who has it. But sometimes there are books you know you'll read again, and these you want to own. Occasionally, I purchase a book I know I want on alibris.com or one of the other online used-book sources. I also check the thrift store, the libraries around town (as Homewood, Vestavia, Hoover, and perhaps others have on-site used bookstores), and used-book stores around town (one, in particular, is near the Whistle Stop Cafe in Irondale). How about you, my blog-reading friends -- any good book sources that you know about?


Well, there you have the list. Hope you leads to many hours of enjoyable, and even life-altering, reading! (If anyone reading this meant to send a list and wasn't able to do so, feel free to comment on this post).

A virtual feast

Years ago, I was part of a lovely group of women who had an unusual feast during the month of November -- a feast of books. We would each bring our favorite books we'd read during the past year, and then each person would share a short synopsis of each book on their list. In the end, one person would compile a large list, and this would be distributed by e-mail to everyone in the group. It made for great reading all year long!

This group hasn't met in a couple of years (sigh), and I miss the women, and I miss the feast. So I decided this morning in a burst of vision to have a virtual feast of books! So here's the deal: Think of your favorite books from the last year -- fiction or non-fiction, children's or adult. Then, either post the list (synopses optional) as a comment here on my blog, or (if the list is long) send me an e-mail (bookchic2@gmail.com). I'll then compile and publish the full listing on my blog Thanksgiving weekend. So ... that means you need to send your list soon -- say, no later than November 26, o.k.?

I can't wait to see what you've been reading!

Weekend happenings

Well, dear faithful blog readers, if you're reading this, that means you haven't given up on me entirely, even though I haven't blogged since last Wednesday. I've finally emerged from my art-cave, where I was obsessively preparing for the church's Christmas Bazaar on Saturday. I thought I'd share a few things from the weekend.

Weekend item number one: Bazaar
God was gracious with the success of my booth. Seriously, by the last hour of the day, it looked almost empty. I was incredibly humbled by everyone's enthusiasm over the crafts and art in my booth. It was pure craziness! It was bittersweet, though, because I found it difficult to socialize at all, or even peruse the other vendors' booths. I soooo wanted to visit with friends (um, didn't get to spend 5 minutes with Kim Hill and Dianne) and to ooh and ahh (how do you spell that phrase?) over everyone's work. So if I participate next year, I'm recruiting the aid of a friend t0 hang out with me and help man my booth. (Must give credit to G-Love, though, who did come by, sit at the booth, and let me pick up a gift of two.) Here's a shout-out to Crissy, Adria, Kim P., Sonya, Mona and the other women of CPC's Women's Ministry, who put this event together. The entertainment, which probably accounted for most of our traffic during the day, was brilliant.

Weekend item number two: Teens at the house
In the midst of the Christmas Bazaar craziness, my two oldest kids had friends spend the night. Friday, we had three teen-age boys around the house all night. Saturday, two teenage girls. Let me tell you about boys baking muffins, and girls pumping gas.

The boys -- As I was working in the "studio" (a.k.a. bedroom totally trashed with art and craft materials) on Friday, the three young men decided to satisfy their sweet tooths with a little homebaked goodness. I know that two of the fellows (uh, that would be the two that don't belong to me) spend a little time in the kitchen, so I wasn't too worried about their cooking venture. But I did find it necessary to warn them about the quirks of my very old, very difficult oven. This oven has always cooked WAY hot (requiring The Cook to decrease both the temperature and the cook time). But now the oven has the added challenge of a bottom element that no longer works. So my instructions to the boys, who were making chocolate chip muffins, were as follows: "Preheat the oven for five minutes on broil (otherwise you'll be waiting 20 minutes for the oven to heat). Then turn the temp down to whatever's listed on the muffin package. Make sure you place the muffin tin on the bottom rack, then place an empty cookie sheet over it so that the top of the muffins won't burn before the inside is cooked through." Sound's simple enough, huh? I left the boys in the kitchen and went back to my crafting. About ten minutes later, I caught a whiff of the appetizing aroma of baking chocolate, and knowing that the boys had gone back to the x-box, I decided I better check on the muffins for them to be sure they weren't overdone. So, I rushed to the kitchen, pulled open the oven door, and found (any guesses?) ... flat muffins. The three teen wonders had placed the cookie sheet NOT on the top rack (as I meant for them to do), but directly sitting on the muffin tin. We all got a big laugh out of that.

