Book review: Where Dandelions Grow

Hey all! Today I'm here as a part of the blog tour for Where Dandelions Grow by Lydia Howe. So, lets get on with it, shall we? ;)

About the book:  Cousins are forever, or at least they’re supposed to be. 

What happens when your world falls apart and your dreams are mocked by those closest to you?

Destiny’s idyllic childhood full of laughter and cousins abruptly ended when her mom uprooted the family to move them across the country with strict instructions to never talk about Swallow Ridge again. Eleven years later Destiny moves back to her hometown, determined to find her cousins… and answers.

Plagued by generations of bitterness and manipulation, Destiny hides her life-long goal - unwilling to let anyone else trample her fragile dreams. But life in the cozy town full of dandelions teaches Destiny there’s more to life than what she’s been taught.

Is it possible Swallow Ridge not only holds the answers Destiny so intensely searches for, but also the hope? 

My review: 3 stars
So, I loved the idea behind the story.  Cousin stories are far and few between, and I absolutely LOVE the fact that this was one of the main themes of the book.
Also, I loved the whole writing and bookishness. It was so perfect!

Unfortunately,  I couldn't connect with Destiny.  At all. Which made the story a bit "meh" to me, since she's the main character. I knew why she acted and made the decisions that she did,  however, I couldn't understand why for many of them.

I did so love Teal and Charlie and her dad, though!  Their family was just precious!

I also truggled with the whole Christianity theme of the book. I could never get a real feel for where Destiny was in her walk with God, so that was a bit frustrating. She seemed to rely on other to make the right choice, while never actually turning to God.

However, those put aside,  I enjoyed the story and would reccomend it to anyone who enjoys a good contemporary story!

Also, Swallow Ridge. I wanna live there.  Thats all.  XD

Hymns Through History - Be Still, My Soul

Hello all! Today is the first actual installment of Hymns Through History! I hope y'all are as excited as I am!

A Book, A Song

For those of you who have read A Question of Honor, you know that the hymn Be Still, My Soul plays a huge part in it. To the point where it seems like I must have planned out the book to go with the song, as someone said. But . .  I didn't. In fact, when I first plotted out the book, I had no plans to use any song. It wasn't until I got to a certain scene that I felt like there was something missing. I needed to add either a Bible verse or some such thing to give the scene the effect I was looking for. It was then that the words for the last verse of Be Still, My Soul came to mind, and I quickly jotted them down. I had no idea if I would keep it or not, but for the moment it did what I wanted.

Fast-forward to the completed draft. I decided that I really liked how the verse fit in with the story, and decided to keep it where it was. I had checked the date, and it was written in the 1800s, so it would be acceptable for my 1940's character to know it. But then...then I heard the entire song with four verses one day on the radio. See, I grew up singing three verses. And I had no idea that a fourth one even existed. But the words, y'all, to that one verse. I stopped what I was doing and quickly searched it online to be sure it was a verse that had been written by the original author, and not one that someone had added later.

It was.

And it was then that I realized my spur of the moment decision to include one verse in a small part of the story really hadn't been just my decision. Only God could have fit a song so well with a book.

Be Still, my soul, when dearest friends depart. And all is darkened in a veil of tears. Then you shall better know His love, His heart, who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears. Be still, my soul. Thy Jesus can repay from His own fullness all He takes away. 

As my critique partner later said, it seemed as if the song had been written to go with the book. Or that my book had been written to go with the song. Neither were true. God had managed to fit the two together in a way that I never would have imagined. 

And Be Still, My Soul? Well, it now holds a very special place in my heart. ;) 

The History

(All information below written by Dr. Michael Hawn and taken from this website.) 

The formation of "Be Still, My Soul" as it appears in our hymnal covers three countries – Germany, Scotland, and Finland – and well over 100 years.

Little is known about the author of this hymn. Katharina Amalia Dorothea von Schlegel was born in 1697. The date of her death is unknown. As her name suggests, she may have come from an aristocratic family. Other than that she was connected with a small court at Köthen, north of Halle, in Germany, little is known of her life. Some hymnologists suggest that she may have become a Lutheran nun. We know her as the author of "Stille, mein Wille; dein Jesus hilft siegen" published in a collection entitled Neue Sammlung geistlicher Lieder (A new collection of spiritual songs) in 1752, one of several of her texts included there.

This text appears at the time of German pietism, similar in spirit in many regards to the Wesleyan revival in England of the same era. Philipp Jacob Spener (1635-1705) led the German pietistic movement. Though not a hymn writer himself, he inspired a revival in German hymnody characterized by faithfulness to Scripture, personal experience, and deep emotional expression. Katharina von Schlegel is thought to be the leading female hymn writer of this period.

