Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 54

Blog Tour: The Mountains Bow Down (Review)

Everything's going to work out. Time away always makes things better . . ..

That's what FBI Special Agent Raleigh Harmon believes as she boards a cruise to Alaska. A land of mountains and gems and minerals, The Last Frontier is a dream destination for this forensic geologist who's hoping to leave behind a hectic work schedule and an engagement drained of romance.

But when a passenger goes missing and winds up dead, Raleigh's vacation suddenly gets lost at sea. The ship's security chief tries to rule the death a suicide, but Raleigh's forensics background points to a much darker conclusion: Somewhere onboard, a ruthless murderer walks free.

Engulfed by one of her toughest cases yet, Raleigh requests assistance from the FBI and receives her nemesis-perpetual ladies man Special Agent Jack Stephanson. As the cruise ship sails through the Inside Passage, Raleigh has five days to solve a high-profile murder, provide consultation for a movie filming onboard, and figure out her increasingly complicated feelings for Jack-who might not be such a jerk after all.

And that's only her work life. Family offers even more challenges. Joined on the cruise by her mother and aunt, Raleigh watches helplessly as disturbing rifts splinter her family.

Like the scenery that surrounds the cruise ship, Raleigh discovers a situation so steep and so complex that even the mountains might bow down.

What I Thought
This is the second book I've read featuring Raleigh Harmon, Sibella Giorello's main character. In my previous review, I mentioned that Harmon, well, was a bit hard to get to know. She is, a very gritty character.

But, I think like a good wine, either she (the character) is "aging" well, as the series progresses, or I'm just enjoying watching her solve crimes and continue to grow in her faith.

This novel, set on an Alaskan cruise, was a good read. Intense at times, it held my attention to the very end. I was even surprised a time or two by the plot twists. It also made me want to go on a cruise - to explore some of the Alaskan scenery described so vividly by Giorello.

I also like the author's introduction (or re-introduction) of Jack Stephanson, another special agent assigned to solve the murder. I think (in my personal opinion) he's a match better for Harmon than her southern fiance.

If you like The Women's Murder Club by James Patterson, I truly believe you'll find this series a good read. It's enjoyable to find a murder-suspense novel without the "junk" of gratuitous language and horror.

On a scale of one to five, with five the highest, I give this book a strong "four". It's well written, with strong characters and plot development. This series is definitely growing on me and I am really looking forward to the next book, The Stars Shine On, set for a March 2012 release.

About The Author
Sibella Giorello grew up in Alaska and majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College. After riding a motorcycle across the country, she worked as a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize.

She now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons. Find out more about Giorello and her other books at her website. www.sibellagiorello.com

Online Resources
Buy The Mountains Bow Down at Amazon.com
See other books by Sibella Giorello on Amazon
Read my review of The Clouds Roll Away (Another Raleigh Harmon Novel) here.
Follow the Litfuse Group Blog Tour Here!
Check out the other books in the Raleigh Harmon series here!

Discover Raleigh Harmon
Start the series fresh with this great deal! Pick up a copy of Book 1 for your Kindle or Nook for only $2.99!

The Stones Roll Away is the critically acclaimed award winner that kicked off the Raleigh Harmon series.

Find The Stones Cry Out at Amazon
Find The Stones Cry Out at Barnes & Noble

It's A Contest
Sibella Giorello is celebrating the release of The Mountains Bow Down with a blog tour, a Cruise prize pack worth more than $500 and a Facebook Party! Don't miss a minute of the fun.


One Grand Prize winner will receive:
A $500 gift certificate toward the cruise of their choice from Vacations To Go.The entire set of the Raleigh Harmon series.To enter click one of the icons below. Then tell your friends. And enter soon - the giveaway ends on 4/1! The winner will be announced at Sibella's Raleigh Harmon Book Club Party on FB April 5th, 2011! Don't miss the fun – prizes, books and gab!


About the Facebook Party: Join Giorello and fans of the Raleigh Harmon series at 5 p.m. PST (that's 6 p.m. MST, 7 p.m. CST & 8 p.m. EST) Tuesday, April 5, for a Facebook Book Club Party.

