Category: personal

This sweet little book touched my heart. The Life All Around Me by Kaye Gibbons is a coming of age story set in the Carolinas. It includes quirky characters amidst a series of tragedies and disappointments that create a perfect storm of challenges and grace for the title character, Ellen Foster.

Although the story is about Ellen and how she overcomes the deaths of her parents and a conniving aunt that places her in foster care, I am drawn to Laura, the woman who takes in Ellen and and helps her flourish.

Laura opens her home to Ellen, and giver her the warmth she needs in order to thrive. Ellen’s teenage angst was funny, but her earnest desire to learn and use the opportunity given to her is endearing.

Laura’s gift of selfless support extends to the women in her community. Ellen sees this and admires the quality in her foster mother. It wasn’t unusual for Laura to open her guestroom to young mothers for a nap and a little respite. Ellen recognizes that Laura is the kind of woman who loves “enough to keep a friend hidden of a Sunday afternoon and waken them with English tea in a China pot and a tin of biscuit treats they can’t have at home because everything gets consumed out from under them.”

This powerful lesson teaches Ellen that in spite of the ugly treatment from her aunt, she doesn’t have to “slip into being the kind of girl who damages women.”

There is sorrow in Ellen’s circumstances, but also a great deal of hope and joy. I’m delighted by Ellen and her trust, but it is Laura’s example of loving support that makes this a terrific weekend read.

What if?

David Goggins’ poses this seemingly simple question, and yet, if we respond to it with the drive and commitment he demonstrates in his motivational memoir, Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds, it will take us our whole lives to answer. That’s a very good thing.

If we respond to that question with courage and trust, the answer will amaze us. Not only will we exceed our goals, but a whole new world of exciting goals open up for us.

I don’t usually go for inspirational books. That doesn’t mean I don’t need the message or won’t respond positively to it — these kinds of books with 5 steps or 8 steps or however many steps to success just don’t happen to resonate with me.

To be honest, I skipped the action pages at the end of the chapters. But the chapters! Damn! This guy is a total badass! A Navy SEAL, an ultra race champion, and now, motivational speaker, David Goggins is the personification of perseverance.

This book will definitely inspire you, if not to run a 100 mile ultra race, then certainly to take that first baby step toward your goals. Highly recommend!

caveat: the language in some places is a little rough, but I like that the tone and style project an authentic voice.

Google has a cuckoo clock wishing us a happy new year, and I’m still kinda excitedly waiting for the aliens, so there’s that to look forward to .

W e hear that 2020 was a year for the history books, and it certainly was for a number of reasons. The pandemic took too too many lives and wreaked havoc on businesses as well as personal finances. For many, it was a heartbreaking year. Let us remember that each year, when taking a personal view, can be an annus horribilis. But there were also moments of joy and an abundance of grace. Let us hope and pray that 2021 brings us peace in all areas of our personal and public lives.

Instead of a long list of resolutions, I’m taking a different tack this year. I’m yearning to grow closer to the Lord, and what better way to do that than to strive to become more like the Blessed Mother? I’ve embarked on Fr Edward Looney’s wonderful daily retreat, A Heart Like Mary’s: 31 Daily Meditations to Help You Live and Love as She Does.

On this first day of the year, and first day of the retreat, I’m working on patience. Perhaps it’s something we can all work to cultivate. I hope your year is full of God’s blessings!