The hymn comes to us via a translation by Jane L. Borthwick (1813-1897), a member of the Free Church of Scotland. Borthwick was second only to Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878) in bringing the riches of German hymn heritage to the English language. Her translation included five of the original six stanzas, appearing in Hymns from the Land of Luther, second series (1855).

The tune FINLANDIA complements this stirring poem wonderfully. The melody comes from a symphonic tone poem by Jean Sibelius (1865-1957) by the name of Finlandia, Op. 26. Sibelius wrote it as a patriotic offering in 1899 with a revision in 1900. This composition was performed as the final of seven pieces as the music to accompany a series of tableaus, each reflecting portions of Finnish history. Out of agitated and tumultuous opening music, symbolizing the struggles of the Finnish people, emerges the serenity of the hymn-like melody we know as FINLANDIA, symbolizing hope and resolution.

The Peace Celebrations of 1899 provided the political backdrop for the composition as well as a subtle protest by the composer against the rising censorship from Russia felt in the nearby Scandinavian countries. The censorship was so intense that the composition could not be programmed publically under its formal title Finlandia, as the Russian Empire would deem that too patriotic. In order to please the Russian censors, other titles were devised such as "Happy Feelings at the Awakening of Finnish Spring."

Finally, David Evans (1874-1948), a Welsh Oxford-trained organist-choirmaster and music professor, matched the translation with the tune for the Revised Church Hymnary (London, 1927). This pairing was brought to the United States when it was used in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. for The Hymnal (1933).

1. Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side.
   Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
   Leave to thy God to order and provide;
   In every change, He faithful will remain.
   Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heav’nly Friend
   Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
2. Be still, my soul: thy God doth undertake
   To guide the future, as He has the past.
   Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
   All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
   Be still, my soul: the waves and winds still know
   His voice Who ruled them while He dwelt below.
3. Be still, my soul: when dearest friends depart,
   And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
   Then shalt thou better know His love, His heart,
   Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
   Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
   From His own fullness all He takes away.
4. Be still, my soul: the hour is hast’ning on
   When we shall be forever with the Lord.
   When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
   Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.
   Be still, my soul: when change and tears are past
   All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
5. Be still, my soul: begin the song of praise
   On earth, believing, to Thy Lord on high;
   Acknowledge Him in all thy words and ways,
   So shall He view thee with a well-pleased eye.
   Be still, my soul: the Sun of life divine
   Through passing clouds shall but more brightly shine.
6. 
   

Hymns through History - Introduction

Hello all! I hope this blog post finds you well! Our week has been a bit crazy, but good nontheless. Also, I promise I will reply to comments this weekend. I've gotten a bit behind in that area. xP

Today brings us to the start of the new mini-blog series I mentioned last week. And, as y'all have probably guessed by now, it has something to do with hymns.

Hymns are very special to me. You see, I didn't grow up listening to contromporary christian music. And until I was around eleven, I didn't even know it existed. For me, songs were always, always either classical or hymns. My greatest dream when I was little was to be able to play the piano so I could play out of the hymnbook in church. To this day, piano hymns are my favorite kind of music to listen to...and play. (And yes, my dream came true and I have played hymns in church. ;) Seriously one of the highlights of my life.)

Nowadays I do often listen to contemporary music and enjoy it very much, yet the old hymns always inspire me like no other song ever will. There's just something about hearing the sweet, gentle strains of How Great though Art  drift through the autumn air, or singing Christ the Lord is Risen Today at church on Easter morning. Yes, maybe it's because of my upbringing that hymns will always be precious to me. Nearly every memory I have is connected, in some way, with a dear, old hymn.

Yet, I think it's more then that. Hymns have such a rich history. And the words, many times, are more thoughtful and reverant then most contemporary songs. (Don't start yelling at me, guys. I agree that some contemporary christian songs can be just as powerful. ;)) Our forerunners in the Christian faith often sang the same hymns as they went through persecution, or were faced with hardships in their own life. And still, more then a hundred years later, the same lyrics are speaking to my soul. That's amazing, guys. Sometimes there will be days when I'm having a hard time, and I just can't seem to get my mind to focus on Christ in the midst of things going on around me. And then a line from Be Still, My soul will come to mind. Other days, I struggle with feeling lonely, even though I'm surrounded by people who love me. And then What a Friend we have in Jesus will remind me that He's always right beside me.
In every hardship I've gone through in my life, I've had a hymn to encourage me. To get me through it.
And in every blessing, in every happy occasion, I can call to mind a hymn from that time of life as well.  After all, life in the summer doesn't get any better then driving down a country road with the windows down while you and your siblings sing I'll Fly away so loud you'd probably give a heart attack to anyone who heard you coming.

So, all that to say . . . because of my love for them, I've decided to do a mini blog series on hymns. More specifically, the hymns I've used in my books. Those of you who have read them know that I try to incorperate a hymn into each book in some way, shape, or form.  The reason is because I personally think that there come times when the gentle yet pointed lyrics of christian hymns can drive a point home more then any amount of explaining we could try and do.

