Monday, May 15, 2006

Yada Yada Mother's Day

Yesterday was a very nice Mother's Day. I spent most of the day in bed recovering from Saturday. Mom, Cathy, and I had a wonderful time at the quilt auction. I got a gift for my nephew-to-be, several little things for around the house, and a wooden planter for Cathy for her birthday/Mother's Day. Today is both her birthday and Jesse's birthday. Jesse is 25 today. We picked up a new bike for him a couple of weeks ago, but I feel guilty for not doing more today. Anyway, the kids got me a card, Molly got me a nice cross necklace, and both older kids cleaned their rooms! I really was exhausted; I didn't even make it to church, which I hate missing. I had started reading Mayflower, but even that seemed like too much work, so I pulled out the next Yada Yada Prayer Group book. And that was perfect, like spending the day in bed visiting with a friend.

The Yada Yada Prayer Group Gets Real by Neta Jackson is just as good as the previous two books, if not better. This is one of those rare series where the characters truly exhibit growth and the writing only continues to improve. Jodi Baxter is back with all the Yada Yada women. She's trying to grow in her faithwalk, but her rival Stu is moving in upstairs and Bandana Woman might be released from prison early! Jodi continues to struggle daily with thankfulness and grace, just like I do. She is such a real character; I identify with her closely. We learn more about Avis, Chanda, and Yo-Yo, even Jodi's children are growing and changing. Jackson does a terrific job juggling all of these different characters and keeping them vibrant. Reading a Yada Yada book is like balm to my soul. It feels like a long conversation with a good friend.

I'm still reading The Secret Message of Jesus (should finish it up Wednesday) , Mere Christianity, and Invisible Giants. I'm having a small problem with the first and last books though. When I'm reading a book, if I come across something that I know is not true or is contrary to my beliefs, I have a hard time reading the rest of the book and simply enjoying it. I read the rest of the book carefully looking for other errors or problems, and it stops being an enjoyable experience. My body tenses, and rather than my eyes moving smoothly over the page, I read and reread each word carefully, weighing them for merit. It's frustrating because I don't want to give up on these books, they may have much to teach me, but at the same time I refuse to be sucked in to something I know to be untrue because of good writing.

Dad and Liz are coming over tonight, and I still have laundry all over my living room, so I'll sign off for now. Have a good night!

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