Falling Back

I am currently living my favorite hour of the year. Sure, anybody can have a favorite season, or a favorite holiday, but I can narrow my favorites to a single sixty-minute unit.

Falling Back

I feel sorry for those poor Arizonians who don't get to experience the twice-a-year time shift. Sure, there's a little bit of excitement that first evening after Springing forward when it's, like, 9 o'clock and still bright as noon, but there's nothing like this hour right now. 10 p.m. on clock change night, realizing that, in a sense, it's really only 9, and you're going to get an extra hour's sleep.

A brand-new, un-wasteable, un-deserved hour. A gift, really. The gift of time.

Think about it--how often during our week do we wake up wishing we'd had an extra hour's sleep. Or need a little more time to finish a project. Or wished we had more minutes to spend in meaningful conversation. And tonight, we get that.

Technically, I suppose, we get that hour tomorrow. The purists among us would say so. But I'm no purist. And I'm impatient. I'm snagging my extra hour the minute I close my eyes, and tomorrow when I open them, I'll be so rested, so grateful, so utterly giddy with joy--like I've gotten away with something wonderful.

Then tomorrow night, darkness will fall earlier than it has in months. And the days will feel so short, and the evenings so long--all the more reasonto curl up a little tighter and live a little closer to home.

Ah, the grace of time.

An Unexpected Sabbatical

I finally got the chance to see Julie & Julia (ok...weeks ago) and while, yes, it was great to see all the impressive cooking--all those rich, complicated, detailed delicacies on the screen, I was impressed with another aspect of the movie altogether. Some people say they left the theater incredibly inspired to cook, I was much more fascinated with "Julie's" capacity to blog. Every day. Just amazing to me.

The thing is, I walk around all day with all kinds of stuff rolling around in my brain, thinking--Oh, I need to blog that--then somehow the day goes on without me. And lately, during those last few weeks of dog-hot summer, and the reinstated routine of September, I just got out of my groove. So, for those of you lovely enough to follow me, I apologize for the lack of, well, anything to follow. But the Lord just had me in a more introspective mode, re-focusing on my direction on His path. It wasn't a planned sabbatical...it just happened. He and I have had some sweet times together, and now He's pushing me back out.

So, look for more commentaries and insights...book, TV and movie reviews. And, in general, a little more of me. I've missed you!

Lord, take my children by the hand...

Ah…..7:15 am, and the whole house is quiet. My boys—all three—off to school. Now, to tell the truth, the house has been quiet at 7:15 am all summer long, but that was when they were all snoozing away until the digital clock read double-digits. But this morning, they were all up before me, showered, dressed, gelled, fed and brushed, only to sit nervously on the edge of the couch waiting to pick up their back-packs and go. And so, in the quiet of my house, I scrambled an egg, sipped a cup of tea, and prayed that this day—this year—would be one of wonder and joy. Kids deserve that, you know?

So, in-between studies right now, I sat down with my Bible and did the “flip.” You know, where you just let the pages fall open…and for a reason I didn’t understand at first, the Lord led me to Daniel. First chapter. Daniel? Really? So I read about the selecetion of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, plucked from their homes and brought in for special training in the king’s service. Immediately they were re-named (Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego).

By the end of the chapter, I knew why God brought me to this book.

See, my older sons are starting high school today, and I have enough experience teaching it to know that those four years change a kid. Of course there are the natural, physical changes that come with the transition to being a young adult, but that’s nothing compared to the changes in their hearts. So many more temptations, such scarier options—all of it seeming so wonderful and glamorous and powerful and promising.

Just like special training for the king.

But Daniel, and his buddies, all refused to eat the rich diet of the king. They held to their values—the ones they came in with—and were deemed stronger, better, healthier at the end. Now, in this first chapter the trial lasted just ten days, but I looked beyond that. Think about it, nobody’s ever read the book of Belteshazzar, have they? No, we read the book of Daniel. Through it all, at the end of it all, Daniel remains Daniel.

So I change my prayer a little. Yes, I want the boys to have a wonderful, fun, exciting, enlightening, fabulous year at school. But more than that, I want them to remain true to who they are. I want them to remember what they’ve been taught, who they love and Who loves them. Christian kids in public schools aren’t just entering a spiritual battle, they’re entering into training for service to a pagan king. May they, like Daniel, refuse to be defiled.