Also, so often hymns seem to be labled "old fashioned" and looked down on by many people my age who I know, So I'd also like to show that hymns aren't just for older people--they're relevent in the lives of us younger teens and adults as well.

So what do you say, are you excited for the series? Worried about my sanity? xD Did you grow up listening to hymns, and, if so, what is your favorite hymn?

Never Forget

The thick smoke clung to everything, almost as though it had been pasted on. But it wasn't just smoke. Even though the attack had heppened hours ago, ash still rained down from the sky. Ash, and bits of white paper, floating down so gently you could almost close your eyes and envision a winter's snow storm. 

But to do so, you'd have to ignore the smell. It clung to everything, just as hard, if not harder then the grey mist. And as I wondered down the streets, still in shock from what had happened, one thing burned in my memory, every bit as strong as the fires that had consumed the towers. 

Our nation would never forget this day. Our nation couldn't forget this day. The moment we did, we would cease to be Americans. Because the very minute we forgot this day, the freedom we so loved and held dear would slip from our grasp.

It has often been said that it is the memories with teach us of the past, and inspire us to make the future a better place. And the day we let this horrible attack slip from our memory, we wouldn't be worhty to fight for freedom's cause. Because without remembering the horrors of the past, we become complacent to the future. I pray that we will never settle simply for peace. And that peace would never become so dear that it would be worth giving up the fight for freedom. 

Sixteen years have passed since that horrible attack on our Nation. At the time of that attack, I wasn't old enough to understand what was going on, or what was happening. But I do remember coming out of my room and seeing my parents on their knees in front of the T.V. as live footage of the attack made it's way across the nation. 

Life changed that day. Perhaps we didn't all realize it then, but our nation would never quite be the same 

We still fight for freedom, and for that I thank God. And every year, we still remember. Looking back isn't just a way to honor the memory of those who died, though to do so is fitting. Many died in that attack. Many died in the rescue operations. And many more were wounded as they risked their lives to pull people from the rubble. 

However, looking back also serves as an spark to ignite the passion of those who still love our freedom. For those who fight for it. That it may never, never happen again on our shores. In the land of the free, and the home of the brave.

May God bless America. And May God save America, and turn us as a nation back toward Him. 

On that day, 16 years ago, all eyes turned to heaven, seeking help from our Creator. We as a people need to not look across the aisle to politicians or political leaders to save us. We need to turn out eyes to heaven with the same earnestness that we had on 9/11. And when that happens, American will be strong. Because it isn't the people, or the documents that make us a mighty nation. It's the God we serve.

Always remember. Never forget. And never, never stop praying, 

A Summer to remember for always

Okay, so, somehow it just hit me that September is here. SEPTEMBER, Y'ALL! I honestly don't know where the time has gone. So, so much has happened. I fell like this was that one, last, delightful summer of childhood before adulthood comes knocking. It's been precious. Beautiful. And a summer I'll never forget.

I've learned many new things, and I've had to let go of the old and familiar. I've glimpsed new horizons, and been made aware of new dreams that I have. But most of all, God's been teaching me that His timing is always the best. And that hasn't exactly been an easy lesson to learn, but it's been the one that I needed to learn the most.

Our house has sold, and my family is currently in the process of finding another home. I graduated highschool, and am working toward entering college next year. And I've also gotten very behind on blogging. Which I do apologize for!

And that brings me to my next point. (Did I even have points? This was more like a ramble of what's been going on lately...xP)

After a rather long, sorta unplanned blogging break, I'm back! During the weeks I've been away, I've gotten many new ideas and inspiration for blogging, and I can't wait to share it with you all! First off, the nest couple weeks I'm going to be doing a small blog series on a topic that is very near and dear to me, both in my writing and in my everyday life. So I'm excited about that, and hopefully you  are, too! And then near the beginning of October, I've got a bit of a surprise for y'all.

On the writing front... things have been going well! A Question of Courage has been gone over by beta-readers, and I'm about ready to start the next edit before sending it to an editor. . . and then from there I'll give it one last edit, and then it's on to a proof copy! The release date for it, as of now, is November 3rd. I'm still hoping for that, but we'll see. I've gotten a bit further behind then I would have liked with it.
Also, As in Olden Days the Christmas Prequel to A Question of Honor that I wrote last year, is going to be published as an eBook and special edition paperback on October 10th. So yes, I haven't totally abandoned writing while I've been gone. ;)

And...I think that's all for right now. Thank you guys so much for bearing with me in the craziness of life these past few months. I'm so looking forward to being more active in the blogging world again!

God bless, and I hope your summer was every bit as memorable as possible. :)