Musings on Leaving and Heaven, Summer Reading, and Some Giveaways!

You know mama likes to read, right?

Well...I do...very much. In the summer, when I was young, I used to spend my time swimming and reading. When I wasn't riding my bike all over town with my friend, Nicki, of course. Now I spend my summer days catching up on SGM work, walking the golf course as my youngest son's "caddy" (a.k.a. scorekeeper), swimming with rowdy boys and listening to their boastful talk, and curling up with a book when I'm able. Sometimes, James and I like to lay a blanket in the shade and read outdoors. Ahhh...summer, how I love thee.

I've already read a couple books this summer, and thought I'd share some thoughts with you. And, you know...give away a copy of some of my recent favorites to a couple lovely commenters on this post.

Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo (picture from www.amazon.com)

It's no secret that those of us who have a few "treasures in heaven" often wonder about the place. I admit, when my daughters made heaven their home, a longing was born in my heart that grew from the initial spark that had been placed there when I accepted Jesus as my Savior. Each time I have said goodbye to someone I love, the longing grows deeper and stronger still. This place where there will be no tears, no sickness, no death, no cancer, no bad guys, no leaving, no unmet expectations, no heartbreak, no goodbyes. This place lit by God's glory...what is it like? We look for hints in His word, hints from the glimpses we have on the sidelines as we've watched them leave.

Because of the longing and wondering, I enjoy books that share a piece of heaven. And, Heaven is for Real is no exception. I found this book to be quite believable. We want confirmation, don't we? We want to be sure that His promises are real...that He really is preparing a place for us...as He promised. We have to trust...to believe without seeing, until the day when all will be revealed. For now, I enjoyed the perspective of this book from a little boy's heart...the child-like faith, the reminder that we will meet our loved ones again, the truth that Jesus is all He says He is, the evidence that our babies live on in heaven's glory. The part where he meets his sister...the one that his mother carried briefly in her womb, before miscarrying...a sister he didn't know that he had...of course, I found that part most touching of all. I love that we will know as we are known. My babies, my mother, and so many more....I will be with them one day. What a glorious promise. What a hope we have!

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Leaving by Karen Kingsbury

I've also started Karen Kingsbury's latest series: The Bailey Flannigan Series, with the first book, Leaving. A fitting title for this season of my life...a mother anticipating her son's senior year of high school, and a goodbye that seems impossible when just yesterday I was holding his tiny chubby hand to cross the street. Or at least it seems like just yesterday. And, a daughter still working through the loss of her mother five years later. Suddenly thrust back to the moments as a little girl when our family was broken, when I first learned that sometimes dads leave...places of my heart I'd rather not visit. So, why now?

The book begins with a pastor's message that spoke directly to something I've been pondering in my heart lately:

"Goodbyes were one of the hardest things about life...one way or another people were always leaving. Always moving on...Life changes. People come and go, and seasons never last."

"Nothing stays the same. We can count on that. Good times come and go...finances are ever changing...our health will eventually fail us. And through death or decision, everyone we know will someday leave us."

"All except for Jesus Christ. Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. And because of that we have strength to love with all our hearts...even unaware of what tomorrow brings. That's what I want you to take away from today's service. Jesus stays."
(Leaving, Chapter One: by Karen Kingsbury)

If you read here much, you know I love me some Karen Kingsbury. I devour her books, especially those on the fictional Baxter and Flannigan families. While her books always speak to my heart some truth from scripture, I also read them because they're entertaining, well-written, captivating, and I can relate to the characters.

But this book. Those beginning words drew me in because they were personal. They were the words God wanted me to read right now. For this season of life.

Recently, some hurts from my past have been bubbling up, unexpected for a fairly secure, well-loved wife and mama in her mid-thirties. Why now? Why am I having so many struggles with hurts I believed were healed the day Jesus Christ entered my weary, broken heart? What do I do with these feelings, unbidden, but demanding my attention? Is it my mother's passing...the one earthly constant in my life since birth...that has triggered these flashes of memories, of times when someone I loved...someone I expected to stay...walked away? Was she the bandaid that covered those hurts, like only a mother does...and now they are revealed? What do I do with those feelings?

While no stranger to grief, I am not a wallower by any means. So, I'm not a fan of all this emotion bubbling up. It's been brewing now, for some time. I want to give it all over to the Lord, work through it, get rid of it, stop feeling it all. But, I'm not really sure how to do any of that. So, I pray...I feel...I talk about it to those close to me. And, I wait on Him to work...to lead me to healing and restoration.

In the meantime, His reminder:

Everyone leaves. Everyone lets us down. Everyone walks away...whether through decision or death. But, Jesus stays.

Jesus stays. Cling to Him.

I love how God finds us and speaks to our hearts...where ever we may be. (He spoke to my heart, confirming an answer to prayer, through a Veggie Tales movie last night, but that's another story for another time!)

O.K....after all that heavy, how about some fun? I'd like to give away a copy of Heaven is for Real and Leaving. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment and mention which one you would like or if you would like to win either book, you can say that!