2025 Book Review 55: Esther's Gift

 

My sister, Hope, collects all the Mitford books and one year she bought this tiny Christmas story for me and my daughters. We have treasured it all these years and this past week, I've given it another read.  I love it. 

STORY SUMMARY

Esther Bolick is known for baking her famous and very expensive orange marmalade cakes to give to people for Christmas.   She and her husband, as soon as the Christmas Eve service is complete at Lord's Chapel, deliver the cakes to seven of her closest friends and neighbors. (all of these people appear in the beloved Mitford series books). 

Her husband Gene begins to question not only the expense of baking all these cakes, but also if certain people are "worth it".   So of course, not Esther is questioning and complaining about the people she bakes for. Some of them just haven't fully pleased her and many have disappointed her. Maybe she should save the expense and work. 

However, a Christmas carol, shows her the reason and the meaning for gift giving. That carol is sung by the children and it's "O Little Town of Bethlehem". 

This song really touches Esther and she turns back to being generous. 

MY THOUGHTS

This isn't a deep book but it's a simple, heart-warming novella/short story written by a beloved author. 

The characters are always fun to me and the simple truths that being generous towards people...even ones who are different from you...is one of the real meanings of Christmas. 

This point is put across quite well in this beloved story. 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 7 and older. (my daughters loved it when I read this to them at Christmas time when they were younger). 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 10. 

Even in the Little Things

 

What does the Scripture from Luke 12:7 (pictured above) have to do with my iphone 14 (pictured below on the right). 

The Scripture tells us that God is even in the details of our lives.  He knows the numbers of hair on our heads.  Now, my entire life, after age 2, I have had a very thick head of hair. Thick and straight with just a slight wave. It's still thick even at age 66 (which I'm turning tomorrow!) I have a LOT of hair. Yet  God knows just exactly how many strands I have! 

 He cares about sparrows...those common birds that aren't very colorful, yet He made them and He cares about them.  He makes sure they eat every day. He cares about them and He cares about us. Even in the little things. 

What did I care about on Sunday afternoon? My iphone. I was at church with my husband, oldest daughter, her boyfriend, and his mom for the 11 AM service. I had taken my phone out and put it on silent then had to send a quick email before the first song to one of our pastors at a different site. Then I had to text our youngest daughter. By now, church was starting and I stood up.  After church, the 5 of us went into Dave's car to a town about 30 minutes south of our church to have a luncheon for all choir members hosted by a couple who was also in choir. After the lunch, we had our rehearsal right there. I went to my tote bag to grab my phone so I could take some candid shots of choir members and discovered my phone wasn't there. I began to panic because.....our whole lives are in our phones nowadays aren't they?! At least it seems that way. I don't even know my daughters' full phone numbers because I just click on their name in my phone and voila ...the phone rings! Soon, everyone was searching for the phone because I was sure I had popped it back into my tote while I stood up to sing in church.  Then I thought maybe I had taken it out upon arriving at the S---family's home and just didn't remember where I set it down. Trust me, the house isn't that large. We were in only 3 main rooms yet we looked everywhere and two of us went out to the car twice.  Meanwhile, we had rehearsal so had to stop searching. Then we had a reverse Christmas caroling event in their garage where some neighbors came to hear us sing traditional Christmas carols.  By the time we were back at the church to drop off  Tyler, Courtney and Evelyn to their cars, it was about 5:15 so the church was locked and dark. The facilities staff had left for the day.  (they leave early on the weekends). What was I going to do if I couldn't find my phone??  Oh and to top if off, my choir binder was missing! Really, God?? (That was found next to my tote...someone had moved it for me)

Courtney tried pinging it from her phone and from my laptop where we discovered that even though I have a Macbook and it should find my phone, the "Find my Phone" feature was turned off on the iphone! You have got to be kidding me!  So....I had to spend the evening asking friends to pray that I would find my phone once church opened up at 8 AM this morning. 

Did I find my phone? yes...it was in the sanctuary right under the seats where Dave and I were sitting. Thank you, God!!

Why am I sharing all of this?  because stuff like this tends to cause me to worry.  I kept thinking "if I can't find my phone, because it's on silent AND the find feature is off, I can either pay money to one of those sketchy find my phones websites that aren't icloud or Apple related OR I can buy a new phone which is at least $800 I really don't want to spend. And then have the annoyance of starting from scratch. Entering hundreds of contacts, adding the apps, etc etc. 

