Vicki V. Lucas's Blog, page 2

I Dare You – Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge Summary

Remember those words from when you were a kid?

“I dare you.”

Oh, man. That was when things got serious.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Honestly, I haven’t been up for a dare the last few years. Maybe I was tired, had a giant project list, or was just being a chicken. But last year, a dear friend of mine Gretchen Louise mentioned a Goodreads Reading Challenge, and I took the challenge with great hesitation.

I set my reading goal for 40 books, which I thought was low, but I wanted to succeed. The result? I blew the goal out of the water! 64 books total!

So, I, in turn, challenge you!

I challenge you to read great books, even if they’re not targeted for your age or your preferred genre.

I read mostly my children’s school books and books that I’m pre-reading for them. Sometimes I felt a little funny walking around with Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or Uncle Wiggily, but it was worth the random strange looks I got.

My girls and I poured into books like Red Sails to Capri and Owls in the Family.

Continue Reading I Dare You – Goodreads 2020 Reading Challenge Summary

Should Your Children Read The Dream Traveler’s Quest?

Ted Dekker brought me back to Christian fiction.

I grew up on Christian fiction, but somewhere in my teens, I stopped reading it and moved on to other things.

Fifteen years later, a copy of Black was sitting on my friend’s table. “You should read that,” he said.

I was intrigued enough to read it. I devoured Red and White after it. My husband did too. After that, we worked through all of Ted Dekker’s books and branched out into other Christian fiction again.

That’s why I really wanted to like this new series The Dream Traveler’s Quest from Ted Dekker and his daughter, Kara Dekker. I really tried to like it.

But I didn’t.

I hesitated to write this post as usually my goal is to focus on what I like instead of what I don’t like. However, I have had so many people ask me about these books that I felt it useful to share my opinions about it. I am really sad that I didn’t like the books. I feel a deep gratitude to Ted Dekker for bringing me back to Christian fiction.

Continue Reading Should Your Children Read The Dream Traveler’s Quest?

Adventures to Take When You’re Stuck at Home

When I was a kid, being sent to my room was the best form of punishment. All my favorite things were there, like my Breyer horses, my boombox with stacks of my favorite cassette tapes, and my shelves of beloved books.

I had discovered at an early age what American aphorist Mason Cooley put so nicely:

“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”

Within the pages of my books, I raced my horse across the desert sands of Arabia in The Black Stallion, I solved the mystery of The Secret Tunnel with Mandie, and I even fought in The Pushcart Wars of New York City.

Many of us are stuck at home this week, because of bad weather, viruses sweeping the globe, or financial reasons.

But we don’t have to stay stuck.

“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.”

– Jhumpa Lahiri

You don’t have to pack your bags or load the car. All you have to do is collect a book or two, grab your cozy blanket and your favorite drink, and you’re on your way to adventures anywhere in this world or in another world. 

Continue Reading Adventures to Take When You’re Stuck at Home

When Little People Do Big Things (a review of Anonymouse)

Anonymouse by Caroline Rose Kraft is a cute story filled with darling pictures of a mouse, a post office box, and a lonely girl. The story is simple and charming enough to be grasped by younger children but filled with lessons your children will always remember.

Mr. Parsnip Peppersnatch lives with his wife Coriander in a post office box. One day he notices a lonely girl, Philippa, checking the box, and he becomes intrigued. Realizing that she is sad that she never gets any mail, he sets himself on a mission that leaves his wife to wonder, Who is this brave, daring mouse-man, and where has my own timid husband scurried off to?

Hes just a little mouse. What can he do?

The power behind Anonymouse comes in this question.

When youre little, how can you fix a big problem? 

Luckily for Philippa, Parsnip found what he could do.

He could write a letter.

Stories with little characters — whether animals or people — touch all readers in a special place. Children struggle all the time with being too small from reaching light switches to not being able to understand deeper concepts.

But when children read of smaller characters — human or animal — doing great things, it empowers them. When we read of the brave mouse Reepicheep rushing into battle in Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis, we find the courage to join the fight.

And surely this lesson of small people being able to do great things rings true because we see how God used small people throughout time. Yes, sometimes He uses the great and powerful, but over and over throughout the Bible, we see the little people being used by God to do great things.

From Joseph the slave raised to power, to young David defeating the giant Goliath, from a young girl becoming the mother of the Messiah, to a young boy with five loaves and 2 fish to a widow giving her last cent we see over and over of how God uses the smallest of us to do big things.