The girls -- I left the bazaar on Saturday and had to drive to Trussville to pick up Emma and her friend, Liz. They wanted to shop a bit, so we spent a couple of hours in Target, TJ Maxx and Michaels (ok, that was for me, not for them), before picking up a bite to eat. Then it was time to head home, but we had to have gas or we weren't going to make it home. I was as much out of gas as the van was, so I told the girls they would have to get out in the freezing cold and pump it. Now, mind you, these are two fifteen-year-olds who are learning to drive, so this education needed to happen. Little did I know how much, though. You should have seen the two of them, trying to figure out when to pay (it does say "PRE-PAY" for a reason), how to insert the credit card, how to open the gas cap, even how to operate the pump itself. They were quite a sight, but so proud of themselves for not going a penny over the $7 I told them to put into the tank.

Boys baking muffins, girls pumping gas -- we're a liberated bunch, aren't we?

Yesterday, my adrenaline gave out, and I (VERY uncharacteristically) spent two and a half hours napping. Then I took another half-hour nap after small group. Feeling refreshed, finally, this afternoon. Staying home, teaching my kids, catching up on laundry, answering my 74 unread e-mail messages, and committing to help the G with the support-raising he's been flying solo on for the last couple of weeks. Oh, and looking forward to compiling some good advent resources to post here on the ol' blog. So thanks for reading, and toodles til my next post.

Christmas Bazaar

Yay! Finally, my Christmas Bazaar items are finally coming together. Here's a look:



There'll be entertainment, 30 crafters/artists selling their products (awesome gifts!), and even lunch available for purchase. So if you're in the Birmingham metro are, come to Moody on Saturday; it'll be worth the drive!

Unexpected encounter, and a little about the Christmas Bazaar

Today was my day off. Steven took vacation last week, and at the end of it, I asked him if he would mind giving me a day off. A day with no responsibilities at home. There were two issues at the basis of my request:

• I needed a break (between homeschooling, home management, general parenting, my part-time job as newsletter editor of Crossroads, and support-raising, I'm very busy with responsibilities -- all things I LOVE, but everyone needs a little time off sometimes, right); and
• the need for uninterrupted creative time to work on my artsy little books and jewelry for next week's Christmas Bazaar (more on that later) .
  
  

So I left the house, light-hearted and carefree as I headed to Scrap Etc. in Pelham to use the fabulosa, best-thing-since-homemade-bread AccuCut machine. I was driving along in my van, basking in the music and lyrics of my favorite tunes from Over the Rhine, Derek Webb, Loreena McKennit and the Spares.

As I merged onto the interstate, I saw the ambulance behind me. Lights flashing, siren screeching. Within minutes, my happy little excursion turned into a life-alterring (NOT exaggerating) encounter with my own heart.

The wreck had only just happened, that much was obvious. Traffic hadn't even slowed in the eastbound lanes where the crash occurred, but in the westbound lanes traffic had virtually stopped. The roadside was overflowing with emergency vehicles, stationary now but still frantic with their collection of flashing lights.

That's when I saw it. The car was thrown face-down at about a 45-degree angle -- hood pressed voilently against the pavement, backside jutting high into the air. And just behind the vehicle, ten or more medical personnel, crouched beside what I'm supposing was the wrecked car's driver.

It was a BAD scene. Bad. And before I knew it, I had a knot in my stomach so severe it hurt and a flood of emotions I totally didn't expect. I began to pray -- earnestly, intensely -- for this injured person I didn't know, for the individual's family, for the medical personnel. What to pray, I wondered? Do you pray for healing when you see a scene like this? You do, but healing isn't always God's plan. (He uses struggling for good purpose, His ways are higher than our ways, I know all the seemingly trite responses). But then what to pray? I asked him, and He gave me words. Mercy, God; Be merciful. Grace, God; Be gracious. Mercy, and Grace, whatever they look like in this situation.

And then I repented. From the depths of that painful knot in my stomach, I repented. Of grumbling over, complaining about, taking for granted, and generally de-valuing this life -- this glorious, painful, blessed life -- He's given me.

Repentance was needed. Deep, sure repentance.

I've seen bad wrecks before. I'm not sure why this one affected me like it did (that knot stayed in my stomach for hours), except that I do believe the Holy Spirit grants us fresh encounters with Himself when we least expect to meet Him*, and, in so doing, grants us newness of life** -- glorious, painful, blessed life.