God showed up last night. He gently nudged me whispering that He is in control That He is in the details. That I am not to worry but I am to pray. I contacted close friends I do life with and also put it on Facebook.  My husband said (and my friend Shawna, too)  "it's gonna be at church" I went to bed peacefully and had a good night's sleep. 

But I have to tell you: that anxious feeling did try to take over. I had to purposefully fill my mind with Philippians 4:6-8 and seriously meditate on it. Then I had a message on FB from one of my long time friends (who was the maid of honor in our wedding and goes to a different  church) that she had read Philippians 4 this morning and thought of me. Confirmation??!! 

Friends, when life does these kinds of annoying, first world problems, we need to remember that God is in the details. He knows exactly what we need, when we need it. I spent the evening eating the pizza Dave ordered, finishing up a series Courtney and I have been watching together for the last 2 years, and enjoying the time with her.  She even gave me my birthday card and a little gift that evening as I won't see her tomorrow (Dec 9) on my birthday.  Do you know what she gave me? A cardinal ornament. Cardinals always have reminded me of my dad. And my father  was totally into the details of life. Just like my heavenly Father. This was, to me, a sign, that God was in this detail, too.  He knew where my phone was. Maybe I needed a phone free day.  Maybe He wanted to show me once again to just trust Him with the little things. 

Whatever the reason was, the phone is back, the Find feature is on, and I am thankful for a God who cares about the details. 

SATURDAY NINE FOR DECEMBER

I'm playing along with the Saturday 9 meme even though I have never heard of this song and I studied to be a vocal music teacher for my undergrad! 

 

Saturday 9: Ja-Da (1918)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here. 

 

1) The lyrics tell us the melody is soothing. What calms you when you're upset or anxious?

the thing  that most calms me if I'm anxious, which I rarely am, is a walk in the woods or just a walk around my neighborhood.  Also a good cup of tea and some Chopin music. Reading one of the Psalms is also calming if I'm upset about something. 

 

2) There was a lot going on in 1918 – like WWI and the Spanish flu pandemic – that left people upset and anxious. In those days, radio wasn't yet a staple in American homes so people received their news through newspapers. Today with podcasts and 24 hour cable news and social media and other news outlets available, do you ever feel like taking a break from current events?

We have taken a break from the 6 pm evening news..mainly because I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner then and Dave is just getting home from work.  But also because.....well...I won't go into it here. HA! Let's just say our nation is a mess and it's depressing to watch the news. We do turn it on for the first 15 minutes of The Today Show with Savannah Guthrie. She's a Christ follower and the news is unbiased. They just report the latest happenings.  I like that. Sometimes I go online to our digital paper and read community news.  We do get the Sunday paper every week and I do read most of it in the evening...I tend to skip the national news. 

3) In addition to newspapers, magazines were a big deal in 1918. Women turned to publications like Ladies Home Journal and McCall's for trends and tips about fashion and housekeeping. Do you have any printed magazines in your home now? 

Yes.  I have the Adirondac and The Adirondack Explorer magazines.  They come quarterly. 

 

4) Today schoolchildren often learn "Ja-Da" because it's easy to sing and play. Was music part of your grade school curriculum?

I don't know of any local public school here in NYS that has that song as part of the grade school music curriculum. It definitely wasn't in the curriculum when i was student teaching for my undergrad degree nor did my children learn it when they were in elementary school.  The tune is familiar so my mom, who was born in 1934, might have hummed it around the house when we were little. I'm not sure. 

Yes vocal music is a requirement for all schools K-6th here in NYS. I loved my vocal music teacher. She is what made me want to be in the chorus (I was in chorus from 2nd grade thru 12th grade and even went to All State a couple of times and All County every year.  She was the first gay person I had ever met. I didn't end up teaching music though, as I got my MS in EdPsych/Special Ed and became a Special Ed Prek teacher. I did use music in my classroom curriculum  though and employed some music therapy lessons into my weekly language lessons. 

 

5) Composer Bob Carleton published more than 500 songs in his career. He had no songwriting partner, handling the words and lyrics himself. What's your favorite song? Was it written by a single composer or a songwriting team?

