hope

triggers

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I am still processing distressing thoughts and feelings triggered by some of the events of the last couple of weeks. The process is never quite as simple as I think it should be but there is progress today and I’m grateful. It seems time goes on, and then some things come to the surface, finally ready to be examined and dealt with.

I’ve spent the day writing a post trying to work out an answer to the why question in my head. It was a worthwhile occupation as a number of answers presented themselves. Several were complete, some were not and will have to be revisited another day. At least the conversation has been started and that’s a positive step.

Even though I’ve erased all of today’s work to start over, it has been a beneficial day. The area under consideration is one I haven’t been ready to look at before now. Probably because it’s a hot button issue I didn’t know what to do with. I would share details but I wasn’t able to express it in a way that would make sense to anyone but me. Part of today was a major break through. All of the steam has been let out of several reactions and it feels good.

Sometimes, it seems like the effects of brokenness will never end. A day like today brings renewed hope. Hope is a good thing.

I don’t know if sharing this post will be helpful or encouraging to anyone, but I pray that it is. We all need a little hope, some days more than others.

A couple of books for you

Making Spirits Bright  Christmas Light Collection 2017 – Making Spirits Bright –  Swanson, Shiloh, Hayman and Havig……. four new never-before-released novellas. From romance to cozy mysteries. A fun Christmas read. This is the second set from these ladies this Christmas.

I Know You'll Find Me Dangerous Affections Series – I Know You’ll Find Me – Jennifer Youngblood ….Victoria’s dreams are starting to come true, her own dance studio and a handsome rich boyfriend. Everything changes in an instant when she witnesses a murder on an impromptu visit to his office. Running for her life, she grabs her kids and disappears to the one place she knows he would never think to look. Keeping their secret proves difficult when a handsome police office takes a romantic interest in her, bonding with her kids.

Happy reading!

I don’t feel like writing….

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I don’t feel like writing… and the reason for this is not good. A blogger I follow is going through a rough patch and it is his pain that started mine. Empathy. I sense pain in others and take it on as my own. I don’t mean to, I know it’s not healthy – taking another’s pain as your own – but sometimes intentions aren’t enough to stop empathy.

This blogger is a young man and I am neither young, nor a man. He writes in a general way giving very little detail about his personal life, yet there is something in his writing that leaves the impression of much more below the surface.

I am drawn to reading his posts but I am an introvert, and there is the age/gender thing, so I am trying to stay hidden. Not an easy thing to do as his audience is still small.  Regular visitors stand out rather dramatically. With view stats he would see activity from my country only, but with likes and comments he would see my identity. So, I keep likes to a minimum, and avoid making comments. Eventually his curiosity about this person reading all of his posts has him trying to coax me out into the open. I steadfastly refuse to rise to the bait, until he shares a post revealing some of his pain. The encourager in me can’t help but respond, and I think this is where the trouble begins. But I could be wrong. It could have little to do with my response and much to do with the aftermath of his revealing some of his personal pain.

The trouble with wounded introverts, in my experience, is they over examine every interaction and then flog themselves mercilessly.  I can see signs of flogging going on. There is the unusually long silence and then today’s post indicating deep pain, with the probability of no more blogging. That would be a shame, on so many levels. I expressed this in a comment. I hope he hears and is encouraged to keep in touch.

I have been focused on what I imagine to be his pain paying little attention to my own pain based behaviors. Recognizing the resulting depression in me is the reason for this blog post …. forcing myself back into community, avoiding the tendency for withdrawal.

There is something therapeutic about the attempt to express thoughts and feelings in a way that makes sense. It helps defend against depression. And, community feed back  from posting is a bonus.

I hope my blogger friend will stay in community and keep writing. I know he will discover others who have travelled roads similar to his and will cheer him on, and he will discover growth in positive new insights about himself.

It’s working for me tonight, I would like to see it work for him too

And the pressure is off, hiding is over, no more avoiding comments and likes. Nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wake (City 0f Lights Book 1)

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Wake

This is a fantasy about a dictatorship, and the banishing of all but the subservient. The Community lives in an isolated bubble built to sustain life and keep prisoners. Those who question or show signs of “cultism” are sent for “rehabilitation”. It seems the stirrings of something more can never be stopped though, and Luke and Monet have seen and experienced things that plant seeds of truth in their minds, things that expose  the lies. This truth puts them in danger of banishment and death, will they backtrack and follow the rules or move ahead and go where truth takes them?

