Gravel Road Musings

Tomorrow is December 21.  That date will always mark our firstborn's homegoing! Two poems mark a little of how I felt/feel over the past year.  Let's start there! Little One Loved Little one loved,   we wanted you so very much, even though we never touched      your tender skin,      or held your hand. You were in our hearts,      little one loved. Little one loved,   We never saw your tiny form, and never held you, small and warm,      within our arms,      safe from all harm. But you were our child,       little one loved. Little one loved,   but loved by god far more than we, and so He took you home to be      with Him to stay.      You went away and left us grieving here,        little one loved. Little one loved,   we wish you could have stayed with us, but God is asking for our t...

I felt like it was time to post something other than just book reviews, but now I am not entirely sure what to say.  I thought the title Critical Reaction does elicit an interesting line of thoughts. Does anyone want to say what there first thoughts are when thinking of that combination of words? Do you zero in on the critical part and think someone is being critical of the reaction of someone else? Or do you think of the reaction word first and think that the way you respond in the given circumstance is extremely critical? What kind of reaction do you feel when you hear the following news bulletins? --30-100% horse meat found in some kind of lasagna that Aldi's sells.  They buy it from someplace in France who was advertising beef and putting horse meat in instead.  Who's gonna know?  It seems the manufacturers might be passing the buck to the stores by saying they were putting pressure on them to lower their prices. --Parents charged with murder after foll...

Yes, I know another book review.  This book was given to me by Bethany House Publishers for the sole purpose of writing a review about it. Critical Reaction by Todd Johnson was not a book I would have normally picked up to read.  I picked it because, of course, I didn't want a month to slip by that I didn't try to get a book to review.  If you love mystery and intrigue than you would like this book. D and I both read it and for a bit on Sunday evening, I was reading it aloud so we could both know what was going on as I had caught up to where he was at.  He then finished the book while I did the responsible thing and went to bed.  I quickly finished it the next morning before going to work. The plot is based on a nuclear plant in the desert that had an explosion.  One of the guys hurt in the explosion was trying to sue, but it seemed like a lost cause, but of course, throughout the book, they were able to gather enough evidence to win the trial in the ...

This book was given to me by Bethany House to read and write a review about. I really did intend to write a few blog posts in between the book reviews, but it hasn't happened.  This book review however will likely reflect a fair amount of the thoughts I have been pondering lately anyway. This is a book I would highly recommend to everyone.  I feel like I need to flip right back to the front cover and start reading all over again. The subtitle is "Becoming a 24/7 follower of Jesus" and his all-consuming question throughout the whole book is this: "If Sunday didn't exist, would anyone know you are a follower of Jesus?" Now, I'm going to take a few liberties here to expound on this question in ways that Jamie didn't touch, but I don't think Jamie is Mennonite.  As Mennonite ladies we stand out in the crowd and I am pretty sure that is not the way that Jamie intended.  We look like Mennonites every day of the week, but do we look like Christian...

This was not a book I would have necessarily bought but it was given my by Bethany House Publishers to review and I am glad I read it. The story takes place during the return of the Jews to Jerusalem from Babylon.  The main character is the prophet Zechariah.  The story starts when he is a young boy in Babylon and follows him on his journey to Jerusalem, through his growing up years, becoming a priest and ends with the dedication of the completed temple. I am not generally a fan of Biblical fiction because I question how accurate it is and obviously we do not know how accurate this book was either, but I do like Lynn Austin as an author and I think she did a very good job of creating a realistic picture of the life as it likely could have been there.  I did do some reading in the Bible myself to see if the story jived, but it wasn't until I finished the book that I saw the list of chapters she used when writing the book.  If I had seen that earlier, I likely woul...

Okay, here goes.  I don't know that I am the best book reviewer ever, but I do love to read and I do enjoy finding new authors. I think this was the first book I have ever read by Anne and I think I would read more of her books.  It was a pretty typical Christian romance in which hero and heroine are in love, then have a fallout from irreconcilable differences, and then of course in the end, they both are willing to sacrifice and fall back in love and live happily ever after. However, I will say that the development of Sadie Sillsby, the main character, was well done.  At the beginning of the book, Sadie was the assistant matron at the Raystown Home.  This was a home for abandoned or orphaned children or as a temporary home for children whose parents were in a financial hardship and couldn't afford to raise their children.  Her dream was to become matron which she does shortly into the book.  But, as it turns out, she really doesn't have the makings of ...

I just found this post.  It somehow got saved under drafts rather than published, so it's a few weeks outdated.  This came in the mail this week.  I don't know if you can see it all, but there are four books, a journal, some note cards, a pack of dry-erase markers, shampoo & conditioner, brownie mix, dried apricots, fruit straws, 2 kinds of tea, 3 microfiber sponges, flax seeds, some samples, little note paper, $50 gift card to Red Robin, $5 gift card to Starbucks, instant coffee, ginger-orange marmalade, and a few other things I probably missed. I won the July Extravaganza Give-Away from moneysavingmom.com .  It feels like such a gift from God--like He knew the odds of me really winning were very small, but He also knew that it would be a big boost to my somewhat stressful week and so He picked me to win.  I really like that thought. It makes God feel like such a personal caring God, which I know He is. If you are looking for some good summer rea...

So once again I am at work and a little bored today.  I am waiting on a baby to arrive and I have to be honest, I wish it would get its act in gear and get with the program.  This is Wednesday after all and is supposed to be my afternoon off.  Last Wednesday I was here for 14 hours instead of 4 and this Wednesday is threatening to be a repeat though not as many hours, hopefully. Just a few things to keep in mind again when you are having a baby: (by the way, so far we have the model couple here): - Even if you think you know everything, try not to ask questions in such a way as to make the nurse get her dander up.  She loves to take the time to answer questions, but she does not appreciate feeling on the defensive when the questions are asked in such a way as to make the nurse feel inferior like she may or may not know what is going on. - If you want a labor coach and you don't know if the nurse will comply, then bring your own.  Don't ask the nurse if she i...

