Holiday Reading

It is customary for me and most of my family to include books in our holiday luggage. I presume it's the same for many people but not our youngest son, now 20. He, much to our dismay, seems rarely to have experienced that complete delight and absorption with the written word such that a book could only be put aside for essential sleep! So as he watched my husband and I pack ten books between us for a five week holiday in California he remarked, "why spend so much on a holiday just to read books in a different place"!
       I struggled with my first book and put it aside twice to indulge firstly in a biography of St Catherine of Siena from our daughter's bookshelf and then again while relaxing in a rented cabin in the Redwoods where I discovered among the owners possessions, the book 'The Shack' by William P. Young. I was riveted and read the whole book in record time.
       Following the abduction of his very young daughter, Mack struggles to see a loving heavenly father. Receiving a mysterious letter inviting him back to the shack (the place where 'Missy's dress was found) he encounters God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in their three persons. Through many conversations he finds personal healing and more.         Beautifully written with some wonderful insights into our relationship with the Trinity and their relationships with one another it gave much food for thought. As a novel there may well be theological errors but I feel it has much to offer those in pain from a great suffering or those experiencing continuous little sufferings.

Welcome and unwelcome mail

It's always good to come home to mail especially if there are items of interest and no bills! Having been away 5 weeks there was quite a pile waiting. Among the best items were the Association of Catholic Women magazine, a request for petitions to take to Fatima, two wedding invitations and my salary cheque!
I also recieved an item of hate mail, beautifully addressed to me via an organisation for Natural Family Planning with whom I teach, inside a lovely shiny card which held a selection of pencilled Bible verses and alongside them, in pen, various expletives (the sort used by those with a vocabulary shortage). Anonymous of course. What was the sender hoping to achieve I wonder? S/he may have been perturbed by the result - rememberance in my night prayers!
I was rather more disappointed not to find a single letter or postcard. People (and I include myself) are becoming so used to fast text and e mail messaging that actual handwriting is becoming a dying art.
While on holiday I did manage to write 3 long and newsfilled letters (one of them in French) and sent several postcards. I just think people still like to find these in their mail - only if the messages are friendly!