I enjoy fantasy and have read books with similar scenarios but this one was handled in a different way and I liked that. I found the story line hard to follow in places but the book as a whole was worth reading and I want to read the sequel.

One quote from the book struck a cord with me:

Blind men, scared men, and hurting men, just like The Community, tried to silence Him, but creation can’t silence the Creator or His Son He sent into the world. He walks among us, even now. (82% Kindle)  Words to bring hope in our own time of upheaval and turmoil. The Creator cannot be overpowered or silenced. The very rocks will cry out. Not a new  battle in our world; the banishing of God.

Wake (City of Lights book 1) Sherry Rossman

one more book

Valley of the Shadow  Dakota Moons Series – Valley of the Shadow book 1 – Stephanie Grace Whitson …. Genevieve, the daughter of Good Song Woman and a French trader, is distressed when her father sends her to live with missionaries, to be educated the way  her mother wanted for her. When a young warrior is found  gravely wounded and left in their barn, Gen begins to lose her heart. Their love is just starting to blossom when the war of 1862 breaks out dragging them both into the valley of the shadow of death.

The hard thing about this story was hearing the historical record of the treatment displaced inhabitants received at the hands of displacers, and the resulting wars. I feel deep sadness that we could treat fellow human beings in such a way. It makes me appreciate the imperfect but improved circumstances of our present world, a world without mass pillaging and killings.

I enjoyed this book because it was well written, compelling, and an education. The characters were real and had me caring about them.

Reading a historical novel is always a good thing; it helps us see where we come from, appreciate where we are, and see where we could end up again if we forget where we come from.

Be on the lookout for a good historical novel. Or a fantasy.

Happy reading!

Adding some new features

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Collaborating with a friend is such a great idea, especially when said friend has some things figured out, and I don’t. I have to give her credit for the idea of adding cover pictures to my books read list to make things more interesting. The idea has  crossed my mind, at times, but I needed a push to make it happen.

I give her credit for my venture into writer’s groups as well,  joining a group wouldn’t have occurred to me without her encouragement.  It has  been great meeting new people, learning new skills, becoming involved in life again. Writing is a solitary endeavour but community is inspiring in a way we miss out on if we don’t make a conscious effort to get involved somewhere.

The addition of book covers will be a positive change, visually, I think, but it has affected the way I’m writing about the books. I’m not sure why this is. Hopefully it will also be a change for the good.

Several books didn’t make the cut this week, for a couple of reasons, too much telling and not enough show, distracting details, an overbearing agenda. One particular book had a strong start and looked like it could be the favorite of the week until it took a downturn; the writing style changed to the reciting of facts, and dialogue became a soap box for the overbearing agenda. I finished it, wishing ……. It could have been such a great book.

On the bright side, there were still some great books. Check out the covers.

this weeks offering:

come to me again   Come to me Again –  Leah Atwood ….  A devastating broken engagement nearly destroys him. Four years later they cross paths, can there be forgiveness. Will he achieve his dream of a music career and an escape from poverty? Will she escape the clutches of her controlling father and wealthy upbringing. Sometimes we make decisions, for what seems to be the right reason, but the result is heartache, will love win in spite of it all?

Time Lottery  Time Lottery (Time Lottery Series Book 1) – Nancy Moser …. This is a lottery like none other. A chance to go back in time and make new choices; or not. We get to follow the three winners on their ground breaking journeys, a surgeon, a socialite, and a homeless man. It was definitely an interesting new treatment of the idea of time travel.

Echo  Echo (A Kate Redman Mystery Book 6) – Celina Grace …. Torrential rains cause unprecedented flooding and a hillside gives way to expose the skeletal remains of a young woman. There are no clues to help establish identity or date of death. Cold case files go missing and it seems like someone in authority wants the investigation stopped. Kate’s long estranged mother also makes contact which only adds to the mystery. Age old secrets and people in high places. This was a good book.

