The Lesson of a Box

*FYI:  Spiritual as well as very personal content.  Read at your own discretion:

THE CHRISTMAS BOX by Richard Paul Evans is a simple story about the true meaning of Christmas.  Mary, the elderly woman in the story, truly GETS what Christmas is all about because, like God Himself, she gave (albeit unwillingly) her child's life.  Anyone who has lost a child, knows and understand the sacrifice God made in sending HIS ONLY Son to live and die simply because He loves us so very much.  Parents love their children.  They would do anything to keep their children safe.  Parents would do anything for their children.  Parents hope to give everything possible to their children.  Jesus was the first true Christmas Gift....He was born as a baby--God sent Him because He loved us even though we had yet to be born...and Jesus lived a full life only to die a horrible, terrible, awful death on the cross because HE loved us--and continues to do so. 

God sent His Son to live and die--to be SACRIFICED--for the very simple fact that He loves me, Polly Anna Watson.  He WILLINGLY sent His son to die a sacrificial death.  Wow.

When my children died, I didn't give any of the three of them up willingly--not one.  In fact, if I had my choice, if I had my way, if I could, I would do whatever it took to bring each and every one back home to be with me. 

But God loved me enough that He SENT, He GAVE, He SACRIFICED His ONLY Son..........Wow.  Wow.  And Wow.

He holds my treasures....all of them

**What follows is not only very personal, but has a faith-filled message.  Read at your own discretion:

I try to read Francine Rivers' THE SHOE BOX every year for Christmas.  It is such a wonderful, sweet little book about a boy full of faith even in the worst of circumstances.  Little Timmy has his box of "things" that he gives to Jesus one Christmas....and Jesus accepts Timmy's box of "things" just as if they're THE MOST IMPORTANT TREASURES in the world--even the "things" are simple, ordinary, every-day items that demonstrate love to a hurting little boy.  So very precious and wonderful.

An amazing reminder of the fact that God does hold our hurts...the Bible even says that He catches ALL my tears.  Tears are such simple "things," but anyone who has ever cried over heartbreak, pain, suffering, the loss of a loved one, or even just because knows how very special it is that God Himself has record of each and every tear.

That means a lot to me right now when I seem to cry at the drop of a hat for any reason at any time...when the tears are flowing as if rivers are attached to my eyes---rivers that had been dammed, but the dam has broken....and the valley is flooding.

If God finds such things to be treasures, then it is also a comfort during this season to know that He is holding my three treasures close to His heart:  James Isaac, Panya Ruth, and Anna Rose.  Momma loves you, my Beloveds, but I know that Jesus is taking good care of you......Hold my treasures tight, dear Lord, and take good care of them for me until I can be with them for eternity.....

A few Gentle Reminders

Throughout Rev. Hamlet's very good book about his wonderful dog, Gipper, (The Gospel According to Gipper) he shares "Some Gentle Reminders."  They're based on "some gentle reminders" his son gave him when he was going on an overseas trip.  I love how he uses his very sweet, precious, and most beloved golden retriever Gipper to share these gentle reminders of God's love. 

Rev. Hamlet is a man who will forever be a hero in my book (as will Wayne Wooten and my Dad, Ken Kinsey).  Why are all my heroes men?  Huh.  Interesting.  But for right now, they are--and for various reasons. 

But that's not the point of this.  I want to take a few minutes to write a few of my own "Gentle Reminders" that I feel God has for me:

- Just because I make a decision that others may question does not mean that I do not have His blessing for the decision.  Sometimes decisions I make for myself make no sense to others, but God knows and He is central to all my decision-making.  As long as I keep Him involved, I know that He will work everything out according to His plan.

- Even in my loneliest, most depressed, lowest of the low, saddest, weakest, lowest feelings of self-esteem, HE LOVES ME.  He loves me so much that He rejoices over me.  In fact, "He will exalt over me by singing a happy song" (Zeph. 3:17).  (I love that image.  Yes, it's important that He sent His son to live and die for me.  That is more meaningful that can be put into words, but to imagine that He also loves me enough to sing a happy song--maybe even do a "happy dance" over me is pretty awesome, too.)

- He will NEVER leave me alone or to deal with the trials in my life on my own.  I might try to deal with them on my own, but He is always right THERE waiting for me to let Him have the control when I'm ready to release it again.

- He walks WITH me every single step of the way.

- But even more than walking with me, He CARRIES me when I can't walk any more.  (I'm not doing much walking right now, you know.)

- He holds me when I need to be held.  He wraps His loving arms around me and holds me close--even when my husband my won't/doesn't.

- He is holding my beloved children in His arms, waiting and preparing for the day when we will all be together.

- He is my shield, my protector--He goes before me into every battle.  Even though my armor is battle-scarred and maybe even falling off a little, as long as I continue to stand firm in Him, He will continue to fight my battles for me.  (I just need to let Him.)

- He has sent friends, family, other loved ones, and Godly counsel to this earth to help me when I need it--which is all the time.....

- When I feel unloved, He LOVES me.  (Did I ever tell you that my favorite song when I was a little girl was "Jesus Loves Me?")

Thank You, Lord (and Rev. Hamlet), for this wonderful "gentle reminders."  I needed them today......

I still have hope

As one who has recently decided to separate from her husband, I found this book, Hope for the Separated by Gary Chapman, to be well worth the read.  There are a few things in the book that upset me enough to send me into a depression, though.  for a book that's supposed to be about HOPE, it's odd that I spiraled into depression rather than felt uplifted. 

I spoke with my counselor regarding some of the things that upset me and she said that I have to weed out what's worth reading from what IS in a book like this.  An author like Gary Chapman knows what he's doing, but at the same time, ever situation is different and it's impossible to cover EVERY different type of situation in such a book.

There is a lot of reassurance and a reminder that I do need to stay the course....it is an act of love forcing my husband and I to have a better marriage---a marriage that truly honors God rather than just a marriage where he's here and I'm here and that's all.

Pray for my husband and I........I haven't given up hope...

PARADISE LOST: It is TOOOOOO...........

I just don't have the energy right now to do a full-blown blog about PARADISE LOST.....Suffice it to say that while I love the STORY Milton presents, it is SO INCREDIBLY VAST.  I get that it's an epic poem and as such, must be VAST.  But at the same time, the STORY could have been written in the course of one book rather than in 12 and that's just frustrating.  The descriptions are, indeed, vivid and fill my imagination, but they're TOOOOOOOOOO.............(you fill in the blank). 

I have a thousand topics to talk/write about as far as PL is concerned, but right now, that's all I care about writing.  Maybe one day I'll come back and do a blog/review that does PL justice....

Everyone can know the Will of God

I took a couple of minutes while I was on my retreat this past week to read Charles Shepson's book HOW TO KNOW GOD'S WILL.  Even though I have been able to tell when God wants me to do something most of the time throughout my life, it never hurts to be reminded of other ways God reveals His Will for us.  Plus, it's great to be reminded of how God reveals His will so I am assured that I am, truly, listening to the voice of God rather than just want I want or think I want.  It's a fairly quick read, and definitely well worth anyone's time to read.  The most important point Shepson makes is the importance of being in the Word--reading our Bible.  No matter what, we can't even begin to pretend that we're knowing what God wants for us, or for us to do, if we aren't in the Word EVERY day.  Amen, Brother Shepson.  Amen.

I hope to get a copy or two of this book as soon as I can so I can share it with all my friends!

A good book about books!

Jodi and her daughter Samantha have hit a home-run with BETWEEN THE LINES!  This was a fun, quick read with a great story!  My only negative about the story is that I thought it was pretty predictable.  I know it's a bit of a twist at the end, but it's honestly exactly what I expected to happen--by the time I finished the first full section (the book is laid out with exerts from the book Delilah is reading, the story of the main character in the book Delilah is reading and how he wants to get out (Oliver is his name), and Delilah's version.  So by "section," I mean once the reader gets through the first set of 3 perspectives.  Even with that predictability for me, I thoroughly enjoyed reading BETWEEN THE LINES.  It looks like Samantha Van Leer is well on her way to being a great writer, just like her mom, if not better!

More to LEGACY than meets the eye...

LEGACY is an interesting modern fairy-tale-style story.  It is very predictable, but in mostly a good way.  So far, not one person in the story is turning out to be who I expect each to be.  There are definitely more layers to the different characters than first meets the eye.  The only problem with that is that, to me, it's obvious that the author doesn't want the reader to get too comfortable with the characters' personalities.  She definitely wants there to be an element of mystery to all the characters that it looks like I'm going to have to read the rest of the series to figure out.  There's definitely more to London than meets the eye.  So far, he's my favorite character, but I trust him the least.  Yet, if I had to choose someone from the "Elite Guard" to protect me, I would choose London over everyone else!  And Steldor?  Hmmmm....a player who's more likable than the Princess gives him credit for....I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes these characters in the rest of the series....

Where's Sly?