Giorello will give away some fun prizes, test your trivia skills and host a book chat about the Raleigh Harmon books. Have questions you'd like to chat about - leave them on the Event page.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail. 

Hoppy Spring!

 Happy First Day of Spring!
Celebrate. Go outside, enjoy the fresh air.
Today, I'm grateful for yellow flowers and fat robins chasing birds.
What are you grateful for today?

Blog Tour: Bathsheba (Review & Interview)

Michal, Abigail, Bathsheba.

Three women with one thing in common – a marriage relationship with King David during his rise to power and reign.

For the past three years, author Jill Eileen Smith has released a series of novels examining the lives of these three women.

Her latest release, Bathsheba, tackles both the good and the bad aspects surrounding David's adulterous yet loving relationship with his third "main" wife, Bathsheba.

Smith said her series grew out of her research.

"I started out studying David' s life and wanted to know how and why he did the things he did," she said. "The study evolved from wanting to understand him to trying to imagine what life was like for the women he married."

Smith said she was struck with three questions as she looked at the lives of these women: Did David love them? Did the women love him? And, finally,  how did they handle life in a royal harem?

"I learned that human nature does not change," Smith said. "Though time and culture separates us, women in any age still feel deeply and care about similar things.

"We are not so very different. I can' t think of anything that truly surprised or shocked me."

During her research, Smith not only learned things about David and Bathsheba, but also Uriah.

"Uriah's military code of conduct would have influenced his comments to the king and his refusal to go home to his wife," Smith explained.

She also learned things about Bathsheba.

"I think her relationship with David grew over time," she explained. "She had a lot of grieving to do over  Uriah' s death and the death of her newborn son before she could even consider any kind of a relationship with David."

Each of the stories focus on one particular wife, and how she interacted with David.

"The Bible doesn't tell us which wife might have been David's favorite – or if he even had a favorite," Smith said. "My fictionalized version of each wife's story is supposition in that respect, but I do believe David and Bathsheba grew to love each other over time.

"They had five sons together, which was more than David had with any other wife – at least that is recorded in Scripture. He wouldn't' t have spent that much time with her if there was nothing between them—not with so many other women to please."

Smith said she learned quite a bit, researching and writing The Wives of King David series.

"With each story I tend to experience the emotions of my characters," Smith said. "A trial they went through will often be something I experience—not the same circumstances, but something that would trigger similar emotions.

"In those moments, I tend to have an epiphany that tells 'me this is probably how Bathsheba felt when…' and so on."

Smith said she hopes readers will see her empathy with the characters as they read the novels.

"I always aim to explore the characters' motives and feelings so that I can try to convey that through the story to my readers," Smith continued. "All three of these women suffered a great deal in their lifetimes, but of the three, Bathsheba' s story probably evokes the most feeling in me.

"I'm really not sure why. Maybe because she is the one listed in the genealogy of Jesus Christ and hers is the greatest story of grace."

A Closer Look At Biblical Fiction
Smith said she likes to combine Biblical facts with fiction for several reasons.

"I [like] to explore how and why things might have happened as they did. To bring the story to life for the modern reader," Smith said. "Hopefully, to inspire readers to want to go back and read what really happened in the Bible and discover God' s truth for themselves."

While The Wives of King David series contains a thread of romance, Smith said she simply focuses on the lives of the people involved in the stories.

"When I write Biblical fiction, I study the people of the Bible and try to convey the truth of who they were or at least who they might have been," Smith said. "The Bible itself is a love story from beginning to end. If you can see it as a whole, you see God's heart in His great love for mankind, in sending Yeshua, Jesus, the Messiah to restore the love that was lost between us and Him and to bring us back into a relationship with Him."

A Look Ahead
Smith has started working on a new series – The Wives of the Patriarchs. The first novel, Sarai, releases in mid-Winter, 2012.

Who is Smith?
Smith describes herself as a wife, a mom, aspiring Bible scholar, author, amateur historian, cat owner, musician, and above all- a Christian.

Want to find out more about her?  Visit her blog: http://www.jilleileensmith.com or find her on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jill-Eileen-Smith/10924241028?ref=ts

Smith said she loves to hear from her readers. Her e-mail address is: jill @ jilleileensmith.com (just remove the spaces).