Fatal FrostFatal Frost (Defenders of Justice Book 1) – Nancy Mehl …. Mercy Brennan has followed in her absentee father’s footsteps in law enforcement, only in a different branch, US Marshall. When she finds herself assigned to a joint task force it puts her in contact with him again,  an unwelcome situation. To make matters worse, unknown to her, the boss assigns her ex fiancé as protector from a high powered gang who have the mistaken idea she has a valuable piece of information they want back, at any cost. The ice storm complicates her protection. The twists and turns made this a favorite book this week.

Hi and Run  Hit and Run (The Delilah West Thriller Series Book 3) – Maxine O’Callaghan …. A down on her luck private eye is witness to a rainy night fatal hit and run. It seems straight forward at the time but doubts arise as the teen’s mother pleads with her to prove his innocence. Her reluctant investigation turns up more questions than answers. I like this protagonist and her irreverent way of going about life.

The Recipe  This is a heartwarming story about a young dietary assistant trying to find her place in life. While she is trying to win the Vegan Valentine Bake-off, in hopes of finding her calling, she feels drawn to the needs of some of the patients adding doubt about where she belongs. A nice lighter read.

That’s it for now. Let me know if you like the addition of book covers, does it add inspiration?

As always, Happy reading!

Recruits

/ For the Love of Books / 1 Comment

The book I loved this week is Recruits by Thomas Locke (T. Davis Bunn).  Davis Bunn is a prolific author and has been one of my favorites for decades. I’ve read every book I could get my hands on and have, fortunately, lived in cities with great libraries that considered him a favorite too and stocked most of his books. He is flexible at writing and successfully spans a number of different genres, there is something for everyone. If you haven’t read any of his books, you will be glad you did.

Recruits is a fantasy aimed at young adults but will be loved by young and old alike. Seventeen year old twins, who have had detailed dreams for years about a city in another world, are approached by a clandestine scout from this other world to see if they would be interested and able to become recruits to the human assembly, they have 30 days to prove themselves or their memories will be wiped.

I don’t know how to put into words the magic that happens when an author gets everything just right and the story becomes real for the reader, this was one of those books for me.

Part of the twins gifting was the ability to transition from one location to another, to far off worlds in other parts of the galaxy where they met up with many people of other races. I don’t want to spoil any of the story for you so will not give many details, I’ll just say there are lots of great characters, conflict and situations, family relations and stresses. The story grabbed my attention from the first page to the last and I didn’t want it to end.

I am a trekkie, a fan of Star Trek movies and TV shows, and this book felt, to me, like Star Trek Voyager and Deep Space Nine did when I used to watch them. As often happens, one thing led to another, and I started thinking about the whole question of whether or not there could be other inhabited worlds out there.

With recent discoveries about the beauty and vastness of outer space, and with newly uncovered marvels in our own world, it occurs to me that the mind behind all of this is highly creative. If I were the creator, I wouldn’t be content to have just one populated world, I would have many worlds, with a great variety of life forms.  I can’t imagine that the creator of this universe would be content to stop with just one world either. Maybe the stories birthed in the minds of writers like Thomas Locke are like the twin’s  dreams of another world in Recruits. Maybe there are other inhabited worlds out there.

You will have to read Recruits, maybe you will agree with me.

 

Dream With Me Cowboy

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I think Dream With Me Cowboy by Debra Clopton was the most fun I’ve had this week. I love it when  a book makes me laugh out loud and this one did. With a pink convertible, a take charge attitude, a mind full of great ideas, and the personality to charm people into following her, it made for interesting situations. On top of it all, the match makers are at work behind her back. She may not think of herself as a good candidate but that doesn’t mean they agree with her. 🙂

Texas Matchmakers – Dream With Me Cowboy book 1-  Debra Clopton . ……  a fun romance that doesn’t go the way it was intended. Some of the town’s elderly match makers decide to address the lack of potential wives by placing ads to attract young women to their small town. Lacy Brown sees the ad and drives her pink convertible into town intending to open a hair salon and do her part to help make this all happen. She has NO plans to be part of the solution by becoming a bride!

If you enjoy a fun read be sure to check this one out.

A few more good books this week:

The Sterlings Series – Secrets & Chance book 1 – Lynn Hastings and Z L Arkadie …… Rosalie escaped the abusive marriage but has not lost her close relationship with his matriarch grandmother who has invited her to a special birthday party. She arrives to find she has stepped into the middle of a major family dispute regarding said grandmother who has also disappeared….. because she is up to something. I liked the twists and turns in a new presentation of a familiar story idea. It was well written and attention grabbing.