I don't really have a lot to say about Shakespeare's THE TAMING OF THE SHREW....the biggest thing that always bothers me about this one is the fact that the whole joke on Sly ends by the end of Act I.  We have this whole long "Induction" where we learn about Sly and the Duke's joke that he's playing on Sly, then we see them again, very briefly, at the end of Act I where Sly is accused of falling asleep during the play, and then that's it.  No more Sly.  What happened to Sly?  Why did Shakespeare not finish the frame?  What's the deal?  Did he get tired of that part and just leave it out because he didn't care to finish with it?  Was he forced to finish the play or turn it in "as is" because they needed to begin performing/practicing the play?  What was the deal?  It's so odd.....

I'm not going to talk about how truly odd it is that Petruchio is able to "tame" Katherine to such a degree that she is....and apparently pretty quickly, at that!  Interesting.....

Happy Late Roald Dahl Day!

I started re-reading THE BFG a few weeks ago in honor of "Roald Dahl Day."  THE BFG is my favorite Dahl book, so it was awesome to revisit it.  Of course, it's just the strangest thing that a giant reaches in to an orphanage, kidnaps a little girl, and when he takes her back to England, no one questions the kidnapping!  And, even though Sophie has only known the BFG for one day, they've already connected such that she looks at him as a father and he at her as a daughter....even though half the time, the BFG is accusing Sophie of being rude, interrupting and/or correcting him all the time. 

No matter what, though, I love Dahl!  I wish I'd been more aware of him when I was younger because he was alive when I was in high school and just starting college.  I could have gone to a book signing or something like that if I'd been paying better attention!  Oh well.  At least now I can appreciate him and his works as they deserve to be....!!!

I sure hope everyone gets a chance to pick up and read ANY Roald Dahl book as soon as you can!

Portfolios (ePortfolios)

A very good resource for starting a portfolio program.  Short, sweet, and to the point information.  More help is needed regarding the Assessment part, but overall, a good read for anyone looking in to working with Portfolios.  Needs to be updated to include more appropriate information for ePortfolios, though.

(3 stars is because it's not an INTERESTING read.  But as far as an informative read about portfolios, it's at the top of the list.)

Pandas, Pandas, Pandas, Pandas

Any book about pandas gets a high five, in my opinion.  Jack and Annie do it again in Mary Pope Osborne's MAGIC TREE HOUSE #48:  A PERFECT TIME FOR PANDAS.  Annie is me in this book as she squeals over the pandas.  I'm so jealous that she not only gets to pet a panda, but she gets to hold one!!!  I know it's fiction, but still!

Several years ago, it might even have been 2008, my friend Teresa and I went to Washington, DC.  She to see some friends of hers and me to see the pandas at the National Zoo.  I was so excited that even though it was a very hot day and I almost passed out on the walk from the subway to the zoo, as we got inside the zoo, I couldn't wait for Teresa and her friend--I started RUNNING to the Panda paddock.  When I got there, I proceeded to squeal (yes, like a stuffed pig) over the beautiful pandas.  Every time one of them would move, I'd squeal again!!!!  Mei Xiang and Tian Tian and their cub Tai Shan are SOOO beautiful!  It was so wonderful to see them!  I stayed as long as I could, but I knew Teresa and her friend were waiting for me in the hot sun, so I cut my visit a little shorter than I would have otherwise.  Regardless, it was SOOOO wonderful seeing my pandas!!!

Then, last year, James and Samuel took me to Zoo Atlanta where we saw the pandas there, Lun Lun and Xi Lan and their baby Po (named after the panda in KUNG FU PANDA).  I think both James and Samuel thought I would come out of my skin as we drove the long way down.  Once we got to the zoo, I danced and jumped around like a two-year old on her first trip to Disney World!  Again, as we got closer to the panda paddock, I couldn't wait; I ran to them!  I started squealing (yeah, like a stuffed pig again) even before I saw them fully.  I gazed and gazed and gazed and gazed and gazed and took pictures and took pictures and laughed and cried and squealed and had the time of my life.  It was so very wonderful!!!  What a GREAT birthday present!!!!

I have so much panda paraphernalia, it's not even funny.  I have stuffed pandas, panda blankets, panda bed-spread, panda mousepads, panda nail files, squeaky pandas, robot pandas, panda calendars, copies of every magazine (as far as I know) that's been published with articles about pandas, panda towels, a panda scarf, a sign on my office door that says "Warning:  Panda in Human Body," and so many other panda items it's WONDERFUL!!!  I even cross-stitched cuddly pandas--it's hanging on the wall in my spare bedroom in my house!  I also have THE AMAZING PANDA ADVENTURE movie which is soooo much better than that ridiculous movie about a pig!!!  (How could a movie about an ugly, dirty, stinky PIG do better in the theaters than a movie about an adorable, cuddly PANDA????)

I truly LOVE pandas so very much.  If I had been interested at all in Biology, I would have become some sort of animal worker so I could get a job working with pandas all the time!!!

What makes this book even more amazing is the fact that Jack and Annie go to China to the Wolong Reserve when the terrible earthquake happened on May 28, 2008.  They helped save some pandas and helped at the reserve.  So awesome.

I read the whole book in less than an hour.  Kid's book or not, I enjoyed it simply because it's about Pandas!!!!

The Dawn has Broken

Yes!  Is it weird that I want to turn right around and read all the TWILIGHT books again?!  (I'm already thinking about going back to HP, so why not TWILIGHT, too?!)  I must say that this time in reading BREAKING DAWN, I seemed to focus on Stephenie's errors.  Her biggest problem is split infinitives.  I would think that by her 4th book, between her and her editors, that problem would have been corrected.  But rather than correct it, it's worse!  UGH!  That reason and that reason alone is what is going to keep the TWILIGHT series out of any serious educations pursuits as well as the Literary Canon of "great" literature.  I'm sorry, Stephenie.  I LOVE the TWILIGHT series; I'm a twi-hard and proud of it, but it's true.

I also found a huge mistake....at least I think it was a mistake.  I can't imagine that it was on purpose.  Once Alice has her vision and the Cullens realize the Volturi are coming to destroy them, Renesmee puts her hand on Bella's face and thinks about each member of their family:  "She showed me my own face, Edward's, Jacob's, Rosalie's, Esme's, Carlisle's, Alice's, Jasper's, flipping through all our family's faces faster and faster.  Seth and Leah.  Charlie, Sue, and Billy" (570).

Do you see it?!  Do you see who's missing?!  I don't want to tell you; I want you to see it for yourself, but I can't help it....Emmett!  How in the world does Stephenie FORGET our beloved, muscled Emmett?????  Renesmee would NOT have forgotten him....THAT is an author error.  I can't believe she include Seth, Leah, etc., but FORGETS Emmett!!!!! 

In spite of my negative comments, I honestly LOVE the TWILIGHT series.  This 5th or 6th reading (or whatever number I'm on now) has been just as much fun as the first time I read the series.  In fact, I probably love the series more now than I did before.  While it will never be GREAT literature, it's FUN literature.  I like reading things where I don't have to get deeply involved in symbolism, setting, characterization, theme, etc., etc., etc. 

Don't get me wrong.  I LOVE the literary stuff, too.  I wouldn't be teaching ENGLISH if I didn't!  It's just that it's nice for a change to read something simple and fun.  It's why I read the Mary Balogh books and Stephen King.  Why not add Stephenie Meyer to that list?!

Re-reading books...HAMLET

It has been a pretty long time since I last read HAMLET.  I almost felt like I was reading it for the first time this time through.  I know the story, but there were so many details that really stood out for me this time that I just didn't remember. 

I love that about re-reading books, though.  (BTW:  Samuel was telling me the same thing earlier.  Maybe that's why this blog is going in that direction, but it was on my mind, honestly, prior to his telling me that ever time he re-reads a book or re-watches a movie, he sees new things, new details that he didn't see before which makes it worth re-reading books or re-watching movies.  He wants to re-read the HARRY POTTER series.  I'm so excited that he wants to read them all again!!!) 

Anyway, over the years, because of my job, I've re-read quite a few things and I've almost never minded re-reading anything.  Of course, I've re-read A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM that if I have to read it one more time, I'm going to scream, which is why my students are reading HAMLET this semester rather than the other!  UGH!  I still love BEOWULF, GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT, THE CANTERBURY TALES, FRANKENSTEIN, THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GREY, and the list goes on and on!!!  Every reading brings out new things for me as well as reminds me of why and how much I loved the books in the first place!

As you know, I've been re-reading the TWILIGHT series--for about the 5th or 6th time, I've lost count by now.  And every time they're just as much fun to read as the first time!  It's the same way with the HARRY POTTER books and so many others!  Even though I can remember so many details (including character names a lot of the time) from the vast majority of the books I've read over my almost 40 years of reading, I am awed by how much I love reading a book again and again--and by how much I can love the book just as much with the 5th reading as with the first!

