Good Writing

I just finished two books and had to share bits of them with you. Honestly, these are two books that completely spoke to me and are so truthful and raw for me.

The first is The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan. Yes, I have already promised to lend it to two people. (One is my sister, one is Danielle. Did I promise it to anyone else? If so, you'll have to remind me.) But those two people are going to have to deal with the TONS of underlining that I did in the book. That's how you can tell if a book really moved me - I underline and star things that I.Must.Not.Forget. Such as:

• "He defined me first, as parents do. Those early characterizations can become the shimmering self-image we embrace or the limited, stifling perception we rail against for a lifetime. In my case, he sees me as I would like to be seen. In fact, I’m not even sure what’s true about me, since I have always chosen to believe his version."
• "When I called Jen to check on her [after her mom’s death], she told me that people were swarming around doing what people do: flowers, food, cards, call, favors. She said just about everyone said something like, 'Your mom had a good life. She had a lot of happiness. She was so uncomfortable. Now she’s at peace.' Well, yeah, okay, good for your mom. But what about you? What about your peace? Your comfort? Who’s gonna remember what you were for Halloween that year or the name of your fifth grade teacher? Who’s gonna loan you money to buy your first house or cry when your baby is born? Who’s gonna sit in the front row of your play? Look, Mom! This is the scene where we get engaged! Oh! You’re gonna love this part! Look at me in my white dress, Dad! How about this one – Edward and Dad play golf together! And in this next scene, we get pregnant! Hey look, Dad! Edward reads Sports Illustrated cover to cover JUSTLIKEYOU! Isn’t this a good play? Don’t you love it? Wait! There’s more! Edward gets promoted in the third act! Don’t go yet! Georgia is going to kindergarten next year! Wait ‘til you see her first swim meet! Her tiger goggles! Please stay. We bought Claire tap shoes! This part coming up ––! Claire plays the harmonica! She’s applying to Yale! Don’t LEAVE–– it gets so good!"
• "If my mom had died young, I wouldn’t have a single memory of her. That’s why I take so many pictures and keep old art projects and pull the video camera off the top of the fridge and turn it around on myself to report on the day’s events. …I was here, girls. Every day. Helping you draw smiley faces in the condensation on the shower door, showing you how to hold scissors and twirl a pipe cleaner and play Keep It Up with a party balloon. This is my graffiti. This is me spray painting on every wall and etching in every headboard: I WAS HERE."
• "Someday, some later day, I’ll find out what it is to be an adult – to bury someone essential, someone you don’t think you can live without, someone attached in so many places you almost fall in after them."

Oh, God. Just reading those four passages makes my heart ache all over again. I can't tell you how much this book spoke to me. It was like an answered prayer to have someone verbalize things I hadn't even acknowledged I felt. Now I have to admit I'm afraid to visit Kelly Corrigan's website because I think I might find bad news. Anyway, go get this book, y'all. And say a prayer that maybe one day I can write like Kelly Corrigan. It's a new aspiration of mine.

The second book I read also moved me as equally as the first. The funny thing is this is the second time I've read it, and it moved me just as much as the first time. That in itself is remarkable - I don't often read books twice because I already know the ending. But this book is worth it. It is Feathers From My Nest by Beth Moore. Again, she's another writer I aspire to be like. She is a Christian writer, and this book is about her story as a mother. It is so honest and real, and inspires me to be a better mother. And not just the type of mom who does crafts with her kids and teaches them the ABCs, but the type of mother who teaches her children about God's love and passion for us. Wow. This book is a challenge for me to know God better and to help Katie and Jackson know Him better too. Here are some of my favorite quotes:

• "Homes shattered by loss can echo once again with laughter. Peace can replace chaos... but you must promise not to confuse peace with quiet. The goal is not building a monastery. Remember, God's peace is like a river, not a pond. In other words, a sense of health and well-being, both of which are expressions of the Hebrew shalom, can permeate our homes even when we're in white-water rapids."
• "The goal of life is not the absence of pain. It's the presence of glory. God's glory. And sometimes that comes most vividly with pain."
• "Oh, what we forfeit when we deny our hearts the right to feel. Sometimes we protect ourselves from the most precious moments in life."
• "I think deep down inside all of us, we are absolutely terrified of placing our hopes and dreams in something that we'll discover is not even real. Masses of people out there are scared to death that God may be little more than the wizard of Oz. All volume and no action. That Jesus was a good man. A prophet perhaps, but the Son of God? Couldn't it all just be make-believe? You and I know better. The God behind this curtain is real, huge, and omnipotent. Far beyond our wildest imaginations. If the veil were drawn back while we were still mortals, we wouldn't survive the shock of His greatness. He has left us here to bear witness to what we know of Him. We were never called to explain God. We were called to be witnesses of what we've seen and experienced of Him." [emphasis mine]

Honestly, I could type dozens of quotes from this book. (I underlined LOTS.) She touches on so many areas that I am struggling with as a mother: my daughter's perception of beauty, my stress in trying to "do it all," my commitment to my marriage, my hope in my children's future. Go buy this book too, y'all. I was lucky enough that it was gifted to me (thanks, Celia!), and I'm now loaning it out to yet another friend.

Let me know if you have any Good Writing that you'd like to share!