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| perfect place for a friend visit |
Friend [frend]
Noun: pal; ally; somebody emotionally close; acquaintance; advocate of cause (from MSWord for Mac) and I just have to add this – it cracked me up!… “8. Verb: to add (a person) to one’s list of contacts on a social-networking Web site” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/friend)
I have to say I am surprised by the definitions I found. I expected something along the lines of
(noun): common interest, spending time together, a person
you enjoy and choose to spend time with
(verb): be a (friend), to extend kindness, to be gracious to another.
Regardless of my new knowledge on the definition of friend – I consider you, my fellow blogger, a friend – whether you read blogs or have your own blog. Even though I have never met you. I do believe I have more in common with many bloggers than I do with most on my facebook friend list. Interesting.
Anyway, I am going to start a series on Monday sharing, as I would with a friend, one of my all time favorite books. I love books. I am one who is usually reading several books and magazines at the same time. It will be a way for us to enjoy a hot drink and visit together. I’m going to call it Book Break…
I read mostly historical fiction and books meant to encourage us in our personal walk with our Heavenly Father. There are two books I consider life-changers for me – Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge and Do You Think I’m Beautiful? By Angela Thomas.
Why all the rambling about friends and books? {and yes, books are my friends too} Because I want to share, in detail, about what I have learned about me as a woman from these two books. I am going to start with the book Captivating, because that is one I am re-reading right now. I don’t normally re-read a book – however, I have lost track of how many times I’ve read these two. {I know it is 5+ times over the last 7 years for Captivating, and 2+ times over the last 3 or 4 years for Do You Think I’m Beautiful?}
Captivating was the first book in my life that helped me understand me. I understood well having conflicting thoughts and emotions, but I didn’t understand why. I am someone who likes to understand the big picture – in fact, I have a hard time when I have to operate in a small portion of the whole.
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This “book study” of sorts will be me pulling several quotes from each chapter, one chapter per week. I would encourage you to get the book and read the whole thing on your own. I would LOVE to “discuss” this via comments (unless you would rather a linky party). By discuss I’m not saying right/wrong, but “what this means to me” type of discussions.
We are all in different places in our lives, we may not even share the same belief; however, I will be coming from the platform of – we are all women, created individually and uniquely by a loving God to have a personal relationship with Him. {Note: I’m not trying to be exclusive on the gender of blog readers. I realize anything online is allowed to be read by anyone. If you are reading and you are not a woman, then you will learn lots about how we think and feel :-D.}
A couple parameters for this discussion:
- First of all – in order to have a discussion, you will have to post what you think. Otherwise this will be just me posting interesting thoughts & quotes meaningful to me. Please don’t leave me hanging :-D! {read as: I’m feeling really insecure right now!!} I know I have read many blogs without ever posting. I understand, really I do. I have had reason to not want to be “found” by those I’d rather not be sharing intimate parts of my life with. If this is a concern for you, please – email me privately and I will post your comment without identifying information.
- Secondly, I would imagine just as with anything, we are not all the same. We have come from different circumstances, life experiences, and have different reasons for reading/participating in blogs. It may be as simple as this book doesn’t touch you in the way it touched me, or might someone else. Let’s all remember to be friendly to each other, extend kindness and be gracious to each other.
- I don’t want to give the impression this is the only way it is, that it is the end all-be all on everything woman. I’m truly just sharing a book I have found helpful to me in hopes of encouraging you.
Let’s start now…How about you – Do you enjoy reading? Do you read more than one book at a time? Do you have a preference – real books vs. e-books, or real magazines vs. magazines on an e-reader?
My answer to the above :-D: Right now I am reading three real books, four e-books, two enjoyment magazines, and multiple issues of two magazines for learning. I am partial to real books. I love paper. I love the smell of paper and color, whether on paper or material. I love colorful, paperback covers. I like to feel and touch the paper, the covers, and material. {I thought the Nook Color would help me like the e-book experience…it didn’t, oh well, have to change with the times, I’ll deal. :-D}
Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for any of these statements. I personally own both books, have never been contacted by either author or anyone on their behalf. I also personally own, by my decision alone, a Nook Color. All statements made by me are my own belief. {now I’m taking multiple deep breaths & pushing public, **edited & republished, to add my pretty “perfect place for a friend visit” picture**}