I will share...I will BE my own Truth

I don't know what to say about Glennon's heart, LOVE WARRIOR. So much of her words resonated with me in every fiber of my being. So much of her story is so very different from mine, but yet so very many of her FEELINGS are MY feelings, too. What makes LOVE WARRIOR so incredibly amazing, as has already been discussed greatly, is the power of Glennon's TRUTH--her willingness to be vulnerable. (It's no surprise at all that she is teaming with Brene Brown to teach about being Love Warriors!) 

Truth is something we have been studying in my Sunday School class, specifically as it relates to Priscilla Shirer's ARMOR OF GOD, and how we must take EVERYTHING and compare it to the Word of God--the TRUTH. It has been quite powerful studying the belt of truth of how truth gives us Freedom. The more we acknowledge TRUTH and allow TRUTH to be our guide, the free-er we are. 

Glennon says the exact same thing, but in her own way, using her own personal experience. I heard Glennon say that she was more nervous about the release of this book than she has been anything else she's written because of the fact that she has shared so much of herself--she has exposed so much of her own TRUTH. I admire her so much for being willing to lay her heart before us, not asking us to love her as she is, but saying that regardless of whether we love her or not as she is, she loves herself--and she loves.....

As I have been sharing my story in my blog and with people around

me, I hear over and over again how these people find me "brave" in being so vulnerable in sharing my own personal truth. I don't feel that I'm being brave. To me, it's sharing my own Truth and telling others that I love myself exactly as God has created me, and I love.....

We hide behind our masks and only reveal our true selves when someone else shares her truth. Well, who is going to be the first one to open up if we all hide?

Like Glennon Doyle Melton, I am choosing to be unmasked and face the truth of my hurts, pain, sorrow, joys, love, life, friendships, faith, and on and on. I will sit in my "hot lonliness" and FEEL and become the LOVE WARRIOR I am meant to be.

Will you?

Becoming REAL Hurts

"...once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

Honestly, if you've never read THE VELVETEEN RABBIT by Margery Williams, you really should. This classic is a beautiful representation of how it's only when we have been through times that wear us down--bring scars and other things that might be considered ugly--that we become our Real selves. It is our trials and tribulations that make us who we are in life and give us the understanding of what it is to FEEL alive. 

Many of us have heard that we can't know true JOY until we have known true SADNESS. It is the same with THE VELVETEEN RABBIT: this adorable stuffed animal couldn't know true LOVE--couldn't be Real--until he had experienced life to the degree that it wears him down. 

I love this story because it is a wonderful reminder of the fact that Loving is difficult--it can hurt, but in spite of the hurt--the wounds--Love is worth it--there is NOTHING greater than Loving and Being Loved.

I also remember this sweet story because when I was in middle school, a friend of mine, Roger ? (I so wish I could remember his last name), was in the play and my parents and I went to see it. Roger seemed very pleased that I had gone to see his performance. I think it was the first play I'd ever seen. 

Where I got the picture: http://beautyisinside.com/2013/04/the-velveteen-rabbit/

All I want is more.....

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed ALL SHE WANTED by Nicole Deese! Just because I am only giving it 3 stars, don't let that keep you from reading this awesome book. I like this story so very much! It is a sweet love story that simply could not put down. It was only after I had purchased the book that I realized it is actually the second in a series of at least three books. I thought about getting and reading the first book in the series prior to reading ALL SHE WANTED, but I finally decided to go ahead and begin it and see if it made any different whether or not I had read the book that comes before. If it does make a difference reading the first book, I could not tell while reading this one. The neat part is that reading ALL SHE WANTED has ensured my reading the rest of the books in the series and quite possibly everything Nicole Deese has written.

I was fully invested in Briggs' and Charlie's story. I read almost the whole book in one sitting. I would have finished it if I hadn't had to go to a Thanksgiving Dinner this afternoon! But as soon as I got home, I sat down and finished it! Such a sweet story....

There are no real surprises in ALL SHE WANTED. It is a basic love story, but not in the "Harlequin Romance" kind of way. This story is one with characters who are real with real life issues, baggage, hurt, and love. I honestly hope that one of the books Deese has written is about Charlie's parents. They are relatively minor, yet important, characters in Charlie's story; I absolutely adored them!

I'm going to stop writing now so I can go read the first book in this series! Happy Reading!

Finding Happiness

Gretchen Rubin's THE HAPPINESS PROJECT is her wonderful story of taking one whole year to find more fun and happiness in life.  She is beautifully honest in her successes as well as her failures.  I especially love that she clearly states that everyone's "Happiness Project" is/will be different.  She is simply sharing hers as an example and we can use her examples or not as we so choose....which is the way it should always be with projects/books such as hers.  Gretchen's ideas are certainly worthy of copying, but like her, what if I do really LOVE to watch tv while someone around me thinks that's it's "of the devil!"  Should I be ashamed that I LOVE watching tv (movies, in particular)?  Absolutely not.  If it's something I enjoy, something that makes me HAPPY, then I should enjoy it when I have an opportunity to--and receive the happiness from it!!!!  Anyone searching for my happiness in his/her life will more than likely enjoy reading Gretchen's story!

