 |
| View from our front yard this morning |
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Weather: Snowing. It snowed about an inch or two this morning after midnight. The temperature rose above freezing during the day. Now it is lightly snowing again and the temperatures are supposed to drop below freezing tonight.
Undecorating: It is the time of year when I question why I have so many Christmas decorations since I have to spend so much time undecorating the house after spending so much time decorating it a month ago. So far we haven't done much, just putting away a few items but I hope to take down the tree and ornaments tomorrow for sure.
New Year's Day Thoughts: During church today the whole service was focused on God's promises and faithfulness. It was very touching. This is the benediction:
We leave today going into a future as yet unmapped.
Take faith with you as you go;
Into the parts of your life not yet traveled by love;
Into the parts of the world unexplored by grace;
Let compassion and hope be the roads that you follow: today and always.
Amen.
Hard year: 2016 was a hard year for us with the death of Don's father and the election of Trump as President. Yet, we are so blessed. We are surrounded by loving family members and friends. Our children are healthy and happy in their jobs and schooling, in their lives. We are both employed in stable jobs that help shape how we view ourselves. We have a nice home and plenty of food. Life is good.
Prayer for the day: Prayers for my high school friend, Debbie, who was just diagnosed with a rare bone marrow cancer which has been causing painful hematomas. She started chemotherapy yesterday.
Scripture for the upcoming year:
Books finished this week:
- A Tangle of Gold by Jaclyn Moritarty...the third book in the Colors of Madeleine series. I like the series a lot but I think this book got a little lost along the way. It did end satisfactorily, though.
- The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens... a murder mystery. Really well done. We listened to it in the car as we drove to and from Christmas vacation in Oregon. We we got home we had to listen to the finale in our living room so that all three of us could find out how it worked out. Very exciting.
Currently reading:
- The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner...a book club selection which I may not finish on time. Eek! It is 25 + hours of listening on the audiobook and I'm only 8% done.
- Rani Patel in Full Effect by Sonia Patel... a YA novel set on the island of Molaka'i. This book has the potential to be much deeper than it appears by the cover with themes of incest and marital infidelity.
- The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon...this is going to be my first book of the year. I hope, at least, since I haven't started it yet.
 |
| Our backyard today. |
I didn't like The Life We Bury as much as I thought I would. I am making SOME progress in Stegner's tome, but am still worried about finishing. I'm about half way through. (and liking it much more than I did at the beginning) Some of the passages are incredibly written.
ReplyDeleteStegner is an amazing writer just long-winded. We enjoyed The Life We Bury and think we'll try another of Eskens's books.
DeleteI feel as you do that 2016 was mostly good for me personally, but I do fear for a Trump presidency! I can't wait to hear what you think of The Sun is Also a Star.
ReplyDeleteIt looks beautiful! I personally like snow as long as I don't have to go anywhere in it besides maybe a nice walk. I read the first book in the Colours of Madeleine series this year and really enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I'm glad to hear it ends relatively well.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem for me on the Tangle of Gold was i read it too slowly with too many interruptions. I should have just set aside a few days to devote to it.
DeleteOh, how I love Stegner! After living in both VT and UT, I enjoy him even more!
ReplyDeleteI was also commenting because I work for a publisher who has a new YA novel, and wanted to contact you regarding a possible review. If you are interested, please contact me at woowoowhoosh@gmail.com Happy New Year Blessings to you!
Thanks for the offer. I hope to one day be in a position to help publishers with reviews but for right now I am so focused on books which are already published I don't have time to help you out.
Delete