Frustrated

I am trying to make some changes to my blog. They aren't really turning out how I wanted them. Oh, well. I'm getting tired and the lyme has been kicking my butt lately. So, I guess the blog will stay this way for now. I'll update it and change the background soon. Good night.

Plain Paradise by Beth Wiseman

I chose to read this book because I was curious about why Amish novels are the ‘big thing’ right now. I personally know Amish people, and I was curious to see how they were depicted and what type of story lines could be written around such a quiet, spiritual people.

Plain Promise is a ‘Daughters of Promise Novel’ which the book states, “focuses on one woman and her journey into the Amish Community”. This book is about the relationship between an Amish girl, Linda, and her English mother, Josie. Josie comes back to the small Amish community seventeen years after giving her daughter up for adoption to an Amish couple. The story entails the emotions felt by all sides, Linda, Josie, and Josie’s adoptive parents. While new relationships are being forged, old relationships are being put to the test. It is a story about change and hope.

The book focuses mostly on the Amish and their way of life, interjecting some of the German vocabulary into the story (don’t worry; there is a dictionary of the words used). It explains how the Amish live simple lives of faith and how family is the most important thing to them. I was very eager to read this book because it is set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and I have family there. My family is friends with Amish people, and I have spent time in their home and observed their culture firsthand. Most of what the author wrote is true of the Amish. The only thing that I found to be different is that the author has the characters using German words when speaking with non-Amish people, and from my experiences, they do not do that, the will only speak German to each other.
Other than that, what is depicted in the book is true.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was written well, and the story was moving and touching. The story was wonderful and it definitely flowed well and was an overall good read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fiction that is heartwarming and wholesome.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Reflecting on what Christ has done

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4:10

Tomorrow is Good Friday. I like to reflect on what Jesus did for me. I don't ever want to forget, so for me, on Good Friday I think about how much He suffered and sacrificed so that I can be saved and have freedom in Him.
Over the past year, even through the times when I've felt totally alone, Jesus has been preparing my heart to know how much He loves me. It's one thing to hear about how God loves us. It's another thing to truly believe it. For a long time, I don't think I truly, deeply, believed it. But, during this trial, walking this hard road, I have learned, felt, and experienced the overwhelming love of Christ Jesus. Sometimes it brings me to tears.
So, on this Good Friday, maybe we all should take the time and realize how deep His love is for us. It's unbelievable and overwhelming.

Another weekend...

Well, it was pretty cold here for a spring day. It was so nice to see the trees budding and flowers beginning to peek out of the ground. Spring is such a hopeful time. Today I felt pretty good, and even though it was cold, the sun was still shining. I didn't do much today, and when that happens I feel like I've wasted an entire day, which is something I swore I wouldn't do once I started to feel better.

Missing my Dad

Today would have been my Dad's 64th birthday. It's a sad day for me and I miss him alot. There are so many things that have happened in my life that I wish I could've shared with him. It's not the same without him. I have so many memories of him, yet I feel as if I was robbed of so many more I could have had. My father was a good man. He loved his family more than anything. He would do anything for anyone and help you out in any way he could. I hope he is having a great time in heaven. I can't wait for the day I see him again. I know he is with Jesus and is so much happier there, but I still miss him. I miss his hugs. I miss his voice. I miss his funny sayings. It's a relationship that can never be replaced; the love between a father and a daughter.
I thank God everyday that HE fills that void in my life. Psalm 68:5 says "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows,is God in his holy dwelling."
I love you and miss you, Daddy.

New Layout

Tonight I decided to play around a little with my blog. I changed a few things, and added a few things. Why? Well, because the way my blog was set up was very boring. So, I hope the changes are for the better.

What do you think?

One of those days

Ever just have 'one of those days'? Well, I'm having one today. It's a beautiful day. Its finally warm. It's sunny. It started out wonderful. No stress. Just a nice, warm, sunny day. Then, a phone call. Nothing tragic. Just another stressful thing to add onto the ever-increasing list of things. I just didn't need it today. But, what can I do? So, as I sat on the couch, a million thoughts going through my head, wondering what I am going to do next, I found myself telling myself to pray. Shouldn't it be the first response to any situation? Especially a situation that is so out of my own control? I quickly said a prayer in my head, but continued on my way, doing useless things. Even now, I'm typing this blog when I should be in prayer. It's amazing how the enemy can sidetrack us, and how we allow it. So, I am ending now, to spend some time with the only one who can make "one of those days" into a great day. The situation is out of my hands, but it's in His.