HAMLET is not my favorite Shakespearean play by any stretch of the imagination, but even so, I definitely enjoyed the re-read.  I have a new appreciation for the man Hamlet than ever before.  I feel his pain so much deeper now after everything I've been through.  I understand his deep frustration with his mother more than ever before.  I can even get his hesitation in acting on his knowledge of his father's murder.  I can also so many inferences to so many other stories, especially other plays by Shakespeare.  It's just fascinating.

Bree & Fred

Bree really is an interesting character in ECLIPSE.  While I didn't wonder about her and who she was or what her life was like, once I saw (a few years ago) that Stephenie had written Bree's story, I found that I wanted to know more about this wild newborn who'd come to kill Bella.  And I wasn't disappointed.  Of course, I wish Bree had made better choices, but that isn't who she was.  It's so tragic that Bree finally finds someone to love in the vampire world only to have him ripped, literally, from her the very next day.  I like that she had a relationship with Diego.  It's sad that it didn't last but a day, but it's still adorable. 

My favorite character in Bree's story, though, is Fred.  I love Fred.  His special ability is so strange, it's fantastic.  And the fact that he's smart enough to duck out rather than follow Riley blindly is fantastic.  The disappointing part is that he doesn't show up again.  I wish they'd found him and brought him in for BREAKING DAWN.  He would have made a wonderful asset in the "fight" against the Volturi.  Not to mention what a great character he is and that I'd love to see more of him! 

I wouldn't mind if Stephenie decided to write HIS story, too!!!! 

I'm a Twi-Hard with Pride....!

I can't help it.  I LOVE the TWILIGHT series.  So ECLIPSE is the cheesiest of them all, but at least Bella finally realizes that she loves Jacob, too.  In so many ways, I want Bella to choose Jacob over Edward.  If Edward hadn't left the way he had in NEW MOON or if he'd never come back, Bella would have been with Jacob and it would have been beautiful.  Their children would have been beautiful, too.  But, then, we wouldn't get Renesmee and Jacob would never Imprint.  Both parts of BREAKING DAWN that I like a lot.  I just can't put these books down when I read them!  On to BREE!!!

NEW MOON: Sunshine....Joy

In a way, NEW MOON is my favorite book in the TWILIGHT series.  Why?  Because of Jacob.  It's so easy to fall in love with Jacob.  There are so many questions where Edward is concerned.  He's so moody and cranky all the time and it gets annoying that he's constantly saying things to Bella that are just plain confusing to her--and not explaining himself.  Granted, as a reader, Edward is easier to read than he appears, but it's still annoying that he keeps so much to himself.  Jacob is refreshing.  Bella sees him as her own personal sunshine--her own "safe harbor."  He doesn't let Bella's depression keep him from expressing himself and glowing anyway.  I do wonder why HE doesn't go see Bella first and try to do something with her earlier.  I know.  I know.  Bella was in her Zombie mode so even if Jacob had gone to her first during that time period, she probably wouldn't even have been aware of him, but I just find it odd that if he cares about her so much--even from the first time he saw her at La Push in TWILIGHT--why does HE wait for Bella to come to him rather than he going to her?  (Does that make any sense?)  But once Bella is awake and aware of her surroundings again, it's wonderful that she finds Jacob and that they so easily fall into a close friendship. 

Anyone who has ever been through a loss can understand the hole Bella fought so hard to keep a hold of. I can relate to Bella's pain in NEW MOON more than I like to.  While my losses were my children rather than my soul mate, the pain--the numbness--the hole--the zombie-like state are still the same.  Like Bella, I know who/what I can't live without; it's just that mine isn't my soul mate. 

Bella finds happiness in life, even some joy, through her convoluted relationship with Jacob.  It might be complicated, but it works and Bella is able to be Bella again.  I find my joy in my Jesus:  "I have loved you even as the Father has loved me.  Remain in my love....I have told you this so that you will be filled with my joy.  Yes, your joy will overflow!"  (John 15:9, 11) 

While this is quite possibly the saddest book in the series, it's still my favorite simply because Jacob is so easy to love and because I can so easily relate to Bella's pain in this one.

Edward's Story is Better than Bella's

So I finished it in one night!  I kept saying to myself that I'll read just one more page....just one more chapter...then, before I knew it, I'd stayed up until 2:00 am just to finish it!  If you haven't read it, you really should.  MIDNIGHT SUN is TWILIGHT from Edward's point of view.  Personally, I think it's much better than TWILIGHT!  I sure wish Stephenie (are you out there?!) would finish it.  I would be one of the ones who pre-ordered a hard-back copy!!!!!  I love the story from Edward's perspective.  He, to me, has a much more interesting mind!  (Don't tell Bella I said that!)

Another Guilty-Pleasure Book

OK, so TWILIGHT won't ever be considered "great" literature.  It won't become part of the literary canon.  It isn't even close to the level of the HARRY POTTER books or Jodi Picoult.  But let's face it; TWILIGHT is a FUN read.  I can't help it.  It draws me in even though it's not serious reading.  I call it my "guilty pleasure" reading, just like my Mary Balogh books.  I know it's sappy and, in many ways, just plain ridiculous, but I love it.  I find some of the story just plain embarrassing and others simply unrealistic, but even at that, I am drawn to the story like a moth to a flame.  I won't apologize for enjoying TWILIGHT or any of the other books in the series.  It is what it is. 

I think we all need some things that we read that are just for pure enjoyment rather than having to THINK so hard about the symbolism and deeper meanings and theme and setting and so on and so forth.  Sometimes we readers just want to read something for the sake of reading.  It's kind of like how I'll read even the backs of shampoo bottles or deodorant cans in the bathroom when I don't have a book in there with me. 

Do I believe in vampires?  Absolutely not.  I do believe that there are people who want to be vampires so much that they'll go to great lengths to become as close to a real vampire as they possibly can.  I think that's pretty ridiculous, but to each his own.

Do I believe even for a second that if Bella smelled as incredible to Edward the Vampire as he clams that he honestly would have been able to control his vampiric urges and keep from killing her?  Not even for half a mili-second.  Really?!  I just don't think so.  Bella was dead the second Edward caught her scent.  But it's fun to imagine that Edward is strong enough to withstand his basal vampiric urges and ultimately to fall in love with the one person who is his "brand of heroin."

Would Edward really be able to suck the venom out of Bella after James' bit her?  Not a chance.  That's too easy.  She'd have been a vampire right then and there.  But if she'd become a vampire this early in the series, we never would have the triangle between Jacob, Bella, and Edward.  Bella would never have a chance to get to know Jacob better if she were already a vampire by the end of the first book.  And what fun would that be?!

Let's face it....for all those nay-sayers about TWILIGHT, they're right that TWILIGHT isn't GREAT.  But my response is that it doesn't have to be GREAT to be FUN to read!!!!!

Now on to MIDNIGHT SUN!  Yeah, I'm gonna read that before I get to NEW MOON!  I haven't looked up MIDNIGHT SUN on Goodreads yet; it'll be interesting to find out if it has it listed!!!

Where does Samuel fit?

Find Your Fit by Jane Kise and Kevin Johnson

My son, Samuel, at 11 years old is already talking about college (at this point in time he thinks he wants to go to App State) and what he's going to do when he grows up.  Bless his heart, he's all over the map with ideas.  As one who knew what she wanted to do by the time she was 3 years old, it's difficult for me to watch my son already struggling with such questions. 

Yes, my earliest memories are of playing school in my bathroom.  I would lock myself in the bathroom for hours, teaching my students.  The toilet was my desk.  The bathtub was "time-out" for students who misbehaved.  The toilet paper was their paper they used to write on.  As I grew up, my desire to be a teacher NEVER waivered.  What changed were the specifics:  what I would teach and what grade/age I would teach.  I KNOW I'm where I'm meant to be--I currently teach English at Catawba Valley Community College.

Anyway, in an effort to help Samuel at least narrow the field an little and see what he might be good at, I ordered this book--and its companion Workbook.  (We're going to do the tests in the workbook at church tomorrow night.)  After reading this book, I know it will go a long way in helping Samuel at least realize what his gifts/talents are as well as his personality type, so he can begin to see value in the things he enjoys doing (building with Legos is a favorite past-time right now and has been for several years now). 

I believe that along with helping my son find his way as a man of faith, it's our responsibility as parents to help guide him down the path to finding his life's work that not only fulfills God's plan for him, but also is something that Samuel finds true passion in.

It is true that there is nothing in the world as awesome as doing what you know you were meant to do.  It's my own type of drug.  I get a natural high from teaching.  I've walked into my classroom with a migraine so bad, I'd thrown up just seconds before class began, only to find that the pain disappears during that class hour.  I've driven home after such a class, knowing that I was in no shape to drive--I stopped at least twice to throw up on the side of the road, but as long as I was in the class, I felt like a million bucks.

I want that for Samuel.  I want him to find whatever it is that will give him that same feeling--that same passion.

