As 2008 came to an end, I bought my new datebook on a whim--it was a beautiful, purple engraved leather-bound book with "Joy" beautifully embroidered on the cover. Little did I know when I made that purchase that God was already working in me to pour out His oil of Joy on me more than anyone else. (Psalm 45:7 & Hebrews 1:9)
Prior to that time, I had suffered a stillbirth and two miscarriages--both at approximately 11 weeks. My marriage was crumbling and my health was going downhill faster than I realized...until at the end of 2009, I found myself in the hospital at death's door--truly. I had to have emergency surgery to save my life where I was given an ostomy bag that I had to wear for the next three months. Praise God, the doctor reversed the surgery at the end of those three months and removed 8 inches of my colon. A few months later, I had another surgery because of severe bleeding. This surgery truly brought any hopes of a future pregnancy to a screeching halt.
I did NOT handle these challenges with grace, dignity, or joy. There was a lot of depression, severe anxiety, and, quite possibly worst of all, Rage.
In the midst of all the health issues, I also had to deal with a boss at work who clearly had decided that it was time for me to leave.
My life was a mess, in complete shambles. I was a broken, beaten, wounded warrior unable to stand any longer on my own.
In the midst of this mess, God met me. In spite of the darkness of my days (literally and figuratively), I continued reading everything I could get my hands on about Joy--most specifically, the Joy that comes from the Lord. I have marked every single verse in every single Bible I own that uses Joy. I have purchased and read one book after another on Joy. I have done one Bible study after another on Joy.
I clung to my study on Joy as if my life depended on it. In so many ways that I will more than likely never know, it did. God has used my study on Joy to bring me out of a deep, dark, black, lonely cave of depression, anxiety, fear, and Rage. I am still on the path to full and complete Joy, but at least I am out of my cave and well on my way to complete healing!
As I read through Margaret Feinberg's book Fight Back with Joy, I
was amazed at how God has used Joy to help Margaret fight cancer while also using Joy to help me find Joy regardless of my circumstances. I am excited to see that while our stories (especially our studies on Joy) have many similarities, God is using Margaret to demonstrate how we must Fight the trials and tribulations in our lives with Joy and how so often, it is a fight to live the fullness of God's Joy. Just as we so often give God a sacrifice of Praise, it is the same with Joy--we must sacrifice our feelings to fight back with Joy. It is that sacrifice that brings Joy into our lives even though we didn't feel Joy when we started!
I am so excited to have read Margaret's book and to meet her at next year's Women of Joy Conference. One way or another, I WILL get there!
God is using JOY in a powerful way in the lives of many....How is He using Joy in Your Life???
Margaret also has a 6-session Bible study to go with the book: FIGHT BACK WITH JOY
Another winner!!! A Reader's dream--to have the characters in a story come to life or real people become characters in a book! Interacting with one another.....Wonderful! Where The NeverEnding Story is mostly for younger kids (tweens and younger), Off the Page (and Between the Lines) is certainly a book for teens and older. There isn't anything that could possibly be considered inappropriate or offensive--which I absolutely love. It's a realistic teen love story with a happily-ever-after to rival the best of them! And, to make it that much better, it even ends in such a way as to leave it open for a sequel!
As a long-time fan of Jodi's books, I am excited to see her writing branch into other areas especially in regards to writing with her very own daughter! What a dream come true! To have one of our own children love or want to do the same thing we love/want to do......I mean, it's not as if parents push their children to do what they do (as a general rule), but I know that it certainly makes any parent bubble with happiness when her child does want to do what she does for a living. We are filled with pride at whatever our children choose to do and when they are successful in their careers, but we can't help but burst wide open with pride when they willingly choose to do what we love WITH us.
I am so excited to see where Samantha's own personal career goes. Whether she chooses to continue writing with her mother, on her own, or do something else, I know her momma is very proud of her!
Louise DeSavlo's book WRITING AS A WAY OF HEALING: HOW TELLING OUR STORIES TRANSFORMS OUR LIVES came out in 1999. Even 16 years later, every word in her book rings true and is valuable for anyone going through the healing process. As a writer, I recommend EVERYONE follow DeSalvo's premise of writing as a way of healing. I realize, though, that not everyone finds healing in writing. If that is true, then I am going to take a little side path from DeSalvo's text to say that I think that when it comes to healing, each person should find what he/she loves to do--writing, dancing, gardening, etc., etc., etc.--and do it. Use your passion for what you love to do lead to your healing. Of course, like DeSalvo, I personally do agree that writing is a perfect outlet and does lead to healing, but I love to write. I not only love to write, I HAVE to write. If writing isn't for you, then find what it is that you HAVE to do and do and allow yourself to be healing through the doing....