What I Thought
Smith puts a lot of time and energy into researching her stories and it truly shows in her stories.

She crafts her Biblical fiction in such away, that I found myself grabbing my Bible and re-reading familiar passages to see where she drew her inspiration.

I will admit, it took me a while to "dig into" the story, for two reasons:
1) I thought I knew enough of the story - that I questioned why I should read a novel about it. I mean, David and Bathsheba are probably one of the "this is how you make bad choices" stories in the Bible. I "thought" I knew the story, kinda like I knew the how the story of the Titanic ends (duh the boat crashes) even before the movie came out.

2) I really didn't like Bathsheba at the beginning of the novel. She's a bit, well, whiny. Smith said she tries to portray the emotions of her character. Well, I believe she succeeded. I felt the emotions of Bathsheba (before her affair with David) and frankly, didn't like them.

However, I kept reading. For that, I was rewarded.

As Paul Harvey put it, Smith tells the "rest of the story" after David and Bathsheba have an affair, and Uriah, Bathsheba's husband, is killed. Pulling from her research and probably her imagination, Smith helps "humanize" David and Bathsheba in a way that will help you see the story with fresh eyes.

It's' a well written, well developed novel. On a scale of one to five, with five being the highest, I definitely give it a four or maybe four and half. It's a book that is going on my "keeper" shelf, and one that I'll probably recommend to a few avid readers in my sphere of influence.

More About Smith
Jill Eileen Smith has more than 20 years of writing experience, and her writing has garnered acclaim in several contests.

Her research into the lives of David's wives has taken her from the Bible to Israel, and she particularly enjoys learning how women lived in Old Testament times. Smith is the author of the bestselling Michal and Abigail and lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

Find her at her blog: http://www.jilleileensmith.com or on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jill-Eileen-Smith/10924241028?ref=ts

Online Resources
Find Bathsheba on Amazon.com
Read the other books in the series: Michal and Abigail
Download the Bible study guide for Bathsheba here.
Read an excerpt of Bathsheba here. 
Download the Bathsheba Reading Group Guide here.
Read my review of Abigail here.

About Revell, The Publisher
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Lenten Focus: Prayer

Prayer must be the topic God is trying to get into my brain today.

I woke up praying - usually this is God's way of getting my attention, letting me know there's something in my life I need to either let go, or simply let God deal with it.

Then my beautiful cousin posted a lovely quote from Henri Nouwen on my Facebook wall....little did she know that Nouwen is one of my favorite writers....

"Praying is not simply some necessary compartment in the daily schedule of a Christian or a source of support in time of need, nor is it restricted to Sunday mornings or mealtimes. Praying is living. It is eating and drinking, action and rest, teaching and learning, playing and working." - Henri Nouwen

Prayer is living. I love that thought. It's a living, breathing part of my life - and sometimes, I'll admit, I don't do it enough. Many times my prayers feel like I'm simply standing at the "vending machine" of life, asking for intervention. I know that's not what prayer is in my head, but somehow that message doesn't always seem to travel to the 18 inches to my heart.

I once heard that people who are successful continue to practice their "art" (be it music, sports, drama or another creative outlet) even when they don't feel like it. Maybe prayer is like that. Even when we don't "feel" like it, we should do it, because it keeps our hearts "tuned" to God.

Hum.

The other prayer reminder came from Facebook as well today, as the findings of a seminary friend. She wrote of discovering a three-minute prayer retreat that's online as part of the Loyola Press offerings. (A ministry of the Jesuits, part of the Catholic faith).

Simple, easy and even self guided - if you want to take longer than three minutes, you can.

The "tag line" for the prayer time is "3 minutes of prayer a day, can give you 24 hours of peace."

http://www.loyolapress.com/3-minute-retreats-daily-online-prayer.htm

You can take today's retreat, or "surf" for a previous retreat - the topic might be just what you need this morning. I found this one, which seemed to resonate with my desire to eliminate things during Lent and fill the empty spaces with God.

http://www.loyolapress.com/assets/Bookcovers/58886_empty-space.swf

A couple of prayer thoughts today, as we enter into the second week of Lent - kind of a spring housekeeping for your soul - as we prepare for Easter.

