September "Twitterature"

Reading has taken a back seat for me this summer, but I have read a couple of good books to share here at Modern Mrs. Darcy's "Twitterature" linkup:

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd.  I loved this novel by the author of The Secret Life of Bees.  It's based on the real-life story of Sarah Grimke, a wealthy girl living in Charlotte, South Carolina in the early 1800's, and her relationship with her maid/slave, Handful.  The story alternates between the two girls' voices; short chapters keep the reader turning the pages, and Kidd's beautiful writing is evident throughout.

The Book of Forgiving by Desmond Tutu and Mpho Tutu.  (I quoted from this book in an earlier post).  This is a simply-written but profound book focusing on what the authors call the "Fourfold Path of Forgiveness":  telling the story, naming the hurt, granting forgiveness, and renewing or releasing the relationship.  Examples from  South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and elsewhere, ground the discussion.  Questions and exercises follow each chapter, allowing readers to do personal or group work on the forgiveness issues in their own lives.

(For a thought-provoking take on the Tutus' view of forgiveness, you might be interested in reading author Lesley Leyland Fields' analysis here.  I appreciate what she has to say, although I assume that the desire to address a broad audience -- not just Christian readers -- partly explains the Tutus' approach.  It's certainly something to think about.)

Monday morsel: memory

Spoken by Fanny Price in Jane Austen's novel Mansfield Park:

“How wonderful, how very wonderful the operations of time, and the changes of the human mind! ... If any one faculty of our nature may be called more wonderful than the rest, I do think it is memory. There seems something more speakingly incomprehensible in the powers, the failures, the inequalities of memory, than in any other of our intelligences. The memory is sometimes so retentive, so serviceable, so obedient -- at others, so bewildered and so weak -- and at others again, so tyrannic, so beyond controul! -- We are to be sure a miracle every way -- but our powers of recollecting and of forgetting, do seem peculiarly past finding out.” 

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 image:  freeimages.live.com

Literary matchmaking

 Modern Mrs. Darcy does some "literary matchmaking" today:  and I'm her subject!  Read HERE to see the books she recommends for me, and why!

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Monday morsel, birthday edition: "You've Got a Friend in Me"

Jonathan is 12 years old today.  Happy birthday and lots of love to a friendly, enthusiastic, affectionate boy!

(photo by Ray Vos, July 2014)

For today's "Monday morsel," here is one of Jonathan's favourite songs.  This is from the "Toy Story" soundtrack (you can listen to it here):

"You've Got A Friend In Me"

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
When the road looks rough ahead
And you're miles and miles from your nice warm bed
You just remember what your old pal said
Boy you've got a friend in me
Yeah you've got a friend in me

You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You got troubles and I got 'em too
There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you
We stick together, we can see it through
'Cause you've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too
Maybe
But none of them will ever love you the way I do
It's me and you, boy

And as the years go by
Our friendship will never die
You're gonna see it's our destiny
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me
You've got a friend in me

 (photo Richard Prinsen August 2014)

AND here is a video of my friend, singer-songwriter Jeanine Noyes, singing that very song at a garage sale yesterday!

 

Monday morsel: blessing

This is the Scripture passage our pastor spoke on yesterday.

“The Lord bless you
    and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you
    and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you
    and give you peace.”
Numbers 6:24-26

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