Under General Washington’s Canopy

Little did I know that right here in Yorktown, Virginia, one can stand right under General George Washington's dining canopy (albeit under glass)! My husband and I did that this afternoon at the National Parks Yorktown Battlefield museum. They also have a sleeping canopy that was his and had been kept the step-grandson George and Martha Washington helped raise (George Washington Parke Custis) after his father died from camp fever contracted during the Yorktown siege.

www.nps.gov/york

We have lived here over a decade and I could not believe that I did not know about this! We have been to the Battlefield a number of times, but only twice inside and then briefly. They have a museum that showcases the Washington canopies and also a replica of the interior of a French ship, which was also really cool. The Fifes and Drums of Yorktown entertain here and the annual celebration of the Victory at Yorktown is celebrated at the Battlefield in October. We were treated to a guided tour by a very entertaining park ranger and learned a number of things that surprised us. For the first time in British history, Cornwallis and his army were forced to depart without the honors of war (apparently they had to normally play a song chosen by the victors and also got to carry their flag as they marched out). Cornwallis had visited this humiliation on Charleston previously and then took hostage 5000 soldiers who were treated as civilians and imprisoned on boats (only 400 or so survived this to the end of the war). Benjamin Lincoln, taken hostage and exchanged, had pledged to not take up arms against the British again. He was with Washington at the surrender and it was he who was given Cornwallis' sword after Washington indicated that he did not wish to accept it. Given all the various and sundry things that happened to bring the victory about, it seems only providential that the Americans were victorious at Yorktown.

I wonder how many other people who live in Yorktown don't know about the treasures we have at the Battlefield?

Contemporary Book Review – Bibliotherapy (Cancer)

Crossing Oceans

By Gina Holmes

Published 2010 by Tyndale

 

This book is going to be a classic not only for use in bibliotherapy with cancer patients' families but because of the literary quality of Ms. Holmes' writing. The book is written in first person, which is extremely effective. Jenny is a young woman with terminal cancer who must come home to North Carolina and begin the transition for her daughter to a life after she is gone. Jenny has more than a few significant issues to resolve. For those who scoff at the idea of someone not knowing he had a child, I actually had a psychotherapy case like this where the father had never met his young daughter and I had the privilege of helping them start the process of getting to know each other. You will be laughing out loud at the very funny Jenny even as you are sad to know she is dying and will be getting much worse very soon. My own mother had cancer when I was twelve, but survived. She contracted cancer again last year and passed away, rather suddenly as we were told she was to begin chemotherapy, and died in June. I am so glad I read this book prior to my mom getting so very ill so fast at the end. Although I thought I had dealt with what cancer means, I really had not because my mother recovered the first time. Ms. Holmes takes you through the nitty gritty of end stage cancer for which I am grateful. This is an excellent bibliotherapy book for those dealing with cancer in their family, particularly terminal cancer. There is one group I would caution against reading this until they are stable – persons who are diagnosed with major depression. While this is an excellent read, well written, and witty, it is dealing with a very serious subject and SPOILER ALERT while it may not surprise most readers, there is no miraculous cure at the end and thus is not going to give a feel good ending and could trigger further depressed mood. For most other clients, this would be a good read to help process grief.

Book Review - Suspense

Protector's Honor by Kit Wilkinson, Love Inspired Suspense, Steeple Hill, 2009.

 

I met Kit when she got our local Tidewater writers group started up. She is the ACFW Mid-Atlantic Coordinator and is based in Richmond. There is a lot more to Kit than meets the eye just like the female protagonist in her story.

Kit got both her main characters "just right". Rory is a wonderful balance of military and police know-how combined with an appropriate amount of tenderness. Tabitha, an attorney, is blessedly consistent throughout the story although she does have her story and spiritual arcs going on. Don't you just hate it when you read a book through and the heroine seems to flip-flop and change around so much that you just don't "get" her? That will not happen with this book. Protector's Honor has a great story line with lots of twists and turns without being mind-boggling. I stopped most reading suspense and mystery books a while back because I could not stand the convoluted plots. Most of us are so busy managing our lives and our families that we don't want to have to totally concentrate on a book just to understand what the heck is happening. A mother of school-age kids could read this book during kiddy wait time. I finished mine off at Tae Kwan Do last week. The Love Inspired Book line has stories that fit into even a medium sized purse, which is nice for an on-the-go read.

