Beauty on the Backroads

Stories of grace for life's unexpected turns

faith & spirituality

A connection with the past — what's saving my life right now

I was catching up on blog reading recently when I came across this post by Sarah Bessey (Read her; she’s refreshing.) about what is saving her life right now. A day later, she asked the question of others: What is saving your life right now?

For me, it’s a no-brainer. A book is saving my life right now. That’s not surprising since books have routinely saved me in my lifetime.

Saved me from boredom and loneliness. From outside chores (sorry Mom and Dad). From going absolutely crazy because life is crazy and I need an escape. Books have saved me from overextending myself, from becoming someone I don’t want to be, from actions I would regret.

This book, in particular, is saving my faith.

It’s The Book of Common Prayer. It’s ancient. But far from boring. Or irrelevant. Reading from this book daily reminds me of three things:

  1. I am a sinner, deeply in need of God’s grace.
  2. I am not alone.
  3. This faith journey I walk did not begin with me nor does it end with me.

In the “Why, God?” and “Where, God?” and “Oh, God” moments — of which there are many these days — The Book of Common Prayer tethers me. I am one link in a human chain that spans centuries and continents and will go on longer than my puny life here.

And when I’m upset with myself and upset with the Church and upset with the world,  I am stilled by the quiet confidence of the prayers found here. They point me to God, who is before all, above all, and after all.

My faith was faltering when this book was gifted to us.

Calling it a book is such an understatement. It is a link to the past. And hope for the future. It is the testament of saints who left the earth long ago and the testament of saints still walking the earth. And the words spoken by both join them in an eternal song.

So, what’s saving your life right now?

Join the conversation here.

For the detours of life: Review of Heart Echoes by Sally John

I’m a day late with my book review this week. Our son was sick and spent most of the day sweating and sleeping on my lap. Which means I had time to finish a book while watching The Olympics. (Talented, I know.)

The book was this one:

I’ve never read Sally John’s books before. And although this is the third in her Side Roads series, it would seem that you’re not “out of the loop” having not read the first two. Looks like the other two have different characters but contain similar themes about marriage. (A side note: I learned that Sally John grew up in Moline, Illinois, just a hop, skip and a jump from my hometown of Dixon, Illinois. Though she lives in California now, I will forever claim kinship with her for her midwestern roots.)

Heart Echoes starts with an earthquake and never lets up in intensity. Teal Morgan is trapped in traffic when the quake hits. Her husband, River, is home, trapped under a stack of bins in their garage. Daughter Maiya is nowhere to be found. They all physically survive the quake; it’s the aftershocks that almost destroy them.

Teal has been hiding the identity of Maiya’s father for all of her daughter’s 16 years. River, her stepdad, is the father Maiya never had, but she’s at an age where she starts questioning and seeking. River lost his first wife and unborn son in an accident a decade earlier and the quake stirs in him feelings of loss and the risks of love. Their lives were headed in a predictable direction before the quake. Now, they find themselves on a detour none of them asked for.

Their journey to truth, wholeness, joy and a beautiful life is intense and heartbreaking at times. This story reaches deep inside to our darkest parts and brings them into the light of love. It’s not always pretty, but it is beautiful.

Like life, itself.

Bravo, Sally John. You have drawn a picture of marriage that is gritty and untidy and insecure yet flourishes with patience, commitment and love.

I’m a new fan.