Day 4 - Daughter Sing Softly by Lesli A. Westfall

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

~

Daughter Sing Softly By Lesli A. Westfall

Along with the visit of winter comes the wet, dull, silent days and gray landscape, even in Southeast Texas. On the other hand, there is always a turn between the seasons. The brightness of spring is just around the corner. And God, in His unique, loving way, proves to us a sign through the things we love and when we need it the most.



I love birds, truly, any kind of bird! However, one of my favorites is the cardinal. It’s indigenous to some parts of North and South America. An attractive bird to say the least! Bright red feathers, black bill, a metallic chirp with a sweet, crystal clear melodic song . . . and my most favorite feature, for the most part, the male and female are always together.

For the last two weeks, right outside our bedroom at daybreak there has been a cardinal singing, loudly, wakening me morning after morning. In the deepest sleep, I would hear the bird’s song, and smile, knowing God is near. The daily morning concerts continued. Then, one particular day for my daily devotion, I opened my Bible and my eyes fell upon this scripture:

“. . . one arises to the sound of the bird, and the daughters of song sing softly.”  Ecclesiastes 12:4 

Wow!  How personal God truly is to you and me. He knows how much I love birds. The little feathered beings always reminded me of the Creator. He placed it in a strategic place to sing, then He led me to His Word and gave instruction for the moment: while waiting for the desire of my heart to become a mother; daughter, sing softly. In our waiting the Creator of life desires for us to worship Him.

In doing a word search about the cardinal, I found some interesting characteristics. The word "cardinal" originates from the Latin word "hinge." A hinge helps a door or gate to turn. Could this sweet bird be a sign there is a turn in the change of seasons of our lives? Could the waiting to become a mother or answer to a long awaited prayer be a turn from winter’s silent, dull barren landscape to spring?

I believe He is saying to us, “As the season turns, Daughter . . . sing softly!” Scripture for reflection: 

“Give me a sign of your goodness, that my enemies may see it and be put to shame, for you, O Lord, have helped me and comforted me.” Psalm 86:17

A prayer for the day:
 “Heavenly Father, I ask that you show me a sign of your goodness! I need it Lord. I thank you for your faithfulness to me, even in the littlest things. Comfort and help me as I wait upon you for the desires of my heart!” 
In Jesus’ name, Amen.

(All scripture from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1991.)

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Lesli Westfall, author of Dancing Upon Barren Land, enjoys her moments in life by teaching cooking and etiquette to children, finds pleasure in spending time with family and friends, traveling and eating dark chocolate!  Most of all, she enjoys sharing God’s love and teaching His Word to women. She is happily married to her man of faith, live-in comedian and best friend, Larry, of twenty years. Visit her website.

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Day 3 - Water Spot Mothering by Cynthia Ruchti

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents.

If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

~

Water Spot Mothering by Cynthia Ruchti

For years, a friend and I met weekly for prayer and Bible study. More than twenty years older, Jackie often prayed for her high school children while I prayed for my toddler children who were supposed to be napping.

As any mother will attest, when we get serious about praying for our children, we can find plenty to pray about.

Jackie and I often laid our Bibles in front of us, open on the table. The day I learned the meaning of water spot mothering, Jackie and I had prayed intensely for our children and their wide variety of crises—large and small. We prayed about their uncertain futures and the certainty that God loved them even more than we did. Tears formed, unbidden, as we poured our hearts out to God.

A series of whispers from the stairway told me my children had found dozens of ways to bypass their naps. But they’d grown to respect the time I prayed with my friend. Even at their young ages, they waited patiently for the “Amen” before interrupting.

When Jackie left and life pulled me into other things, my Bible remained open on the dining room table. I walked through the room a short time later to find my four-year-old daughter Amy kneeling on a chair, tenderly flipping through the pages of my Bible. I knew she was unable to read more than the simplest words on the page, so I asked, “Amy, what are you doing, honey?”

Her answer resonates now, decades later. She said, “I’m looking for the tears.”

She knew I’d prayed for her. Finding the water spots, the tear stains, meant something to her young heart. She wanted to see evidence that my prayers for her had moved me to tears.