 

Bibliotherapy factor SPOILER ALERT:

Tabitha was traumatized by a very close family friend. Why I love this as a bibliotherapy factor: Many times it is not a stranger who sexually assaults but someone who is well known to the survivor. There are nuances that Kit skillfully weaves (forgive my cliché, but it is appropriate here!) into the characterization and plot. We have a professional woman, in law, who has to get on with her life after this. Kit Wilkinson did a wonderful job of showing a character doing that without trivializing or patronizing those who have survived such an ordeal. Kudos Kit!

ACFW Conference

I will be a first-timer at the mid-September conference for the American Christian Fiction Writers. I am so excited!! ACFW has been offering an online course to all the newbies, which has been interesting. This conference is highly recommended for anyone serious about seeking publication in Christian fiction. This year the event is being held in Indianapolis at the Hyatt, downtown. The Early Bird session is being done by James Scott Bell, who has also been the darling of Writers Digest online courses. His book, Plot and Structure (Write Great Fiction series), is a "must read" for fiction writers.

It is not too late to register! Check it out at: http://www.acfw.com/conference

Trip from 200 Grafton District Rd, Yorktown, VA 23692-4045 to Cracker Barrel Old Country Str, 1625 Jim Johnson Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28312

Looking forward to seeing my cousin and part of her family and taking my little man with me. Enroute to Mytle Beach where my sister and nephew will meet us. I think we will be spending a lot of time talking about our mom and working through our grief. Travel prayers requested!



Trip from 200 Grafton District Rd, Yorktown, VA 23692-4045 to Cracker Barrel Old Country Str, 1625 Jim Johnson Rd, Fayetteville, NC 28312

For My Mother

Birthday in Heaven

 

This would have been my mother's 80^th birthday, but God brought her up there for a bigger and better bash than I could ever have thrown. Streets of gold, gates of pearls, angels singing, the incense of the saints wafting up, and the very presence of our Lord and God. Wow! Much sweeter than the birthday cake would have been. My Palm Pilot had me leaving earlier this week to get up to Michigan for her party. When my brother got my mom home to Michigan in early June, she was in the hospital within two days. Friends and relatives began dropping by daily, sometimes so many that some had to leave and come back (even for a large private room). I know she loved that they came despite how bad she felt. I am so grateful she was able to see so many loved ones. It wasn't long after that when instead of some minor problems they found that there were spots on her liver. An oncologist, who was supposed to have begun her chemo after she got to the Upper Peninsula, was expected to look at her scan and meet with her and my brother the following week. She had already slipped into a form of coma by the time he arrived, and left this earth only days later. Shocking, but what a kind God to not let her suffer any further. She always said she wanted to go quickly, in her sleep, which is like most of us would wish, I believe. What a trooper she was to have gone through that horrible whipple procedure (which she since shared she would recommend that no one ever have to go through), hospitalized for far longer than was expected, then rallied enough after our nine day visit to California to get to a nursing home and then back with my brother in my sister's guest house in California, then to suffer months of repeated trips to the hospital and doctors when things kept going wrong. Whew! So glad she got home and is now home forever with our mighty God. One day I will join her and I, too, will get to know the joy and beauty of heaven.

 

Dear Lord, there are many today who grieve the loss of loved ones. Help us in our sadness. We trust in you and your sovereign wisdom to take us when is best and right. Give those of us left behind the peace and comfort that only comes from you. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Listen and/or Read

Summertime Reading – A Motley Crew

I was inspired by Kristen Johnson, on ShoutLife, to post my summer reading. I am finishing one of Lauraine Snelling's audiobooks, Opal, borrowed from my local library. I am reading three books, with my eyes, at the same time - Courting Morrow Little, by Laura Frantz, The Wolf of Tebron, by Susanne Lakin, and Protector's Honor by Kit Wilkinson. Three different genres even! There are a dozen "eye" books, as I like to call them, in my Amazon basket and I am only a few clicks away from finishing that order. Most are written by authors in a historical writers group that I was blessed to join a couple of months ago. My TBR list also includes TBL (to be listened to) as I just joined an audiobook download club and just finished listening to a Deanne Gist audio download. Barnes and Noble is also sending me six books on CD (they had a wonderful sale recently and I couldn't resist).

How about you? What is your favorite read (or listen!) so far this summer?