But the beauty of Anonymouse continues with a small action, something anyone can do. A letter written to a lonely girl.

Doing great things doesnt always mean great actions. We dont have to see a giant fall or a miracle of epic proportions take place to do something life-changing.

Sometimes all we have to do is notice the sadness and take a little action.

Wouldnt the world be a better place if we noticed the need around us and responded?

Anonymouse gently teaches children that we can make this world a better place by our small actions.

Mother Teresa is known for her work of lifting people out of poverty. When she gave advice on how to change the world, it wasnt a huge plan filled with many action steps. She simply said,

If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.

Dont forget that in Matthew 25:40, Jesus also said, When you do this for the least, you do it for me.

In Anonymouse, the smallest mouse does a mighty act by being brave in his attempts to cheer up a young girl.

Thats the kind of story I want my girls to read. Thats the kind of lesson I want them to learn. In fact, thats the kind of life I want them to live.

Buy Anonymouse and read it to your children, but then ask them what they want to do to change their world. P.S. If your children love stories about little folk, here are a few books to get you started.

1. The Littles

The Littles live in the walls of the Biggs’ house. But when the Biggs go on vacation, trouble begins. Mice! Cats! Will Tom and Lucy, the littlest Littles of all, be able to save the day?

2. Stuart Little

Stuart Little lives in New York City with his human parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. His best friend, a bird named Margalo, disappears from her nest. Determined to track her down, Stuart ventures away from home for the very first time in his life. He finds adventure, but will he find his friend?

3. The Mouse and the Motorcycle

A young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcycle check in to the Mountain View Inn. When Keith leaves the bike unattended in his room one day, Ralph takes his chance. Together with Keith, there’s nothing this little mouse can’t handle.

4. Tales of Larkin: Hawthorns Discovery

An inch-tall race of primitive woodland people known as Larkin struggle to stay alive battling both hungry predators and vengeful outcasts of their world known as Renegades. They are a small people with big enemies, but they are about to learn about an even bigger God.

5. Redwall 

What can the peace-loving mice of Redwall Abbey do to defend themselves against Cluny the Scourge and his battle-seasoned army of rats? Turns out nothing much can stop these small mice.

6. The Green Ember

Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.

7. Bellas Broken Leg

When the call comes in, everyone in 911 Headquarters springs to action, including young Zoe. They must rescue a young girl who has fallen and get her to the hospital safely. Written by an EMT and a fiction writer, Bellas Broken Leg weaves an unforgettable and exciting story with basic principles on what happens in an ambulance and information when assisting victims.

8. Anonymouse

Parsnip Peppersnatch is an unassuming mouse who resides in P. O. Box 12. Every night he scavenges for food, but he’s always careful to get home before the people come! If there’s one thing Parsnip simply cannot bear, it’s people! Eek! But one day, Parsnip sees a small person who looks very sad. Suddenly he finds himself involved in a scheme that will take courage, know-how and even a few anonymous letters!

Susan Pevensie’s Greatest Legacy and Downfall

Dirty dishes piled in the sink. Diapers needed changed.

Is this my adventure? Arent adventures supposed to involve swords, companions, and mountains to hike?

The only mountains I’m crossing is heaps of laundry.

This wasnt what I expected.

I wonder if Susan Pevenise felt the same. She leaves Narnia in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe with brave words.

Then in the name of Aslan, said Queen Susan, if ye will all have it so, let us go on and take the adventure that shall fall to us. (The  Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Chapter 17)

This willingness to step into the unknown and face whatever Aslan sends ripples down through Narnias history.

In The Silver Chair, after Rilian is freed but still has to risk his life to return to Narnia, he says,

Let us descend into the City and take the adventure that is sent us. (Chapter 13)

This sentiment even endures to The Last Battle (spoilers ahead) when King Tirian faces the end of Narnia. (Spoilers ahead.) Whenever everything is lost, Tirian and his few fellow soldiers fight a battle they can never win. But he doesnt waver.

In the end Euctace and Jill begged so hard that Tirian said they could come with him and take their chance-or, as he much more sensibly called it, the adventure that Aslan would send them. (The Last Battle, Chapter 9)

There, with the last King of Narnia, lies the words of Susan.