How triple true that would be through her teen years! We were just getting started on the water spot mothering concept.

I’ve relived that scene many times since that afternoon. My daughter bent over my Bible, her tiny hands turning the pages reverently, her eyes searching for a wrinkle in the page, looking for the assurance that I cared so deeply, prayed so fervently, and wasn’t afraid to let the tears fall on the sustaining resource for parenting and all of life—God’s Word.

Water spot mothering. Praying with the Bible open. Letting the tears fall on the pages. I wear the picture of my daughter kneeling on the chair, bent over my Bible, close to my heart, like a silver locket I click open to remind me of my primary responsibility as her mom…even now.

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Cynthia Ruchti tells stories of Hope-that-glows-in-the-dark through her fiction, nonfiction, and speaking events for women or for writers. Her recent release—the novel, When the Morning Glory Blooms, observes the heart-and-faith journeys of three eras of unwed moms. Her July release—the nonfiction book Ragged Hope: Surviving the Fallout of Other People’s Choices—touches on life circumstances that send us to tear-hemmed prayer for those we love. Connect with her at www.cynthiaruchti.com, Facebook, Twitter, or other network spots.

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Review: My Stubborn Heart

My Stubborn Heart, Becky Wade's debut novel, is a delightful contemporary romance that is slightly "edgy" at times, but filled with well-drawn characters and humor.

 

Overview

Kate Donovan is burned out on work, worn down by her dating relationships, and in need of an adventure. When her grandmother asks her to accompany her to Redbud, Pennsylvania, to restore the grand old house she grew up in, Kate jumps at the chance.

Upon her arrival in Redbud, Kate meets Matt Jarreau, the man hired to renovate the house. Kate can't help being attracted to him, drawn by both his good looks and something else she can't quite put her finger on. He's clearly wounded--hiding from people, from God, and from his past. Yet Kate sets her stubborn heart on bringing him out of the dark and back into the light... whether he likes it or not.

When the stilted, uncomfortable interactions between Kate and Matt slowly shift into something more, is God finally answering the longing of her heart? Or will Kate be required to give up more than she ever dreamed?

 

My thoughts

My Stubborn Heart is an enjoyable romance with some surprisingly deeper elements, as Matt struggles with grief over his beloved wife's death three years before this story begins. The setting of Redbud, Pennsylvania provides a rich backdrop as Matt and Kate work to renovate her grandmother's family home.

Spiritual themes are woven into the narrative in a quiet, but ever-present way. Matt's grief gives voice to the universal struggle to understand suffering, and Kate comes to appreciate how God works through His children when He brings someone into another person's life.

One of my favorite parts is the group of seventy-something "seniors," friends of Kate's grandmother, who add humor and depth. These secondary characters are endearing and quick to offer advice. The romance between Velma and Morty is especially fun to watch.

The only negative for me was the use of a few words that lowered the standard from what I expect from Christian fiction. I'm not sure why they were chosen - maybe to stretch the boundaries or to come across as more realistic? While mild by ABA standards, I would have just preferred other word choices and skipped over some parts because of it.

I really liked this novel overall and would recommend it to those who enjoy a good romance, maybe starting at an older teen level. Becky Wade is an author worth watching. Her next novel, Undeniably Yours, is out now and begins the Porter family series.

 

Becky Wade

 

Becky's a California native who attended Baylor University, met a Texas boy, and settled in Dallas. She published historical romances for the ABA, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her three children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves the kind of books she's writing now! Her CBA debut, My Stubborn Heart, has been named a finalist for Romance Writers of America's 2013 RITA Award. Her new contemporary romance, Undeniably Yours, is available now.

To learn more, visit Becky's website at beckywade.com.

 

DAY 2 – The Mom Who Gives Freedom by Christy Fitzwater

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents. If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

~

The Mom Who Gives Freedom by Christy Fitzwater

My mom is a reserved, quiet homebody who has lived in the same house for forty years. She has no ambitious career goals or desire for adventure.

She gave birth to me, an outgoing adventure-lover who has lived to take risks and put myself out into the world, in ways my mother would never dream of doing herself.