*(though, as He's always with us, shouldn't we live expecting to meet Him)
** (a play on the scripture, dear Bible-studying friends, not a misuse of it)

Now, on a lighter note ...
I promised a little something about our church Christmas Bazaar set for next Saturday. So here, for your viewing pleasure, are photos of the mess my patient hubby has endured over the last several weeks. Watch tomorrow or Tuesday for details about the Bazaar, and sneak peeks at the wares I'll be selling.

One Body. One Voice.

I had a facebook message from a friend in Dublin today; she shared an amazing story of something that's going on in her life. And I rejoiced with this Sister for God's blessing to her.

I also read the blog of a friend from church today; she wrote with words that were full of frustration and hardship and faith. And I anquished with this Friend over common struggles.

Oh, how I love the Body of Christ -- and this deep connection of soul that comes from sharing something so intimate, so true.

So when my sweet friend Whitney Preg gave me a CD with a few songs by The Wailin Jennys, it's no wonder that "One Voice" instantly became a favorite (despite it's non-reformed verse one). The lyrics follow.

"One Voice"

This is the sound of one voice
One spirit, one voice
The sound of one who makes a choice
This is the sound of one voice

This is the sound of voices two
The sound of me singing with you
Helping each other to make it through
This is the sound of voices two

This is the sound of voices three
Singing together in harmony
Surrendering to the mystery
This is the sound of voices three

This is the sound of all of us
Singing with love and the will to trust
Leave the rest behind it will turn to dust
This is the sound of all of us

This is the sound of one voice
One people, one voice
A song for every one of us
This is the sound of one voice
This is the sound of one voice

Favorite autumn recipe

Here, on the eve of the election, I thought I would share my favorite Autumn recipe, Election Lunch.


Election Lunch

1 lg. onion, chopped
1 lb. smoked sausage, sliced and halved
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ tsp dry mustard
¼ c honey
1 (10 oz) can mild Rotels (or, if you prefer no spice, just plain diced tomotoes)
1 (1 lb) can lima beans, drained
1 (1 lb.) can light red kidney beans, undrained
1 (1 lb) can garbanzo beans, undrained

1. Brown onion and sausage. Drain well.
2. Combine ingredients in large slow cooker, and stir to combine.
3. Cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours.

NOTE: I usually double this recipe because I have a very large crockpot. If you choose to double it, reserve the juice from the kidney beans and garbanzo beans, then add as much of it into your soup as your crockpot will allow.

Serve with cornbread, crackers or fresh homemade bread, and ENJOY!

And two appropriate "quotes" to accompany this post:

Oh this lovely season: "Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower." Camus

On the greatest Kingdom: "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there that has statues and rules so righteous as all this law that I set before you today?" -- Deut. 4:7-8

The surprising place where others will see Jesus

Ministry through weakness. It's a core value of World Harvest -- one that deeply resonates with Steven and me.

There was a time in my life when I felt utterly capable -- ready to conquer the world, confident I possessed (in myself) everything necessary for success.

Now, I think I become more aware every day just how incapable I am .

I don't always like it. I want to think I'm capable. I compare myself to others and wish I had their strengths. But inevitably, my weakness slaps me in the face, and I realize anew that I must depend on the perfect Capability of the One who goes before me

So when I read the following, I wanted to shout with all the volume and intensity I could produce: "YES!" And I wanted to whisper with all the passion and intimacy in my soul: "yes."

"I am more likely to have Jesus revealed to me and through me in weakness than in strength, sinfulness than in purity, or doubt than in perfect faithfulness....

"I come to this astonishing conclusion: Jesus is found in brokenness..."

"The surprise of this brokenness is not just that the Almighty allowed himself to be broken, and that he invites me to touch him there in that brokenness. It's also that my own brokenness - that hidden, ugly, twisted stuff that I had expected would disqualify me forever from his friendship, and that, if it were known, would torpedo all my other relationships too - is precisely the place where he desires to touch me, and it is the place where I am most able to truly connect with other people."

by Greg Paul, in God in the Alley*

Jesus is found in brokenness.

2 Cor. 12: 8-10 -- Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

*I'm indebted to Ann Voskamp at A Holy Experience for introducing me to this quote, and the book from which she obtained it.

Happy Birthday

This blog has been hijacked for a day by Steven G.

Since many more people read Laura’s blog than mine, it was necessary to hijack her blog to let the world know that today (Wednesday, Oct 29) is Laura’s birthday.