I'm in the mood to blog right now--unfortunately I am at work as well.  This may be a little mod-podged as I move from patient to blog and back to patient, but this way, I likely will not forget what it is I want to blog about. Okay too busy, scratch that.  Catch up with everyone later. SORRY!!!

I haven't done a To Do or Not to Do List for awhile so I think I will list a couple of things that come to my mind today. 1.  It is fine to ask to use the phone; however discussing your financial situation in the waiting room is probably a bit too much.  But discussing it on the phone in an exam room when the nurse or doctor are trying to do their job is also a bit annoying; but beings you weren't the patient, I have some patience with you.  I also do understand your desire not to get your bill turned over to the collection agency because yes, that is very unfortunate. 2.  If you are crossing your legs with your one very stinky, decaying foot facing the drawer the nurse is trying to get in, please move.  Move farther than 2 inches too.  Because the nurse is trying to grab her gloves and grab them quickly and they happen to be at the back of the drawer and a little stubborn.  But if you want to, move 2 inches, watch while the nurse struggles to grab h...

I'm reading a book right now called: Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage just isn't Good Enough by Justin and Trisha Davis.  It's a very good book and one I would recommend.  They tell the story of their journey from an ordinary marriage to a bad marriage to an affair and back beyond ordinary to an extraordinary marriage.  It's a challenge to me to keep the communication lines open between D and me and to first and foremost have a close relationship with God depending on Him to meet all my needs. Last night I was reading the chapter called Beyond Ordinary Healing and it was their journey through counseling and relearning the ropes of marriage and most of all looking to God and being willing to have themselves destroyed so they could be rebuilt into the people God meant them to be.  One of their friends told them he was praying Lamentations 3 over them; particularly verse 16.  Now what does verse 16 say?  "He has made me grind my teeth on gravel.  H...

I love organization!!!  That is not to say I am organized, but I like the idea of organization.  For instance, at work, the little plastic blood tubes need to be lined up neatly in the little box where they belong.  Please do not just randomly toss them in there.  Yes, the one box is currently a conglomeration of tossed plastic tubes, but I didn't do it and I didn't take the time to correct the problem today.  But it bothered me pretty much. every. time. I. opened. the. drawer. to get out another tube. Nothing makes me happier than to have a daily planner.  I had been without one for months on end; I just decided it wasn't necessary nor could I really find one I liked.  Finally, this week, I sat down and printed off a few different kinds and decided to try them out to see what I liked best.  And yes, I think I have found a winner.  Does this make me organized?  No, it most certainly does NOT, but I get a thrill of being able to take th...

The big question here is: can I write?  I like to write, but that means nothing to nobody.  Anybody that can string two words together can write, but not everybody will write something that is thought-provoking, stirring, inspiration, laugh-out-loud funny, or motivational or any combination of the above. I just read a good book called "Sparkly Green Earrings" by Melanie Shankle.  It was a free ebook, which is all the rage in my life right now.  (Yes, me, who said that Kindle was so lame and I just want to hold a book in my hands, thank you very much.  But hey, I still like books because their batteries never run low; but Kindle books can always be read in the dark, so there are pros and cons to both side)  Now, where were we?  Anyway, this Melanie Shankle, she can write.  She writes about the first 8 years being a mom and while I can't relate to the stories, I find them very humorous. That brings me to the next topic: reading to earn books. ...

The Perennials are peeping through The Lilacs are budding There's some green grass coming through the dead stuff. The sky is an awesome color of blue.  Just awesome!!!!!!!!! It's been way too long since we had blue sky, so it's a double awesomeness. It's the season for iced coffee!!!!!!!  Yes, I just got a new camera and am determined to learn how to operate it more than just auto mode.  And Yes, I  know I have a LONG ways to go before any professionalism emerges. It's been spring in the house for awhile already as my geranium bloomed most of the winter.  It's the season for flip flops.   \\ Just more awesome blue sky Meet Gomez--the only male and the only sold puppy

How can life be so full of joy and so bound by sorrow?  The sorrow presses down and threatens to overwhelm and the joy lifts up and causes the step to be a little lighter.  Why can't all the steps be light, fluffy, joyful steps?  I know, I know; then we wouldn't grow, but the pain, the pain, it can be so painful, so tough, so depressing. The couple who looks forward to their baby only to find out halfway through that life has fled.  Yes, they know that the little one is in a better place, but still they grieve.  Tears threaten as I touch the little cold body, but joy can fill the heart when you think about the little girl in heaven with Jesus maybe playing with her uncle who went to heaven many years ago. There it is: that oxymoron of grief and joy.  Somedays, you plow through life, living in joy and then something happens and you are reminded of your loss.  And yet, while you are thinking of your loss, you are thinking of heaven's gain.  When...

I have changed jobs apparently.  I don't know how it happened or what caused it.  I'm not even sure if it is exciting even.  It was definitely unintentional. Last week, we had a couple there to have a baby---uneducated would be a nice description for them.  No classes, no clue.  The grandma was along and she wasn't much better for knowledge.  It could have been a frustrating or a humorous day.  I chose to make it humorous. Questions like: is the cord around the neck--is that what is keeping the baby from being born?  Can't you just pull the baby out? Google-eyed staring with a rather shell shocked look for a lot of the time by the new dad.  I really felt somewhat sorry for them because I think they were completely unprepared for the dramatic arrival of their little boy.  I have a feeling their plan was to show up at midnight like they did and have the baby about an hour or two later with minimal pain and discomfort.   The gran...