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I bought this novel on the ferry last month as my son and I began our vacation. It’s always nice to have something to read in between visiting and sightseeing and while waiting for transfers. This paperback was small enough to fit in my purse and a light enough story to easily pick up where I left off and read in bits and pieces.The protagonist initially seems to be stuck in a bland life in her late 30s, her dreams of the life she wanted having all but faded away. She is not ambitious to change anything but is becoming increasingly disenchanted with her boyfriend and her dead-end job. However, it’s not until disaster falls that she gets out of her situation.

Having finally had enough, she decides to take a vacation to England to watch the filming of a series called Bauchamp Hall. She has been fascinated by the polite and sensitive characters in the series, and the way that they behave and treat those they love. This in stark contrast to her boyfriend and others in her small redneck American hometown.

Is it only the way the series was written or is there a real place like this? Will she meet the kind of people who live life the way she wishes it could be?

Sometimes I want to give the protagonist a shake, as she seems so passive. It is interesting to me , though, to read about the makings of that kind of a British series, as I myself am a fan of some of them. I’m also tempted to take that kind of a vacation! Thanks for the insights, Danielle Steel!

Stephen Garrett writes a very personal account of his beloved brother’s six-year battle with cancer, from 2008 to 2015. This book was lent to my husband and I from friends who, like us, are also going through a cancer journey with a family member.

We found it helpful to read about the course of the journey for the Garrett family and in particular for Peter, the one who had the cancer. He led a healthy lifestyle and so was surprised to be diagnosed with cancer in his late 50s. It appeared as a lump in his groin, which at first he thought was probably fat because he had a similar fatty lump previously in the other leg. This one was cancerous and they treated it with radiation.

The radiation appeared to be successful and the cancer in remission, however Peter wasn’t bouncing back to his normal energy level. Stephen takes readers through the series of battles chronologically as the cancer re-emerges in different places and forms over the next six years. Peter tries various treatments from naturopathic to chemotherapy but sadly the cancer keeps progressing.

Each chapter ends with comments from family members and nurses about how they are feeling at that particular faze of the journey. They love Peter dearly but do not always agree with his decisions. Yet they come on board with him to support him right up to the end. The last two chapters tell about the way this family dealt with Peter’s death and cremation and later memorial service.

My husband having been diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, he was very grateful to read about how it went for Peter and his family. It helps to know how the treatments affected Peter. Is it better to go through harsh treatments and endure horrible side effects with hopes of a lengthy remission or to just alleviate symptoms and let nature take its course? It was also helpful to read about the end of life arrangements for the cremation and memorial service and prompted my husband to consider what he wants for himself when the time comes and to discuss it with me.

A walk on the seawall in Nanaimo, and seafood at a floating restaurant; my idea of a good time!  Last Sunday I had some time to myself so I took the dog for a long leisurely stroll, drinking in the restorative ocean breeze and the scenery of the bay and the islands.

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Float planes come and go over yachts and rowboats. All kinds of people saunter by, many with delicious-looking ice cream cones in hand.  I took pictures of some of the beautiful flowers beside the lagoon and sat on a bench a while.

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I walked some more and would have gone farther but my dog was done so I brought him back to the car and went to Trollers.  I had a hankering for their deep fried oysters! 

A good time to go at 2 pm when it’s not too busy.  Last time I went there it was suppertime and there was a long wait plus they ran out of the salmon that I had ordered.  But  they replaced a piece of the salmon with a deep fried oyster, and I remembered how delicious that was!  This time the wait was only about 10 minutes.  Five plump oysters, a bit of coleslaw and lots of fries with a bottle of Pure Leaf ice tea for $21. I was savouring my solitary meal and quietude when a couple of tourists joined me at the other end of the large table.  Before long another couple joined us as well.  The man, who had retired from a broadcasting career before they recently moved to Nanaimo, proceeded to interview the rest of us.  Well if it didn’t turn out that his wife and the other man had been classmates in Alberta when they were kids!  So they all knew a lot of people in common.  Already being in a melancholy reflective mood, it made me feel all the more alone, missing old friends 😪.  But it was nice listening to them. 

By the time I had downed the third oyster I was full but still enjoying the meal.  I had to leave the last few fries though, as I was on grease overload by then.  The talkative man didn’t want me to leave, but I was ready to go home to my husband, who would be glad to have me back after his own quiet rest time.

A biography of Twyla Ludwig, missionary to Kenya from 1927 to 1960, written by her son. This intriguing story gives insight not only into the personal life of Twyla Ludwig and her family, but into the history of Kenya and its people.

From the time she was a young girl, Twyla Ludwig always knew she would be a missionary. However, she married a farmer who was not even a believer at first. She prayed fervently for him. Finally when she had a severe illness and he feared he would lose her, he turned to God. She recovered and then prayed about missions. Her husband did not want to give up his farm, but finally put it up for sale for a high price, hoping it would not sell. However it sold immediately for full asking price. So the Ludwigs got some training and first pastored for several years in the United States before being sent to Kenya.

