Well, Hello

Hello, Blog.

It's been a while.

Not because I haven't had things that have touched me enough to write about them--I have.

Not because I haven't had time to put fingers to keyboard--I have.

Something else has taken my time lately...

Last week, I ran in the library to return a book. A book that was so not great that I won't even put the title up.

Returning books usually involves pulling up at the drop box and quickly returning the book.

Because, you see, I have a disease. A disease that causes me to be unable to just run in the library. Going in the library, for me, involves a list and no less than 30 minutes.

But, on this day, for some strange reason, I decided to challenge myself. I was going to actually take the book in and then I was going to limit myself to 10 minutes (because that's all I had before I absolutely had to pick up the girl from school) to peruse only the shelves in the very front. These shelves usually hold new arrivals.

This was made even more humorous by the fact that my watch was dead (even a Timex needs a new battery every 3-4 years) and I was relying on my totally unreliable inner clock.

So, in I go. I returned the book and heard the siren's call of all the other books that I had banned myself from for this day (I resisted). I looked through the front shelves and, not being able to actually leave the library without something taking temporary residence on my card, I checked out two recent additions to the library.

One was The Personal History of Rachel DuPree by Ann Weisgarber. Not a bad read--it was actually a rather quick read. The story of Rachel DuPree's life from hired kitchen help to rancher's wife and mother of 5. A rancher's wife in the South Dakota badlands in the early 1900's--not an easy life.

The other book, oh, the other book. City of Tranquil Light by Bo Caldwell.

This book grabbed me almost from the start and didn't let go. It is the story of a Mennonite missionary to China in the early 1900's. The story tells of his mission work, his marriage to a fellow missionary, their extremely tough life, and most of all of their love story. These two were devoted to God, their work, and to each other.

I don't want to give too much of the story away because it is certainly worth your time to read but the end will make you shed a tear or three.

These books, picked on a whim, were by far two of the best I've read in a while--especially City of Tranquil Light.

What about you? Read anything good lately?