Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

Lisa

Another moving family story: Review of Another Way Home by Deborah Raney

No matter what your family gatherings are like, take a break from all the upcoming holiday planning and preparations with the third book in Deborah Raney’s Chicory Inn series, Another Way Home. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book through Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my review.)

another way homeThe Chicory Inn series centers on the Whitman family, parents Grant and Audrey who have turned their empty nest into a bed-and-breakfast, and the ongoing trials and triumphs of their children. Each book focuses on one of their grown children’s family and how as a family they rely on each other and their faith to endure the struggles of life. (Read more about the first two books here and here.)

Another Way Home highlights Danae and Dallas, who have been trying for years to get pregnant and are at the point of considering other options. It is straining their marriage, so Danae begins volunteering at a women’s shelter, infusing new passion into her life. Then Thanksgiving weekend brings Danae and Dallas an opportunity that brings them great joy and also potential heartache. As the family rallies around them, will they find God’s ways to be better than they expected?

Even though I have a family that is nothing like the Whitmans, I find the situations Raney writes about to be realistic and moving.  If you’re concerned that a series featuring a family will be “too perfect” then think again. The Whitman family has issues, and they care about each other. I love the interactions between siblings and couples and  the descriptions of the chaotic family gatherings when grandchildren are running around and playing.

It takes me home to my own family’s gatherings.

And each book’s end makes me look forward to the next in the series.

Each book is capable of being read on its own, but to get the complete family story, start at the beginning.

Learn more about Raney and her books here.

What losing my voice teaches me about finding it

I lost my voice this week. For three agonizing days, my throat has hurt to talk, and while I’m not what you would call “chatty,” I am a communicator, and having a weak voice at best has been frustrating.

My son, God love him, who is almost 6, thinks it’s hilarious to say, “What? I can’t hear you” when I ask him a question. I’m pretty sure he can hear me, and I’m not always patient in my reply.

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Photo by David Mao | via unsplash

The first day, I was whispering and then a friend told me that whispering is actually harder on your voice than regular speaking, so I gave up on that and tried to use my voice at whatever level I could. My daughter, who is 7 1/2, took to repeating everything I said so that her brother would attempt to follow directions. I gestured a lot and tried to communicate messages to my husband so he could speak for me. I’m not sure I realized how much I talk to the kids until I couldn’t.

It’s exhausting to have no voice. Everything is harder. I haven’t received many phone calls, which is good, because I would probably let most of them go to voicemail. I’m grateful to still have the ability to text and e-mail and write things on Facebook, so at the end of the day I still feel like I’ve communicated something. But it’s hard for me to resist speaking to my in-real-life people.

There’s a moment each morning when I wonder if my voice has come back. I’m almost reluctant to try it out because of the disappointment I’ll feel if it hasn’t returned. Each day shows some improvement, but I’m not sure when I’ll be fully functional again.

 

To read the rest, head over to Putting on the New, where I blog on the 12th day of each month.