(P.S. – taking a break from book give-aways for a while…winner of By Reason of Insanity is Kelly. Congrats!)

Ticket Stub: Time Traveler's Wife

I have been looking forward to seeing this movie since the first little Hollywood blip slipped about it. So, in a rare display of eagerness, I was at the Friday afternoon matinee--along with about 20 other women. Ticket price: 5.25--roughly what I paid for the Starbucks balanced in my carefully-carried over-sized purse. (don't judge me)

Now, reviews have not been kind to the movie, and I can understand why. If you've read the book (which you should!), you'll quickly recognize this film as a pale shadow of a great story. Serioulsy, I spent well over 100 beautifully crafted pages working to wrap my brain around Henry's traveling. The movie blurts it out within the first 15 minutes: "I travel through time! I'm from the future!" All of a sudden, it's like George Lucas is writing the screen play. And that ain't good. There were just so many changes--some I can forgive, some I can't. Some necessary, most not. Most seem to be motivated by the need to give the film a bladder-friendly running time. But, come on. If we can get through nearly three hours of Benjamin Button, certainly Time Traveler's Wife deserved another 45 minutes or so.

But enough with the griping--here's the positive side. One, it was a lovely excuse to spend an afternoon with a dear friend--a fellow book reader who was quicker to point out the inconsistencies than I was. And if you haven't read the book, it's still a harmless bit of romantic escape. Believe me, there are worse ways to spend an afternoon than watching Eric Bana. More than that, though, there's one aspect of the story that I absolutely embrace: the life-long love between Claire and Henry.

See, Claire has loved Henry since she was a little girl--when he travels back from the future to see her (just go with it...). It makes me think about the fact that God has a mate chosen for each of us--how out there somewhere is a young woman, or even a little girl, who is destined to be the wife of one of my sons. Our lives are crafted beyond our knowledge, our days planned out before our conception. I think about my hubby, too, how very much I love him--how wrapped up I am in his life and he in mine. When I think about who I was growing up, I think I've always loved him, because he is everything that I adore--funny, sweet, honorable, a fan of John Hughes movies. Goodness, wouldn't my life have been simpler if I had simply patiently waited to turn 22 and meet him?

So, if there's a lesson from the movie (NOT the book), it might be this. Take your daughters. Let them know that God has a plan for their lives, and it's a plan worth waiting for. Take your sons (tell them you're gong to GI Joe and distract them with popcorn). Let them know that those girls they see in school are--deep down--little girls waiting for the man they love. There are worse movies. There are worse messages.

My Reason for Insanity

So, it seems this week I've been answering almost all of my emails with an apology for the delay in response. See, for the past two weeks I've been taking a course in writing instruction, and while it is engaging, enriching, fascinating and fulfilling, it's also exhausting, draining, mind-consuming and depleting. It's also, however, finished, and this evening I embrace the first evening in a long time not dominated by homework.

I'm late announcing the winner of my heart remembers, and it's Kimberly! Congrats and I'll get that to you soon.

This week's give-away is as different from a sweet historical family saga as can be. The book is By Reason of Insanity by Randy Singer, and it's a tight, tense courtroom drama. Here's the blurb:

How did crime reporter Catherine “Cat” O’Rourke wind up in prison? It starts with “visions” involving victims of a high-profile kidnapping, twin children adopted by the family of a well-connected defense attorney. In her first vision, Cat sees the children being executed. Nightmares? Maybe, but why do they occur when Cat is awake? She seems to know so much information about the missing children (and other grisly crimes) that she becomes the key suspect. Could Cat possibly have an alter ego committing these heinous acts? Enter defense attorney Quinn Newberg, who recently invoked the insanity defense to get his own sister acquitted for murder. Quinn decides this will be Cat’s defense as well, even though the evidence suggests otherwise. At the center of the heart-pounding action are the moral dilemmas that have become Singer’s stock-in-trade. In addition to scrutinizing the insanity defense from an ethical point of view, Singer offers similar appraisals of the death penalty and vigilante justice.

And, my take: This is the first Randy Singer book I've ever read, and it definately won't be the last. Now, I'd never judge a book by my own ablility to figure out a story, because I can never figure out the whodidit in a whodunnit. This book gets high marks from me because I actually cared to know--enough to stay up far past my reading time. The story was complex without being confusing, exciting without being manic, insightful without being intrusive. Great writing, great story, great message.

