Thursday Thoughts

Thursday Thoughts

Reflect

It's been another really good week - thank You God!

On Family -

I actually took Master DJ back to Preschool this week and it went quite well. He was overtired by Wednesday though.
Little Miss Ginny slept better this week and got ever more clever - clapping, saying "Hello", standing unassisted and sitting up from lying. We met some new people this week who described her as a petite little doll with beautiful hair :-)

We went out for our first homeschooling get-together yesterday. The people were lovely, but I'm still making up my mind as to whether our family is a fit there. It was good for the kids to get to meet some others who are being homeschooled and Little Miss Winny quickly made a new friend, so that makes me HAPPY!

We had beautiful weather earlier this week and I thought maybe we might skip right over winter and go to spring, but it's cold and wet today so winter is definitely still on its way. Thankfully we can have an inside day, with no karate or dancing or guides to rush off to, so we're rugged up and doing book/computer work instead.

Not sure I can declare myself in remission yet as I've had pain and other symptoms this week, but overall I have been really well and I continue to thank God for His abounding blessings.

On Writing -

I've worked on networking this week, subscribing to groups and getting involved in some potential online pitch sessions. I'm still working on the re-write of Chapter 5 of my novel, but no great movements there this week. However, I've written what I think is a great 100 word pitch, which isn't easy to do when you're talking about a 90,000 word novel, so I'm happy with that and I will reveal it to you down the track a bit.

Rave

Active Manuka Honey.
I have been making use of manuka honey since 2009 when I first researched its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities and tried it as a potential remedy for IBD.
While I didn't see any miracle cures on that side of things, I do believe it has helped me to stave off infection and cleared a path for probiotic colonization. It has also proved helpful for speeding up recovery from tummy bugs, skin/acne care, wound healing, but, most importantly, it works wonders for colds and sore throats. Use it as soon as you know a cold is coming on or even if you know you've been exposed to a cold.

I use Summerglow Apiaries UMF 16+ Manuka Honey
Summerglow Manuka Honey

It comes with all the certification bells and whistles, but mostly because it tastes so yummy. The kids have no issue with taking it when they're unwell, even when they've had tummy upsets (except Master DJ, but I'm afraid he is fussy-personified).
I've tried numerous other brands and they just aren't as well accepted by the kids or by me :-)
It is expensive, so keep that in mind.

Review

This week I want to review Delirium by Lauren Oliver.

Now I'll start by saying that, yes, you're right, this doesn't seem like my kind of book. It fits in the genre of Young Adult Dystopian. And while I'm not really old and would like to consider myself still fitting in the "Young adult"category, I'm not into the majority of what's available in this genre and I would never have looked at this book either, had I not been drawn by a potential "bargain". It was in our bookstore bundled with its sequel (Pandemonium) two for the price of one :-) I picked it up and read the blurb.

There was a time when love was the most important thing in the world. People would go to the end of the earth to find it (for those who know my own love story...this is very true) They would tell lies for it. Even kill for it.
Then at last, they found the cure.
Now everything is different. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Haloway has always looked forward to the day when she'll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.
But then, with only ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable...

This is actually a really terrific read. I will plaster disclaimers all over this review, in that it's not really a Christian book. But it is not anti-Christian either. In fact, there are direct references to Christianity being a faith that was soaked in love and therefore eradicated along with the disease (Amor deliria nervosa).

But there are other tiny seeds of thought planted in the story that aren't Christian belief, and there is violence and some completely uncessary bad language and sensual content, which I have to say did detract some from the brilliance of the actual story so it's a pity it wasn't edited out before release.

Having said that though, the concept is amazing and it is beautifully written by Lauren Oliver. I have to say that she now rates as one of my favourite writers - in terms of style. Her prose is exquisite (except for the fact that she described the protagnoist's hair color as Autumn leaves - just changing...I guess she means yellow, but each time I read this I pictured a tree instead of a good looking guy :-)

I was a little put off when I started reading and realized it was written in real-time (ie. I say, instead of I said) but I got used to this and it didn't bother me at all after awhile.

I was concerned that her definition of love would be just the emotional side of falling-in-love and while there are parts of that, she goes further. People who have been "cured" not only don't fall in love anymore they are unable to feel/show/give love in terms any relationship (parents to children, best friend to best friend, humans for animals etc.)

By far, the best part of this book is the ending...it's a cliff-hanger and it is brilliant - literally left me breathless. There are references made to the ending in Romeo and Juliet, but this is much better than Romeo and Juliet. To me, Romeo and Juliet was depressing, fatalistic, even somewhat selfish, but the ending of Delirium is real love - self-sacrifice, giving until, and although, it hurts.

Read it.

Religion

Speaking of real love, self-sacrifice and giving until it hurts.

Mother beats tumor after refusing to sacrifice her baby's life for her own

Although illness in pregnancy is a horrible situation for any mother to face, thank God there are still those who understand that valour never lies in self-preservation, but in laying down your life for another.

See also St. Gianna Molla