Yet my mother has always given me the great gift of freedom. She has never cast onto me her own fears of limelight or reservations about risk but has only encouraged me to do the outrageous things I have attempted to do.

When I received an award in high school that required me to fly, for the first time and by myself, from Wyoming to Atlanta, Georgia (only having talked once by telephone to the person who would pick me up), she sent me off with enthusiasm. (But her heart must have trembled to allow me to get on that plane.)

When that award landed me a full scholarship to a school in Texas I had never heard of (the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor), she rejoiced with me and did not hesitate to allow me to accept the scholarship. She then drove away from me in Texas, leaving me at a school where I knew no one, and only years later told me that was the hardest thing she had ever done.

When I called from Texas, at the end of my freshman year, and excitedly announced I had gotten a job and would be staying in Texas for the summer, she said it was wonderful and gave her approval.

Mom never filled me with doubt about what I could do. She never cast guilt on me for going on adventures that took me far away from her. She never poured her anxiety on my head but spoke only happiness and cheerleader words for me.

But now that I’m a mom, I know.

I know my risk-taking journey has always cost her something. I know every wild ride I chose required her to choose—either to build me up or to press me down. My mom handed me the scissors and, with a smile, allowed me to cut the apron strings and go far beyond what was comfortable for her.

This last week my son got his driver’s license, and now it is my turn to choose. Worry or a hearty smile—which will I give to him?

Let us stand in ovation to the mothers who give their children the ability to live freely.

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Christy Fitzwater is a writer and pastor’s wife in Kalispell, Montana. She is also the mother of a daughter in college and a son in high school. She has an English degree from the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. Visit her at http://www.christyfitzwater.com.

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DAY 1 - How I Learned to Give Up Control by Sue Edwards

Welcome to Pearl Girls™ Mother of Pearl Mother’s Day blog series—a nine-day celebration of moms and mothering. Each day will feature a new post by some of today’s best writers (Tricia Goyer, Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, Beth Vogt, Lesli Westfall, and more). I hope you’ll join us each day for another unique perspective on Mother’s Day.

AND . . . do enter the contest for a chance to win a beautiful handcrafted pearl necklace and a JOYN India bag. Enter at the bottom of this post. The contest runs 5/4-5/13, and the winner will be announced on 5/14. Contest is only open to U.S. residents. If you are unfamiliar with Pearl Girls™, please visit www.pearlgirls.info, subscribe to our blog, and see what we’re all about. In short, we exist to support the work of charities that help women and children in the US and around the globe. Consider purchasing a copy of Mother of Pearl: Luminous Lessons and Iridescent Faith to help support Pearl Girls™.

And to all you MOMS out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

~

How I Learned to Give Up Control by Sue Edwards

I'm one of those mothers who would like to control everything in my children's lives. You may be too, all out of the best intentions. I tried frantically to do that for many years until God grabbed my attention and wrestled my control issues from my clenched fists. It happened this way.

My youngest daughter attended a large university where campus housing was at a premium. Her second year she was accepted into one of the nicest dorms on campus, but the rule was that you could either choose the room or the roommate of your choice but not both. Well, I had heard horror stories of what happened when you roomed with some girls--like men in the room, and I turned into mother bear. I was not going to allow my child to take pot luck in roommates, nor were we willing to give up that choice room.

I had heard that if your child had a learning disability they would ditch the rule. So I decided to make my case with the administrator who could fix this unfair situation. All week, I was on the phone long distance climbing my way up the ladder to the gentleman who could give my daughter the room and roommate she deserved.

And finally, I was on the phone with him. We talked for a few minutes, and then he asked me, "Does your daughter have a learning disability?" I answered rather indignantly, "Well, I prefer not to label people." That did it. He bought it. I had done the impossible. I called my daughter, she turned cart wheels on the other end of the phone, and we rejoiced together.

Only the roommate she had chosen, the dear Christian girl from her church, did not turn out to be the roommate she expected. In fact, she did have men in the room, a lot. And she went home at Christmas under suspicious circumstances. All fall I had to endure calls from my daughter who was trying to figure out how to navigate this awkward situation. And it was my fault. Some of us are stubborn and God needs a two by four to get our attention, and break us of our control issues. This was that time for me, and for my daughter. Now, when we are tempted to take control instead of trusting God, we look at each other, remember, smile, and let go.

