Book Club

So my van is fixed and running waaay better than it has in a long time, and to think I was thinking about getting a new mechanic,( I wouldn't trade the one I got for anything.) It was actually good for me to be completely housebound for three days... a great way to get lots of things done. My vacuum cleaner is working, and he was right, some parts were completely worn out, so now I am working on wearing the new parts out. lol. Today I moved my washer and dryer and almost filled up the vacuum cleaner canister, nothing is more satisfying than cleaning something really dusty and dirty. (sigh)
So last night was my once-a-month night out (while maybe I go out a bit more) but I try not to be dashing out the door all the time as I always pay for it the next day in the disorganization of the day. But last year when I had the three kids home during the day I decided it was time to start reading again, (before that there was no hope of reading during the day because as soon as I picked up a book someone would fall out of a tree or bail on a bike, etc. and in the evenings I was EXHAUSTED and would fall asleep.) and joined the Library book club. There is a good variety of people and ages to get a lot of different options and to learn a lot. This was the first get together so we all just had to talk about the book/s we read this summer. ( There are so many books out there that I would love to read.) The book I talked about was "As We Forgive" by Catherine Claire Larson. This was a book that could move anyone to tears and taught so many good life lessons.
It is about the Rwandan genocide and the stories of its people. The really interesting part of this book was that there would be a chapter on the life of someone and what they all went through, and then a clinical chapter on the psychology of forgiveness. For instance what forgiveness is and what it is not, and how someone goes about forgiving. What makes the book so emotional is people going back to their neighbors that had killed their husbands, raped their daughters, and burned everything they had and would tell them that they forgive them. And as hard as it was, it is something that brought about "healing" for them. This was a really dark and disturbing book, as the true stories were told one realized the horrific things people do to each other when driven by fear or by being brainwashed, but the amazing power that forgiveness and Christ bring. It is not a book I forget about, and recommend it to anyone. So many things that we can get "hung up" about are insignificant when compared to the crosses that are placed on others. (I know those toilet seats, the roll of toilet paper being the right way and the lid back on the toothpaste CAN be important...but some things just have to be let go," be forgiven" when put into perspective) and this book was really good at putting things in perspective...hope you get a chance to read it.