This is a difficult question because it depends on the genre of music you're talking about and the author of this meme doesn't specify what kind of music!!  Way too hard to pick one fave. I can tell you my fave pop  singer is Taylor Swift mainly because she writes her own music/lyrics and they are full of metaphors which I love. One of my faves of hers is Epiphany (look it up...the lyrics!!  based on the pandemic Covid 19 and WWII.....it's outstanding). I also absolutely love her new one "The Fate of Ophelia" and the metaphors in it of her own sadness and heartbreak, etc  but finally being won over by Kelce. It's brilliant!

One of my fave Xmas songs (Since it's the Christmas season) is Carol of the Bells.  Another fave is Amy Grant's Breath of Heaven.  

6) Bob got his start in his hometown of St. Louis, playing piano in his parents' saloon. When you think of St. Louis, what comes to mind?

The arch.  I got to see it when I drove through Missouri from western NY in 1984 and landed in Kansas City, MO.  I also think of a classic movie we own and watch called Meet Me in St Louis with Judy Garland. 

 

7) In 1918, Americans were buying more cars and Studebakers were a familiar sight on the streets and highways. Today that name is mostly forgotten. Can you think of a brand that used to popular but has disappeared?

My parents owned a Studebaker when I was a baby-early childhood days. 

Brands that used to be popular but are no more: Blockbuster, Tab soda, Kodak. I can't think of anymore. 

 

8) During WWI, Americans were familiar with "Meatless Days." Back then we were encouraged to cut back on the consumption of meat as a patriotic gesture to help the American and Allied troops. Today "Meatless Monday" highlights health and the environment. Think about your diet. Do you try to eat more grains, fruits and vegetables?

I am mostly plant-based so yes a lot of fruit, veggies and grains are consumed in my diet. I like making grain bowls with brown rice, quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, yellow and red peppers, sweet potatoes.  I often eat whole grain toast with avocado for breakfast. 

 

9) Random question: Where did you get the shirt you are wearing right now?

I'm not wearing a shirt right now: I'm wearing a flannel pj top that I bought at Kohls years ago.  The shirt I plan on wearing today is a LLBean winter hiking shirt as I'm leading an afternoon hike. 

HAPPY SATURDAY!!

2025 Book Review #54:The Correspondent

 

My sister said this was one of the very best books she read all of 2025. She is also an avid book reader like I am.  The author is new to both of us, so when she asked me if I wanted to borrow the book, I said sure.  I'm glad I read it as it's a different genre from what I usually choose at the library. 

STORY SUMMARY

It is June 2012 and Sybil Van Antwerp sits down to write her letters.  She has been a letter writer throughout her entire life.  It helps her to make sense of her world..and her place in it. She does this most mornings, usually around 10:30, with her cup of tea, at her desk.  She writes to her brother Felix, her best friend Rosalie, to authors Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry (to tell them  what she thinks of their latest books as she is also an avid reader).  She also writes to the president of the university who won't let her audit a course she really wants to take and she writes to a person who never receives her letters because she never sends them. 

Sybil is also a mother (to Fiona and Bruce, both of whom are married; Bruce has 2 children and Fiona is trying to conceive and having issues), a grandmother, divorcee, a former lawyer who is deemed "distinguished".  She has lived a full life and she expects it to go on as normal. 

But all of a sudden, some letters from someone in the past force her to look at of the most painful periods in her life; she soon realizes that thel etter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she can't move forward until she can offer forgiveness to someone. 

MY THOUGHTS

This was definitely the most interesting book I've read in a long time. It's written in letter form. The entire book is centered around email exchanges and letters written by hand between Sybil and the people in her life. It's quite  fascinating how hte author did this. I also found it very fascinating that the book ends in 2022 yet we skip over portions of 2020/2021 where the Pandemic of Covid19 enters our world. The author sets up the letters to avoid any  communication  during that time. I found that perplexing yet interesting.  I wonder why the author did that. 

The character develop is well done.  Each character has a distinct personality of their own.  

The book is basically about finding solace in literature and in our connections with people..some that we may never meet in person! 

It shows the differences of the innocence of youth vs the wisdom of old age; it also shows the acts of kindness and the mistakes we make during a lifetime. 

The letters Sybil writes might seem insignificant yet they leave a powerful punch. 

I guessed correctly to whom Sybil was writing to yet the letters were never sent.  There is one character in which she does this. 

The ending gave me a mixed feeling of loss and sadness yet intrigue. 

I highly recommend this book. It's quite different from the historical fiction and mystery thrillers or family sagas I often seek out. 

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older. 

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.