I have been writing my own story of healing for a while now. I am currently working on getting my memoir ready for publication and in the meantime, I have a blog where I add posts that are directly related to the topic of my memoir. Please feel free to read my blog if you'd like: http://joyregardless.blogspot.com/
When I first started watching DEXTER a year or so ago, I had no idea that it was originally a series of books. As soon as I learned that it is (was), I bought and downloaded the first book in the series to my Nook! I still have two seasons left to watch of the tv show that was on HBO, but I'm already feeling separation anxiety! I just can't get enough of Dexter! I have no idea why I'm so fascinated with him except to say that I've always been interested in psychology in general and why people do the things they do. Watching Dexter, and now reading the book, he is a wonderful psychological study! And what makes him even that much more interesting is the fact that he is very intelligent--he's is very well and highly educated! He knows all the psychological babble! He knows what he is and why--where and when his "Dark Passenger" began. He is aware enough that even though he is a blood spatter analyst for the Miami Dade Homicide Department, he is also somewhat of a Profiler. His co-workers and colleagues trust his judgment about crime scenes! He's SMART. But he's a serial killer. It's just too fascinating!
Plus, it doesn't hurt that Michael C. Hall is just gorgeous! I know I'd easily be charmed by his swagger and lop-sided smile!!!!
Obviously, this was not my first time reading Harper Lee's wonderful TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, but reading it as an adult vs. reading it as a young person are vastly different! I loved the book when I first read it more than 25 years ago. I have always remembered it and have told anyone who would listen that it's one of THE greatest books ever written and that it should be REQUIRED reading for EVERYONE. Reading it again as an adult, it's still one of THE greatest books ever written and I still believe that it should be REQUIRED reading for EVERYONE. It seriously is just THAT GOOD. Thank you, Harper Lee, for writing such an amazing story. I can't wait for the new book being released later this year!!!!
Oh, Marty. I had no idea. I have always LOVED Martin Short and reading his memoir I MUST SAY: MY LIFE AS HUMBLE COMEDY LEGEND only made that love deeper. He has never had the fame or recognition like Robin Williams or some of the other comedy greats, but he's always been right there in the group, a part of the action--just quiet, but still very much a part. I have seen most of his movies and many of his comedy sketches. My favorite movies are INNERSPACE and the FATHER OF THE BRIDE movies where he plays Franck. He is just so FUNNY. I've always said that I love the life stories of others. I am a huge fan of the memoir--which I guess is why I'm attempting to write one of my own--and I am very happy that Martin Short willingly shared his story. I am especially glad that I made the time to read it. He is a kindred spirit; I just KNOW that he and I would hit it off wonderfully if we were ever to meet.
Thanks for the laughs, Marty. Just, Thanks.
I can honestly say that it was difficult to put down John Green's PAPER TOWNS. Yes, it is a very good book and well worth reading. John Green truly has a gift for story-telling and I, for one, am very glad that he is sharing that gift with the world. With that being said, though, all I could think about throughout the whole of the story was LOOKING FOR ALASKA. While there are some obvious differences between the two stories--which I won't name just in case you haven't read one or the other or both, the two are still essentially the same story. It's almost as if Green asked himself what would LOOKING FOR ALASKA be if THIS hadn't happened--if it had gone THIS way instead of the way it did? (Or vice versa. I haven't looked to see which book was written first.) That's not a problem. It's actually quite genius because I was wondering the same thing. If you know anything about John Green's previous books, I feel the need to remind you, then know going into PAPER TOWNS that he stays mostly faithful to his MO.
One final thought: I'm sick of labels such "Young Adult" literature for stories like PAPER TOWNS just because the main characters are teenagers. I am in my mid-forties and I have enjoyed every so-called "young adult" novel I've read--especially those of John Green, Gayle Forman, and the best of them all, Stephen Chobsky's THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. Yes, the main characters in their stories are teenagers, but not only do I remember what it was like being a teenager, but I can also relate to the extreme emotions of the teens within these stories.
Teenagers are NOT the only age group to FEEL with every fiber of their being, you know!
