Tender Mercy of our God...

"...because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

~Luke 1:78-79

The Help

As usual, I am a bit behind on things...first, I was behind on the trend of reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I think I can still claim "living out of the country for two years" on that one. However, I was very intrigued by the novel ever since I first heard about it this summer from my aunt. Since I am a firm believer in reading the book before I see the movie, I was determined to bypass the theaters late summer and early fall so that I could read the book first. Now I'm just behind on blogging because even though I finished the book in September, I still need to write about it. So here it goes...

In a nutshell, I loved it! This can be attested to by 1.) the fact that I read it at all, and 2.) the fact that I stayed up late reading it on multiple nights. Most of what I read is either Christian nonfiction or children's literature--I'm just not a big fan of popular fiction; I think it's more of a time issue than an interest issue but nevertheless, not many "fictional adult bestsellers" make it on to my reading list. Also, I was willing to sacrifice my precious sleep on more than one occasion because I just didn't want to put this book down. In fact, it even felt "delightfully indulgent" to read one more chapter rather than being practical and going to sleep. :)

Here are some other miscellaneous thoughts I had about The Help:

• I loved the shifting, first-person perspectives between the three main characters of Skeeter, Abilene, and Minnie. This keeps you always wanting to read more to find out what happens in each story thread.
• I enjoyed all of the foreshadowing and "hype" that led up to the infamous Benefit and then how the tense changes completely to the active present and shifts to the 3rd person as if a reporter is writing this scene ("they walk in behind, the air seems so still, etc.").
• I loved Stockett's character development and the theme of true friendship that grows stronger and stronger as the novel progresses.
• I liked the complexity of minor characters like Miss Celia.

In summary, The Help is a captivating novel full of multiple layers. The depth of the characters and the various themes and interwoven story lines create a fascinating tale. Definitely a novel worth reading!

Precious.

Today, as I was enjoying a refreshing morning and sitting on my favorite love seat next to the window in our living room, I caught a glimpse of my neighbor... he's probably about ten years old and lives with his family across the street. I watched him look around surreptitiously to make sure no one was outside watching and then proceed to play football by himself in his front yard. He was the ref, the defense, and the offense all in one. He would make calls and show the appropriate hand motions; he would toss the ball in the air and then catch it; he would dodge past imaginary opposing players and often end up on the ground after a supposed tackle. It was adorable. In a month when my patience can run thin at times, I am thankful for this simple reminder of the joy and innocence of being a child.