But as King Tirian found out, Susan is no longer a friend of Narnia. Somewhere in between Prince Caspian and The Last Battle, she forgot Narnia and Aslan which leaves us gasping, What happened?

I’ve written several articles on Susan Pevensie, talking about her true power we often ignore, why her lipstick really is a big deal, how I believe Susan will remember Narnia once more, and more.

While we could speculate for hours why Susan Pevensie forgot Narnia, I have to wonder if Susan simply did not seize the adventure that fell on her.

We know from Prince Caspian that she was much more reluctant to enter into the adventure. It all starts when the others want to open the door to see if it was the treasury in Cair Paravel.

Oh, do lets leave it alone, said Susan. We can try it in the morning. If weve got to spend the night here, I dont want an open door at my back and a great big black hole that anything might come out of, besides the draft and the damp.

Then she didnt want to have a shooting match with Trumpkin, and she certainly didnt like shooting at the Telmarines or the bear.

Worst of all, she didnt really want to see Aslan. 

But Ive been far worse than you know. I really believed it was himhe, I meanyesterday. When he warned us not to go down to the fir wood. And I really believed it was him tonight, when you woke us up. I mean, deep down inside. Or I could have, if Id let myself. But I just wanted to get out of the woods andandoh, I dont know. And whatever am I to say to him? (Prince Caspian, Chapter 11)

Susan knew Aslan was near, and yet she chose to ignore him. She wasnt seizing her adventure. She was running from it.

When she finally meets Aslan, she admits that she was afraid and felt stronger. For the rest of the book, she stays close to Aslan and enters into the adventure more.

But what happened when she steps out of Narnia and into this world?

I dont think Susan Pevensie seized the adventure in this world at all.

Perhaps her life here wasnt as wonderful as it was in Narnia. Perhaps she had some insecurity or deep fears (which wouldnt be a surprise after WWII?) that are never mentioned.

Perhaps susan Pevensie just didnt want that adventure.

I can understand that feeling.

That stack of laundry and dirty bathroom?

I dont want that adventure. Give me some battle to fight.

But this is the very adventure God has sent me. 

I remember setting out on my own as a college student, ready to take on the world and have great adventures. Over 20 years later, my life isnt at all what I thought it would be. In fact, 99% of what I do is not ever in any books. 

We have expectations that adventures should go a certain way, and when life takes a turn we dont expect, we often kick and scream. (Or is that just me?)

But, the heart of Susans first words take the adventure that shall fall to us is surrender.

Surrender to Gods plan.

Surrender to God.

For He knows best.

So dishes or death, I will take the adventure that falls on me.

Because God is planning the very best for us.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Because God is in absolute control.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, Romans 8:28

Because God stands beside me.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10

Because even the most mundane tasks are for God.

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Colossians 3:23-24

Because I want to hear these words.

’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your masters happiness! Matthew 25:21

So, excuse me for now, I have some dragons in form of dishes to slay. And I have a feeling its going to be a grand adventure.

How to Prepare Your Children for an Ambulance Call

Sherry! My voice rose in a panic. The car isnt here! Mom and Dad took it!

I was standing in the garage, trying with everything my 14-year-old self had not to panic. But I knew that my older sister desperately needed the car.

Sherry never even flinched or slowed down. She thundered by me and out the back door. Its fine!

I followed. She was going the wrong way. But I wasnt about to argue with her when she was so clearly on a mission and nothing, not even a missing car, was going to stop her.

She pounded on the front door of our neighbors house. When the door opened, she slipped the pager of her belt.

You know Im a volunteer EMT, right? she asked. Theres been an accident, and I need you to help me. You need to take me there.

And sure enough, that lady grabbed her keys and jumped in the car. I can remember watching them race down the road. I found out later that they beat the ambulance to the site, and Sherry was busy treating people by the time the ambulance arrived.

Ive followed Sherrys EMT career through the years from a distance. I greatly admire someone who can race to tragedy to help, having no idea what could be wrong.

Shes been an EMT for 30 years, and shes never lost that ability to rope people into her EMT work.

When Sherry called me up one day and said, I need you to help me, I knew that protesting was useless.

But this time, she didnt need a ride.

Sherry needed a book.

In midst of all the work an EMT does, Sherry had started organizing the school tours for the ambulance. Dozen of school children traipsed through the ambulance station (or they took the ambulance and some fun props to the elementary schools). Looking to teach and entertain, she wanted a book to read to them.

