Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Archives for December 2011

Saturday smiles – family and friends edition

It’s Christmas Eve. And a Saturday. So, I’m reflecting on all the things that made me smile this week. Being home with family makes the list longer than usual. A good problem to have.

My first one-hour massage. Or any massage for that matter. It was heavenly.

Sherlock Holmes. My husband and I took a date day and saw the second one in the series. Love, love, love.

Dressing alike, unintentionally, and embracing the awkwardness. Hi, we’re the Paisleys.

Buddy day. And watching the next generation of buddies embrace our kids in play and fun. We are blessed with friendships we sometimes take for granted.

Apples to Apples. Best. Game. Ever.

Watching White Christmas with my daughter and my mom. She is the fourth generation of Johnson women to practice this tradition. We’ve added eggnog and Archway cashew nougat cookies to our annual viewing.

Leaving cookies out for Santa.

Meal planning and cooking with my partner in life, love and food. We stocked my sister-in-law’s freezer for worry-free meals after her baby is born, and we planned a holiday lunch for my husband’s family. It was an experimental sort of lunch for us, but thanks to our Food Network viewing habits, it was a success.

My son’s well-timed outbursts. He particularly likes to shout things in church when all is quiet. Tonight, he loudly proclaimed, “I want Mommy to wipe my nose!” and “No, I don’t want to go with Daddy.” Nothing says Christmas Eve candlelight service like a stubborn 2-year-old.

Christmas jammies.

Talking to my nephew, who is yet to be born. And watching our 3-year-old daughter place her hand on her aunt’s pregnant belly and feel her cousin kick. Precious.

Monkey Joe’s.

And an aunt and uncle willing to chase their niece and nephew around the complex and play.

Christmas — merry, indeed.

Dying to die, called to live: Review of “Life, In Spite of Me” by Kristen Anderson with Tricia Goyer

I will think of Kristen Anderson every time I hear a train whistle or cross a set of tracks.

She was 17 the day she decided to die. Kristen laid down on a set of railroad tracks, in front of an oncoming train, and waited. What she describes in her book, Life, In Spite of Me, is horrifying and shocking. When I hear a train whistle, I think of the moments she describes and shudder. Amazingly, Kristen didn’t die that night. But she did lose both of her legs.

What follows in the book is her journey from the depths of wanting to die through the despair of wondering why she was still alive to the decision to follow Christ that gives her renewed purpose and an extraordinary outlook on life.

Kristen’s story is honest and raw. The details are difficult to read sometimes, but your heart will break for this young woman’s experiences. She is courageous to tell her story so openly.

She is also a picture of hope and redemption, living proof that God is in control and has a plan, even when we can’t see it or don’t follow it.

This was a quick and compelling read, peppered with vivid language and details that place the reader at the accident scene, in hospital rooms and in the middle of Kristen’s personal struggles to cope with her suicide attempt and the physical and mental recoveries from it.

I won’t soon forget Kristen’s story. If you’re looking for a light holiday read, save this one till after the New Year, but definitely put it on your “want to read” list.

—————————————————————————–

Want a sneak peek? Click here for the first chapter.

—————————————————————————————————–

In exchange for this review, I received a complimentary digital copy of Life, In Spite of Me from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of the Blogging for Books program.

Want a chance to win a free book? Click the link below and rate this review on the Blogging for Books site.
http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/bloggingforbooks/reviews/ranking/15043