God knows what he is doing in your life, my life, and the lives of our children. And he loves our children more than we do, as impossible as that may sound. So trust him, follow him. Two by fours are rather painful. You won't regret trusting your Sovereign Father who has your, and your children's, best interest at heart.

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Dr. Sue Edwards has over thirty-five years experience as a Bible teacher, overseer of ministries to women, and author. Now, as a full-time professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, she equip men and women for future ministry all over the world. And women everywhere enjoy learning the Scriptures in face to face groups as well as an online community using her Bible studies, the Discover Together Series. To join the online Bible study community or to converse with Sue, go to Facebook.com/discovertogetherseries. She is currently working on a book with Barbara Neumann on mentoring millennials. Married for forty years, she and David are the parents of two married daughters and the grandparents of five. a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: In Broken Places

In Broken Places by Michele Phoenix is one of the most memorable novels I have ever read. Michele weaves the emotion of heartbreaking drama with laugh-out-loud dialogue and tender romance in a novel that never fails to inspire. With beautiful prose, idyllic setting, and humor never far from the surface, this story of a family's suffering and triumph will entertain every reader.


Description

Shelby’s life isn’t glamorous, but it is predictable—and that’s the way she likes it. A survivor of her father’s violence, she has spent a lifetime creating a safe existence devoid of dependence. But her carefully managed world begins to break when, under staggering circumstances, she becomes a single mother to four-year-old Shayla. In a drastic attempt to escape her childhood’s influence, Shelby moves to Germany, but she quickly discovers how intimately linked memory and healing are—and how honestly she must scrutinize her past in order to aspire to a richer future. As she juggles a new job, a new culture, a new daughter, and the attention of an enterprising man, Shelby’s fresh start becomes a quest for the courage to be not only a survivor, but someone who prevails.


My thoughts

In Broken Places is a book that succeeds on all levels and its characters will stay with me for a long time.

Having been privileged to visit close family living in Germany, it was the book's setting that first caught my attention. The southwestern German town of Kandern is the home of Black Forest Academy, a boarding school for children of missionaries from around the world, and it is in relocating there to teach that Shelby begins her new life. Michele beautifully brings out the cultural rituals - such as morning trips to the bakery and recycling ("Every Sunday around 7:00 p.m., identical shiny black garbage cans appeared on the curbs, their contents devoid of plastic, glass, and paper"), as well as the fact that loud talking is frowned upon. Visits to the Christmas market in Gengenbach, castle ruins at Sausenburg, and a toy museum in Riedlingen also add local color and richness.

Christmas market in Gengenbach

The characters are drawn with great depth and complexity, and I quickly came to care about each of them. Scarred from years of abuse and living with the fear that they might have inherited their father's "bad" genes, Shelby and Trey develop a close relationship and protectiveness for each other. Shelby reflects that Trey was "my anchor, my defender, my friend. He was the eight-year-old boy who patted my back and dried my tears, the twelve-year-old rescuer who convinced me we'd be fine, the sixteen-year-old knight who promised to make it better, and the thirty-six-year-old champion who persuaded me that this latest assault would not shatter me either."

As someone who liked to be in control, never wanted children, and was a master at erecting walls, Shelby's "safe" world is shattered when sweet Shayla comes into her life, but an unbreakable bond of love is quickly established. One night Shelby picked her up and she "wrapped her legs around my waist and both her arms around my neck and held on tight. And we walked home like that, me embracing her and her embracing me, me rescuing her and her rescuing me. And the sun setting over Kandern seemed just a little redder somehow."

 

 

Black Forest Academy
 

The romance between Shelby and Scott, a coach at the academy, is sweet, tender, and beautifully portrayed. Spiritual themes are also skillfully woven into the narrative. Shelby's spiritual journey is reflected in these words:  "Though the consequences of my father's depravity were still mine to bear, I know that God had been faithful. And it was because he'd been there that the horror had been survivable."

