I've read a few good books recently and I'm reading a few others now, and I thought I should pass them along here since I'm frequently begging you all for book recommendations. I recently finished a book titled The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, which was an interesting story about a girl of mixed race growing up in the early 1980s. Lots of insight into the struggle of not fitting in. Can't remember the author's name. I also recently finished The Sacred Echo by Margaret Feinberg, which is one of the most insightful books on prayer and hearing God's voice that I've read. One of her main ideas is that God repeats himself to get our attention, and that is "the sacred echo." But one of my favorite things that she says in her book is that prayer is one part talking, one part listening, and one part waiting. I've never thought of prayer quite that way...that the waiting is a part of prayer...and I found it really encouraging.
I'm currently reading a book called The Lie, which is a story about what happens after one of two brothers is shot and killed on the family's front porch. Cheerful, right? Nevertheless, it's well-written and I'm enjoying it.
But the book I'm most excited is The Jesuit Guide to Almost Everything: A Spirituality for Real Life by James Martin, SJ. After reading the first chapter I discovered that I may actually be a Jesuit. The four "ways" of Jesuit spirituality are:
1. Finding God in all things -- meaning that nothing is outside the reality of our spiritual lives.
2. Becoming a contemplative in action -- meaning that in the midst of our activity we can be contemplative and allow that to inform our actions.
3. Looking at the world in an incarnational way -- meaning that God can be found in the everyday events of our lives.
4. Seeking freedom and detachment -- meaning not having "disordered affections" or being tied down by unimportant things.
Hard to argue with, huh? I've only just started reading this book, but I'm looking forward to the rest of it. Strangely enough, the author was on the Colbert Report last night. Hilarious.
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On a different note entirely, I was watching the news this morning and I heard that a lot of congressmen and women who voted for the health care bill are receiving threats. One congressman, who is a pro-life democrat, is getting a lot of those threats as a result of his vote. There is so much I could say about this...I mean, isn't helping people buy health insurance actually "pro-life"? I'm not sure when people got such a narrow definition of what "pro-life" actually is. But I just needed to point out the irony of this enraged pro-lifer who called his congressman and said, "You baby-killer motherf***er. I hope you die." That's the spirit, right?
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Just for the fun of it, I welcome your predictions on when this baby will be born. It's so strange to know that our lives will change so dramatically but not know exactly when that will happen. The boys are asking when. Even my husband is asking if the doctors are making predictions, though he knows darn well those predictions are useless. Yesterday someone at Little League rubbed my stomach and suggested the birth would happen on April 10, opening day. At this point, I am actually hoping for just a few days from now -- Palm Sunday, which I think would be super cool.
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5 comments:
I heard that about the crazy people too! REALLY??? Cutting people's gas grill lines? Vandalizing offices? Making death threats? Scary, scary stuff! On a much happier note - I believe baby boy Taylor will enter the world on April 6th!
I just started reading Writers [on Writing] Collected Essays from The New York Times. Next in line are: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, by Betty Smith and The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards.
Prior to this book, I have recently read:
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time, by Mark Haddon
I Feel Bad About My Neck, by Nora Ephron
The Private Patient, by PD James
The Time Traveler's Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
A Passage To India, by E. M. Forster
The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
bird by bird, by Anne Lamott
I don't know that I would be any good predicting your little guy's debut. When is he due?
I would have said my birthday, March 23, but that ship has sailed...
Do people not realize that violence and threats of violence are, like, the ultimate argument for discounting their position?
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. - Isaac Asimov
Michele, we're all failing at our predictions. At this point, I keep telling the boys that all bets are off.
Kathie, thanks for the book recommendations. I've never read Passage to India. Maybe I should give that a shot.
Peaj, you always seem to have an Asimov quote handy. I like that one.
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