Elizabeth Berg is a Mind Reader!

Have you ever read one of Elizabeth Berg's books? When reading those, do you find yourself saying "How does she know exactly how I think & feel?!" Well, I just finished reading "A Year of Pleasures," and I think it might have changed my life. It's about a woman who has lost her husband to cancer, and how throughout the next year, she learns how to live on her own and how to, eventually, thrive. The idea of even reading this book scared me because I have this fear of losing Keith (maybe that's a fear for every wife/mom/husband/dad, but sometimes I feel like no one else thinks about it as much as I do.) However, after finishing the book, instead of feeling sad & scared, I felt uplifted & encouraged. The book also made me realize (again) that we truly need to cherish each day & every minute with our loved ones--the main character, Betta, starts thinking back on her life with her husband, and she starts to regret the fact that she would sometimes ignore him or give him the cold shoulder when she was upset--because once he's gone, she realizes the triviality (is that a word?) about those fights. I thought this was especially poignant, as I know all too well that sometimes I get offended or angry about really small things that Keith says or does, so I'm really going to work at being forgiving & understanding. Lest you think this whole post is somewhat morbid, I also felt that this book reminded me that if I have a dream or goal that is important to me, that I don't have to wait for a tragedy to propel me to follow through with it! I really want to start living my life in that way, and I think it could make my life generally happier, less stressful, and more fulfilling! The other thing that struck me about this book was that the character felt a lot of peace after a friend of hers told her the metaphor that God holds a big stack of cards in His hands, and on those cards are the names of every person on earth. Also on those cards are the words "I Love You," which I think is important to remember---not only does God hold each of us, He also LOVES us, and He does everything to "prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jer. 29:11b) What an encouraging thought and what a wonderful way to consider life!

Am I really a blogger?!?!

Well, since this is my first blog, I guess I'll start out with the basics. I'm a mom to an eight-month-old baby girl named Hannah, and she is a wonderful addition to our family (my husband Keith, our cat Mocha, and me.) Keith and I were married 2 & 1/2 years before Hannah was born, and we were ready for kids! We have so enjoyed finding out all the joys (and, admittedly, a few frustrations) of parenting, and we have truly been blessed with Hannah, as she is a great first baby. She's fairly easy-going and happy, and she really only cries when something is truly wrong--i.e. lately, as she's been teething. :) I recently quit my job so I could be a stay-at-home mom, and that was SUPER exciting. I'm hoping to start teaching piano (hence the Music Mom title) and I try to surround Hannah with as much music, reading, stimulation, learning, etc. as possible without totally overwhelming her or myself! :) I'm really interested in this whole blogging thing, and I look forward to the idea of sharing thoughts with other moms or moms-to-be out there! Let me know where you're at in this whole "Mom thing!" Until later...