A Deadline Cozy Mystery – Sunny Side Up book 1 – Sonia Perrin ….. another story with a bitter divorce and an elderly, disappearing, family member. Eve decides to accept the invitation to spend time with her mystery writing aunt only to find she has mysteriously left town (as she sometimes does when a new story is brewing) and there is a dead body. Of course. Eve is now a suspect but has to find the real killer….. it’s her civic duty. An entertaining and fun read.

Song of Suspense Series – A Melody for James – Hallee Bridgeman …….  Romantic Suspense,   a bond forms when their plane is storm grounded and he strikes up an uncomfortable conversation, intending only to pass some time. In the end they discover they have much in common and want to explore the idea of a relationship after this trip is over. Their plan to meet for dinner never happens due to bizarre circumstances,  which also means they lose track of each other. Years go by but neither can forget the other. There are sinister forces at work in each of their lives, forces that separated and will reconnect them.  This book keeps you guessing until the end, wondering if they will ever meet again.

Daniel Trokic Series – Under a Black Sky – Inger Wolf …..  a Scandinavian Mystery….  a prominent Danish volcano scientist in Anchorage Alaska is found brutally murdered in his home, along with his wife and son but their daughter is missing. Is she in hiding, or has she been taken? Is she alive or dead? Why has this happened to a seemingly well liked man, without enemies? Danish authorities send one of their top detectives to help solve this mystery involving one of their own. I enjoyed this enough to want to read the next book in the series. Sadly, it hasn’t come out in English yet.

Lei Crime Series – Rip Tides book 9 – Toby Neal …. poised to win the Triple Crown of Surfing, the Maui surfing star is discovered dead after a collision and fall in a wave  he could have easily conquered. A high profile murder case  with many unexpected secrets in the surfing world. This complex story made for a good read.

As always, I hope you will find some inspiration here, if not to a specific book then to the search for an interesting book, there are so many out there just waiting to be found.

Happy reading!

 

Dream With Me Cowboy

/ For the Love of Books / Leave a comment

I think Dream With Me Cowboy by Debra Clopton was the most fun I’ve had this week. I love it when  a book makes me laugh out loud and this one did. With a pink convertible, a take charge attitude, a mind full of great ideas, and the personality to charm people into following her, it made for interesting situations. On top of it all, the match makers are at work behind her back. She may not think of herself as a good candidate but that doesn’t mean they agree with her. 🙂

Texas Matchmakers – Dream With Me Cowboy book 1-  Debra Clopton . ……  a fun romance that doesn’t go the way it was intended. Some of the town’s elderly match makers decide to address the lack of potential wives by placing ads to attract young women to their small town. Lacy Brown sees the ad and drives her pink convertible into town intending to open a hair salon and do her part to help make this all happen. She has NO plans to be part of the solution by becoming a bride!

If you enjoy a fun read be sure to check this one out.

A few more good books this week:

The Sterlings Series – Secrets & Chance book 1 – Lynn Hastings and Z L Arkadie …… Rosalie escaped the abusive marriage but has not lost her close relationship with his matriarch grandmother who has invited her to a special birthday party. She arrives to find she has stepped into the middle of a major family dispute regarding said grandmother who has also disappeared….. because she is up to something. I liked the twists and turns in a new presentation of a familiar story idea. It was well written and attention grabbing.

A Deadline Cozy Mystery – Sunny Side Up book 1 – Sonia Perrin ….. another story with a bitter divorce and an elderly, disappearing, family member. Eve decides to accept the invitation to spend time with her mystery writing aunt only to find she has mysteriously left town (as she sometimes does when a new story is brewing) and there is a dead body. Of course. Eve is now a suspect but has to find the real killer….. it’s her civic duty. An entertaining and fun read.

Song of Suspense Series – A Melody for James – Hallee Bridgeman …….  Romantic Suspense,   a bond forms when their plane is storm grounded and he strikes up an uncomfortable conversation, intending only to pass some time. In the end they discover they have much in common and want to explore the idea of a relationship after this trip is over. Their plan to meet for dinner never happens due to bizarre circumstances,  which also means they lose track of each other. Years go by but neither can forget the other. There are sinister forces at work in each of their lives, forces that separated and will reconnect them.  This book keeps you guessing until the end, wondering if they will ever meet again.

