Books, Books, Everywhere and Never a One to Read

 

I’m surrounded by an embarrassment of riches.

I have more books than I can read. I keep collecting more because I have a hard time letting one go if it’s still unread.

I’m doing better. I periodically go through my stacks and take out the ones that I’ve had for over two years. If I haven’t gotten to it so far, chances are good I never will.

But I recently dug deep in my stack and pulled out a couple of oldies, with mixed results. Two books by two different authors who will remain nameless. Both bestselling. Both in their eighties, now. Both with popular series.

One of the books was a home run. It was delightful, and up to the usual standards of that author.

The other… not so much. It’s obvious this author is past their prime. The book clocked in at about 180 pages. Thick pages. With w  i  d  e  margins. The murder didn’t happen until about page 140. The reader never met the victim in person. The murderer made a cameo appearance early in the story and then went back to California (a handy place to stow suspects until you need them, I guess. Lucky us).

Anyway, it’s a reminder that every book is a gift, every story a new discovery waiting to be enjoyed.

Last book read: Through the Fire by Shawn Grady (highly recommended)

Currently reading: New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Last movie: Roman Holiday

Today I’m praying for: Francine’s dad, Bev, Darlene.

Is It Lost If You Never Had It?

So, a couple of weeks ago I got an email that I had won an online drawing for two tickets to a concert from the local newspaper. I celebrated (which means I yelled “Whoo hoo!” and clapped my hands and posted it on Facebook), called a friend to go with me, and tootled off to the newspaper office to pick up my tickets.

Except, no one had any tickets to the concert with my name on them. In all fairness, they did look. The person who emailed me was on vacation by the time I went by in person so she was no help. I waited forty-five minutes while they looked. When I got home, I forwarded the email telling me I was a winner.

They tried to buy me tickets. The concert was sold out. They offered to give me tickets to an upcoming show at the same venue. But nothing else really excites me.

All during the wait, the search, the apologies, the counteroffers, I kept wondering if I should be angry.

Someone messed up. Big time.

But, I didn’t buy the tickets, so I wasn’t out any money.

I lost some time while I waited for the staff to search. I used some gas driving downtown to an inconvenient destination.

But I never had the tickets so how can I be upset when I lost them? I shrugged and called my friend to say, “Good news! You’re free tomorrow night after all. We’re not going to a concert.”

It made me think of all the things I do have. Grace. Salvation. A loving husband, great kids. A working air conditioner in my home and my car.

So what if I didn’t get to see Big & Rich in concert? I’m blessed indeed.

Technorati Tags: Free,blessing

Miracles

 

When I was a kid, I loved Edgar Eager’s books. They were about a group of kids who discovered magic. There was Half Magic, Magic by the Lake, Knight’s Castle, and maybe a few others.

There were rules that had to be obeyed, and the magic had limitations. One of the vignettes has always stayed with me. One child used her turn with the magic to help someone (her father?) at his job at a television station. One of the other children scolded her and said the magic wasn’t supposed to be used in that way.

She silenced him when she asked, “Television is magic. How else can you explain it?”

Now I know there is science behind television transmission, but really, magic sums it up nicely. Pictures are turned into invisible waves and sent through the air where they reassemble in my living room. Yep, magic.

Today I got to thinking about miracles. I’m surrounded by miracles every day and how many of them go unnoticed?

A beautiful sunrise is a miracle. No, any sunrise is a miracle. The earth stayed in its orbit, at the right speed, so the sun and our continent met at the right time, in the right place.

Antibiotics are miracles. Chemotherapy. Dialysis. A baby’s birth. Email. Jellyfish. A fresh nectarine.

Mysterious. Magical. Miracles.

All of them.

Yet Again

I think I’ve figured it out, by George. Who is George, anyway?? This should show up June 9th. 

This is Only a Test

I knew an application like this had to exist somewhere and I kept meaning to search for it and find it. Then today I was nosing around on someone else’s blog getting their side of a kerfluffel and there it was: “I use blah blah app to write my blog posts all at once and publish them whenever I want.”

Ah haaaa… I looked and found it and downloaded it (not easy to do now with all the security and swine flu protection on my computer) and now I’m trying it out. This is a test.

BFF

Apparently today is Best Friends Day. I was informed about this by the Today Show. Then just to be sure, I googled it and found a plethora of web sites confirming this auspicious ...holiday...er?...occasion?...um... confirming this day.

I don't make friends easily, but once you're a friend, you're a friend for life. I don't lose contact with very many people unless they make it plain it's time to let go. I'm still close to my high school best friend. Of course, the relationship has changed. We don't talk about the cute guy in Algebra anymore. Or if we do, it's our kid's teacher. (Just kidding, Hon.)

There are different kinds of friendships. There's the friend of proximity. That's the neighbor or the parents of our kids' friends.

The friendship of shared interests, like the other gals at the craft store/yarn shop/book club.

Friends of friends. People you don't even really like but other people you do like, like them, so you become friends with them, too. Thankfully, I don't have too many in this category. Most of my friend's friends are great people and I genuinely like them.

Family. These are the people you'd be friends with even if you didn't have to spend holidays with them arguing about who makes the best gravy.

Friends of the heart. These are the ones that you share your authentic self with. The people who laugh at the same absurdities in life. The ones you can call in a crisis and not wonder if you're interrupting something important. The ones who drop everything and come even though you've told them you're okay. The ones who send chocolate.

So here's to Jeannine, Colleen, Debbie, Leann, Nancy, Abbie, Debbie, Terry, Kristi, Chrissy, Debbie, Michelle, Carol, Lisa, Kim, Carol, Lisa, Lorna, Linda, Katie, Cheryl, Jo, Kim, and my sweetest friends, Amber and Taryn.

Today I prayed for: Peggy, Sue, Gayle.

Currently reading: Just finished Say Goodbye. Next up: I'm thinking it's time to try Twilight.

Last movie: The Lake House