Charles was still a young boy at the time, and it is interesting to read about his own experiences living on this remote mission compound. Living conditions were extremely primitive. Water had to be brought on foot from a distance. There was an abundance of wildlife, from lizards, rats and insects in the house to leopards and lions outside. Most of the natives had no clothes. Men had several wives, who were like slaves to them, and it was expected that they beat them regularly to make them work harder. Witchdoctors were who the people went to for any kind of help, and they had all kinds of remedies, most of which made a sick person worse rather than better. For example cutting people all over their skin and then spitting on them. Women in childbirth were often beaten and scolded if the baby did not come out quickly.

Twyla Ludwig saw the dire need for the education of women in Kenya, and started schools for them first on their original compound, and later near Nairobi, working full-out non-stop until her death at the age of 70. She greatly influenced change in Kenya through her hard work and answers to prayer.

A five minute walk from our townhouse is one of our favourite places to go out for a light lunch on a warm sunny day.  The reason I say a warm sunny day is because we sit outside, and Sid gets the bowl of chilli from Tim Hortons and I get sushi from next door at Umai Sushi.

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Then we meet at a little table on the sidewalk under the shade of a little tree. We share a cup of Japanese barley tea with our meal; mild and perfect with anything.

I like a little box of ready to take out California rolls and yam rolls if I’m not too hungry.  The meals on their menu are delicious too if you’re a bit hungrier, and the restaurant is cozy and nicely decorated.

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The famous-in-Canada Tim Hortons chain started out mostly with coffee and donuts years ago. Now they serve all kinds of breakfast, lunch and snack foods over the counter. Donuts of all sorts and muffins, breakfast or lunch sandwiches on biscuits or croissants, soups and chilli that comes with a freshly baked bun.  The chilli is full of vegetables like green peppers, tomatoes and mushrooms along with ground beef and beans. 

A hearty lunch for only a few dollars  each!

Diane Bestwick lived and worked in China for nearly ten years.  She met and befriended many Chinese people and got to know their joys and sorrows and predicaments.  During the years she was there the government had a policy in place that each married couple was to only have one child.  This notion on first appearance may sound like a good idea for a country with a large population and many in poverty. 

In her novel Diane portrays what it was really like for those experiencing this situation.  More than the policy itself, it was the ways in which it was enforced that were so horrific.

The main character already has a son, and has had one abortion in order to follow the policy, but cannot bear to have another abortion.  The novel takes us through the dire straits she finds herself in as she courageously tries to make a way to save her baby.

Here in North America, where we do not face  such a lack of freedom, and political repercussions for things like that, most of us are blissfully unaware of the anguishes people are put through in some parts of the world.  Through reading novels like this we can begin to understand.

Although the protagonist in this book is married, as in my novel the pregnancy is not an acceptable situation in many ways.  Will she find a way to escape a forced abortion?  Also as in my novel, she prays for a solution and then puts her trust in God to guide and care for her and her baby.

An artist who designs quilts for display leaves behind her studio in town, along with her lawyer boyfriend who has become too high-pressured and scary, to return home to the farm and care for her grandmother.

She has always dreamt of living back on the family farm and practising her craft. However, in her dream she imagined being married to a farmer. Now she finds herself the primary caregiver for her aging grandmother who has a series of strokes.

Her aunt comes to help, but there is a bitter secret between the aunt and the grandmother. It turns out that the aunt was born out of wedlock. At this point in her life she finally wants to find out who her real father was, and embarks on a search.

Also the little old heritage church that the family attends is in danger of being demolished. Can it be saved? Who will help, and who is to be trusted?

I chose to read this book because, like the book I’m writing, it deals with family, a child born out of wedlock, and the protagonist going through her own soul-searching to sort out what is really important to her.

A gripping historical fiction novel, revealing the history of Afghanistan from 1975, before the Shah was overthrown until 2002. The protagonist starts out as a young boy in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1975. His father, a wealthy and generous entrepreneur, is able to bless many others. They live in a lovely home with a garden large enough to also contain a small shack which houses their servant and his son, who are Pashtuns and Sunni Muslims. The Pashtun people are typically servants to the Hazara, Shi’a Muslims, considered a lower class, and openly discriminated against. In this case, however, there is a close personal tie between these two fathers and sons. It is not until near the end of the almost 400 page novel that the true nature of their relationship is revealed.

Kite running was an annual competition in Kabul in which young boys made and flew kites held by glazed strings. Competitors would cut down others’ kites with these glazed strings over the course of several hours until finally only one was left flying. Kite runners would run after that kite and whoever retrieved it where it came down would take it home and mount it on their wall. Sounds like an innocent game but it reveals the evil natures of some and the extreme faithfulness of the servant/friend of the protagonist.

