The relaxed summer days and quiet evenings are perfect times to enjoy some good reads.  This month I have read,

Where Lilacs Still Bloom by Jane Kirkpatrick, Historical Fiction ~ an enjoyable evening read.  You can click here to read my full review.

So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkin ~ fictionalized autobiography  One of my daughters had pulled this book off the shelf in May.  A few days later, she handed me the book with concern over the content, and now I know she didn’t know how to process the horror described in this story.  Yoko Kawashima Watkin was a young Japanese girl living with her family in Korea during WWII.  Her family was caught in the violent turmoil as the Korean’s recieved aid from Communist Russians and Japan surrenended to the United States.

It was a violent time and sadly, as we know from many times in history, men often turn their war time violence on women and children.

This book is marketed to elementary children, and though I believe it is a valuable story, it is more suited to older middle school to high school students.  While a younger child might know the name of some of these evils, processing them in as they read the story of a character to whom they are “befriending” is very difficult.

What is a Healthy Church Member by Thabiti M. Anyabwile ~ Recently our pastor was preaching through The 9 Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever and provided both books to any in the congregation interested in reading them along with the series.  These books have been sitting in the stack of my “heavy” books, being rotated through over the past month.  I reccommend these books to anyone struggling with the modern American church, feeling as though there is something missing.  While there is much we could say about the “American church”, I found much more to chew on as I read the marks of a healthy member.

The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis ~ Another Amish fiction.  This book was a gentle story about young people seeking wisdom for leading their adult lives, when there are many expectations put upon them by well meaning family.  See my full review here.

Why Church Matters, Discovering Your Place in the Family of God by Joshua Harris.  This is another book reccomended by our pastor.  It is a fairly short read, easy to take in, but worth taking some time to process and discern one’s response to the wisdom and encouragement shared.

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski ~ our family read aloud this month.  Strawberry Girl is our favorite of Lenski’s regional fiction stories.  This is the story of Birdie and her family as they settled in upper Florida, trying farm despite weather, animals and surly mean neighbors.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo –  – capturing a moment from the week.  A moment that I will remember, always.  A moment that brings the reality that all can be gone in a moment into clarity for me this week.

Niki Agusta, Indonesia What joy swells in my heart as I look at this faces, sense the pain and maybe fear in those beautiful eyes, yet I also see the potential.  There is a song that is sometimes on the radio.  Just this week I bought it from iTunes because the lyrics are a prayer I occasionally pray for my daughters, and now plan to write to these children. The Words I Would Say by Sidewalk Prophets From one simple life to another, I will say, Come find peace in the Father, Be strong in the Lord and, Never give up hope , You’re going to do great things, I already know, God’s got His hand on you so, Don’t live life in fear,Forgive and forget, But don’t forget why you’re here, Take your time and pray, Thank God for each day. His love will find a way And today while I am hoping what I share encourages someone else to begin singing hope over a child through sponsorship, I also want to leave you with these words, dear reader friend Be strong in the Lord Never give up hope You’re gonna do great things, I already know, God’s got His hand on you so, Don’t live life in fear Don’t forget why you are here, Take your time and pray, Thank God for each day.

Ten years ago our state faced a similar situation with fires burning all over the state, but I don’t remember any of them being the threat that the current fires are posting.  The fire in Northern Colorado has destroyed almost 300 homes, another fire in Estes Park may have destroyed homes/national park building (I’m not sure on this).

Saturday, afternoon, June 23 Mae and I were driving home on I25 when we saw the first smoke plume and read the highway board … Fire in Waldo Canyon, Do Not Call 911, Emergency Services have been dispatched.  It was a large plume of smoke shooting straight up.  Over the next few hours we saw the glow of fire and smoke, so much smoke.

And while our family, our home is not in any danger except from the poor air quality, the concern and grief is deep. Here are some of the photos and video I have taken during the first 30 hours of the Waldo Canyon Fire.

Evening of June 23

We are praying and we are depending upon the steadfast faithfulness of the Lord in this time.  To keep our firefighters safe, to keep the people, animals and building safe, and to show Himself to any who will choose to see.