So we created Zoe and sent her on her first ambulance run to help poor Bella, who broke her leg.

(And boy, did this fiction author learn a lot about EMT work!)

While Bellas Broken Leg (Zoe to the Rescue) is a great resource for stations–especially for EMS Safety Day for Children and school tours–there are three easy ways you can use the book at home, too.

But just because its a teaching tool doesnt mean it is boring. Bellas Broken Leg is meant to entertain as well!

1. Use the lessons that Zoe must learn as teachable moments for your children.

Before Zoe can go on the ambulance, she must learn three important rules. After talking to many EMTs about what children should first do in an emergency, we crafted these rules in a way that is easy to learn.

The rules are simple steps that we tend to forget to teach our children. They give a way for children to get help but also stay out of danger.

Reading through Bellas Broken Leg a few times will probably be enough for your children to memorize the rules.

2.  As Zoe reaches the scene where Bella has fallen, begin asking the question, What would you do?

Make the book interactive. As Zoe finds Bella, begin to ask your children what they would do in that situation.

I am always amazed at the opinions and ideas children have when asked these types of questions.

Zoes backpack has three items in it. One item is useful for the situation. Ask them what one they think would be best to use and why. Guide their answer gently.

My 3-year-old is determined that a stethoscope is always needed in every circumstance. I remind her that its always good to check the heart, and that the EMTs will do that, but there may be other things that have to be done first.

3. As the EMTs take Bella to the hospital, talk about the equipment they use and its purpose.

Ambulances can be scary places for children, whether theyre the patient or someone they love is the patient. Just the equipment can be scary. Take a few moments to discuss why the EMTs put Bella on a backboard or use a neck collar.

And don’t forget to pick up your copy of Bella’s Broken Leg here!

We truly hope you and your children will never see the inside of an ambulance (except for school tours, of course).

But now I have to go. Sherrys trying to rope me into writing the second book about Zoe, and this time she wants to talk about bleeding. I hope my stomach is ready for this!

Let me know in the comments if you have a great way to prepare your children for emergencies…

When Revenge Melts into Treasures of the Snow

When I was eight, I took a trip to Switzerland that I will never forget. I was kind of excited because I had already fallen in love with the book Heidi. But this was better than I could imagine.

I wandered the Swiss Alps under night skies filled with stars that shined so bright I felt like I could touch them. I even climbed to the top of one of the peaks while the sheep rested in a nearby meadow and watched the sun set.

Christmas was lovely there. The small church gave out a freshly baked gingerbear, and I did not even notice the snow while walking home because I was thinking of the shoe I would put out for Father Christmas to leave a chocolate stick for me.

I guess I should mention that I didnt physically travel to Switzerland. I read a book. An amazing book called Treasures in the Snow.

Ive returned to Switzerland many times through this book, but it wasnt until I read it out loud to my daughter that I fell even deeper in love with it.

(In case youre wondering, the reading level is Grade 4-6, but I read it to my six year old, and it was perfect for her. It is a great Christmas story, but dont wait for Christmas to read. Read it now!)

The story starts with Annette coming home with her Christmas bear, lost in the wonder of Christs birth, only to find her mother dying and a new baby brother to take care of. Annette bears this responsibility with grace and love through her grief. But when Dani is five, Lucien, a schoolmate of Annettes, hurts Dani, and Dani is crippled forever.

And here we see the skillful weaving of this tale, for we see that Lucien has many obstacles in his life. Upon seeing the horror of what he has done, we find that hes not a villain, but someone who deeply regrets and tries to make amends for what he has done.

Annette cannot forgive, and the burden of this weighs heavily upon her. Revenge fills her mind and she finds herself acting in shameful ways.

But hope is not lost. God still works miracles, even if it takes some skiing to start them in motion.

As a child, I loved the whole story.

I felt the snow. Smelled the gingerbread bears. I felt the anger Annette bore for Lucien, and I felt the shame that Lucien lived with.

As an adult, I fell in love with the story again for four different reasons.

 

First, I loved how there are no bad guys in Treasures of the Snow.

Annette is filled with wonderful traits such as love for her brother and father, but she does a few things that are downright terrible. Lucien is first seen as the bully, but he is remorseful and works to change as well as make amends.

The story gives me hope on my bad days that I can change, and it keeps me humble on my good days.

