Up and going

Some days it seems harder to get going than others. Today I'm so grateful to the Lord for keeping me moving. Getting sleep makes such a difference(duh!); I wish I had realized what a real impact it was having on me.

I finally finished As Sure As the Dawn by Francine Rivers last night. At 475 pages that counts as my two books in a day right? :) This is the third and last entry in the Mark of the Lion trilogy. I felt that Atretes had slipped a little from his softening in the previous book, but as the book went on I could see how necessary his hardness was. The character of Anomia is a bit cliched, but to tell the truth, she's a well-written cliche and some people are truly that self-centered. I admired Rizpah's strength throughout the book and how her love for Atretes softened her and allowed the Lord to use her for great works. The level of detail in 1st century AD daily life is astonishing. Rivers fills the book with breath-taking descriptions and detail so that it's easy to fall into that world. I held off on reading this series despite the good feedback I'd heard about it, because I was concerned that it would come off as too stiff or so full of trying to preach that the story would be neglected. I should know better from Rivers. She never makes the story secondary to the message; they are always entwined so carefully and completely that one without the other would fall flat. And I've yet to read a Rivers book that falls flat. This whole trilogy is definitely a must read for Christians. We're blessed in this country that we have freedom of religion. These stories of people who have to hide their faith or die for it is amazing.

I'm still spring cleaning today. I handwashed all the cups and saucers passed down the generations and replaced them on the shelves. It's amazing the difference just washing and rearranging a few things can do to brighten up the whole house!