Recent Reads

One of the positive "side effects" of the 4+ hours that I spend nursing Tobin every day is time to read--although, as I mentioned earlier, there are plenty of times when I sit down to nurse him and end up so distracted by the marvelous sight that he is, that I never get around to reading. And, of course, some of the daylight feedings are done when Josiah and David are awake, so some of the reading I get to do is about dinosaurs or Thomas the Tank Engine! :)

But still, there has been "extra" time for me to read for my own pleasure recently, and I have truly enjoyed that. I don't remember doing this as much when nursing Josiah, although I must have read some; but I definitely remember reading during the nighttime feedings with David. In particular, I remember reading Poland by James Michener, a rather lengthy book, but extremely interesting. I'm a big fan of Michener's books, but that's another theme altogether!

This time around, here are some of the books that I've read while nursing Tobin:

~ Jerusalem Vigil - by Bodie & Brock Thoene - this was entertaining reading, as the Thoenes' books always are...in this particular book, it was fun to read about places with which I am very familiar...the school in Jerusalem where Jeff and I met and began our courtship is actually mentioned in this book, so it was extra special to read about that!

~ Shepherding a Child's Heart - by Tedd Tripp - I had read this book almost 6 years ago, as I was awaiting the birth of Josiah; but it was good to read it again...it is an excellent, straight-forward, God-centered book...I especially like Tripp's point about how we need to set high standards for our children; BUT when they don't reach them, we can use those opportunities to point them to their need for a Savior...it's actually a good thing, a very necessary thing, for them to realize they cannot make it on their own, they can't be good enough on their own, they need power from beyond themselves...otherwise, children raised in "good Christian homes" can easily feel self-righteous and self-sufficient...I've been trying to incorporate some of these themes into recent discussions with Josiah...he tends to be such a perfectionist, and I long to ease the burden that perfectionism is for him...I want him to learn to relax in the grace that God gives...anyway, good stuff; I highly recommend this book

~ Tending Roses - by Lisa Wingate - this is a novel that my mother actually bought at a used bookstore when we were on vacation in North Carolina last year...she read it and passed it along to me, and I was looking forward to reading it as a "light" novel when I couldn't handle anything too heavy (like in the middle of the night when I'm struggling to stay awake while holding Tobin!)...was I ever shocked to realize what a powerful message this novel contained!...to summarize the story, it's about a granddaughter caring for her aging, feisty grandmother...it is an excellent book for helping the younger generation understand the older one (and probably, helping the older understand the younger, too, although I'm speaking from my own perspective now so I focused on what the granddaughter in the story was learning)...as I read it, I could hear echoes of things I've said to my mother (trying to be loving), and how it may have come across to her (as completely the opposite)...I needed to read that book, and I didn't even know it

~ Safely Home - by Randy Alcorn - I know he is a very popular author in some Christian circles, but this was the first book by him that I had read...I've actually had this book for a while, but couldn't bring myself to read it since I always started crying simply from reading the Dedication page in the front!...I knew it would be powerful, and it met my expectation...briefly, it's a novel about the persecuted church, particularly in China...wow!...so convicting...but also so uplifting as it gives an eternal perspective to our life here on earth--and to our true home in heaven...I give this two thumbs up, for sure, and encourage others to read this book

~ What Kids Need Most in a Mom - by Patricia Rushford - I just finished this book today and enjoyed reading it very much...you know, it's funny, I've read so many parenting books (and plan to read many more since I can always learn new things in my quest to fulfill this God-given role of mother), and I find that a lot of the same principles appear in each of them...two unique things stood out to me from Rushford's book, however...first, she REALLY emphasizes getting rid of the guilt that we feel as mothers; in fact, one of the chapters is called "An Unexpected Tour of the Guilt Factory," and it paints a vivid picture of the burden of guilt we often carry, no matter how well we're actually doing as moms...second, Rushford conjures up tremendous word pictures to get her points across...for example, her chapter called "If Time Were Diamonds" begins this way: The door opens easily. Sunlight scatters shimmering prisms of color through the room. Can you see them? Millions of sparkling diamonds suspended in time. I hear the ticking of a clock. With each ticktock, a diamond disappears. I watch, powerless to interfere. Helplessness, anger, and regret battle in my mind. "Stop!" I cry. But nothing stops. The diamonds, seconds in time, melt silently away, fading swift and sure into memories...this mental image of time being diamonds that are disappearing was a fresh and inspiring reminder to me to appreciate the moments of THIS phase of life, because as so many older moms remind me, this season of life when my children are young will pass so very quickly...and someday I'll long for these days of exuberant outbursts and sticky hands...these days are even more precious than diamonds