You tell me there is no way to start again, but you are wrong. I have sinned far, far more deeply than you have done, and have suffered in a way that a boy like you can know nothing about. But I believe that God has forgiven me and I am spending my days working to give back what I owe, and striving to become what God meant me to be. It is all I can doit is all anyone can do. Our past we must leave to God.

 

Secondly, Treasures of the Snow shows how siblings should love each other.

Annette and Dani have a bond that is a beautiful example of how siblings can love deeply. Annette becomes like a mother to Dani, but together they face tragedy and pain, and they can struggle and overcome it together because they have each other.

I want to see more of siblings who love each other. I want my children to read such stories. Because there will be a time when Im not able to be there for them anymore. And when that time comes, I want them to have the best friends, their life companions, their siblings.

For once that first great shock of losing her mother was over, Annette gathered up all the love of her sad, lonely little heart and poured it out on her little brother.

 

The book also teaches in a simple and powerful way of deep Biblical truths and honest life lessons.

Redemption is better than revenge. Faith in God is a noble pursuit, not to be mocked. Enemies are to be forgiven and loved. Friendship between a girl and a boy can be deep and meaningful without romance.

But perhaps the one that hit me the hardest was how there is more joy in loving than being loved.

It is hard work to win back love. But dont give up. Those who persevere find more happiness in earning love than they do in gaining it.

The final reason I love this book is that it reminded me of one very important thing.

I need to go to Switzerland.

Anyone want to come with me?

Have you read Treasures of the Snow? What did you think of it?

What Happens When Susan Pevensie Remembers Narnia

Call the police! My car was stolen!

My brother and cousin left their shopping in the small store and burst into action. What does it look like? my brother asked. Once she answered, they ran to the door, shouting over their shoulders. Well find the thieves!

We gathered around the lady while she called the police. I watched my brother and cousin tear out of the parking lot, wondering if they would return to the store with bullet wounds.

(You should know this was Missoula, Montana back in the late 1980s. Car robberies werent too common even if we considered it a large city.)

In just a few minutes, my brother and cousin returned. Free of bullet wounds.

We found it! they exclaimed. Whoever took it drove three stores away and parked in front!

The lady with the stolen car stopped her crying. Oh, no, she said slowly. This isnt good.

She explained that she just remembered that she had parked in front of that store and walked to the furniture store. She had left the store, expecting to see her car out front, and panicked when it wasnt there.

No one stole it. I just forgot.

Every time someone in our family remembers this story, we laugh. We laugh at my brothers and cousins willingness to chase down the robber. We smile at the forgetfulness of the lady.

But I often wonder what the lady feels when she remembers that day. (If she does.)

Sometimes remembering makes you feel awfully silly.

Thats why I believe Susan Pevensie will feel awfully foolish one day when she remembers Narnia again.

In case you didnt know that Susan forgets Narnia, we find a little information about it in The Last Battle, Chapter 12. King Tirian, the last king of Narnia, is just meeting Digory, Polly, Peter, Edmund, Lucy, Eustace, and Jill. Tirian asks where Susan is.

My sister Susan, answered Peter shortly and gravely, is no longer a friend of Narnia.

Yes, said Eustace, and whenever youve tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.

Oh Susan! said Jill, shes interested in nothing now-a-days except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up.

Grown-up, indeed, said the Lady Polly. I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and shell waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of ones life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can.

Some people have attacked C.S. Lewis for this passage. While some say Peter is too unconcerned about it, I see pain in his response. Others say C.S. Lewis was afraid of women, and thats why Susan cant wear makeup and go to Narnia. However, I’ve already stated why that is false. What the critics forget is that Susan made choices. Her choices kept her away from the train station that morning. Peter and the rest of the them were killed and taken to Aslans Country. Susan was the lone Pevensie left in this world.

And perhaps there was a deeper reason for that. Perhaps Susan needed a little more time here on Earth to remember.

Just because Susan Pevensie forgot Narnia doesnt mean she will never remember Aslan.

The books never says Susan cannot reach Aslans Country. Her story simply isnt finished. Lewis himself explained that fact in The Collected Letters of C.S. Lewis:

I could not write that story myself. Not that I have no hope of Susan ever getting into Aslan’s country, but because I have a feeling that the story of journey would be longer and more like a grown-up novel than I wanted to write. But I may be mistaken. Why not try it yourself?