In closing, one of my favorite movies is SHALL WE DANCE with Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez.  One theme of the movie is how Richard Gere's characters learns that he LOVES to dance--he falls in love with it.  He smiles more.  He's different.  His wife even suspects him of having an affair because he's so happy all the time.  He was CONTENT with life prior to learning to dance, but he wasn't HAPPY or PASSIONATE about life.  Once he starts dancing, not only is he happy, he's PASSIONATE and it rubs off on the people around him.  They bask in his pure JOY as he does what he so loves to do.

THAT'S what I strive for.  It's what I want for my beloved Samuel......

Here's hoping that this book and it's tests help Samuel on the path to discovering that great PASSION of his life......

Absoutely LOVE Harry!!

Wow.  Just Wow. 

I can't help wondering if Rowling had all these connections figured out before she ever started Book 1 or if they just kinda, sorta happened in a natural way.  Those of you who have read the series, you know what I'm talking about.  So many things come full circle from the beginning to the closing of the series.  It's actually overwhelming. 

I have always been someone who remembers a LOT of details from the books I read.  I'm not bragging; it's the simple truth.  It's why Reading and teaching literature is my gift and I know I'm doing what I'm meant to do.  Just like some people can remember stats from football/baseball/basketball/soccer/etc. games even from 50 years ago, I can remember specific details about books I read even 20 years ago.  That doesn't keep me from re-reading my favorite books, I must say!

With that being said, I still found myself in awe of the details that Rowling brings full circle in Book 7--things I'd completely forgotten about or hadn't paid much attention to when I read the first 6 books.  It's INCREDIBLE how well she remembers every tiny detail and makes them all fit together so neatly. 

I can't help but wonder how she was able to keep everything straight....how she remembered so many details.  I know she wrote the series and that makes her THE ABSOLUTE authority on the series, but it's still so incredible to imagine that she was able to remember even the minutest of details and she brings them up at the right moment and connects the dots.....Although, it appears that Harry and Voldemort are distantly related, but Harry never seems to make that connection.  I find that a bit odd.  It seems to be an important point--at least it does to me.

Wow. 

Quickly, why I love Book 7 (and/or the series):

1.  See what I stated above.  Just so incredible!!!  As a writer-wanna-be, I'm in awe!!!

2.  Rowling definitely pulls from mythology, many previous stories, and THE LORD OF THE RINGS series.  There are many great connections and similar plot devices, yet at the same time, the STORY itself is unique.  It's not a re-telling of older stories; it's a unique story that uses older stories woven throughout.  Genius.  Absolutely genius.

3.  So many "secrets" are revealed in Book 7.  What makes that even more incredible is that there are secrets revealed that we, the readers, didn't even realize were secrets that needed to be revealed!  LOL!

4.  The story CAN BE SEEN as a Christian allegory focused especially on the theme of love (sacrificial love).  Whether Rowling meant for that to be true or not,--(I know Tolkien absolutely hated that people said he intended to write an allegory--he admitted that allegory CAN BE SEEN in THE LORD OF THE RINGS series, but he in no way wrote the story with that particular intention)--it's definitely there. 

5.  One feature that makes a great book great, is that we fall in love with the characters--we CARE about the characters--we become so much a part of the story that we feel as if they are OUR best friends, too--but especially that when the story is over, we just want more!  Rowling is successful in each area to the nth degree!  I bawled like a baby when my favorite characters died.  At times, I was in such shock at certain deaths that tears wouldn't come even though I was terrible horrified.  What was so great about this read is that even though it's my third time (I think) reading book 7, I still cried, I still felt each and every part of the story as if I was reading it for the first time.  Awesome.

6.  That Samuel has read the whole series, too, and he loves it, too.  I love that we share this!  He'll talk to me about things he learned from the story!  I've even been able to use examples from the story to help Samuel in certain situations in his life.  I know when I use the examples from the series that he GETS IT.  (Don't get me wrong, now.  I use the Bible when I'm helping Samuel with life lessons, but it can't be denied that the HP series has great life examples that those of us who have read it can easily connect with.)

7.  The whole story focuses on the anti-hero theme.  Harry is not a great wizard, he doesn't have any especially powers, he's not the best in his class, and he even has physical flaws--something no true hero has in much of the early British Literature.  Hermoine would have been a better hero, but even she has physical flaws what with her bushy hair, overly large teeth, and know-it-all-ness.  Even Neville, the most anit-heroic character ever, shines and helps save the day in Book 7!  It's difficult not to shout for joy at Neville's incredible bravery in Book 7!!!!  I love that the heroes in the HP series aren't perfect.  Beowulf and other perfect characters like him make me want to punch them in the throat.  But these flawed, imperfect characters are relataeble, and--it makes me feel if these flawed characters can be heroes, maybe I can be one, too!!!!

8.  It's just plain and simply a GREAT series!!!!

*Read on the Nook.*

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.*

I, for one, love Book 5 of HP

I was reading a few of the other comments about Book 5 of the HARRY POTTER series, ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, and they aren't very positive.  I don't get it.  I LOVE this one!  This is the book where we learn that Neville could have been the one in Harry's place if Voldemort had CHOSEN Neville instead of Harry--which means that Harry and Neville share a birthday!  It also means that it's a given that we'll see much more of Neville and that Neville will prove to be much more than the bumbling idiot he was in years past.  We see Neville improve as part of the D.A. We see him stand his ground and go with Harry to the Department of Mysteries.  And he fights!  It's not his fault that his nose was broken and it affected his speech so he couldn't cast any more spells.  He did the best he could, staying close to Harry as much as possible. 

I LOVE that we get to see Neville move into more of a heroic spot!!!  And, as I've said before, I LOVE Ginny, and we get a LOT more of Ginny in this book!  I wish they could have been part of Harry's inner circle rather than on the periphery.  They are all definitely friends, and Luna, too, but I just think Harry, Ron, and Hermoine should include Neville, Ginny, and Luna in their daily activities more....

This is also the book where Harry becomes more of a leader and begins to realize that he does have leadership qualities.  He needs some refining, but the more he leads the D.A., the more he gains confidence in his ability to lead. 

But the ABSOLUTE BEST part of this book is how everyone stands together.  Harry thinks he has to do everything by himself, yet he also realizes his need for his friends as he's stuck at the Dursley's for weeks on end without any REAL word from his friends.  None of his friends will let him do anything on his own.  When he says he wants to speak to Sirius, look at how quickly all of his friends rushed to help him without a second thought to it--they didn't ask him why or what was going on; they just jumped right in and helped him. 

The bonds of friendships are forged even deeper and solidifed to be stronger in ORDER OF THE PHOENIX.  Of course, I cry at most of the sad parts throughout the series, but the one thing that made me cry the hardest each time I've read the series is in the last book when Harry, Ron, and Hermonie visit Xenophilius Lovegood and go to Luna's room---where Luna has painted the images of herself, Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Ginny, and Neville on her ceiling with FRIENDS painted across their images.  That's SOOOO beautiful......

This is truly a turning point book in the series.  THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is necessary in order to get to the plot and subplots of the last two books. 

*Did you notice that I don't even bring up Umbridge?  I don't like talking about her because sadly, I think if I were to do a see-who-you-are-most-like-in-the-HARRY POTTER-series quiz, it would show that I'm most like her.  I don't want to think that could be true.  So I'm not bringing her up in this post at all!!!  ;)

*Read on the Nook*

MORE Pandas

Don't hate me because I didn't really like this book.  I was simply disappointed because it's about Pandas AND Other Endangered Species.  When I read a book about pandas, I want to read a book about PANDAS.  I don't really mind learning about other animals, especially endangered ones; it's just that since the original MAGIC TREE HOUSE book is ALL about pandas, I was just looking forward to the nonfiction book that was written in conjunction with the original MAGIC TREE HOUSE book to be ALL about pandas.  I love pandas so much, I just want to read all I can about them and I was everyone else to love them as much as I do....

Other than the fact that this book is about more than just pandas, overall, it's really pretty decent.  I honestly don't think Mary Pope Osborne can go wrong with her MAGIC TREE HOUSE series.  She's found a rhythm/pattern that seems to work; she might as well stick with it.

Besides, it was the MAGIC TREE HOUSE books that really started Samuel on his love for reading.  He found that he could zip through them within 3 days, and the next thing I knew, he was WANTING to read.....!  Momma's gotta love that!  Which means, of course, that the MAGIC TREE HOUSE books are a little special in this house....

Reading more Shakespeare....

I just finished reading this--again.  It's funny, though; I didn't think about adding it here until AFTER I finished reading it rather than at the start.  So odd.  Maybe it's because its for school rather than personal enjoyment--even though I do like this play.  Of Shakespeare's comedies, it's definitely one of my favorites.

It's just as ridiculous as ROMEO AND JULIET, though.  I mean, come on.  Viola dressing up as a man and getting away with it for 3 whole months?!  Seriously?!  Are the people around her really that stupid or did she honestly change her appearance THAT well???