Quote of the Day: Hope

This quote has been rattling around in my brain for a couple of weeks. I'm still trying to process the exact meaning of it and how it truly impacts my life.

"Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are." — St. Augustine of Hippo

The Grace Card (Review)

Editor's Note: The Grace Card opens on February 25, 2011 across the country. 

Everything can change in an instant ... and take a lifetime to unravel.

When Mac McDonald loses his son in an accident, the ensuing 17 years of bitterness and pain erodes his love for his family and leaves him angry with God ... and just about everyone else.

Mac's rage stonewalls his career in the police department and makes for a combustible situation when he's partnered with Sam Wright, a rising star on the force who happens to be a part-time pastor and a loving family man.

Mac's home life is as frightening as anything he encounters on the streets of Memphis. Money is tight and emotions run high as he constantly argues with his wife and his surviving son Blake, who is hanging with the wrong crowd and in danger of flunking out of school.

Sam Wright also never expected to be a police officer. He has a calling—to be a minister like his Grandpa George. But leading a small, start-up church doesn't always put enough food on the table for a young family, so Sam doubles as a police officer. With his new promotion to Sergeant, Sam starts questioning if his real calling might actually be police work rather than the pastorate.

Can Mac and Sam somehow join forces to help one another when it's impossible for either of them to look past their differences—especially the most obvious one?

Every day, we have the opportunity to rebuild relationships and heal deep wounds by extending and receiving God's grace. Offer THE GRACE CARD ... and never underestimate the power of God's love.

What I Thought
Everything starts with grace - especially a movie with a purpose.

The Grace Card is one such movie.

Written and directed by David Evans, a Memphis-based eye doctor, the film contains a variety of themes including grace, forgiveness and reconciliation. 

When the film opens on Feb. 25, Evans expects that more than 20,000 people will have had a chance to "preview" the film in special screenings like the one I attended before Christmas in Rogers, Ark.

The screening gave me (and a theater full of people) a chance to see the first film project produced by Evans, a Bentonville High School grad. It also included a Q&A where Evans and his wife, Esther, shared some of the experiences surrounding the making of The Grace Card.

While the movie is fiction, Evans said the story of grace, forgiveness and reconciliation, resonates with people who have viewed it. Many attending the pre-screenings strongly identified with the story. At one screening, a woman left the film saying she was moved to forgive the person who killed her child 15 years earlier.

Shot in Memphis, with primarily volunteer actors, the film has a gritty, yet authentic feel. Anchoring it with acting talents of Louis Gossett, Jr.(Grandpa George) gave the film an extra "umph."

For a faith-based film, The Grace Card isn't hokey. It is solid, will hold your interest and will make you think.

The Grace Card will definitely open discussions on forgiveness and reconciliation - and the need for grace in all aspects of our lives - especially when we least expect or think we need it.

I will say, based upon the subject matter and some of the story lines, this film is probably best for at least middle school and above. Younger students could probably watch it alongside their parents - but some parental discussion will be needed to help them process what they see.

A Q&A With The Director, David Evans
THE GRACE CARD is directed by David Evans, a story in himself. At 42, Evans, a Memphis optometrist, is a veteran producer of Calvary Church's large-scale musical passion plays. The following Q&A was provided by the movie publicists.

David, you're a medical professional, a left-brain career if ever there was one. You're a 15-year-plus veteran of directing large-scale musical productions. Now you're a film writer and director—right-brained activities. What's up with that? 

I definitely feel called to be an eye doctor, but if you ask my wife, my true passion is acting and producing.  First in high school and college, then creating the passion plays.

Most people want to make a difference somehow. I want to make a difference as a Christian. True joy comes with seeing what the passion plays or this move will do to change lives, to show hope, to show people a new door to peace. Or in the case of THE GRACE CARD, to find forgiveness.

Where did THE GRACE CARD story originate?  

As a doctor, you're also a counselor of sorts. People share stories. I've got patients who are on the Memphis police force, and I learned things that informed the story.

They helped me see their world, and I wanted to take that and maybe help people see the world as it really is—a world where grace exists. 

