this month's books. and a plea!

so i landed on this month's reading material- thanks to brother's gf whose stash of books i hadn't eyed til the other night (if you don't like to loan books out, guard your stash well whilst i'm around). i joined her recently for an evening of relaxing/studying, but little did i know i'd actually be restless til i found a book (or books) from her shelves to keep me company the next few weeks. i'm now reading two: one fiction, one non. the fiction's a collection of elie wiesel's short stories called legends of our time. i read night a few years ago, loved it, & didn't realize he had several other works. score!

legends' first story is called "the death of my father"- pretty chilling. the narrator wonders how to properly commemorate his father's passing at the year mark...difficult to do since father died at buchenwald & the "holocaust defies reference, analogy." he decides to go ahead & spend time at the synagogue, light the candles, say the kaddish (prayer for the departed), but it feels inadequate & only underscores the narrator's sense of his own "impotence." the second book i started last night, also from cherith's shelf, is truefaced. i'd heard good things about it several months ago, so it caught my eye...chapter 1 seems pretty promising. it can't hurt to be reminded of the benefit of opening up for healing to happen (reference watermark's first album & the track entitled "open me up"!)

the other, & more important, intention of this post is to tell you about a witty friend of mine, a friend with varied interests (& knowledge in those areas of interest), who needs to be writing! she'd be one of my must-read bloggers, for sure. whether she wrote about re-decorating her den, raising baby, fashion, food, whatever, it would have to be amusing because her daily commentary on life is just that. her husband agrees. and i'm pretty sure if her adorable 19-month-old son could say it, he would- "mommy, blog about me. and me & henry (the dog). and me & dad. and my irresistible smile. and how cute i look when i run around in the jean-diaper thing. also, how talented i am at stalling bedtime." husband has actually given up b/c she's refused the idea for so long. i only started begging a few weeks ago, though, so i probably have some steam left.

DO IT, elizabeth! the blogosphere needs your keen wit & lovable sarcasm. i fully expect the subject of your first post would be your entertaining & precious lil man, but don't forget there's some pretention out there that needs humbling. DO IT!

amazing!!!

it's one of those summer afternoon storms, & i'm hearing ear-piercing peals of thunder, & i have to say woww. the same God who makes this happen has redeemed me. and will continue to redeem. the powerful, personal God!

"He redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion"

-psalm 103:4

"You have redeemed my soul from the pit of emptiness,

You have redeemed my soul from death.

i was a hungry child, a dried up river,

i was a burned out forest,

& no one could do anything for me.

but You put food in my body,

water in my dry bed,

& to my blackened branches,

You brought the springtime green of a new life,

& nothing is impossible for You"

-waterdeep

amazing! what language shall i borrow to thank thee, dearest Friend?

in reading news, i haven't been able to find an adequate replacement for letters to an american lady, which i wrapped up a few weeks ago. after something that had captured & encouraged me so well, it's hard to know what next... i imagine my attempt to read Twilight will fail (yes, i picked it up this weekend at a yard sale hoping to appease co-workers who've spent months trying to get me to join their edward fan club). so my other bright idea was another c.s. lewis... maybe his lecture re: theology as poetry. not shocking. in the meantime, i dance around the pages of 3-4 books... the rare jewel of Christian contentment, valley of vision, julie & julia, & something else i can't remember...

...& i don't hear the thunder anymore! maybe/hopefully more tomorrow :)

trifle addendum

back in march, i made a trifle per sister-in-law. and it's a long story, but i didn't actually get to taste it... so thankfully, co-worker recently made a yummy trifle that no doubt was better (due to crushed-up heath bar!) & that i did get to taste. enjoy the pic here of her beautiful delicious mess. check back at the march entry for directions, & just add the heath-bar layer(s)!

and again, voila. and yum. and it made for the perfect denouement to a most enjoyable staff luncheon. (i sometimes like to leave out the lil part about the aforementioned lunch being held as a farewell to two staff-members. it's just too much!)

ps. co-worker was inspired to make trifle b/c she saw trifle bowl at target & really wanted to buy it. she was duly given a hard time about that, but it's one of those things that makes her that much more loveable!