Daniel Trokic Series – Under a Black Sky – Inger Wolf …..  a Scandinavian Mystery….  a prominent Danish volcano scientist in Anchorage Alaska is found brutally murdered in his home, along with his wife and son but their daughter is missing. Is she in hiding, or has she been taken? Is she alive or dead? Why has this happened to a seemingly well liked man, without enemies? Danish authorities send one of their top detectives to help solve this mystery involving one of their own. I enjoyed this enough to want to read the next book in the series. Sadly, it hasn’t come out in English yet.

Lei Crime Series – Rip Tides book 9 – Toby Neal …. poised to win the Triple Crown of Surfing, the Maui surfing star is discovered dead after a collision and fall in a wave  he could have easily conquered. A high profile murder case  with many unexpected secrets in the surfing world. This complex story made for a good read.

As always, I hope you will find some inspiration here, if not to a specific book then to the search for an interesting book, there are so many out there just waiting to be found.

Happy reading!

 

The Watchmaker’s Daughter

/ For the Love of Books / 2 Comments

I love it when I find a book that rises above all the rest and is a magical read.

Glass and Steele Series -The Watchmaker’s Daughter book 1 –  by C.J. Archer is one of those books. The story has elements of the Count of Monte Cristo, one of my favorite books. It’s hard to put the euphoria of the reading experience into words but I’ll try. I think the thing that tickles me most is the mystery and intrigue surrounding the characters, and the subtle humour in actions and dialogue. Like in the Count of Monte Cristo, the characters seem out of place in the opulent surroundings, and yet they seem to have the right and the means to be there. There are secrets lurking beneath the surface but there is nothing to grab hold of to expose them or even prove the secrets are real. There are great characters who frighten and charm all at the same time, there is also risk, romance, and unexplained magical moments.  Nothing is given away as details  come out in layers. with the whole truth being saved to the very end.  I am still basking in the glow of an enjoyed book newly finished. 🙂

A Sydney Brennan Mysteries – Back to Lazarus book 1 – Judy K Walker …… Another of my favorite books this time. A private eye is hired by a woman to solve a cold case involving the decades old murder of her mother and the more recent suicide of her convicted father. I liked how this story was unpredictable and believable, I liked the characters and how they played off one another…. and the trouble the PI could get into with her won’t-quit attitude. There was a humorous side to all of this that helped make it an enjoyable read.

The Brides of San Francisco – Nellie book 1 – Cynthia Woolf …. post civil war era, Nellie, to escape the cruel influence of her late husband’s wealthy family, decides to take her two young children and become a mail order bride in San Francisco. Bachelor Blake is a successful saloon owner wanting to branch out to become a legitimate businessman, but council rules say he must be a family man. This scenario made for an intriguing story.

Hot Chocolate in June: A True Story of Loss, Love and Restoration – Holly Mthethwa

Thomas Kincaid Cape Light Series – Songs of Christmas – Katherine Spencer ….. Two protagonists, one a young musician trying to advance her career, the other an elderly  woman resisting changes with a less than charitable attitude.   I am now the proud possessor of a public library card (the first one in 5 years) and this was the first book signed out. I had not read any books by this author so it was a pleasant change.

The Women of Valley View – Pam book 3 – Sharon Srock ……  a story of love, abuse, bitter divorce, and pain that won’t go away. Then the unthinkable… he moves back to town and all of the hurt resurfaces. She doesn’t know, he is dying. Some weeks most of the books fall into the “OK” category. This week had more than a few rising above the OK assessment. This was another well written and gripping story.

Arcadia Valley Romance – Romance Grows in Arcadia Valley book 1 – Mary Jane Hathaway and five other authors….. 6 books in this collection all set in Arcadia with stories that intertwine with the other authors. These books are the first in a three book series  for each author. They were all good and I look forward to reading more of them. This collection is still currently free tonight.

There are still a few more books on my list but one of them is an author I have been wanting to showcase so I think it needs a separate post.

I hope you have been inspired to check out some of these authors and will discover some books you love too.

