{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

This book, UNSTOPPABLE by Nick Vujicic, is an encouraging read.  Not only does Nick share the wisdom he has gleaned from his own struggles and victories, but he also share numerous stories of the struggles and victories of other people.  With each victory experienced after heartache and struggles, Nick is an example of one who believes every life is a gift from God, and a gift to be lived to the fullest.

He says, “God finds ways for us to use bad things for a good purpose.”  This sentence hit home for me.  There have been some bad things in my life, and it’s been difficult to believe that God will make something good out of them.  But, allowing God to show me how to use the bad things for a good purpose.  That makes more sense.

If you are looking for an inspiration read, this book is a bit long, but definitely inspiring.

This book was provided to me by WaterBrook Press in exchange for an honest review.

 I’m so ready for routine and schedules to resume in February.  We didn’t intend for our Christmas break to continue on into a Winter Break, but life brought us quite a few changes and challenges and tremendous blessings.  We have stacks of books waiting to be read, and since this book Goodbye to Yesterday is such a little read, I did manage to finish it.  It actually only took a little time one afternoon.

Goodbye to Yesterday by Wanda E. Brunstetter is part 1 of 6 in The Discovery series.  A sweet Amish fiction that reads easily, this story took me away from my own challenges for a little while.

As the story began to unfold and pick up a little speed I was surprised by the abrupt ending.  Just 121 small pages long, the story is to continue in The Silence of Winter in March of this year. 

While I did enjoy the story, that abrupt ending caused me to think about the size of the book.  I’ve waited a couple of days to write this review because I needed to think it over.  As a family we’ve read some great read alouds designed to be read daily, with cliff hangers at the end of each day’s reading.  This book wasn’t written in the same way, but it does seem strange to have a story printed in a short book form, and to have to wait a couple of months for the next segment of the story.  It’s really just a little more than a booklet in size. I’m curious to read what others think.

I recived this book in exchange for an honest review from HANDLEBAR — 207 Reber Street, Suite 100, Wheaton, IL 60187

We received two letters from Guatemala this past week!

Lesbia wrote in response to some questions we sent her in the fall.  One specific question I had asked her was about her father.  She always asks us to pray for her grandmother, her mother and herself, because they are “all alone.”  In this most recent letter from Lesbia, she was more open than ever before.  It seems that we have been granted a level of trust, that I cannot share the letter in full here.  We treasure this letter as an open door to a deeper relationship with this precious girl and to pray more specifically.

Now from Carlos,