Of course in reading this all I can think of is my favorite movie YENTL.  She dresses up as a boy for quite a very long time.  She even does get married to a woman and makes it several months in the marriage!  Of course, all is revealed eventually.  It has to be.  There really is only so long a person can go pretending to be something he/she isn't before something happens where the truth must be told.  Even if that something is just the person's conscience. 

It's amazing to me the sheer number of stories (whether books or movies) where the main character dresses up as the opposite sex and gets away with it....for an extended period of time.  We started naming movies the other day in class and it was funny because we kept thinking of them and going and going!  LOL!  I won't name them here, but I'll bet you can think of some yourself!!!!

How many times has Harry needed medical help?

GOBLET OF FIRE is one of my favorites in the series.  It's the one where, when dealing with plot devices in literature, we have the true turning point the overall series.  The kids aren't kids anymore--they're teenagers who are discovering just who and what they are and what they want to be in life.  (As a side note, it's interesting that even though Moody isn't the real Moody throughout this whole school term, Harry, Ron, and Hermoine all take his advice and choose to become Aurors.  You would think they wouldn't listen to anything Barty Crouch, Jr. says even if what he says is as Alastor Moody.  But, interestingly enough, Harry, in particular, does pursue a career as an Auror, proving that in spite of the fact that Moody wasn't Moody, Harry (and Ron and Hermoine) greatly admire and respect him.) 

I love that we get more of an inkling that there might be something between Ron and Hermoine.  There have been hints in the 3 previous books, but this is the first time there's really a serious indication that there's more than meets the eye between these two.  Of course, it can't be TOO obvious or TOO easy for the two of them to get together ("The course of true love never did run smooth" you know!), so throwing in the fact that Ron is totally clueless to the fact that he cares more for Hermoine than as a friend as well as Hermoine getting a little friendly with Viktor Krum add a little spice and sizzle to the whole situation. 

Rowling has gone on record stating that she'd originally thought about killing off Ron at some point in the series.  Personally, I wouldn't have wanted her to do that, but I have to say that a powerful, romantic love scene between Ron and Hermoine as he lay dying would have been something else to read.....I wouldn't have been able to keep reading or to sleep for a week from weeping and sobbing so hard!  It would have been genius on Rowling's part....to have Ron die, saving Hermoine's life somehow--and the two of them somehow realizing their true love for one another---only when it's too late.  And maybe even Ron telling her he understands if she finds someone else to love....even if it would be Harry.

Oh, wow.  That's powerful.  I'm all choked up just thinking about the possibility of Rowling doing that!  Not that I wanted Ron to die, you understand!  I just would have been a very powerful, moving, and, yes, romantic scene!!!

Anyway, GOBLET OF FIRE is also where we have an actual death IN and DURING the story itself.  Of course, Professor Quirrell dies in Book 1 when he touches Harry and Voldemort leaves his body.  But we all know that death doesn't really count in the overall scheme of things.  The death in this book is of a beloved character--even though Cedric Diggory doesn't really come in to the story until Book 4.  (He IS mentioned very briefly in at least one of the previous books during a scene when several other characters are in a group and are mentioned, but Cedric doesn't actually enter the STORY until Book 4.)  It's a very violent and powerful death, one which Harry feels responsible for simply because he and Cedric agree to take the Goblet together at the same time.  Plus, Harry almost dies--again.

GOBLET OF FIRE is a long book that is a bit of a challenge to get through--there's a lot of information that we have to remember as well as quite a few new characters.  It gets a little complicated trying to remember everything, but it is a testament to the fact that Rowling truly is an incredible storyteller in that we as readers DO remember as much as we do remember throughout this long, great portion of the HARRY POTTER series.....!

I had a thought during the reading of this book.....does anyone know the exact number of times Harry has had to have medical attention throughout the whole series???  And can anyone name each of those times and which book each happens????  I think it'd be fun and interesting if we started a running list that we all share and add to as we remember them!!!!  (It'd be interesting to include the times Ron and Hermoine need medical attention, too.  Hermoine needs more than I remembered from my first couple of readings!)

Choose to Forgive

As usual, Joyce Meyer tells it like it is without holding back.  It's one of the main reasons I like her.  In her book DO YOURSELF A FAVOR.....FORGIVE, she lays it all on the table and bluntly tells us that if we're believers, true believers in and of Jesus Christ, we have an obligation to forgive those who have hurt us--regardless of how we may FEEL about it.  It's all about making choices.

Interesting how Kay Warren says that CHOOS[ING] JOY is about making a CHOICE to live a life full of joy and Joyce Meyer says that forgiving is all about making a CHOICE to do so.  God gives us free will.  We can choose to hold on to our pain and hurt, or we can choose to forgive, doing ourselves a huge favor in the process.

I do completely agree.  Of course, it isn't easy to forgive when I have been hurt to the depths of my soul, but I'm certainly not doing myself a favor by hanging on to the hurt.  I'm getting more and more frustrated and angry, causing my friends, family, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. around me to want to avoid me rather than being near me.  Remember:  hurt people, hurt people.  It's true.  We don't just hurt the person who hurt us by holding on to our anger and hurt feelings, we hurt everyone around us, especially ourselves.  And don't forget the heartache it causes our Lord and Savior when we choose to life in unforgiveness rather than a life full of the JOY and PEACE He so wants us to have when we choose to live in and through Him.

I find it interesting that Joyce doesn't say anything in her book that I don't already know.  I mean, I have studied forgiveness before.  But the truth is, even the best of us--yes, me too--hold on to our hurt and anger, even when we KNOW and feel the Holy Spirit nudging us to forgive.  So whether I already know the information or not, I need to hear it---again and again and again and again....until I get to the place where I have forgiven anyone who has hurt me, especially the one closest to me who has hurt me the most--and also especially myself, my body, for the way it has betrayed me over the years.

I think that last one, more than anything or anyone else in my life, has been the hardest to forgive.  My body failed me when I needed it the most and it continues to do so--in spite of whether I'm eating right and exercising or not.  (I won't go in to detail here....I've written about all the things that have happened to me in previous posts, so if you're interested enough to find out, you'll have to go backwards. I especially discussed them in my blog about Kary Warren's CHOOSE JOY.) 

Needless to say, whether we know the information Joyce Meyer talks about in her book DO YOURSELF A FAVOR....FORGIVE or not, until we can and do forgive every one who hurts us every time we're hurt, we need to keep reading it and re-knowing it.

Only one or two quick negatives:  1.  she does, essentially, say the same thing over and over about forgiveness.  It's a lot of repetition, finding a new way to say the same information.  2.  She misuses subject/pronoun agreement with singular indefinite pronouns throughout the book.  It's very frustrating.  It doesn't take away from the effectiveness of the book as a whole, but I couldn't help notice them, and yes, marking them.  3.  She has quite a few split infinitives, too.  Both of these grammar issues are becoming more and more prominent in literature these days.  I'm noticing that almost every modern-day book I read, these two grammar problems are fairly rampant.  As far as I know, though, they're still on the books as far as grammar rules go, and, even if they weren't, they still bug the tar out of me....


I know.  I know.  I should focus more on the content--WHAT--Joyce Meyer says about forgiveness and then DO what she says, but I am an English teacher.  Asking me not to notice grammar problems is like asking me to cut off my right arm.......

AZKABAN, not my Favorite HP

AZKABAN is not really one of my favorites in the HP series, and the movie has a lot to do with it.  What I don't like about the book:

1.  The movie is least like the book.  I kept waiting for Harry to see Peter Pettigrew on the Marauder's Map and to ask Lupin how someone dead could be seen on the map.  Why'd they have to change that so thoroughly between the book and the movie?!  There's no need.  It works that that's how Lupin knew where Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Sirius, and Scabbers (Peter) were.  In the movie, Harry tells Lupin that he's seen Peter Pettigrew on the map, and it's AGES and AGES later before Lupin does something about it.  Lupin knows immediately that the map never lies which means that the whole deal with Sirius killing all those people had to have been a lie--and that Peter was the "bad guy," not Sirius.  Anyway, that just made that part really ridiculous.

2.  The way both Remus and Sirius are described when they change in the book is that they're both very large--huge, in fact.  The wimpy, walking on two-legs werewolf that is Lupin in the movie version is just so very ridiculous-looking that it ruined Lupin as a werewolf for me.  I mean, here's this GREAT guy who turns into this huge, scary creature and all I want to do when I see the movie version of him is to punch the guy who created the werewolf.  And Sirius is just the size of a large wolf, not even close to the gigantic size he's described as in the book.  So very disappointing.