Through this competition and other, increasingly more adult and horrific events over the years, the author skillfully brings out themes of human relationships and connections and human nature, including jealousy, power struggles, kindness, deep regret, redemption, and relationships with God. The changing political powers in Afghanistan cause living conditions for all to progressively worsen as evil and fear grips the country.

Ending up in America, the protagonist and his father are reduced to poverty, but by persistent hard work together they make their way. Life is not easy and America is not heaven. There is poverty of spirit until truth, regret, and life-threatening cleansing redemption occur.

So many striking personal histories have come out of World War II! This one, though fictional, is based on the young life of the author’s mother, and includes a few photos and a short account of her real story at the end of the novel.

The author grew up in Bucharest, Romania, where most of the story is based. The story begins in 1941 when the protagonist is not quite 4 years old. Jews are being rounded up and sent to death camps. Her parents make a run for it, but decide that in order for all three of them not to be caught and killed they will have to leave her somewhere with the hopes that kind people will take her in.

This does happen, and the author takes us through the ensuing growing-up years of the child’s life, happy and sad and scary, and the changing times Bucharest goes through politically and culturally.

The reader gains insight into the realities of things that went on and ways that the war affected individuals. Throughout the story hope is prevalent and the author spares us from the most horrific depths of what humanity sank to in this war, yet alluding to some of the possible outcomes had her characters not been spared the fate of many.

Prayer, faith, and acts of compassion and bravery by individuals from several factions are what worked together to save this young girl time and again.

An old-fashioned take-out restaurant situated across the road from Beacon Hill Park, we must go here for a milkshake whenever we visit Victoria!  The food and shakes are home-made style, with the tastiest of flavours!

Order your food at one window and pick it up at the other window and take it to a table on the patio.  Enjoy the sun, sheltered from cool breezes by a plexiglass wall.  If your dog is with you just sit at one of the tables on the other side of the plexiglass.  For drizzly days there is an awning that comes out over a heater above.

The menu includes such traditional Canadian staples as fish and chips, hot dogs, corn dogs, and all varieties of burgers.  I am told they have the best hamburgers in town!

It is January 7th. We are still gradually putting away our Christmas decorations. It’s been a lovely season for us, beginning in late November with Christmas activities.

Bit by bit the days are lengthening in this part of the world, bringing a renewal of energy. The dark days of winter and the celebrations of Christmas and New Year’s Day for me are a season of pondering. The chilly wet weather is conducive to curling up in a comfy chair with a blanket and a hot drink and reading or watching TV or visiting or listening to my husband play his guitar and sing.

Christmas carols cause me to ponder the birth of Jesus, God’s love, light in darkness, hope and peace. Angels play a major role in Christmas. My husband and I have been attending a home Bible study group on the theme of angels. Over the Christmas season my husband read a book on angels, which I had bought and read years ago. We had some interesting discussions stemming from that and recalling our own experiences which seemed to involve angels. The book I am referring to is Celebration of Angels; A compelling look at the heavenly beings who touch our lives, by Timothy Jones, published in 1994 by Thomas Nelson.

I also read three thought-provoking novels, causing me to ponder marriage and family, life and death, forgiveness and understanding amoungst family members.

Such thoughts always renew my appreciation for my own parents and their faithfulness to each other and to us kids through thick and thin.

My own life has not fared so well. Perhaps I strove too hard. As a young person my conscience was over-active, causing me to be overwhelmed with feelings of guilt as well as trying too hard to be perfect. It wasn’t until later in life that I realized that God does not expect us to be perfect. He is a forgiving and understanding God.

Sadly, I projected that guilt and perfectionism onto my family, and it contributed to the demise of my first marriage and difficulties with my children. Thank God there has been forgiveness, but the damage was done.

My mother had many sayings, and one of them was “Get your priorities straight”. Looking back over my life I think I may have been better off not to focus so much on getting a higher education and having a career. After all, home and family has always been what is most fulfilling to me. I really believe in the traditional role of women as wives and mothers. Not to invalidate other roles as well. I do appreciate education and work but it has often been disappointing to me. Our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that he feels abortions should be available to young women so that they can live up to their full potential. What indeed is “full potential” in a woman if it isn’t motherhood and bravely protecting and nurturing your own offspring, even at all costs?

So here I am in my 65th year of life looking back. Currently I am not working at a regular job, but will I have to find one again? The cost of living keeps rising and our pensions don’t! I feel fulfilled in my role as a wife looking after my husband and home, and as a mother looking after a son who has disabilities. My hobby of writing fulfills my creative streak. May I trust in God’s continued care and provision for myself and my family members and may He give me wisdom for the difficult decisions I will have to make!