Another integral storyline is the academy's play, Shadowlands, which depicts the love between C. S. Lewis and a dying Joy Gresham. Seth, cast in the role of C. S. Lewis, delivers this monologue at the end:  "God loves us, so he makes us the gift of suffering. Through suffering, we release our hold on the toys of this world, and know our true good lies in another world. . . . The suffering in the world is not the failure of God's love for us; it is that love in action. For believe me, this world that seems to us so substantial is no more than the shadowlands. Real life has not begun yet."

 

 

Michele Phoenix
 

 

Michele Phoenix writes this note at the end:

       "My sincerest prayer is that the pages of this book will shed a compassionate light on the ravages of child abuse, its soul-crippling tyranny and deep-rooted legacy. Pain need not win. There is life beyond bleeding. There is love beyond fearing. There is hope beyond despairing. I should know . . .
       "I am a survivor."

A review can hardly do justice to this beautiful, unforgettable story; it must simply be experienced. I highly recommend In Broken Places to all readers.

Visit Michele's website at michelephoenix.com to learn more.

This book was provided by Tyndale House in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Field of Daisies

An unusual book, relevant subject matter . . .

 

Field of Daisies by Barbara Hattemer is an unusual novel, one that I was very glad to discover. Barbara draws from personal experience as she writes about the difficult subject of degenerative disease with stark realism, but in a way that offers hope to families experiencing Alzheimer's disease in successive generations.

 

Publisher's description:

Andrea and Lans Mulder met as young teenagers on Andrea’s family farm in Pennsylvania, renewed their romance as young adults during an enchanted week in Paris, and married in a storybook wedding in a field of daisies.

With two growing children, their life has been as close to perfect as you can imagine. But when the destructive degenerative disease of Alzheimer’s strikes the third generation of Andrea’s family, can even a made-for-each-other couple stand strong—and stay together? Especially when Andrea herself faces the worst news of her life?

                 

My thoughts

This book is well researched, but the best part is that Barbara writes from the heart, based on personal experience. Alzheimer's will eventually touch most of us in some way, and Barbara uses her narrative to show what the disease is like and how it can affect family relationships.

In a particularly revealing scene shortly after Andrea's mother starts a kitchen fire, Barbara writes:

All her life the daisies had brought her joy and comforted her when she hurt. Today they made her sad, reminding her of relationships that were no more, relationships that even now were slipping away. . . . Lans refused to believe she could not leave her mother. She understood that he felt neglected, but why was he distancing himself from her? He had agreed to have Evelyn live in their house, but having his mother-in-law under his roof was changing him. As Andrea found herself catering to her mother's demands rather than meeting the needs of her husband, she saw the danger, but she felt helpless to do anything about it. All her life she had longed for her mother's attention. Now there was no escape from it. . . . She and Lans were still together, but emotionally they were as far apart as they were physically separated.

In a perfect world, Lans would have been the understanding and supportive husband, always putting others' needs before himself, never jealous or immature, quick to pray with Andrea and put the situation in God's hands. But while I struggled to like him at times, wondering how he could react in such a way after so many years of happy marriage, no one knows how they will respond to such a difficult situation until they experience it.

Andrea, on the other hand, is a complex character, easy to relate to. Faced with the fear of inheriting this genetic disease, she turns to the Bible and realizes that God is our healer, and that He longs to bless His children.

 

 

Barbara shares on her website:  "I wrote Field of Daisies to give hope to people like me who fear they may be next, and to caretakers and friends. I have lived this story of three generations of Alzheimer's disease. While the romance between Andrea and Lans is pure fiction, the facts about Alzheimer's are taken from my family experience. Caregivers respond that the book offers an accurate portrayal of what happens in real life."

 

Field of Daisies deals with serious subject matter in an uplifting, inspirational way - for even in the most difficult situation, there is always hope. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially those whose lives may be touched by a debilitating hereditary disease like Alzheimer's.

 

Barbara's website and blog offer a lot of helpful resources. See barbarahattemer.com for more information.

 

This book was provided by BookFun.org in exchange for my honest review.