Things you may not know about the birthday girl:

Laura is exactly 4’11” tall.
She has boundless energy and works circles around anyone I know.
She loves art stuff and loves to create.
She doesn’t love to sleep.
She likes steak and doesn’t like Vienna Sausage (go figure)
If the temp is below 75 degrees, Laura is freezing
She is a great writer and spent 10 years working in PR at BellSouth
Her weight barely fluctuates 5-7 lbs. She weighs almost the same as when we met in 1982. (I have gained 50lbs!)
She is a good singer, but can’t memorize lyrics.
She wears my socks almost every night.
She hates to dust.
She loves hot, scalding baths.
She looks great for 29
She is great at organizing yard sales (HUGE yard sales)
She looks really hot in anything!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BOOKCHICK

Aching

I watched a movie with Emma late last night -- P.S. I Love You. Jenny Bartz had been telling me I needed to watch it. But it's about a person who dies, and I tend to avoid tearjerker, sick-people movies. Trusting my friend, however, I ordered the movie from Netflix. She knew I ought to watch it.

I knew it would make me cry. It did. I didn't know that about a third of the movie was set in Ireland. I cried because it made me long for Ireland and her people. 

Sometimes, the GOING seems impossible. So much money to raise. I want to make it about us: "We aren't capable," "We don't know enough people," "We're too broken." But somewhere, buried inside all my self-focus, I know that it's all about God, about all things being possible with Him, about carrying His redemptive Word in an incarnational way to the world (now, and when we get to Ireland).

Thursday, we found out that one church had tabled our application for support. Don't really know the implications of that. But yesterday, we received our first invitation from a church to talk with its missions subcommittee. Might this church be our first supporting church? Don't want to get ahead of myself, but the idea is exciting! And humbling.

Long-awaited book recommendations

You may not have been waiting for them, but, frankly, I've been dying to make some book recommendations for this time of year. Autumn, Halloween, harvest, nature -- there are so many amusing, inspiring, entertaining, beautiful, and, yes, even Ghoulish, books to be found on these topics! But after my post of several days back extolling the virtues of exchanging books for nature, I thought it might be a bit hypocritical of me to recommend them. And who wants to be a hypocrite?

... But today is a rainy day, and thus (in my mind) a perfect time to curl up with a good book -- fiction or otherwise. Thanks to instructions from Dianne at Circle of Quiet, I'll be adding a Book Recommendation sidebar to my blog. Until that's done, however, you'll have to settle for these homemade photos of books I own.

Happy reading, my friend.

COMFORT FICTION:

Pilgrim's Inn by Elizabeth Goudge (whose books, I've just discovered, have all recently been reprinted. Yea! (except that my wish list with Amazon.com has suddenly tripled!).



NATURE:
Fallen Leaves by Louise Kollenbaum: A leaf book and journal, complete with acetate envelopes for pressing and saving leaf specimens

City Leaves, City Trees by Edward Gallob: For children or adults, each two-page spread includes a photograph of a tree, text identifying and describing the tree, and a page of leaf illustrations that are actually photograms, or shadow photographs (where leaves are placed directly on photographic paper and exposed to light). Very unusual.


Mushrooms by Loni Parker and David T. Jenkins (vintage Oxmoor House, with delicately detailed, colorful illustrations) -- perfect for identifying all those mushrooms growing on our lawns right now, or just for reading and perusing, if only for the illustrations.
cover

sample illustration


HARVEST:
Pumpkins (gloriously photographed non-fiction picture book by Ken Robbins)
Pumpkin Moonshine (precious offering by famous illustrator Tasha Tudor)


GHOULISH OPTIONS:
The Haunted Churchbell (vintage picture book by Barbara Ninde Byfield)


Through the Tempests Dark and Wild, a story of Mary Shelley (creator of Frankenstein) by Sharon Darrow.


Inkheart trilogy: Inkheart, Inkspell (pictured), Inkdeath, by Cornelia Funke -- Not a traditional halloween stories (i.e. no "goblins"), but full of evil villains
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and The Raven, both illustrated by Gustave Dore.
Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Madness -- Poe in superbly illustrated graphic book style by Gris Grimly, the ultimate October book treat.

Glorious migration

The migration has begun ... the glorious migration of the monarch butterflies, driven from Canada and the upper reaches of the U.S. by the falling temperatures of the coming winter. Their final destination is Florida (or somewhere equally close to the equator), but -- have you noticed -- for the past several weeks, Alabama has been their camping ground.