See you soon.

Happy reading.

 

 

 

A favorite book this week

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This week is about books, some I loved and some…I didn’t.

Generally, I don’t like to talk about books I dislike in a blog post (I save my rants over pet peeves for in person conversations not caught on camera) Putting dislike into words in a blog post just feels too much like a written rejection letter.  I would rather stick to the positive and  tell you about the books I liked and let the negative be shown subtly by the book’s absence from my list.

But, there’s a downside to positive only comments, it gives the impression I am an  indiscriminate reader.

So, I will give you a reason to believe I have opinions about what’s good and what’s not. There were a half dozen books this week that didn’t survive past the first few pages. There were two in particular, though, that caused a high level of disappointment. I had great expectations for them because they were written by popular public figures with something to say. I kept reading longer than usual, wanting them to get better. They didn’t

The first one is an allegory, I’ve read other books in a similar style and loved them, I expected to love this one too. The first off putting thing was, the hype overkill at the beginning of the book. How many endorsements do you really need! The second off-putting thing was, the story didn’t live up to the hype. It was disjointed, hard to follow, and the symbolism didn’t marry well with descriptions and actions, which was frustrating.

The second book was also similar in style to several other books I’ve read and enjoyed  recently. My expectations were high because I’ve not seen another book address this particular topic, at least not from this angle. The introduction gave me hope because it talks about how the book came to be, and how it was originally longer but they pared it down significantly. It could have been pared down even more, in my opinion. How many ways should you say the same thing?

The major downfall I see with both of these books; they had something worth saying, but the process of writing is not a strong skill for either of them. An experienced editorial team would have been a great asset.

I give them kudos for trying though because writing a successful book is not as easy as it looks.

 

So, having mentioned books I didn’t like, it’s time to mention some books I did like, enough to stay up reading half the night in some cases.

Kiya Trilogy – Kiya: Hope of the Pharaoh book 1, Kiya: Mother of a King book 2 – Katie Hamstead …… this is a fictionalized story of King Tut, an excellent read and my favorite this week. I’m looking forward to reading book 3

Detective Madison Knight Series – Deadly Impulse book 6 – Carolyn Arnold …… I enjoy Carolyn Arnold and this was another good one from her, lots of believable twists and turns while  looking for the killer.

Bridge to Haven – Francine Rivers ….. this story starts when an abandoned newborn is mercifully found by a tender hearted man, under the bridge at the edge of town. Sometimes the sad places of our lives cause us to make devastating decisions. This is a book of second chances. Francine Rivers has been one of my favorite authors for many years and still is.

A Riley Paige Mystery – Once Gone book 1, Once Taken book 2 – Blake Pierce ….  a brilliant female police detective with a broken past that makes her more than a little prickly. Blake Pierce is a new favorite author of mine.

The Kate Lange Thriller Series – Damaged book 1 – Pamela Callow …..  Suspense…. recovering from the death of her sister and a messy break-up, Kate finds herself with a new law firm, embroiled in a dangerous mystery.

Skye Cree Thriller – The Box of Bones book 3 – Vickie McKeehan …. a serial killer, dismembered bodies, and not much to go on. This was  believable too, a mystery that keeps you guessing to the end, the best kind.

The Retired Gardener – Gideon Williams ….. this is definitely not your usual thriller, a retired gardener who always seems to side step away from harm directed at him.  A new slant on thrillers.

As always, I hope you will be on the lookout for good books, there are so many out there waiting to be found.

Happy reading!

A tell-all chapter

/ For the Love of Books / 2 Comments

If I were writing a memoir (which I’m not, at least not yet anyway) most readers would be looking for tell-all chapters. This might qualify.

In the last post love my flowers…. and books I mentioned that I am an introvert and if the neighbours were to see me trying to take pictures of the flowers in my yard, it would be a tragedy of epic proportions. At the time, I said this somewhat tongue in cheek, but, as I thought about it later, it felt honest rather than dramatic, and honest felt really good.

One thing always leads to another, in my mind anyway, and this line of thought lead me to consider the possible impact the early years would have had on my introverted self. I wouldn’t say those years were the cause but I can see how they would have  contributed.