3.  In the book, as long as they're at Hogwarts, especially, everyone always his/her school robes.  In the movie, only the teachers wear their robes, and sometimes even that's not true.  Snape is the only one in the movie who always seems to wear his robes--which is great for the bat-like effect he has.  But I like the idea of the school robes.  Americanizing the story or "Muggl-izing" the story by having the wizard kids (and adults in most cases) wear regular Muggle clothing is just ridiculous.  It completely takes away for the whole wizarding world for me.  That's part of what's so great about this series:  we're taken to a whole new world (kind of going over the rainbow, you know, or being in Middle Earth), but the director of the movie felt that we didn't need to be experience that world so he put everyone in Muggle clothing?!  Stupid director.

4.  Harry, Ron, and Hermoine, for more than half (close to two-thirds, maybe) of the book are fighting and not even talking to each other.  Harry and Ron do a lot without Hermoine and it just isn't right.  I get that young people fight/argue all the time, but best friends don't go MONTHS without making up.  That's just not right.  I guess that, ultimately, it solidifies their friendship even more, but for them to go as long as they did without making up just because of a few ridiculous things--Crookshanks looking like he's eaten Scabbers (good grief---it's a STUPID rat!  It just isn't feasible that even Ron would choose a dumb rat over one of his best friends) and then Hermoine getting Harry's Firebolt taken away (she was just worried about him---it shows she really cares---Harry and Ron should have seen that--how could they be so blinded by their desire to keep the Firebolt not to see that Hermoine did what she did because she truly cares about Harry?  So ridiculous!!!)

5.  And don't forget that neither Neville nor Ginny appears in this book very much at all!  I want more of those two!!!!

What I love about the book:

1.  Hermoine punches Malfoy right in the face!!!!  Now, granted, I honestly like Malfoy.  I know he's a bully, but he's really a kid who just needs some attention and to know that he's special, too.  He's obviously very jealous of Harry and would like people to notice him, too.

2.  Harry is able to produce a full Patronus.  That's really awesome.  And he's only 13 in this one, so to be able to do that already shows that he's not such a weak wizard after all.  It's why, ultimately, he becomes the teacher for Dumbledore's Army. 

3.  For just a few minutes, Harry has someone else he could live with instead of the Dursley's.  I, too, would have liked for Harry to be able to live with someone who truly cares about him and will do things with him and treat him as a son.  Of course, Sirius is just insane enough after being in Azkaban all those years, that he sees Harry as James a bit too much.  Not so much in this particular book, but we do see it more and more and the series goes until Sirius' death---and it's just plain creepy.

There's more, but I'd better stop now......I should even it out--have the same number of likes as dislikes, but right now I can't think of anything else--even though I know there's plenty more!  :0)

*Side note:  I've been reading all the HP books on Samuel's Nook.  I'll read the whole series that way!

More Ginny....Lots more, and Neville, too

I love this series.  I honestly can't believe it took me so long to read it.  How did she do it?  How did she create a WHOLE series, 7 whole books, and weave in all the details so seamlessly and, seemingly, effortlessly.  So many details that are briefly mentioned, just thrown in with other information that they seem unimportant, insignificant, but then later, those very same unimportant, insignificant details come back into the story and reveal how very important they are.

This is definitely NOT a series anyone can read just once.  It's better than potato chips.  Not only can we, as readers, read just one book in the series, but we also can't read the whole series just once!  I see some any incredible new details and parts of the story that I realize I missed the first time through. 

I would love to meet Rowling.  At the same time, I'd be scared out of my mind to do so.  What would I say to her that wouldn't be gushing and the same thing she's heard a gajillion times?  What questions would I ask her that are unique, that she hasn't been asked a zillion times already?  It would still be awesome to meet her.

I think CHAMGER OF SECRETS is one of my favorites simply Ginny Weasley plays such an important role to the story as a whole.  My only problem is that we don't actually see her as often as I'd like throughout the book.  Even though she's central to the whole story, she's only mentioned briefly a few times--just to make sure we haven't forgotten about her and as VERY subtle hints that she's the one......oops.  Gonna give away important information....probably already have said too much!  But my point is that I love Ginny; I wish she was the series as a whole a lot more than she is.  I want to read more about her.  I want to see more of her on the screen in the movie versions.....

(I want to read a LOT more about Neville, too. I LOVE Neville!)

Did you know that the actress who played Ginny Weasley in the movie versions is marrying (or has already married) they guy who plays Anthony in SWEENEY TODD.  He's also in one or two of the TWILIGHT movies as one of the Volturie.  I think that's wonderful.....I love both of them as actors/actresses.

I can't wait to read THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN!!!!

Arrogant Hero

I actually love reading BEOWULF.  It always drives me crazy to read it because Beowulf drives me insane.  I get that his boasting isn't really boasting in the manner I think of when I think of the term, but Beowulf is supposed to be simply sharing the truth of his exploits.  I just find him cocky, arrogant, and I desperately want him to shut up.

Of course, I love the arrogance of Robert Downey Jr. in IRON MAN!  I LOVE that he tells the world that he IS Iron Man rather than hiding his identity like so many other superheroes do.  I'd much rather have a hero like him than Batman!!!! 

I have a lot more I could say about BEOWULF, but I just don't feel like writing it right at this moment in time.....LOL!

3rd Time's the Charm: HARRY POTTER, again!

Officially, this is my 3rd time reading Book 1 of the HARRY POTTER series.  It just gets better and better every time.  The first time I read it, I highlighted/took note of a small handful of details--very specific details that I felt would be important in the long run.  The 2nd reading, I highlighted details that revealed important "secrets" that we learn later in the series, as well as other details that really stood out to me.  This 3rd time, I sill highlighted a lot.....just things that stood out to me. 

One thing that's been driving me crazy throughout each reading of the series as been the misuse of subject/pronoun agreement with Indefinite pronouns.  I would like to say that it must be an American editor's mistake in the "translation" from British to American English.  I can't imagine, though, that between J. K. Rowling, her British editors, AND American editors that none of them caught the mistakes!  And there are a quite a few.  It's very disturbing to see them so rampant in a series as popular as this one.

This series, especially the first book, will go down among the great classics and will continue to be read as long as literature classes are taught.  It really does deserve that.  Rowling did a superb job with each individual story as well as with the series overall.  Wow.  Seven books overall and it appears that she didn't make any huge plot errors!  That's HUGE!  Especially considering that she wrote each book as they were being published....so she was writing the next one (if not already 2 ahead) when the previous one was finally released to the public.  Yet she pulled the whole thing off and we, her audience, love it to the point of fanaticism.

I didn't read the books for years....not because I didn't want to, but because James kept throwing away the copies I'd been given.  I'd had 3 different people GIVE me copies of the books and James threw away each and every copy.  Then, finally, my British Lit class a few years ago (2009, I think it was--or was it 2010?) chose to read the book for class.  That time, when I brought home a copy of the book, James couldn't throw it away because it was reading for school!  Needless to say, I flew through all 7 books quickly and turned right around and read all 7 books a 2nd time!  And now, I'm reading the WHOLE series for a 3rd time!  And I love it just as much this time as I did the first time.

One disappointing thing about reading the series is the knowledge that even if I ever write and publish something, it'll NEVER be as GREAT, AWESOME, STUPENDOUS as the HARRY POTTER series.  I guess if I'm shooting for that level of fame, I shouldn't be writing anyway.  The object is to write because I HAVE to write--for myself.  And I do feel that way, but nudging me in the back of my mind is still the thought that I, nor anyone else for that matter, will ever hope to achieve even 1/4 of the incredible world that is HARRY POTTER........

I am so excited to re-read the whole series--again!  I'm really only NOT reading right now because Samuel's Nook needs recharging.  I can read while it charges, but where we have it plugged in is right over a vent and it's cold sitting in the recliner!  So I'm letting it charge for a little while before I get back to reading Book 2 again!

BTW:  in case you missed that, for THIS reading, I'm reading the whole series on Samuel's Nook.  It's different.  I like it in a lot of ways.  One thing in particular that I like is that I can, at a glance, see everything I've highlighted and all my comments.  That's a really great feature.  One thing I wish I could do on the Nook that I can't is have a random Notes page where I post comments and names of characters and relationships, etc.  If you look on the inside front cover of Samuel and I's copy of Book 2, HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS, you'll see that I've listed all the characters in the book, including the years of the Weasleys as well as information about the different Houses at Hogwarts, and, because I've also used this book in my British Lit class, Quiz questions are listed, too--on post-its.  If I had the random Notes page that I could create, I could continue with that......I'll have to dig a little deeper and see if that feature is there.

One negative about reading on the Nook is that it's actually Samuel's Nook.  When he wants to read or is at school, I have to find something else to read--or do.  That's really frustrating when all I want to do is read HARRY POTTER!!!  I can't wait to catch up to Samuel!  He's finishing up Book 6 and going to read Book 7 over the summer.  I think I'll be on Book 7 before he finishes it.....I should make a little wager with him about that.....See who can finish first.  Maybe if he finishes Book 7 before I do--maybe even before I even start it, he'd get.....something he REALLY wants.........hmmmmmmm.  I'll have to think hard about this one because everything he really wants right now is expensive!!!!

