"Going South..." A Book Review

Several weeks ago I mentioned that I had received a couple of  "unexpected blessings" here totally out of the blue...and of course the first one you are all pretty aware of by now, in the little "personality" of Lily Grace. Her adventures have kept me so busy ever since her arrival that I barely had time to think about the second "unexpected blessing", which did arrive and has also been a great joy to me.  

However the second gift was in the form of a book, and due to so  many "adventures" in life in addition to those with Lily Grace, I was having a hard time sitting down and spending any time reading. But once I finally did, I was so glad I did.  Here is the book I am referring to:

I first learned about this book HERE, on Marcia's blog entitled "Marcia Moston, On a Write Journey Following God".  When she shared a bit about her latest book on her blog post, I was intrigued by it and truly wanted to read more.  Well, for some reason, after Marcia read my comment on her post, she decided to send me a copy of her book! I was so surprised and blessed beyond measure! When I finally made the time to sit down and read the book, I was even more blessed.  

Here is the gist of the story: 

Marcia Moston weaves a warm and fun story of what happens when she stepped away from the original plan to buy a sensible home way down south in South Carolina for her and her husband, (while he was still finishing up his work up north) and ends up with a fixer-upper that needs major renovation...much to her hubby's dismay. Thankfully he was a great sport and dove right in with the positive attitude of making lemonade out of the lemon...but this story goes so much deeper. It is a glimpse into how God also weaves a tangled mess of bad decisions, unexpected life events, sorrows and disappointments into a magnificent tapestry of lives filled with new hopes, restored purpose and fulfilled promises. This book took us so much deeper than what appeared on the surface and I came away with great comfort and hope for how God can work in my own tangled messes of life. Wonderful positive message of hope!

I guess this story really resonated with me because we have made many moves in our lives over the course of our 51+ years of marriage, and sometimes our best laid plans didn't always work out the way we thought they would. I could identify with Marcia's story on several levels...the moving part, the renovations, but also the deeper personal level of how God works in our lives when we make wrong moves, bad decisions, or when things happen in our family's lives beyond our control. I have also experienced disappointments, unexpected "house-guests", and sorrows beyond my ability to cope at times. But, like Marcia shares in her story, God doesn't give up on us because we make mistakes. He often takes our mistakes and turns them into victory and blessing. Her story is one of encouragement and hope, and I can honestly say, that is my story too.

I believe you would also enjoy "Going South with the God of Jacob's and My Mistakes".  Here is a link to it on Amazon.com in case you would like to "check it out" for yourself!

Thank you, Marcia, for sharing your story with me. I truly enjoyed this book...and now I need to go "check out" your other books as well!