It has been a bit of a struggle this past week, to sort through my “failures” to seek what is failure, sin, poor time management, and what is just the stuff of life.  When routine gets knocked to the side in favor of fellowship with my traveler husband and preparations for house guests it seems that counting the gifts, recording where I look for and find the graces my Father leaves all around drops off.

And the heart changes are obvious.  Recording the gifts is oxygen to my joy.  When the gifts aren’t recorded, they wander out of thought, and the joy gets snuffed out.

As the fire burns right there in our mountains, the smoke smell strong in our yard, the smoke itself dimming the light of the moon, I wake up the computer and start recording, because whether the LORD sends the rain we are pleading for, or doesn’t, I will praise Him.  I will record the graces of my Father and remember His faithful love.

Here are the graces I’ve looked for, gathered up and jotted right down:

gifts 1065-1086

working in the kitchen with a sweet daughter friend

magpie chasing a squirrel down the fence line
fresh eggs for my children
clean water
evening walks
herons, ducks, geese and beavers all in the middle of the city
a fresh new fawn with his momma doe
children purging movies from the shelves
sharing how I found joy, and how I keep joy (by giving thanks) with a precious girl
 seeing how sharing “failure” defuses condemnation and produces life lessons and grace

prayers for our community during the service, whether God sends rain on the fire or not, we will praise Him and look for what He is doing.
Spunky elderly friends
Learning a bit about my family heritage from the Scottish evangelist speaking at services this week
Origami art for my birthday
Treasures from my granny
Ice cream with daughters
Pumpkins, squash and sunflowers growing, hope for the fall celebration

with joy,
because all is grace

 Home to Hickory Hollow, The Fiddler by Beverly Lewis

A wrong turn in a rainstorm leads Englisher Amelia Devries to Michael Hostetler–and the young Amishman’s charming Old Order community of Hickory Hollow. Despite their very different backgrounds, Amelia and Michael both feel hemmed in by the expectations of others and struggle with how to find room for their own hopes. And what first seems to be a chance encounter might just change their lives forever.

Several years ago I discovered Amish fiction and have enjoyed a story here and there from that genre.  This story was one of the more enjoyable, as the main characters, Amelia Devries and Michael Hostetler seem to grow as people, separate from one another, without the tanglements of romance.  The story developed sweetly around each of the characters struggle to grow and mature into adult independence, seeking the life they were each created for, while respecting their parents and their expectations.  And of course, romance did appear, but it was refreshing for it not to be the focus of this story, but an ending.

The story was a gentle retreat during these hot summer days.

The Fiddler was provided to my by Bethany House publishers for my honest review.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Bumping right into the Media Free week from the Summer of 7 my Beloved Builder was home for a week, after working in the great Canadian North for 6 weeks.  Now he is back to work and I have pictures to remind me of the sweetest of dates nights that included pizza on a patio in the middle of downtown, a drive  that allowed us to see a doe and her fresh little spotted fawn and a walk to a pond in the middle of town that is home to beavers.

It was the finest of sweet moments all strung together.

And I’m not sure when I’ll get back to regular blogging or writing the reviews for books stacked on my desk.  That slower week full of walks and work and conversation has left me wanting more of that kind of time with our children and the friends being brought to our home.

Here’s to hoping for more fine sweet moments!

linking up with Amanda and Amy

Day #1 ~ actually 11 items, but I didn’t want to put anything back. Day 2 brings me a little revelation ~ this purging of 7 items per day is bringing relief to my soul, clearing clutter not only from my home, but from my mind.  I know that Jen wrote in her book that she purposely gave to specific individuals, but for me, just taking the step to actually remove these things from my home is freeing me in several ways.  Some items from each day are leaving with others in mind.  Other items will go into our donation box to be dropped off later this week. Day 2 Pictured here are “date coupons”, unit studies & lapbook printouts, flashcards, picture books, scheduling charts and a random doll hat. Day 3 & 4 ~ These two days washed over me and any further purging of 7 didn’t happen.  Other LIFE, good LIFE things did.  And I wrestled through to okay. But day 5, that day was different.  As I thought about things to pull and pass on, I came across a “project tub” a tub full of unfinished projects.  Instead of looking for more to pass on, I pulled out 3 projects to finish.  Two skirts, one dress that need a little, or a lot, more work and they are finished.  Less in the unfinished tub, more to to use wisely, or pass on generously.