Something I Read

Over the last two years, I'm proud to say that I have evolved into an avid reader. I think the fact that up until June, we didn't have television and our only viewing option was our computer (which Carl and I fought over.....Battle Star Gallactica or America's Next Top Model...grrrr....).

Since we've done quite a bit of work reorganizing the libraries here, I have come across some real gems. And thanks to all of you that have sent books for us. Unfortunately, I haven't had the time lately to delve into all of them. We still have over 2000 books in the library I haven't read! But there are a few ones I have really enjoyed.

For example;

Island Walkers - this one is about a group of folks in a small Canadian eastern town and how their lives intersect, which I found fascinating. Plus I like books in a Canadian setting.
A Fine Balance - this will leave your heart in shreds, but it's totally worth it
Cross Cultural Conflict - Who would have thought there could be so much strife over a broken dish?
Three Cups of Tea - I think I got something out of it that wasn't expected and I'm not sure how to handle it
The Year of Living Biblically - that was very well written; boy did I laugh and boy did I think
No. 1 Ladies Detective - I never read it with a full bladder, it was that funny!

I'd still like to finish the Moral Intelligence of the New Testament that I started last year, but there are so many other books calling my name. Like Everything Must Change and Blue Parakeet.

Anyways, I was passed this book by an exiting volunteer, Eat, Pray, Love, which is about a woman's quest through three countries to find herself and heal. The author is quite witty and often I'm smiling at the things that she says. One thing struck a chord with me and I thought I would share it, since I bet some of you could relate to this.

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Letting go, of course, is a scary enterprise for those of us who believe that the world revolves only because it has a handle on the top of it which we personally turn, and that if we were to drop this handle for even a moment, well - that would be the end of the universe.

By try dropping it, [insert your name here]. This is the message I'm getting. Sit quietly for now and cease your relentless participation. Watch what happens. The birds do not crash dead out of the sky in mid-flight, after all. The trees do not wither and die, the rivers do not run red with blood. Life continues to go on. Even the Italian post office will keep limping along, doing its own thing without you - why are you so sure that your micromanagement of every moment in this world is so essential? Why don't you let it be?

I hear this argument and it appeals to me. I believe in it, intellectually, I really do. But then I wonder - with all my restless yearning, with all my hyped-up fervor and with this stupidly hungry nature of mine - what should I do with my energy instead?

That answer arrives too: .......Look for God like a man with his head on fire looks for water.