Finally finished with that Dragon Tattoo Girl Series

Wow.  I thought I might still be reading about the Dragon Tattoo Girl in December.  This series was even harder to read--and finish--than The Lord of the Rings series last summer was for me!  What makes the story so boring/difficult/challenging:

1.  As I said before, it's riddled with politics.  I hate anything to do with politics.  I don't understand it nor do I care to begin trying to understand it.  I understand just enough to know who I need to vote for and what I need to vote for.  Beyond that, don't even TRY to get me involved in a political discussion.  It'll be the fastest way to get me to shut up, though!!!!  ;)

2.  LOTS of unnecessary detail.  Telling me the name brand and number of microwavable pizzas Lizabeth consumes just isn't important to the overall story and/or my understanding of her character.  Describing/telling me all the times Mikael and this woman AND that woman as well as another woman--and, yes, there's still another one or two--fool around and where just doesn't make a difference to the overall plot of the story and what happens to Lisabeth.  Nor do I care.  I do get/understand the details described about Lisabeth's rape, but that doesn't mean that I like reading about it.  But those details do help give us a clear and full picture of Lisabeth and how's she's been mistreated and abused by the "powers that be" her whole life.  So while there is a lot of sexual stuff that could have been left out, I do understand why some of it had to be in the story.  I just wish Larsson had chosen to leave out the unnecessary sex stuff....

3.  The sheer number/volume of characters!  UGH!  This story rivals the wonderful book The Count of Monte Cristo in the massive number of characters named in the story as a whole.  Honestly.  How many of them did I REALLY need to KNOW in order to fully understand Lisabeth's victimization?  The huge number of people investigating and/or working on clearing Lisabeth is enough to give me nightmares, so throwing in the vast number of people trying to destroy her is just more than a reader can handle.  I got lost so often with what was going on because there are SO MANY characters in this story.  And what's worse is that some of the major players in the story as a whole don't even come in to the story until this third and final book!!!!!  Yet they've been there on periphery from the beginning....as a reader, I just don't know that until I get to the 3rd book!  UGH!  The overwhelming number of characters does not in any way endear the series to me AT ALL.  I made it through The Count of Monte Cristo and the huge number of characters in that book laughing at the fact that I felt like I need a white board wherein to write the names of all the characters and their relationships with one another in order to keep up.  But I still thoroughly enjoyed the book.  This Dragon Tattoo Girl series just overwhelmed me and kept making me want to throw the book across the room--every time a new character was brought in to the story--sounding/looking all important to the story as a whole!!!!  UGH!

4.  Mikael is too perfect.  All the women are attracted to him.  Most don't resist, and, not unlike a man, he doesn't try to resist.  Of course, it means that a couple of the women actually fall in love with him and it causes problems since he sleeps with enough women throughout the series that it's difficult to say which women (woman, I honestly think) he doesn't sleep with versus those he does.  What's so ironic is that most of these women proposition HIM rather than the other way around.  And his relationship with Lizabeth?  He wants to be her friend, even from the beginning, but doesn't seem to care that she fell head-over-heels for him.  Yet he continues to fight for her and her rights, doing everything in his power to ensure that she is proven innocent and seen as the true victim in the whole escapade.  Everyone likes Mikael.  No man is THAT perfect.  Even if he is played by Daniel Craig in the US version of the movie, who, as we all know, is James Bond--the most perfect male specimen ever in all literature or in the movies!  (Except, of course, for Rhett Butler, played fantastically by Clark Gable!!!!!)


What I actually like about the series:

1.  As I've mentioned before, Lizabeth Salander is a very interesting and fascinating character.  I love the dichotomy of her character in that on the one hand, she has NO social skills and doesn't seem to get along with people, while on the other hand, by the end of the series, she honestly has an army of people working to ensure that the truth is revealed and Lizabeth is shown as the true victim she has been for more than half her life.  I found that I wanted to reach out to her and let her know that she doesn't have to be alone in the world--if she would just let me in--not as a lover, but as a friend.  She is very untrusting, but she has great reason to be.

2.  Most of the female characters are VERY likable.  Larsson is very careful to show women as strong, independent fighters who don't take crap from anyone--and they get what they want in life.  He shows women being mistreated and violently abused, but he also shows the determination of women not to let such things take them down or break them.  It's kind of empowering.  And I LOVE Gianni's character (Lizabeth's lawyer).  She's awesome.  She really has an incredible courtroom scene at the end of the book that is truly a page-turner!  That trial helped me sit down and WANT to finish reading the book more than any other part of the series/final book!

3.  There IS some great action in the series as a whole.  Sadly, the action-packed parts are few are far between, but when they happen, boy howdy, look out!  I especially like how Lizabeth's father is killed.  I was waiting for it and not only was it a shock, but it was a good shock.  It was about time someone did that man in.  I am glad that Lizabeth doesn't do it because then the story would have had to end on a more tragic note.


I am very glad that I am finally finished reading this series.  I don't know what I read next.  I have several books I've been wanting to read, but just haven't gotten into them because I've been so determined to finish, finally, The Dragon Tattoo Girl series.  Now that I'm finished, it's bittersweet because I've spent so much time with Lizabeth.  Unlike my desire to continue reading anything everything about Harry Potter and I am devastated that the series has ended, I am thrilled that there will never be another book about Lizabeth---Stieg Larsson died soon after turning in the manuscript for all three books in the series!  So while J.K. Rowling COULD POSSIBLY continue the story of Harry, and millions of us fans would bow down to her in deep gratitude if she would, Larsson can't possibly drag out Lizabeth's tale, making this reader happy indeed to put this series to rest......

That Crazy Dragon Tattoo Girl

So I've been reading the 3rd and final book in the Millennium series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).   It's awful.  Politics abounds in the series and, if you know me, you know I can't stand politics.  I don't understand it.  I don't want to talk about it.  All political talk ever does is make people angry with one another.  Friends become angry with one another.  Yelling matches start.  Feelings are hurt.  It's just NOT worth it to me.  So I avoid anything and everything to do with politics that I can.

When the STORY actually happens, you know, that crazy literary word--plot, it's actually not that bad.  As a character, Lizbeth Salander is fascinating.  She is definitely a victim of the government and it just keeps getting worse.  I have to admit that when her psycho father is killed, I read like a speed-demon.  But then as soon as that chapter was over, it was back to politics.....UGH!

I'm determined to finish this final book, but it's really taking me a long time and I just DON'T want to read it AT ALL.......It's worse for me with this series than it was reading The Lord of the Rings series last summer.  I struggled through that series, but I don't think it took me as long to read each book as it is for this Dragon Tattoo Girl series.

How in the world did this series ever get on the bestseller list, let alone made into movies (Swedish and US)???  And the movies?!  Oh wow.  I've seen both versions of the first movie and I've been horrified to find that even the US version of the movie has as much DETAIL as it does.  I honestly thought the US version would tone it down and lead up to THE PARTS, but not actually SHOW THE PARTS.  Boy Howdy, was I wrong about that!!!! 

And now people are reading 50 Shades of Grey and are trying to talk me into reading THAT series, even though it's being touted as "Mommy Porn."  I'm tired of reading books full of sex, sexual innuendos, sadist activities, and just, well, sex.  I've been told that the STORY of 50 Shades of Grey is what makes it so good, but I was told the same thing about Dragon Tattoo Girl.  I don't have any plans to pick up Grey at this point.....I do have some standards, you know......

Cressida Cowell is my Hero!

The Day of the Dreader by Cressida Cowell.

Super-awesome, as usual, for Cressida Cowell!!!!  I love her books!  And my son does, too!  I think the best part is that we read and enjoy these together!  Of course it's a bit predictable.  Typically I don't like books that are so predictable, but with that being said, the predictability of THE DAY OF THE DREADER doesn't detract from the enjoyment of the read in the slightest!  It's a typical Hiccup and Toothless adventure--fun and a joy to read!!!!

Lessons we can all Learn from Beedle

Awesome!  Great lessons we should all know and learn....Rowling writes with great understanding of human nature and knows that we all need to be kind to one another, love, not cheat each other, and live life to its fullest....Beautiful.  I LOVE, love, love this book!  Everyone should read this book!!!

I Would Love to Train a Dragon!

My wonderful British Lit students this Spring 2012 semester chose to read (and watch) Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon.  It's obvious that the series (there are currently 8 books in the series) is geared specifically for 8-12-year-olds--boys, in particular, but I, for one, LOVE the books!  I think that this series of books should be recognized and touted just as much as the Harry Potter series, if not more so.  I guess the biggest difference between the two series (besides the subject matter) is that Harry Potter has more appeal to a wide audience rather than being so focused on a specific audience.  I do think, though, that if more people would give the How to Train Your Dragon series a chance, more people--of all ages--would enjoy it--tremendously!

It's just plain fun.  It has everything a great story should have.  And the best part is that it's a quick read.  I was able to read the whole book in just a little over 2 hours.  And Hiccup is such a fun character!  And who wouldn't love Toothless???

