My Latest Read

I was looking through my bookshelves on Sunday night (now that they are all unpacked, organized by category, and alphabetized by author) because I was ready for a new book to read. Having finished the first in the Anne of Green Gables series, followed up with Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs, I wanted something different.

I scanned the sections of my personal library:



Antique Books: No, I fear damaging the pages too much to pull one of those out.






"School" Fiction: (books I've read for grades since junior high, and I reread them because I like them...) No, I've read all those at least twice, some four or five or ten times. I want something different.









Anthologies: Like those above, this is a collection of collections of works which I have read numerous times...no, this is not exactly what I am in the mood for, but close...








Mysteries, Suspense, etc.: Kinda my "other" section...Dean Koontz, Stephen King, a couple Danielle Steel novels for good measure, and some random hard cover novels that I don't believe go with my school fictions. No, these are of the same vein as Kathy Reichs, and I want something different.







Comic Books and Related Texts: Yes, comic books. Wonder Woman, Spiderman, Justice League of America, random comics from authors I know and/or like, anthologies of comics, etc. No - I'm in the mood for a deep read, not a quick read.








Business and Self-Help Books: Why Good Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Negotiation Skills, Men are from Mars..., etc. No, I am not in the mood to improve my negotiating skills or determine why it is that I am still in a cubicle at age 35.







Books for Which I Was the Developmental Editor: What? If your name was on the inside of a book, wouldn't you want to keep those you put blood, sweat, and tears into? The shelf includes the first text I ever worked on, which won First Edition of the Year for the company, as well as some that I was so proud just to get into print. The majority of that shelf, however, holds my pride and joy, in every version I published, as well as all its supplemental works: The Gregg Reference Manual, Tenth Edition. Go find it in a bookstore and check out the Copyright Page. I'm on there (maiden name). No, I don't really want to read the rules for using commas right now.







Books about Writing: For some reason, I have a whole collection of books that are supposed to teach me how to be a writer...No, not in the mood to ponder why it is I can't sit down and right the next great American novel.









Writing Manuals: This section is different from the above...APA, MLA, Harbrace, Chicago Manual, etc. Style guides. No, I don't need to know how to put in the correct citation right now.










Reference: Still different from previous categories. Includes dictionaries, thesauri, language dictionaries, etc. No. I don't want to know what the Spanish word for "imagination" is right now, or what all the different definitions of the word "strike" might be (but maybe later).






Finally! I found the section that called out to me, as it were:

Bibles: An entire section. All the Bibles I have ever owned, from childhood through high school through college and into adulthood. I remembered that many times I've tried to read the Book completely through, and many times I've failed...so, I wanted to try again.

I'm not even through "Genesis" yet, but here are some "Things That Make You Go Hmmm" moments that I have re-discovered:

"Genesis" has many sections on the "begets." If you can make it through all those, you can make it through the rest of the book.

When God created the firmament (Heaven), He made it to separate the water from the water...so, there is water in Heaven.

When God created land, He put it all in one place - historically known to us humans as "Pangaea" before the great Continental Drift...cool, huh?

Did you know that Noah was directed by God to collect SEVEN of every clean animal, a male and his female, and TWO of every unclean animal, a male and his female? So, that would mean 14 of every clean animal and four of every unclean animal. Also, SEVEN of each bird, a male with his female. Another set of 14...sure, they walked in two-by-two, but there were more than two of each animal!

Here's to learning and re-learning things I've been learning all my life...

Answers from God

You don't always get the answer you want, and you don't always get an answer WHEN you want it. However, God always does answer your heart-felt prayers.

Think back on your youth when you thought life was hard. What did you pray for? People at school be your friend? The cute boy to ask you out? Good grades? A new bike or car?

What did you get? Not then...but since. What prayers from your youth have been answered SINCE your youth.

I wanted people in school to like me. I was awkward and nerdy and what I call a "floater." I could talk with any clique, but I only had a few really close friends. Over time, however, I have built relationships with new people, grown as a person, and seen how others from my past have grown and redeveloped relationships. I thank God for inspiring facebook so that I can enjoy new-found friendships with long-ago acquaintances and classmates.

I wanted the cute boy to ask me out...Sometimes when the cute boy asked me out, his personality wasn't that cute. My prayers for a life-long companion changed so many times...God was giving me the opportunity to really understand for myself what it was I wanted in a spouse. He helped weed out all the close-but-not-quite-right fellas. Some of them were great guys; they just weren't for me. It may have taken me almost 30 years to meet my forever, but I can't imagine that there is anyone else in the world who is a more perfect match for me. We share a bond in God, which is something I honestly was never really looking for (until God sent him to me).

I always prayed for good grades, and most of the time I got them. College was harder, but that made me work harder to get the grades. God pushed me and gave me a drive that holds true now - I work hard for what I get.

Oh man, did I want a car...I drove my dad's 1977 Bronco in high school, complete with a gun rack in the back window (we all had gun racks...). I called her "Baby," and she was good to me. I really wanted my own car, though...I've had a number of my own cars now, and I worked hard for them, as well. And you know what? All that hard work gave me the strength to get bigger things, like our new house!

God helped me by pushing me in the right direction. He let me fail occasionally so I would understand and value hard work and real love and lasting relationships. He may not answer my prayers when I want or give the answer I am looking for, but He is always there.