The Beauty.

I just finished reading this memoir:

(I mean, Oprah and Target recommended it.)

And it was probably the most beautiful book I've ever experienced.

It's about a Harvard graduate who learns the child she's pregnant with has Down's Syndrome.

And the way he changes her life for the better.

Anyways...

There's this part where she asks quits seeing people by the labels they wear,

and she starts seeing the person behind each mask.

And she realizes that there is this incredible beauty in every person.

She could only do it for a minute, because the beauty inside others was

so beautiful it hurt.

I tried this in chapel the other day.

Everyone was worshipping,

and I quit judging for a second,

I quit critically listening to the worship band,

and I asked God to show me the beauty in the room.

And all of the sudden everyone was...shining.

For a split second I felt a fracture of God's pleasure at our worship.

I felt tears starting to come, so I quickly turned it off.

I hope that's what heaven will be like.

Focus.

on right now.

Summer.

oh.my.goodness.

it is summer!

That means I can get back into race shape,

and start marking books off my reading list,

and wash my car in the driveway,

and play tennis with my dad!

It's the little things...

Overwhelmed.

Oh, to be there instead of here...

A Hobby of Mine.

I love to read.

Give me a book, some juice (I'm trying to lay off the coffee), and a head lamp (really great for camping&reading I found out), and I'll be content for hours.

Or I like this combination, too. A book, a swimsuit, water, and a towel. That's a good one.

Or...A book, a blanket, bug spray, and the Heritage lake. Probably my favorite.

So far, this is my summer reading list. Some are purely for fun, others out of duty, and others because I have to for the Gateway class I'm mentoring. Ready? It's lengthy.

1. House Rules, by Jodi Picoult. I already finished it, and absolutely LOVED it.

2. Keeping Faith, by Jodi Picoult. Again, finished. I read this little guy in 2 1/2 days.

3. So Long, Insecurity, by Beth Moore. I'm halfway through this one, it actually pertains to reality.

4. Once a Runner, by John L. Parker Jr. I bought this one from Borders, which is a big deal. I couldn't resist the words from a writer at Runner's World. He said, "The best piece of running fiction around. Beg, borrow, or buy a copy, and you'll never need another motivator." I was sold.

5. Emma, by Jane Austen. It's a classic, enough said.

6. Grimm's Fairy Tales.

7. Cry, The Beloved Country, by Alan Paton. For class.

8. College Matters to God, by Rick Ostrander. Same as above.

9. The Maltese Falcon, Dashiell Hammett. Class.

10. The Mirror Crack'd, Agatha Cristie. Again.

11. The Bar on the Seine, Georges Simenon. And again.

Well, that's the list for now.

If any of you readers know of a book that you loved, and think is list-worthy...tell me!

Prince Charming doesn't exist

So, I started reading this slightly controversial book yesterday. The title would probably scare most people off, but I'm a curious person so it only made me want to read it. It's called "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough" by Lori Gottlieb. I know, but it caught your attention, right?

Well at first I was just going to read it with the same perspective I would use when researching a book for a paper. I didn't want to buy into Gottlieb's crazy theory. But the more I read it, the more I find myself agreeing with her.

Girls have these lists-whether they are written down on paper and posted on their wall, or if they are simply mental-they have lists, and they can be quite extensive, if not unrealistic. He needs to be talented but humble. Warm but not clingy. Vulnerable but no weak. Strong but sensitive. He can't be moody or cry very often. He needs to love books and play the guitar. Girls think they can find Prince Charming in the real world. They wait for him to sweep them off of their feet. They pass by great guy after great guy because he didn't meet their impossible criteria. Then they end up like Lori Gottlieb, 40 years old and single, wishing that they would have given that guy a chance, even if he did have red hair.

I think it's important to figure out what you're "Deal Breakers" are. What matters the most to you? What can you not live without? Don't settle on those important things, and quit being so picky on the little things.

I'm only on page 50 so far, but I think I'll probably blog about the things I agree/disagree with just because it could be fun to have a different sort of entry than usual.