Rainy day bookstore shopping

Rain drummed on the windowpane. “Some rainy day bookstore shopping might be a good after-school activity today. If you don’t have to work, maybe we could go together.” Alison zipped up her jacket in front of the mirror at the door while her sister pulled on boots.

As the Christmas season began, around the end of November, Alison noticed that she had started to put on a bit of weight, and her belly seemed tight.  Must be all those cheeseburgers.  She frowned at herself in the mirror. Often hungry after school, she had been dropping in to the fast food shop where her sister worked and grabbing a cheeseburger with fries and Coke.

But this afternoon their mother picked them up from school. Her car awaited them at the curb as they headed home–a welcome sight, and so nice of her to do that when she could.

She lowered the passenger window and called out through the downpour, “I thought I’d give you a ride, since I didn’t have work today.”

“Thanks Mom!” they responded in unison, taking down their umbrellas and getting in.

“Mom, can I borrow the car to go to the bookstore?” asked Amy as they neared home.  “I don’t have much homework today and I’d like to stock up on a few books to read on these dark blustery evenings.”

“Sure!  That’s a good idea.  Alison, maybe you’d like to go with her? Some rainy day bookstore shopping would be a perfect way to spend this afternoon.”

“Yes, I want to,” was her quick response. She didn’t bother to mention that it was her idea in the first place.

“See you at suppertime then.” Mom handed Amy the keys as she got out and Amy climbed into the driver’s seat.

Enticing bookstore ambience

A warm blast of coffee and gingerbread aromas and gentle Christmas music hit them when they pulled open the heavy glass doors of the bookstore.  A heady feeling of inspiration enveloped Alison in this gym-sized room full of enticing colourful new books invitingly displayed on tables and shelves, with intellectual-looking people browsing in quiet reverence or sipping foamy drinks together in front of a big stone fireplace.

A book on the feature table by the door immediately captured her attention.  The title, “Grain Belly” popped out at her.

A new realization begins to form

Aha! Maybe this is what I have.

She picked up the book and brought it to a chair at the back of the store to skim through while Amy browsed around.

Yes, this makes sense.  All those burgers with buns.  Toast for breakfast.  Sandwiches for lunch and muffins or cookies for snacks.  No wonder I’m developing a grain belly.

Alison bought the book and began talking about it to her family and friends.  She reduced her intake of wheat products and researched into a healthier diet.  Her mother brought home more fresh fruits from the grocery store where she worked (mostly apples, as this was the only Canadian fresh fruit available in winter).  The family ate salads almost every day with supper.  Alison ate cereals instead of toast for breakfast.  She especially liked those little hot porridge packs that came in different flavours, which you pour in a bowl with a little water and nuke for a minute.  Her favourite was the peaches & cream.  And she brought carrot sticks to school for snacks.  However, she still found herself hungry, so instead of bread she filled up with fries or little yogurts or cheeses, etc.

She also bought several large bulky sweaters to cover up her growing middle.

It wasn’t until after Christmas, during the holidays, that Alison realized this was more than a “grain belly”.  Something was moving inside of her!  Not wanting to believe it or face up to it, she kept it to herself for now.

Baby Jesus, born of a virgin, laid in a manger.  A bright host of angels anouncing his birth to grubby shepherds out in a field as they watched over their flock of sheep.  A bright unusual star moving across the sky leading a group of astrologists to see the baby who was predicted to be a king.

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.  God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”  John 3:16-17

To think of the wonder of God’s love for us!  Shown to us in this amazing earthy way, brought to lowly people.  A teenage girl who in that culture could have been stoned to death for being found pregnant.  A group of shepherds rather than men in esteemed positions.  Foreigners who watched for signs in the stars.  The gift of God’s love is for everyone.  Jesus came to save us all from our lost sinful hopeless condition.

He told Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, about his purposes and how he had come from heaven to earth to save those who put their faith in him.  His is a spiritual kingdom.  He said that the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven as a second, spiritual birth, to believers.

In order to accomplish salvation for mankind he knew that he would have to lay down his life, and he knew how that would happen.  He said to Nicodemus, “I, the Son of Man, must be lifted up on a pole, so that everyone who believes in me will have eternal life.” John 3:14-15.

By his death he conquered death and sin and darkness, and arose from the grave in victory!  Although we all have to go through physical death, we can have eternal spiritual life through Jesus.

Over the past week I have learned of the deaths of several people who hoped in Jesus and departed this earthly life in anticipation to their eternal home which Jesus promised to prepare for them.  Although they will be missed here on earth, we need not grieve in despair, but rejoice that they have gone to their heavenly homes where there is no more sadness or sickness or sin.

“There are many rooms in my Father’s home, and I am going to prepare a place for you.  If this were not so, I would tell you plainly.  When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am.”  John 14:2-3

God with us!  The Holy Spirit born in us!  Not only for now here on earth, but for eternity!  What a gift!  Thank you Jesus, we love you!