Untethered Heart:  Redeemed by Love is now available for pre-order in ebook format.  I'm very excited about this final book in the Tethered Trilogy. Therapist, Dana Jordan, shares 'center stage' with her father as they grapple with the memories of Dana's mother, and the need to find her..  I hope you'll check it out on Amazon.  Here's the link to find it.

https://www.amazon.com/Untethered-Heart-Redeemed-Tethered-Trilogy-ebook/dp/B08D8RM23P/

Splintered lives always lean toward  restoration

Therapist Dana Jordan basks in the reconciliation of her family.  She cherishes each milestone of the new relationship with her adult daughter.  All the wounds of the past are healed, except the oldest and deepest—finding the mother who walked away from Dana herself as a child.  When her mother is found hiding in plain sight, the decades of grief and anger are at war with forgiveness and belonging.   Can love and family be restored after a lifetime of betrayal? 

The Impersonalization of Face Masks

 

When I visit big cities, the thing that strikes me the most is the loss of social connection—eye-contact; the quick nod between pedestrians as their shoulders by-pass; the pause to affirm the child with a toothless smile.  Impersonalization settles on busy cities like an invisible net, suppressing human warmth and spontaneity.  It breeds guardedness, suspicion, and fear.

            I really hate that aspect of the big city experience—I’m a people person.  I like to make eye-contact, spread the smiles, and comment on what I see.  Yet, behind the pandemic mask here in rural Idaho, I find myself acting in public like a city dweller.  My awareness of others is reduced to distancing and protocol.  The niceties don’t surface until I reach the checkout stand, and even that is awkward with steamed up glasses and muffled directions about scanning the card.

            It’s disheartening to not SEE other individuals in public, to not interact with people that surely are familiar.  I return from my infrequent public outings with an unsettled feeling that hovers just below the level of awareness.

             The sacrifice for safety is not a big deal; it’s temporary; there are many blessings to be counted in spite of it.  And yet if ignored, the subtle strain could morph into discouragement or depression.   I don't have a name for it yet, but just acknowledging it takes away its power.

            I pray this is not the new norm.  That superficial interaction I took for granted before--it creates community and I miss it.

Untetherd Heart Unveiled

I'm very excited to announce the final book in the Tethered Trilogy will be released September 10 in ebook format. The paperback will be available a little earlier, so I will let everyone know as soon as it can be ordered. Today, though, I am unveiling the covers. Many thanks to Angela Matlashevsky for her great graphics work. You'll notice the first two books have new covers also, along with discussion guides for book clubs, and minor edits to the contents.

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What value is a book?

 

“I’m out of new reading material!” 

“I’ve read everything in the house!”

                Those were a few comments I heard from avid readers in the last few months as the libraries and bookstores have been closed during the pandemic.  (Of course, this was from people who don’t do ebooks.)  But still…out of books?  How can that be? 

                I’m reminded of how recently in our history there truly was a shortage of books.  During World War II, American soldiers serving overseas were in wont of good reading material—so much so, that communities back home held book drives to send books to our soldiers.  An intriguing account of this time is found in When Books Went to War by Molly Guptill Manning.  BTW, she notes the most sought after book by our soldiers during that time was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith…a really good read.

                Recently, The Giver of Stars, a novel by JoJo Moyes found its way to my Kindle.  It tells of a time during the Great Depression when books were in short supply, and Eleanor Roosevelt initiated the Traveling Library.  Women were hired to deliver books to families, and in this novel, they were taken to back-country Kentucky via horseback.  Wow!  What a great read.  You’ll want to check it out before the movie is released! The Amazon link to purchase the book is below.

                I hope I never take for granted the value of a good book.

  

 https://www.amazon.com/Giver-Stars-Novel-Jojo-Moyes-ebook/dp/B07NKP3JL4/

Inspired by Goodness of People in Time of Hysteria

I’m seeing such kindness in the midst of these uncertain times—people going out of their way to show thoughtfulness to others, including strangers.  It inspires and humbles me to witness this grace in the midst of hysteria.  And don’t we need that inspiration?  That reassurance of the goodness of people?  I know when I see the masses rushing to grab the limited supply of goods, there’s an instinctual response inside me that threatens to join the mob.  Maybe they’re wiser than me.  Maybe they have inside information.  Maybe I’m not taking this serious enough. 

            And then I remember, God has not called me to act out of fear or self preservation over others.  He’s called me to love and to serve.  So, the response of self-preservation is fleeting, and I settle back into balance, assessing need v. want, sufficient v. abundant, self v. community, fear v. love.

            I would love to hear what inspires you?  Share your stories of kindness during this time of distress—they will inspire others.