Yes, the book and movie are vastly different, but if we read the book and watch the movie, seeing each as its own entity, then both can be enjoyed for its own story.  I love the idea of Toothless being small enough that he rides on Hiccup's shoulder, but I also love the idea of Toothless being large enough that Hiccup rides him!  Dreamworks movie is beautiful and just so much fun to watch.  Besides, Stoick the Vast is played by Gerard Butler!  What's not to love!!!!  But the book is just as much to read as the movie is to watch....

That Fascinating Tattoo Girl

I finally read The Girl Who Played with Fire.  I'll tell you: after finishing the first book, I really had NO desire whatsoever to read any more, but once I start a series, I try to finish it.  So, I'm finally finishing the series.  I don't understand why Stieg Larsson's series has gotten so much hype.  The only reason I can think of is that it's so popular because of all the weird sex stuff going on in the books.  I'm bored out of my mind with this series.  It takes Larsson FOREVER to get from one scene to the next.  He tries TOO hard to keep things a mystery, but there really and truly is such a thing as TOO MUCH MYSTERY. 

I do admit that Lisbeth Salander is one of the most interesting characters I've read about in recent books, but at the same time, a great character isn't enough to carry a whole story.  I am interested in finding out what happens to Lisbeth, but I really could care less about reading this whole book/series.  This particular book was approximately 630 pages and, sadly, I FELT all 630 pages.

The best books I've ever read are the ones where, regardless of the length, I don't even realize when I turn a page.  Larsson's books are tedious and make me notice each and every turn of the page.  It's WORSE than reading a textbook.  As I said, though, the only saving grace about this series is Lisbeth Salander.  She really is interesting, fascinating, and completely the type of young woman we love to hate--not quite as much as Scarlet O'Hara, but still pretty good.  Lisbeth's story ruins "it" for her; at least Scarlet's story is interesting and kept me anxious to turn to the page for the next thing....and even ended too soon, in spite of the fact that it's almost a thousand pages long!!!! 

You Can Have "Don't Worry, be Happy." I'll take the JOY of the Lord!

CHOOSE JOY by Kay Warren

Joy (as defined by Warren):  Joy is the settled assurance that God is in control of all the details of my life, the quiet confidence that ultimately everything is going to be all right, and the determined choice to praise God in all things (30).

She says that joy and sorrow run “inseparably throughout our days” down a “set of parallel train tracks” (27).

“God is the only true source of joy” (95).

The Laughing Christ—(see the two pics below—I love the image of Jesus laughing and smiling!)  Jesus was a man of joy who actually was very funny, telling jokes within his parables!  It’s our modern world that doesn’t “get” his jokes!

  

Joy is a CHOICE.

Joy is not the same as happiness.  Happiness is all about a moment….an action….a feeling…Happiness comes as goes as quickly and as fleetingly as moments do.  We can not find Joy in happiness.  Joy is (see above)—in the good times AND the bad/hard/difficult/challenging/low/etc., etc., etc. times in life.

*The sweet irony of reading Kay Warren’s book is that God gave me a similar message over a year ago.  It think 2009 was my “Year of Joy.”  During that year, my planner was beautifully embossed with “The JOY of the Lord is my strength!”  Of course, I didn’t buy that planner in 2008 for 2009 with the thought that 2009 would be the “Year of Joy” for me; I bought that particular planner in 2008 because it was a gorgeous purple color that I just HAD to have!  Isn’t God funny how He works?  Throughout the year of 2009, God worked a lot in my life regarding JOY.  I have at least 2 post-its in my Bible with words from the Lord regarding JOY:  “You can Have ‘Don’t Worry, Be Happy.’  I’ll take the JOY of the Lord is my Strength!”  And, “Make a Decision that I’m not going to anyone or anything rob me of my JOY or keep me from seeing the JOY that is in my life in knowing Jesus as my Lord and Savior!”

I also did a Bible study on JOY put together by the Women of Faith.

I did my own personal Bible study on the word JOY (and all its forms), finding all the references in the Bible to the word JOY (in various translations) and marking each and every one of them in my various Bibles!  I even bought myself a pink Bible (NKJV) wherein to mark all said references and in that Bible, as well as all my other Bibles, I marked all the references in PINK because the color of JOY is pink!  My favorite verses and the ones I’ve claimed for my life are:  “You love what is right and hate what is wrong.  Therefore, God, [my] God, has anointed [me], pouring out the oil of joy on [me] more than anyone else” (Psalm 45:7 & Hebrews 1:9).  JUMOY!

During that time, I also came up with a catch-phrase for myself:  JUMOY!  (Jump for Joy)  It doesn’t work as an answer when someone asks me how I’m doing (I started saying “Peachy” like my Daddy because that just comes out better), but I do get to use it a lot!

During that time I also spent QUALITY time weeping/sobbing and pouring out my heart before the Lord—on my face.  I remember feeling both drained and rejuvenated at the same time as I stood up off the floor of First Assembly of God in Hickory, NC.  It was truly very healing.  That was the night that started me on my Journey to Joy (which I’m still traveling, just in case you’re wondering).

Now for those of you who think I’m nothing more than a “Pollyanna” who always finds something to be Glad about, let me share some of the trials I’ve been through:

1.      In December 1998, I had surgery to remove my left ovary and part of my fallopian tube because of a cyst.  I was 6 months pregnant with my first son at the time.

2.      On March 16, 1999, I went in for my regular doctor’s appointment (I had two weeks to go until my due date).  There was no heartbeat.  We did an ultrasound to be sure, but the only heartbeat we heard was mine.  I had to go through labor and delivery; James Isaac was stillborn the following day, March 17, 1999.  He’d been gone for almost a week, but I had no idea until that moment in the doctor’s office when we didn’t hear the heartbeat.

3.      In November of that same year, just days before Thanksgiving, I miscarried my second baby, who I named Panya Ruth.  (I wanted a girl so bad.  I’m fairly confident she’s a girl because of a very real dream I had later the following year.)

4.      *I feel odd throwing this one in here, but during all this time, I lost several jobs.  I was let go from a Christian Bookstore!  (I know!  ME!  From a Christian Book store!  I still don’t know what happened there!)  I was let go from a bank I worked at.  (No real big loss there except for the fact that I really needed the job.)  I was let go from Tri-City Christian School after two years of teaching all 4 high school English classes as well as both Spanish 1 and 2.  (The Lord had been telling me it was time to go, but it was still a hard loss.)

5.      In November of 2005, just days before Thanksgiving (this isn’t the first nor will it be the last), I had another miscarriage.  I do believe another girl:  Anna Rose.  (This one happened on campus where I left a blood trail down the classroom and had to be taken off campus in an ambulance.  VERY traumatic for me.)

6.      On the Sunday before Thanksgiving in 2010, James raced me to the ER at Frye where I was suffering from an infection from Diverticulitus.  I stayed in the hospital for a whole week while Dr. Cox attempted to control the infection with medication.  When an attempt to drain the infection failed, I was rushed in to emergency surgery immediately afterwards where I was given a stoma and had to wear an ostomy bag for three months.  I stayed in the hospital for another week after my surgery.  Believe it or not, for me, the worst part of that whole experience were the hallucinations!

7.      Three months later, I went in for my reversal surgery where Dr. Cox reconnected my large intestine so I no longer have to wear a bag as well as removed 8 inches of my colon.  I stayed in the hospital for a week after that surgery.  (Recovery for both of these was slow, embarrassing, and very embarrassing.)

8.      In October of that same year, I started bleeding—AGAIN.  I’d been having trouble with bleeding too much and too often since my first surgery, but this time was the last straw.  Dr. Merta found I had a polyp that had to be removed.  This one was a day surgery, but in many ways, it was more painful than any of the previous surgeries!  I remember screaming in pain while in the hospital.

9.      I’m putting this as a separate one because even though other factors affect this one, it stands alone because of its importance:  Samuel is the only living child I will ever have.

These are just the major sorrows that stand out throughout the years that I have had to deal with.  So when you see me with a huge smile on my face….or when you hear me laughing from deep within….or when you hear me say that I’m “Peachy,” I would like for you to know that it’s because I have asked the Lord to pour out His oil of JOY on me more than anyone else, and I believe—no, I KNOW—He has answered my prayer.  It is ONLY in and through Him that have JOY in my life and in my heart.

Otherwise, if I wasn’t a quivering mess lying in my bed never coming out except to go to the bathroom and/or to eat junk food (right, that means not bathing), then I’d be 6-feet under because I’d have to end the pain I continue to fight each and very day.

But the bottom line is that I DO CHOOSE JOY—I do choose to live a life of JOY.  That doesn’t mean that I’m successful every day or that I don’t have the “bad” feelings every once in a while, but I know, from the depths of my soul, that, truly, the JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH (Nehemiah 8:10)!!!!!  JUMOY!