Share Four Somethings - April 2019

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I really appreciate the Something Loved, Something Said, Something Learned, and Something Read link-up for the opportunity it gives me to think back through all the good things in the month just past. It seems I usually start off with good intentions of recording things said and learned as they happen, but then I forget. So here I am once again, just trying to sort through all that I've done this month and decide what to share here.

Something Loved

The things I love most often involve family and music, and this month is no exception. My daughter shared this song she found on YouTube with me, and I found that I loved this group's style. This is Psalm 23 in Hebrew, and it's simply gorgeous:

More music and family to love - my daughter's final Spring Celebration concert with the children's chorus. As a graduating senior, she was honored with the corsage and recognized during the program. It will be a little sad to say good-bye to this amazing chorus, but at the same time I'm excited for what she'll be doing with her music next!

I absolutely loved being able to spend just a short time with my sister and my niece. My sister was taking her daughter home from college, and they made sure their trip included a brief stop in Columbus where I met them, and where they were able to meet my son's wife and daughter for the first time. That means I also got to see my son and daughter-in-law, and my adorable granddaughter!

Something Said

Usually I put a great quote from my reading here, or an inspirational quote. This time I chose something the Psalmist said that really impacted me, and then shared some of what I said in response when I chose this passage for a Scripture and a Snapshot post:

Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
~from Psalm 51~

Sometimes I need to be reminded of what a big deal it is that Christ had mercy on me, cleaned me up, and gave me his presence. I need my steadfast spirit renewed, and the joy restored. 
O God, forgive me for all the times I take the gift of salvation for granted, and all the times I look back to the dirt of sin like it has something to offer me. Remind me of the joy of salvation and help me delight in the presence of your Holy Spirit.

Something Learned

I'm learning all kinds of things as I go these days. I volunteered to organize a homeschool fair, which is coming up in a little less than two weeks. And boy am I learning on the fly about how to make an event like this happen. I'm overwhelmed and excited, and just hanging on for the ride at this point! I mentioned that my daughter is graduating, and she's enrolled in the community college. That means I'm learning a lot about putting a kid into college. My oldest son went to a broadcast school and while some things are similar, this is a brand new experience!

On a lighter note, I also learned that it's a good idea to double check the settings on my GPS before setting out on a road trip. Somehow mine was set to "avoid highways" which explains the very odd route it took me to get to Columbus. At first I assumed it was detouring me around roadwork, and wasn't concerned because I rather prefer a smaller highway to the Interstate when traveling by myself. But by the time I realized it really was taking me on little secondary highways - which added a lot of time to my trip! - I was effectively lost and at the mercy of the GPS anyway! It was quite an adventure, but other than some very real concern about whether I'd find an open gas station before my tank was completely empty, it was fun! After all, without mess-ups like that, what stories would we have to tell?

Something Read

I completed four books in April, and I'm currently working on two others. You can see more about my reading in my Monthly Bookshelf Review for April 2019.

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery
The Golden Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower) by Kimberley Woodhouse
Transcripts Made Easy by Janice Campbell
Shadow among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens

  

  

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Scripture and a Snapshot - Gain or Lose?

And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?

~Mark 8:34-37~

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Monthly Bookshelf Review - April 2019

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April's Books Completed and Reviewed

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery - Valancy Stirling takes the opportunity of her twenty-ninth birthday to start living her life exactly as she pleases instead of giving in to her family. She finds happiness and love, but will it last? (Read my full review HERE)

The Golden Bride (Daughters of the Mayflower) by Kimberley Woodhouse - Olivia Brighton joins her brother in San Franciso during the gold rush and joins in an effort to improve the safety and morality of the city. (Read my full review HERE.)

Transcripts Made Easy by Janice Campbell - I reviewed this for the Homeschool Review Crew, so you'll find my full review at Homeschool Coffee Break.

Shadow among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens - A retelling of the story of Ruth and Naomi from the Bible, with a young Indian widow going with her British mother-in-law to Victorian England. (Read my full review HERE.)

