Gravel Road Musings

"One thing I know for sure, you either get bitter or better by what life throws at you." This is my takeaway quote from this book. And it is so true, but something I forget way too easily. This is a nice breezy summer read. Set on an island, the feel is warm and sunshiny. I mean what can go wrong on an island? But wait, there's the missing lobster, the painters who don't show up, the mayor who's a real character and then there's Peg, who you just have to love. But, none of these are the main characters, the three sisters who are here to help their dad out, to help restore a long-held dream. And, of course, there's romance. I mean it's a nice summer read after all, isn't that what you would expect? I will say this romance is fairly understated, things go wrong and things go very right, but not necessarily as you would guess. There's not a defined ending, but I'm guessing there are more books coming. There are three sisters after all ...

Building Traditions that Breathe Life into Your Home "Traditions are a planned determination to remember, celebrate, and value what is important." "Traditions offer security. Traditions provide comforting memories. Traditions make life sparkle. Traditions remind us what matters. Traditions connect us to others. Traditions shower love. Traditions are worth it." I debated getting this book because it just felt like another to-do list, another reminder of how much I fail as a mom to make life fun and interesting for my children. But I'm also a sucker for books like this that are brimming with ideas and to-do lists, so I got it. Jessica has some really good things to say. She understands the busy mom who doesn't have a lot of margin in her day.  She doesn't ask every mom to go out and plan a big five-course dinner every night of the week because that is what your children will remember. She does stress the importance of food in a child's ...

Karen Kingsbury does it again. Only four chapters in and I was wiping my tears. I haven't read a lot of Karen's books in the last couple of years, but this is the second one this year and I am really wanting to go back and start at the beginning and read all of her backlists. This book is once again about the Baxter's, a lovely close-knit family that Karen has devoted many books to. The main character is Cole, an 18-year-old son of Ashley Baxter Blake. He is mature for his age, compassionate and completely sold out for God. Elise, the other main character, is also 18 and one semester of bad choices has led to a teen pregnancy. This is the journey of first love, hard choices, redemption, and lasts. And I hope it's not the last we will hear of Cole and Elise. I want to know how their story ends. This book gripped me. I couldn't read it fast enough and yet I didn't want it to end. I think there were a few reasons for this, one was in the early pages of the bo...

 The day stretched out in front of me as I sat on the couch sipping another cup of coffee and contemplating my quiet time. Without warning, the tears started falling and my mind struggled to grasp what was going on? Why now? Why am I fighting against life now? It was going relatively smoothly and so why this uprising in my spirit? A scream punctuates the relative quiet of two children playing, "It's mine, he took my toy." I once again began my mantra, "What are you supposed to do when that happens?" "What is the right choice to make?" "You may not scream."  And the normal response came back to me, "But he started the fussing or the fight or whatever name the event was dubbed that time" And my mind wants to shut down and flee the scene. I feel ambivalent about it all. Can you guys just settle your own fights for once? Or better yet, how about you play nicely for once? There's a novel idea. An hour later, I am blissfully cl...

The Atlanta Cotton Exposition of 1895 is the historical event this book is built around. Laurel, the main female character, has been bossed by her five older siblings and told she may not leave their widowed mother to get married, that it is her responsibility to provide care to her in her dotage. Her mother, at this point in time, is perfectly able to care for herself, but the siblings laid down the law. Now Laurel thinks that snagging a rich man would be the answer to her problems. And that is about all the plot specifics I am planning to give. But what about character? This book flips point of view from Laurel to the potential rich suitor to a poor, honest, hard-working young man to a black man and it shows the growth of character throughout the book. Laurel discovers that racial prejudice and social classes are very much alive and thriving in 1895 and she must choose how this all will affect her life. I thought Kim Vogel Sawyer did an excellent job at developing the character...

A Journey of Letting Go, Hanging on and Finding a Peace You Almost Forgot Was Possible The first thing I have to say about this book is just Go Read It!!  I really want to shout it at you in all caps, but I have the sense to realize that just because the book hit me between the eyes and I highlighted extensively on my Kindle version (I don't think I could highlight a paper copy), does not mean it will hit everyone the same way. I was reading this book at a time in my life when I really needed to surrender control, to be obedient to God's call, and to also be willing to accept help. These are all things that Jennifer talks about in this book. Jennifer was a news reporter and loved it until God kept pulling on her control strings and asking her to give up that job, then she taught news reporting until God asked for that job too. Now she writes about the greatest story of all: Jesus and following Him and does an amazing job of it as well. I think this is the first book I hav...

The ringing phone interrupted me as I stood by my car on a sunny Tuesday afternoon four years ago. Stopped in the middle of a conversation about my dad's looming heart surgery, I was jolted, stunned and changed by the news that a very good friend had died in childbirth. So out of our control. Nearly three years later, another ringing phone jolted us from our normal Monday evening activities. I was cleaning up the kitchen from supper when the call came telling us that D's mom and dad were in an accident and it didn't look good for Mom. Another phone call later and our worst fears were confirmed, Mom had passed away, killed instantly. Again, out of our control And now exactly four years later, on a Friday evening, we sat at the kitchen table eating a snack when the phone rang again. Again, it was a phone call we were not expecting, but a phone call that irrevocably changed our lives. No nobody had died, as D kept repeating throughout the weekend, but our lives will ...