What inspired you to write this particular story?  

I like to do things to grab people by the heart. My father was a minister, and I actually knew a man who was a police officer and a pastor. It occurred to me, "Wouldn't it be great to show this real life struggle in this real place?  To show faith at work in family life, race issues, work issues?" 

Is Memphis a character in this film? 

It really is. I couldn't imagine the story set anywhere else, as so many Civil Rights-related incidents have occurred in Memphis. And I've always been around that, having grown up in the South. That's where my heart is. There are so many landmarks, the Pyramid, the river. Even the score has a bluesy feel to it.

Many people associated with THE GRACE CARD say the story drew them to the project. More than one said one look at your script and they knew they wanted to be a part of it. What is it about this story?  

Nothing in this story makes you feel that it's all just bright colors, a pretty portrait that couldn't really happen. This is real, gritty, true. It's a realistic portrayal of everyday life. Everyone—regardless of background, income, social status, beliefs—deals every day with problems. Every day. Everyone. That's part of the power behind THE GRACE CARD. 

Who will enjoy THE GRACE CARD? What age groups? What ranges of interest? 

That's just it, everyone will—from pre-teen to adults. I have to say again, it's a real-life story with action, conflict, and faith in the midst of challenges everyone can relate to. 

Academy Award winner Louis Gossett Jr. plays the role of a wise mentor in THE GRACE CARD. Take us through your emotions when you got your script in an Oscar-winner's hand and got a "Yes" back from him in days.

I was encouraged by some other faith-based filmmakers who said, "You really need to get a name actor in your movie." Most roles were filled, but not the mentor role. Lou Gossett came to mind.

Then I looked at his web site and discovered his commitment to using his position to end racism. I thought, "This has be a God thing." I tracked down his agent in 24 hours and, initially, there was no interest. But I asked him to at least look at the screenplay because I thought it hit at the center of what Lou is trying to do with his life. Two days later the agent called back and said, "I think he's going to like this." And I can truly say about Lou's performance, he nailed it.

Let's talk about your cast and crew. You've got a wonderful team, ranging from Hollywood professionals to local volunteers. 

  I truly believe we have a new level of acting in faith-based films. We reached out to every church in Memphis, whoever wanted to send people in to audition. More than 50 churches sent people in.

We opened up the door to any Christian who wanted to be a part of the project. Plus, we had more than 300 volunteers from Calvary Church who had helped on the passion plays and joined us on THE GRACE CARD.

About The Movie
The Grace Card is the first movie from Memphis-based Graceworks Pictures in conjunction with Calvary Pictures.

Inspired by and modeled after Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry that created Fireproof, this faith-based film brings together Church and Hollywood—Memphis' Calvary Church working alongside veteran screenwriter Howard A. Klausner (Space Cowboys) and award-winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. (Grandpa George).

Graceworks is the vision of Dr. David Evans, an optometrist in Memphis, who directed and serves as the executive producer of THE GRACE CARD. Calvary Pictures is a ministry of Calvary, a Church of the Nazarene led by Pastor Lynn Holmes in Cordova, Tenn.

Note: As someone who works in a church ministry, I was provided a ticket to a "pre-screening" for The Grace Card. This review was not influenced by the ticket - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail. 

My push from God

Tonight, during Timothy Team, I was trying to tell the kids about a new prayer - TACOS - that I read about on DevoZine's Facebook page.

I wasn't sure I remembered what TACOS stood for so I grabbed my phone and pulled up the DevoZine Facebook page to double check the exact meaning.

- For the record TACOS stands for Thanksgiving, Adoration, Confession, Others and Supplication - kind of like the ACTS prayer we've used in Timothy Team, (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving and Supplication), but with one additional layer.

Imagine my surprise when the first post on the Facebook page wasn't the TACOS description from earlier in the day, but instead a tweet WITH MY NAME!

It's a brief summery - in 140 characters - of the weekday devo I wrote for the January/February 2011 issue - Need a Push.

[image error] Wow. I was almost speechless as I read it. I almost couldn't explain the TACOS prayer to the kids. (We'll dig into it a bit more next week)

It was so cool to see my stuff tweeted like that. It was almost a "push" from God saying -see you are a writer. Your words, written for me, are making a difference.