During April I continued reading:

A Dangerous Collaboration (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn - Veronica heads to an island estate at the request of Stoker's brother, and investigates a mystery there.




During April I started reading:

The Governess of Penwythe Hall (The Cornwall Novels) by Sarah E. Ladd - Cordelia Greythorne vowed she would never return to Cornwall, but that's exactly where her position as governess to five orphaned children takes her.

Coming Up in May!

 An Artless Demise (A Lady Darby Mystery) by Anna Lee Huber
Fervent: A Woman's Battle Plan to Serious, Specific and Strategic Prayer by Priscilla Shirer
Secrets in the Mist (A Gothic Myths Novel) by Anna Lee Huber


    

This post will be linked at:

Feed Your Fiction Addiction - April 2019 Wrap-Up Round-Up & Giveaway

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Recent Reads - Shadow Among Sheaves

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Shadow among Sheaves by Naomi Stephens - We're introduced to a young Indian widow, Rena, as she is traveling to England with her British mother-in-law, Nell, who was also recently widowed. Rena resolves to stay with Nell no matter what, but soon they find that none of Nell's extended family or friends will have anything to do with an Indian woman. They are suspicious and prejudiced after the recent clashes between the imperial forces and their Indian subjects. The two women are soon reduced to poverty and homelessness, living in the closet of an inn and the closest thing they have to an income is the grudging permission Rena receives to glean fields nearby.

Sound familiar so far? The story is based on the Biblical story of Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi. And if you remember that story, you know that the landowner that allows Rena to glean the fields probably corresponds to the Biblical character of Boaz. In this story, it's Lord Barric who is moved to help Rena even though his reputation may suffer for it. He struggles mightily with how much to help, and in what way, but eventually decides to allow Rena and Nell to live in an unused cottage on his property. The gossips say that Rena is his mistress, and some of Barric's own family are malicious and hostile to Rena, especially when Barric is seen to be on friendly terms with her.

Just when Barric is beginning to accept that his interest in Rena goes beyond simple charity, Nell receives news about an unusual codicil in her late husband's will. His estate can pass to Nell if Rena marries someone in the estranged branch of the family, reuniting the two. Of course Barric is a member of that part of the family, but will Rena ever believe that his offer of marriage is not just for a valuable piece of property? Will Rena be willing to marry just to save Nell from poverty?

I was completely engrossed in this story from just a few pages in, and found it very hard to put down! It brought such an interesting perspective to the Biblical story, and placed it in another time frame in which a similar sequence of events could be quite realistic. The plight of the widows, no longer accepted in society even though both are part of the aristocracy, is stark and heartbreaking. Rena's devotion to her mother-in-law and her struggle with wanting to know her God is realistic and meaningful. And then there's Barric's wrestling with his regard and attraction for a woman that society considers unacceptable, and with the ethical questions of what he should do and what is right.

This is an excellent story that I can warmly recommend, and I hope to see more from this author in the future!

From the publisher:

A Timeless, Beautiful Allegory of the Biblical Love Story of Ruth and Boaz

The Great Rebellion of 1857 was a remarkably bloody business. At a time when Britain's imperial influence in India was sparking brutal clashes on both sides, no one could have expected Rena, an Indian woman, to marry a British officer - nor do they understand her decision to follow her mother-in-law to England after her husband's tragic death.

Once the two widows are in Abbotsville, the stern yet compassionate Lord Barric attempts to help them despite his better judgment. Soon he is torn between the demands of reputation and his increasing desire to capture Rena's heart for his own.

Visit Barbour Publishing for more info on where to buy.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Barbour Publishing and was under no obligation to post a review.

©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scripture and a Snapshot - He is Risen!

The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."

~Matthew 28:5-10~

He is risen!

Hallelujah!

It is good to praise the LORD

and make music to your name, O Most High,

proclaiming your love in the morning

and your faithfulness at night,

to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp.

For you make me glad by your deeds, LORD;

I sing for joy at what your hands have done.

How great are your works, LORD,

how profound your thoughts!

~Psalm 92:1-5~

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©2008-2019 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.