Both families moved many times over the years and eventually ended up in the same town, that’s how they met. Dad was a friend of one of mom’s brothers. It’s ironic that they were both born in Alberta, Vegreville and Youngstown, if I remember right. It seems like the they unintentionally followed each other around a bit.

Secrets have been the trademark of both families so I am short on details and have to speculate about some things.

I suspect mom was still living at home when they started going out together but don’t know for sure, I assume dad wasn’t living at home but don’t know that for sure either, I think his parents moved back to the States somewhere in that time frame. Also, I have no idea what the length of their relationship would have been, but it must not have been too short for mom’s brother to have been part of the scene. I’ve always assumed, from the information we were given through the years, that they were married the year before I was born, recently we discovered this was incorrect, they were married 13 months after I was born.

Both grandparents were strong in their faith, at least the grandmothers were, dad’s family was Catholic….church attendance was very important, Mom’s family was Protestant…… her step father was the pastor. Religious differences were a big deal.

Back in the 40s conceiving a child out of wedlock was a major scandal, both inside and outside the church. This would have been a huge  blow to mom’s dad,  personally as a minister, and could have been the reason for his retirement, given church rules at the time. It could even have been a forced resignation made to look like a retirement.

The second scandal would have been living arrangements, for the duration of the pregnancy and the 13 months of my life before the wedding, putting 2 and 2 together with little bits of information given out over the years, I suspect they had no alternative but to live together.

One of the reasons I think this was the case,  with them trying to fly under the radar, was again, bits and pieces from mom’s stories about my birth. Wearing dad’s shirts as smocks. Taking herself to the hospital only to be told, come back in six months and maybe she would have something, (staying small would have been to go unnoticed). Then a few hours later giving birth to a 6 pound baby girl. Upset because the father of her child was out partying with her brother, when he should have been there with her.

I don’t know much about the wedding plans either except that one of dad’s sisters stood up with mom, and mom had a beautiful dress. They were married in the Catholic church after she promised the priest their children would be raised Catholic. In my experience dad was not a church goer so I’m guessing this was an empty promise. We weren’t brought up in either church.

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For religious reasons, this marriage was  unacceptable to both sides of the family, but with children involved what choice did they have.

During pregnancy and beyond, our home would have been filled with angst. Dad wasn’t ready for marriage or kids, his actions showed that, and it would be pretty safe to say  mom wasn’t ready either. My birth was not the happy occasion it would have been under normal circumstances. If babies hear while in the womb, and pick up on emotions, there would have been lots for me to hear and feel.

Apparently, the introvert in me surfaced early. There were stories. About how, as a baby, I didn’t warm up to dad and he wasn’t happy. About how I would cry if anyone looked at me when we were out in public. About how I wouldn’t go to  anyone.

Not such a great beginning, for any of us.

There were other things, besides the events of my birth, adding to my desire for invisibility, but we will save them for another tell-all chapter.

I’m sure other family members have heard stories over the years and could shed light on some things. I would love to hear your stories sometime.

Well, we need a few books now…to lighten things up a bit

The Amish Bishop Mysteries – What the Bishop Saw book 1 – Vannetta Chapman….. this was one of my favorite books this week…. the Bishop has a gift that is more of a burden than a blessing, tragic happenings prompt him to overcome his reluctance to use it, to help find answers.

The Sisters of Sugarcreek – Cathy Liggett ….. an elderly aunt dies leaving a knitting shop to her untalented niece, a fire destroys a church and a way of life for one charitable woman, the same fire kills a fireman leaving a widow without the skills to deal with her everyday life. Three ladies drawn together to form an unbreakable bond, each one having something the others need. I really liked this book of healing and restoration.

The Teacup Novellas – At Legends End book 4 – Diane Moody….. This was another favorite this week, I always enjoy Diane Moody’s books and this series was a favorite. A beautiful B&B, in an old house with tragedy in it’s past, the question on everyone’s mind…does the legend still hold true? I was happy that in spite of the Novella tag it seemed to be a regular length book.

An Offering: The Tale of Therese – Allison Pittman ….  this was a short, but good, story about a little girl and how life changed for her.

I have a string of unfinished books this time too, so they haven’t all been great, which only makes me appreciate the good ones even more 🙂

There are a lot of good books out there and I hope you are discovering them.

Until next time, Happy Reading!