We noticed, because one of their favorite landing places, it seems, has been our zinnia patch. A few days ago, we counted almost thirty of these royal lepidoptera just outside our back door. THIRTY! All flittering and fluttering around. A glorious sight, it was! We watched in awe.

Initially, it was just the little kids (Bella and AJ) and me -- we'd had snack on the deck, and the kids got the idea to let the butterflies land on their fingers. ("Why not?" they wondered -- "it'd be just like the butterfly room at the aquarium in Chattanooga.")

Only these butterflies weren't like those in the aquarium -- a little less friendly with the human species. AJ (the nature-loving, scientist-type, you know) was distraught; he tried and tried, but narry a monarch butterfly would light upon his finger.

Then, suddenly it seemed, they were attracted to him like bees to honey (sticking with the nature analogies here)! No sooner had I squealed in delight for AJ, so happy that the butterflies were taking a liking to him, that he informed me he'd coaxed them there by spreading pollen from the zinnias onto his fingers. Brilliant kid, he is!

Eventually, Emma heard the commotion and joined us on the deck to participate in the excitement. (Notice the cell phone attached to her ear -- she supplied her friend with spirited play-by-play of the butterfly behavior.)

Such a memory -- this happy time of playing with the monarchs in our backyard.

The days are getting cooler now, and already the monarchs are beginning to disappear, continuing their journey toward warmer climate. A book I own tells me that monarchs, once they've arrived at their migration destination, will make "butterfly trees": they'll settle themselves by the thousands over the limbs of great evergreen trees, wait out the cold weather, and then wake to head back north. Only this time, they won't complete the journey. They'll mate, lay their eggs on milkweed plants, then die. Their eggs will hatch into caterpillars, feed on the milkweed (that's important) and become new butterflies. And because their new little bodies will be full of the milkweed on which they've fed, these little creatures will be safe from the beaks of hungry birds (which are allergic to milkweed). Protected, they will finish their parents' journey home.

Astonishing to me.

On putting books aside ...

For all my love of books, there's truth to Wordsworth's words ...

The Tables Turned

Up! up! my friend, and quit your books:
Or surely you'll grow double:
Up! up! my Friend, and clear your looks;
Why all this toil and trouble?

The sun, above the mountain's head,
A freshening lustre mellow
Through all the long green fields has spread,
His first sweet evening yellow.

Books! 'tis a dull and endless strife:
Come, hear the woodland linnet,
How sweet his music! on my life,
There's more of wisdom in it.

And hark! how blithe the throstle sings!
He, too, is no mean preacher:
Come forth into the light of things,
Let Nature be your Teacher.

She has a world of ready wealth,
Our minds and hearts to bless --
Spontaneous wisdom breathed by health,
Truth breathed by cheerfulness.

One impulse from a vernal wood
May teach you more of man,
Of moral evil and of good,
Than all the sages can.

Sweet is the lore which Nature brings;
Our meddling intellect
Mis-shapes the beauteous forms of things: --
We murder to dissect.

Enough of Science and of Art;
Close up those barren leaves;
Come forth, and bring with you a heart
That watches and receives.

William Wordsworth, English 1770-1850

These are lovely days for savoring the outdoors.

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made ... Romans 1:20.

Beauty and order

This love affair I have with poetry and art and music ... I set it aside for years as frivolous, sentimental and unproductive. My ambition-focused education brainwashed me into believing that success, efficiency and professionalism were of ultimate value. I could kick myself; I fell for it.

Truth is, I'm a creature who loves the things of beauty in this world.

Science and math -- the things of logic -- have never been my forte. I see now that they reveal the character of Creator God: order, changelessness, consistency. They're beautiful, in their own way. I can appreciate that, even get excited about it.

But they aren't the things God uses to reach into the deepest recesses of my soul -- to entice me and bring my spirit to life. No, that would be the things of the senses: words, colors, sounds. These things lead me to a greater awe of the God who created them, the God who created me. These things lead me to worship.

Give me ...

• Poetry: The lovely prose of Elizabeth Goudge, or a friend's captivating (and randomly written!) poetry
• Art: Marcel Duchamps' Sonata, or a vibrant autumn sunset
• Music: The voice of Stokes Skellie, or the lively song of a bird outside my window

... and for a moment (if only a moment), I glimpse something of the glory of God. And these words, these colors, these sounds ... they bring me to my knees.