I've written several devos for DevoZine during the past 15 years, but it's only been in the last year, that I've re-discovered how much I LOVE writing for them.

[image error]  This week, I received my third "hard copy" issue of the latest devo to be in print - Spiritual GPS - in the March/April 2011 issue, along with the confirmation of the publication of a devo in the July/August 2011 issue.

I'm not sure what God has planned for me - I wish I had a crystal ball to see the future - but I know one thing. I truly believe that writing for DevoZine is definitely in God's plan for my life.

I'm grateful and humbled by the opportunity I've been given by my friends on the DevoZine staff to write for this amazing publication. The fact that they trust me to write for youth is well, in a word, humbling.

Want to learn more about DevoZine? Facebook | Twitter | Web

How I spent my day

Today, I spent much of my day with a group of elementary students willing to use their day off from school to help others.
We call it Destination: Home, a taste of the mission trip. Destination: Home gives students a "taste" of what we do on the "big" mission trip without leaving "home." Today's event included service (today - helping at New Beginnings Thrift Store in Siloam Springs), fun (bowling) and more (pizza for lunch, and a few extras along the way).
Four years ago, when I came to Silloam Springs as the children's pastor, I started weaving missions into the ministry plan because I truly believe children of all ages can and should learn about missions.

While mission/service projects are included in a multitude of our events, the Destination trips (either single-day or mulit-day trips) provide an in-depth experience for students.
I think teaching students about missions is not only Biblical (think Matthew 25) but also quite Methodist because it fits quite well into John Wesley's view of social and personal holiness.
I know many people question whether younger students can (or even should) learn about missions in this way. Well, simply take a look at the pictures below, and then decide for yourself.

But think about it this way.

Today, 13 students learned a variety of lessons about serving others, because we gave them a chance to help out at a ministry that helps families in need - including crisis pregnancies. We did this by showing them that service can include everything from washing windows, to cleaning toys with Clorox wipes.

I think amazing things happen when we empower students and give them the tools to help others.

We help them learn to think about others by learning to look outside of their "comfort zone."
Yes, sometimes taking younger students on mission trips can be a bit messy and often, things don't always go as planned. But one thing is for certain, when we give students permission to learn - and reach out to others - amazing things can and will happen. - - - - -

I think my favorite photo from today is this picture of Thomas (age 4). Thomas said at the beginning, as we talked about what would happen - he wanted to make someone happy. 
Yes, he's young, and yes we had to find things that "captured" his attention. But you know what? Today Thomas learned today that you can make someone happy by cleaning toys with Clorox wipes, and that even as a four-year-old he could help by folding blankets and hanging up clothes.
A few other pictures from the day
Learning more about New Beginnings Thrift Store from Trang Freeman. Sorting toys (after they have been cleaned). Tossing out the broken toys. Washing windows. Sorting clothes and (gasp hangers).

Hanging with friends. Sorting and folding blankets.

New 52: Week 7 (Feb. 7 - 13)

2011 - Project 365 - week 7
paper - 52 2011 - wk 7 - Sue Cummings, Oscraps.com
Templates - by Me
Fonts: CK KOTM1 & Champagne & Limousine
The second week of February was marked by a "giant" snow storm, trips to Cafe on Broadway, another Broadway show (loved Mama Mia) and well, contact with my nephew on Facebook. It's getting easier to take pictures of ordinary things - capturing memories one photo of a time.
This project continually reminds me that the ordinary stuff is what helps make life sweet.
------------------------------
Note: As a member of the cheery-o team at Oscraps.com, I was provided much of this for free. My use of these products were not influenced by the gift - I would have bought them anyway - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail. 

Quote of the Day: Something To Think About

Took a break today - to try to finish a couple of projects and rest.

Here are a couple of quotes I've been pondering this week....

 "Thus we never actually live, but hope to live, and since we are always planning how to be happy, it is inevitable that we should never be so." — Pascal


We're our own dragons as well as our own heroes, and we have to rescue ourselves from ourselves. ― Tom Robbins