A Must Read

        So. . . as you all know I try and keep up with reading even though I have three kids. I have given up the idea that I will ever be "well read" but I do love to browse the shelves at the library and grab books willy nilly. Every once in a while this turns up a real gem. My last book review was one called "stuck". I still recommend it. My most recent treasure is called "the Flying Carpet of Small Miracles" by Hala Jaber. Amazing! A poignant story of love and loss, courage and despair, all the makings of an epic saga and yet it is simply, real life. I forget to come out of my own little world sometimes. When I read the story of this emmy award winning journalist covering the world changing events of the fall of Saddam Hussein while struggling with a deep and abiding desire to be a mother I was moved in a way that only a mother can be. To wonder again at my three beautiful children is always a healthy thing. Yes, I do get bogged down with the daily demands but what a blessed woman I am to be granted my passion and purpose in motherhood. I marvel at women like Hala who remind me of the courage, determination, and vision shown by the deborahs of the old testament. To be/have a powerful voice in your own time is a rare thing and Hala exemplifies the drive it takes to achieve it. Her coverage of the civilian casualties of the American seige and subsequent bombings is enough to break anyones heart. War is truly grotesque. However at the end of the book she meets an American doctor (a Christian no less) that expands her world just like she did mine while reading her story. There is always another perspective and this is my favorite thing about books like this. They are real people sharing real experiences. Life changing stuff even; I couldn't put it down until I had finished.