Besides, I forget all the time. Important stuff. Little stuff. Most of it comes back. (If you know where my lipstick is, let me know.)

Forgetting is normally followed with a time of remembering.

In fact, we find it most heartbreaking when the ability to remember doesnt work the way it should, as in the case of Alzheimers and dementia. One dear friend shared that her mothers memory was, like a shaken snow globe. The memories seemed to be swirling around in her head, came randomly without coaxing and left just as swiftly. Where I would tend to use words like destroy to describe these terrible diseases, friends who have watched their loved ones fight them used vivid word pictures like The ability to remember dissolves like sugar in the rain and I watch another little piece of the person who taught me to read and write just blow away like a fallen rose petal.

But Susan Pevensie didnt have Alzheimers. She just forgot.

And, although this is a fallen world, and some things are never remembered, most often humans forget and then remember. And then forget and then remember again.

Forgetting is not always permanent. After it comes remembering.

Even Lewis alludes to this remembering in the dedication of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe:

My Dear Lucy,

I wrote this story for you, but when I began it I had not realized that girls grow quicker than books. As a result you are already too old for fairy tales, and by the time it is printed and bound you will be older still. But some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. You can then take it down from some upper shelf, dust it, and tell me what you think of it. I shall probably be too deaf to hear, and too old to understand a word you say but I shall still be

your affectionate Godfather, C.S. Lewis

Perhaps upon returning to this world, Susan focused on the adventure and forgot the Adventure-Maker. And when life ceased to be an adventure, she had already forgotten Aslan.
But Susan doesnt need to remember Narnia to get into Aslans country.

With The Last Battle, Narnia is gone. While the memories may lead her to find God in this world, dont forget that the Pevensies parents ended up in Aslan’s Country without even going to Narnia.

Aslan says that the purpose of the children going to Narnia was so that they would be able to find Him better in this world. Peter, Edmund, and Lucy found God in our world. Susan, at the time of her siblings death, hadnt yet.

But theres that powerful word.

Yet.

Susans story isnt finished yet.

I wish this is something people would repeat to themselves as they criticize Lewis. (But I think they would forget.) (See what I did there?)

Susan has a horrible path to walk. Her whole family survived World War II. Then they all die in a train wreck at once. I cant begin to fathom her grief.

I think this is one of the reasons we struggle with Susan. We leave her there in her forgetting. We dont see her when she receives a phone call about the train wreck that will forever change her life.

Thats why the next story needs to be written. One of Susan a dozen years later. Still forgetting Aslan. Or at least trying to.

Susan is now married with two children. When trouble strikes, she is forced to sort through the possessions of her family and friends killed in the train accident. The remembering begins. Much like frostbite that must have nipped at her toes when first in Narnia, the thawing hurts. But she has to sort through letters, pictures, clothes of her parents and siblings.

When the grief grows too deep, Susan collapses with a plea for help. A warm breath of air caresses her face and blows away her tears. She breathes in deep, feeling the strength of a lioness returning to her. Courage overtakes fear. Love conquers darkness.

And grief slowly gives away to something she hasnt felt for a long time.

Joy.

She has found Aslan in this world.

She remembers. Every moment. Every little tiny detail from the bravest giant all down to the smallest of mice.

And from then on, she never forgot again. Well, sometimes she did, just as we all do when life gets busy.

How do I know all this?

Because I once scoffed at the dedication in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and swore I would never forget. But I did. Until something amazing happened.

I remembered.

Was Susan Pevensie’s Lipstick More Dangerous than the White Witch?

Many years ago, an emperor of China desired to know how the commoners of his country lived, so Emperor Long dressed in disguise and walked among the people. His servants refused to let him go alone, but he forbade them to reveal that he was the emperor.

During his time with the commoners, they found an inn and ordered some food. During the meal, he poured his servant a cup of tea.

continue reading: Was Susan Pevensie’s Lipstick More Dangerous than the White Witch?
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Why You Want Your Child to Love Fantasy Books

“Christian fantasy? Oh, that’s full of nasty stuff!” She dropped my book like it was Turkish Delight from the White Witch and backed away from the table.

Selling young adult Christian fantasy books at live events always brings a few characters, but this lady left me speechless.

She marched off to the table next to me and glanced at the titles there. She grabbed one book and turned back to me, holding it up, “Christian romance.

continue reading: Why You Want Your Child to Love Fantasy Books
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