A BOOK

Front Porch Princess

Kathryn Springer

OK. All my faithful male readers, you can skip this blog post and go right to the Kids Sense (because you MIGHT want to know THAT!)

This is a book review and I suppose, technically, this is Christian chick lit.  However, it is NOT a romance and it is not about some single girl running around a city buying Prada (which is what most of chick lit is.)  It is about a 40-year-old mom who lives in a small northern Wisconsin town. 

Elise's mother moved her to Pritchett when Elise was in high school and Elise was determined to get out as soon as she could - alas, she met a farmer, married him and ended up spending the next 20 years as a farmer's wife.  The book moves beyond the surface of Elise's character and shows that although she loves her husband, she still resents the fact that she's stuck in Pritchett - and now will do anything to make sure her daughter gets out. 

But her daughter isn't all that sure she wants out and that causes Elise distress.

I like this quote from the young youth pastor's wife in the book.

It's the buttons on the remote control ... Think about the fast forward button and the rewind button.  We women can struggle in two different areas.  Some of us have a hard time living in the moment.  Everything is WHEN.  WHEN I'm married, WHEN I have children, WHEN my children start school.  You fill in the blanks.  The trouble with wanting to fast forward your life is that you miss out on what God has given you today.  The rewind button is just the opposite.  Women who press the rewind button in their lives can't stop looking over their shoulder at their past.  If only I'd stayed single, had had children, hadn't had children, had gone to college.  Both of these buttons are dangerous because they rob us of something very important ... contentment.

The book is fast-moving and is the first in at least a two-part series.

If you're looking for a light, but thoughtful read for the holidays, I'd highly recommend this book.  The gospel isn't as strong as it could be, but there are a lot of good messages in it.

KID SENSE

Teach your child the word "qat."  It's an East African bush and a terrific q word to know for Scrabble since it doesn't have a "u" in it.

Comments

[Little Miss Chatterbox]

That paragraph that you quote is a lesson that is best learned early.

I still remember while at Moody I was doing my PCM (Practical Christian Ministry) and a wise man said something that has always stuck with me. I was talking about how I wished mid-terms were over. He said if I wasn't careful I would wish my life away. It really struck me and I've always remembered it because it really is true.

[Steve]

Thanks for the tip!