Ruby Among Us

I did it again. I've been enjoying the freedom for pain so much that I overdid it the last couple of days. Monday was fun with the kids and going to Mom's. Yesterday, I went to work and then got a call from my mom. My step-grandma was having trouble breathing, and I needed to get to her house ASAP and either bring her in to the hospital myself or call 911. Grandma is so fearful of the ambulance, I got her into her car myself. She was so unsteady on her feet, I had to almost carry her several times. In the ER, we discovered that her hemoglobin is half of what it should be, and her cells aren't getting the oxygen she needs. She was admitted for a couple of blood transfusions which should help her out a lot (please keep her in your prayers. She's 86 and very precious to us).

In the afternoon, I picked the older two kids up from school and took Doogie to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. Geeking out for a minute: I loved the movie! It's definitely a movie made for lifelong fans. There were a few moments when the special effects weren't up to Lucas' standards, and Cate Blanchett's acting was below her normal par, but Harrison Ford was fantastic as an aging Indy, and for real fans of the series, the ending is AWESOME! Doogie loved it too. Jesse saw it last weekend, and as a more casual fan of the series, didn't enjoy it anywhere near as much. Anyway, by the time we picked Mia up from Mom's and got home it was almost nine. I woke up in a world of pain, even my hips ache. So today I'm taking it easy.

I get so frustrated with myself. I only seem to have two gears: full throttle and idle. Why is it that I can't seem to cruise in between to keep myself healthy rather than work myself to a wreck and then have to rest up again? I'm sure it's a faith thing. Last night I was reading When Did My Life Become a Game of Twister by Mary Pierce, and she recounts singing "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" and repeatedly singing "in my hands" accidentally. I can relate, I've made that same slip. I'm very willing to turn everything over to God when I'm tired and achy and can't deal with it, but as soon as I feel better, I'm ready to take it all back and do everything myself. I'm thinking there's a lesson in there for me.

Ruby Among Us by Tina Ann Forkner is the intergenerational tale of the DiCamillo women: Kitty, Ruby, and Lucy. Lucy has been raised by her grandmother, Kitty, since the death of her mother, Ruby, when she was eight. Kitty has been Lucy's whole world; there are no fathers or grandfathers or boyfriends is their comfortable, but isolated, universe. When Lucy starts college, she starts asking questions about her past, questions that open wounds for Kitty and start them both down a path of self-discovery. Lucy is a sweet, smart narrator filling the story with a wealth of descriptive details bringing California, especially its wine country, to life. Kitty is resistant to bringing up the past; because of her sins, she doesn't feel that she can ever gain forgiveness. The story is in part an allegorical tale of the prodigal son. Kitty has sinned and so turns her back on her past and God for fear of rejection. But both her husband Blake and God have wide open arms filled with love, and it's a lesson for both women, one that in the end they learn from Ruby and her courageous faith.

There's still time to win one of two copies of Rene Gutteridge's Skid! Just drop me an email at christysbookblog@gmail.com before midnight tomorrow night to be entered! It's a terrific read, you won't be disappointed.