Literary pumpkin

The biggest adjustment made by anyone with Bella going to school wasn't made by her, but by me: I've been astounded at the number of assignments and deadlines I have to keep up with just for her kindergarten class. Field trip fees, fundraiser money, weekly show-and-tell assignments, Thursday's wardrobe color, Friday's letter object ... her class is active!
Once a month, she has a family project she's supposed to complete with one or more members of her family. She and I had some fun with the latest assignment: read a favorite book, then decorate a pumpkin like the child's favorite character from the story. Bella chose the book Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy. (Fancy Nancy is a little girl who loves all things fancy, including fancy words -- parfait for ice cream, chauffeur for driver, etc.) Here's a picture of Bella's pumpkin (though I think we aged Fancy Nancy by about ten years -- just couldn't get the childlike appearance with the face).
Wouldn't it be interesting to see how creative adults could be with their favorite literary characters? I'd have a hard time choosing my favorite. How about you -- what's your favorite literary work, and which character would you portray with your pumpkin?

A gift

Man-Boy enters the kitchen, vibrant red rose blossom in hand. He thrusts the bloom toward me, deep voice offering the gift: "Here, Mom."

I turn to see him holding that rose, waiting for me to take it. I'm unsure, for a moment, who the rose is from. Did Dad send him in with it, I wonder (because Dad likes to pluck fresh blooms for me), or is this gift from the Man-Boy himself?

"Did you pick this," I ask, nonchalantly as possible. "Mmm-hmm," he answers, adding with wonder, "It was growing through the fence." Man-Boy has found a bit of beauty in an unusual place, and he has brought it to me.

Taking the few steps necessary, I reach to hug him. Gangly arms wrap around me. His stature now having outgrown my own, he must bend to hug. It's becoming a familiar unfamiliar feeling -- the awkward, tentative, different hug of a Man-Boy. One who brings roses to his mother.

Dying to self ...

If everything is lost, thanks be to God
If I must see it go, watch it go,
Watch it fade away, die
Thanks be to God that He is all I have
And if I have Him not, I have nothing at all
Nothing at all, only a farewell to the wind
Farewell to the grey sky
Goodbye, God be with you evening October sky.
If all is lost, thanks be to God,
For He is He, and I, I am only I.

Davy Vanauken kept this poem beside her bed as she lay dying. I was captivated by it the minute I read it. It expresses with subtle solemnity the difficulty of death -- the withering away of life, the resistance to see life go (because, of course, we were created to live eternally), the loss (on so many levels) that comes with dying. And then, as well, acknowledgment by the Believer that God (the Trinity) is all we really have anyway -- the only surety, the only constant. And, hence, the surrender -- the willingness (however feeble) to let go.

The poem captivated me because it seems to me a perfect analogy for the life of Believers -- this dying to self to which we're called as followers of Jesus. What, I ask myself, does dying to self look like for me? Today. In this moment? Here's a short list of the things I came up with.

Dying to self means:

* Trusting the ones in charge.
* Not spending $8 on those brown leggings with the adorable detail on the bottom, because it will be a great encouragement to my husband when we stay in budget for the month.
* Driving 30 minutes to pick up a friend so that my teenage daughter has another opinion on her shopping trip.
* Going to bed earlier (and therefore having less free time for myself) so that I'm a gentler mother to my children.
* Performing support-raising activity with joyful trust, rather than trying to make it happen in my own power.
* Loving a friend, even when she refuses to love me back.
* Being willing to participate in good conflict.
* Spanking my child when she needs it.
* Accepting grace when she needs a spanking and I fail to give it.
* Loving another when I disagree with them.
* Sometimes being willing to say I disagree.
* X-ing out of facebook sooner.
* Forgiving.
* Basking in the giftedness of all my friends (instead of wallowing in my own insecurity).
* Purging those closets and bookcases one more time.
* Kissing whiskers.
* Reaching out.
* Moving on.

He is He, and I, I am only I.

"Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Matt. 10:39

Can it be?

I didn't pay attention when G-Love planted those perennial mums last year at the edge of the deck, right beside the large zinnia patch. But I walked outside a couple of days ago, sad that the zinnias were dying back, and the mums were suddenly in full bloom. They're not your typical mums. Look what little surprise was awaiting me ...



They look an awful lot like Michaelmas Daisies, don't you think?