The HP Series really is a work of Genius

As a Christian, I guess I'm supposed to blast the HARRY POTTER series and condemn it, and J. K. Rowling, to eternal hell and damnation. 

I must say, though, that I just don't feel that way.  Regardless of Rowling's beliefs, the HP series is a wonderful allegory (if one wants to see it as such) for the Christian.  What makes it even more awesome than anything else is the fact that the whole series has as major themes, love and friendship.  Of course, sacrificial love is a major part of that, but true friendship--even when friends have times when they don't get along or agree with each other--is a powerful message throughout the whole series.  I love that.  How can anyone say that's wrong? 

Ok.  So the whole series is about witches and warlocks.  But there are witches in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and there's a warlock  or two in THE LORD OF THE RINGS--both of which are praised within the Christian community as wonderful reads.  I won't go any further with this in this post, but I just felt the need to say it......As a Christian, I LOVE the w-h-o-l-e HARRY POTTER series.

Now, a few of the reasons why HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is so well worth the read:

1.  Friendship.  At the end of Book 5, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Ginny, Neville, and Luna all go to the Ministry of Magic together in an attempt to save Sirirus who they all believed was in danger of being killed by Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, himself.  This solidarity for these 6 young people brings them together as friends as not even Harry could conceive.  He honestly had no idea so many people cared--about him--or that he could care about so many.  Harry has always had a bit of a "hero-complex," but when his friends stand WITH him to do battle--even if it meant their deaths, that's some powerful stuff.  It always makes me cry.  In this 6th book in series, we see their friendships continue to grow and become more powerful.  Of course, we still don't get enough of Neville to make me truly happy, but we all realize that the series could be the NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM series if Tom Riddle hadn't chosen Harry as his enemy rather than Neville!

BTW:  I refuse to call him Lord Voldemort.  It's the name that give him more power than he deserves.  I think of him as Tom Riddle, just an ordinary warlock who went rogue in a desire for too much power.  He doesn't deserve to be called the name he himself chose....

2.  Harry and Ginny finally get together.  Well, sort of.  It's about time!  Of course, it didn't need to be any sooner because that would take away from the anticipation of Harry one day realizing that he loves her as much as she's loved him from the very beginning. 

3.  Ron and Hermoine begin to realize their feelings for each other.  I truly wish Ron (Won-Won) didn't have to have the relationship with Lavender, but at the same time, it's part of what begins to open Ron's eyes to the fact that he's cared about Hermoine more than he thought--even from the first--and vice versa.  It's wonderful that we have to wait until Book 7 to see the two of them actually "consummate" their relationship, but it's definitely fun in Book 6 watching them begin to see the other with their "special eyes."  (I stole that from that 1-800 Contacts commercial!  LOL!)

4.  Snape is evil, yet throughout this school year, because Harry uses Snape's old Potions book, Snape actually helps Harry....which is what Snape has always tried to do!!!  The irony is that rather than seeing Snape for who and what he truly is, it makes Harry hate him even more.  It makes me love him even more!  I know it's a challenge for me to say this and you believe me, but even before I'd read the series through the first time or before I'd seen any of the movies, I just KNEW that there was more to Snape than meets the eye.  Sure, we see Snape at his worst--after all, he kills Dumbledore--but at the same time, we also begin to see how much he really does care about his students.  Sure, he's made a deal with Dumbledore that he'll have to kill Dumbledore when the time comes, but in large part, it's so Draco doesn't have to cross that threshold from just a mixed up kid to murderer/killer.  I LOVE Severus Snape!!!!

5.  It's just plain and simply a GREAT book.

What I don't like about Book 6 of the HP series:

1.  That we never find out the whole story of how Dumbledore hurt his hand, leading to his eventual death--whether Snape does the deed or not.  I know we learn enough that we get a really good idea of how he damaged it, but I want to hear the WHOLE story.  Plus, Dumbledore promised Harry that he'd tell Harry.  But he keeps talking about other stuff.  It's good to learn the background of Tom Riddle because it is true that it's easier to take down an enemy when we know his (or her) strengths and weaknesses--plus, we learn about the Horcruxes--but I wanted to hear exactly how Dumbledore cursed his hand.

2.  We don't see Neville enough!  I guess that if Neville was in this book more, the book would have been THAT much longer....I, for one, would not have minded. 

3.  There isn't a #3....and know that the previous 2 aren't really dislikes; they're more like frustrations!!!!!

*Read on the Nook.*