That’s a wonderful book title, isn’t it? A wonderful title, yes, but such a sad, sad thought. Why would we want to choose something other God? And yet we do. We fill our days with things other than Him and, as you probably already know, if the devil can’t make us bad he’ll make us busy.
Go on and ask me how I know this.
And so even though I’ve had this book since its release date, I am stuck on Chapter 3. I’m embarrassed to admit this, really— embarrassed to not have a full review because 1. I’ve been reading Jen’s blog since I discovered blogs; 2. As far as I can tell, everyone else blazed through it in a day; and 3. There is no three. Do you need three reasons for my shame?
I will say that already I’m planning to read it aloud to my teens. I’ve got my Texan-twangy camp counselor voice all ready!
(as opposed to my everyday Marge from Fargo accent)
When, though? When will I get around to reading this book to my kids? When will I get around to reading it myself? Only God knows, quite literally. Certainly I’ve got my hands full these days, with something other than Something Other Than God.
Some little known facts about this photo:
- Putting sugar on pancakes is from my family of origin. We buttered the pancake, added the sugar, and rolled the whole thing up like a crepe. It’s both delicious and messy, which, as you probably already know, is the gold standard for food served to kids.
- My 4-year-old loves it when I take random family photos for my blog. Momma’s distracted by blogging again! Yay! I get eighteen extra spoonfuls of sugar!
- It takes real skill to hold a baby and clutch one’s robe shut with the same hand. We moms do this sort of thing instinctively, though we wish we could say the same thing about closing our cupboards.
Graying roots and spilled sugar are the stuff of my days, these days. Sometimes I think that God’s a great big dictator, willing me to NEVER leave my house because there are, at any given moment, at least eighty domestic fires to put out.
And that’s just in the kitchen!
(Also? I photo-shopped those photos to make them look more gritty.)
(We are all about gritty realism on this blog.)
In addition to the eighty fires and the best-selling memoir sitting unread on my Kindle, there are a dozen great new e-books to read; a hundred fabulous blogs to peruse; a thousand pretty projects to pin on Pinterest; and infinite hours to fritter away on Facebook. All good, right? And all conspiring to tempt me to think that my life—my crazy-busy, unbelievably messy life—is extremely something other than God.
Because how can this chaos be His will? It’s not mine, after all. Did He not get the memo?!
And yet, it is. It is His will that I be present to these messes, because these sticky little fingers need me more than the walls.
Wait, what?
Well, they do—they really do—and somehow I think that Jennifer Fulwiler gets this. She has, after all, six sweet-but-sticky darlings of her own. Jen, if you’re reading this, I’m sorry I’m so very late to the party! For what it’s worth, I love your new book.
At least, I’m loving the first three chapters.
I was only able to finish it so fast because I was sick in bed. I've got a stack of books that I haven't finished yet and a bunch of sinus stuff going on to keep me from reading any of it. And I demand to hear your twangy Texas accent one of these days!
I'm sitting in the car reading this before I unload groceries. Now, back to work I go! Thanks for the little reprieve and the push. 🙂
Rolled up pancakes are the best. We make them really thin. They roll up better when they're thin.
Love it when the butter and sugar come out at the ends.
I have it on my list, based on everybody else's glowing reviews, but right now I'm reading The Reds of the Midi (a story of the French Revolution) and Surprised By Motherhood, so it'll have to wait. I read The Reds before I go to bed, because I sleep with Evie, and it's on my kindle, and my kindle has a light, so when she falls asleep, I don't have to try to reach the lamp without disturbing her, and I read Surprised by Motherhood at approximately 2AM, when I am up nursing the baby, who never has any trouble sleeping when she was already asleep to begin with.
As for pancakes with sugar, I don't know what to say. People really do that?!
And here I thought I was the only one who puts butter and sugar on my pancakes!
I'll admit it here, one reason I finished the book so quickly was because the night I got it I was getting over a stomach bug PLUS morning sickness, so I kind of *had* to lie on the couch doing nothing but reading the book while my husband took care of everything else… But I don't think you want to catch the flu as an excuse to read the book!
I just finished it yesterday, but it's mostly due to me falling into a bad habit of staying up waaaaay past my bedtime just to revel in a quiet house. I kick myself in the morning, but I need that time with no tugging on my clothes or diaper changes or food requests . . . well, I'm sure you get it. 🙂
And forget the high chair tray, the whole darn thing is my nemesis! Ours is so badly encrusted that I have thought about just throwing it away and buying a new one. True story.
I am very sure Jen understands and will not hold it against you 😉
Oh my goodness, these pictures look so familiar! And yes, it completely makes sense to me. I thought it would be fun to casually read through the whole thing in hardcover, but I haven't had a chance either. 🙂
I haven't read the book…actually it's a new book to me…but, I do DO DO love your blog. You always make me smile…and happiness is from the Holy Spirit…right?! Of course right! I'm a Mom and we know these things!