So, playing off the title for a minute...for the past few weeks, my reason for insanity has been an insane, hectic, crazy schedule. Class all day, obligations all evening, editing all night. How about you? been feeling a little insane lately? What's your reason?

My Happy Birthday Book

First of all--Happy Birthday to Me! (pic is my birthday cake from last year--decorated by my sons...notice "MOM" spelled out in Twizzlers...) I've never been a big birthday celebrator--not much of a party girl--but I thank the Lord for the blessings He has given me this past year, all the wonderful opportunities to connect with readers and friends and family. So, thank you, all of you Crossroads followers and readers for being numbered among my blessings! In light of that, I have an AWESOME book-give-away specially picked for my birthday week drawing.

(Oh, and Roxanne--you are the lucky winner of the romance Return to Love! Contact me and I'll get that to you...)

OK, on to this week's book: My Heart Remembers by the lovely Kim Vogel Sawyer. Now, I have to tell you, I personally gave this book the highest honor possible. No, not a medal or a trophy--better than that! Really. I...loaned my copy of this book...to my mother. Now, that might not mean a lot to you, but mom is a rather picky reader, and woe unto me if I ever recommend a book that she ends up not liking. So, I only go out on a limb and actually give her very special books.

That said, I realized Ididn't have a copy to give away. So, I emailed the generous author and requested a copy to give to the lucky person whose name will be drawn at my Writers Group Meeting next Monday. Well, not only did she send me a copy...it's a hard-cover copy. That is truly a first for this blog. How exciting is that!

Here's the blurb:

Orphaned in a tenement fire, three Irish immigrant children, hoping to be adopted, are sent to Missouri aboard an orphan train. Despite eight-year-old Maelle's desperate attempts to keep her siblings together, each child is taken by a different family. Maelle vows that she will never stop searching for her siblings and that they will be together one day. Sixteen years later, Maelle is still searching. So are her brother and sister. United by blood, divided by time, will they ever be reunited?

And my take:
Ummm....I loved it. 'Nuff said. Seriously, there are moments in this book when you'll be just breathless.

My Heart Remembers is all set to be my birthday gift to one of you. So, tell me, what's a favorite birthday gift that your heart remembers?

Most Trusted Dinner Guest in Our Home

Flipping through what passes for TV journalism today makes me long for those simpler times when our family gathered to watch Walter Cronkite every night. And, I mean every night. If mom's dinner was ready to hit the table at 5:30, we ate silently with that familiar soft baritone in the background. No hitting "pause" on the DVR, no catching the later re-broadcast on another cable network. And absolutely no thought of not watching. Today, we have the screaming vitriol of Bill O'Reily, the smug indignation of Keith Olbermann, the vapid non-presence of Katie Couric. Once, a few months ago, I got all nostalgic and decided I wanted our family to watch the evening news together like we did when I was a kid. Just 30 minutes of our time, and enough of a snippet of everything to feel informed. I went with Brian Williams on NBC because I think he's rather delightful. Long story short, my kids stretched and sighed and yawned and begged for dinner--even though we were having broccoli. Some things go out of style for a reason, and the ratings for network news evening broadcasts show them to be as popular as courdory shorts.

But I think that's because we have so much choice--so many distractions. A little something for everybody means that nobody rallies around anything. Cronkite was the voice for a nation in need of stability and comfort following the assassination of President Kennedy and the devastating mire of Vietnam.

He is, of course, remembered for his signature sign-off phrase: "And that's the way it is..." Like, you know what, America? This is what's happening, and there's not much we can do about it, and there's no reason for me to rant and blather on, so take it and go. I have to say, that's an attitude I'd love to see spilled all over the shiny sets of other "news" programs. It reminds me of one of my favorite "edgy" Bible verses:

The LORD does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. [Psalm 135:6]

Because sometimes, when we get caught up in the why, why, why, why of the world, all you can do is step back and realize the sovereignty of God. Sometimes, that's the way it is.

...The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. [Psalm 93:1]

Some people might see this as fatalistic, but I choose to see it as faithalistic. How comforting it is to know that the world, as terrifying and terrible as it can be at times, is in the hands of a loving, just, righteous and sovereign God--one who loves me unconditionally and wishes only the best of blessings in my life.

That's the way He is.