7 – the number of completion.
Completely silly.
Completely caring.
Completely fun.
Completely loved.
HBKB

I did it. A few weeks ago I gave in and read The Fault In Our Stars. I had seen the trailer for the movie 100+ times and just couldn’t bring myself to go watch something so obviously sad, so I thought I would get the book from the library and if it got too bad I would just return it and no one would be worse for it.

The book was NOT what I thought. There was conflict but it did not center around what I thought. There was cancer but it was not what I predicted. There was death but it was not the death I expected. I read the book in one night and never felt too deeply about it. The writing was fine but the characters were just so young and the dialog so light; I did not shed a tear.

Tonight my husband is with my mother. My children are all asleep. It has been a long time since I have done this, but I went to the Red Box and rented a movie: The Fault In Our Stars. I didn’t think twice about it since I had read the book and knew just what to expect. Sheesh. Tonight I am reminded of the power of film and the weight that comes with watching a “real” person “live”/feel a story. OH MY STARS!

What I will say to you is this . . . if you have recently lost someone you love deeply DO NOT watch The Fault In Our Stars (especially if you are home alone and the one who typically holds you while you weep is miles away). Some of it is hopeless, some of it is actually cute, but a piece of it will put immense pressure on your heart and push tears from your eyes and you won’t be able to control it.

You have been warned.

Initially, KB came home from school asking me to teach her at home so she could learn about God during school like she used to (thank you, KDS) but more recently there has been a shift to planning and story telling:

1. “Mom, we get to take a favorite book to school tomorrow and I thought I would take my Jesus Story Book because it doesn’t look like a Bible. Then I will ask Mrs. R to read from it and she will read about Jesus. Maybe the kids will like it and ask for more and soon they will all believe in Jesus and Mrs. R can teach us about Him like Miss Reith did.”

2. “Mom, L said today that God is dead; that He died on the cross. I told him that was only half of it. The best part is that He rose again and now He lives in heaven.” (I asked her what L said to that and she replied, “Oh.”)

3. “Mom, I think I heard Mrs. R say Jesus today…and not in vain.”

4. “Mom, I asked K if she knows God and she said she doesn’t. Can you believe she has never gone to church? I told her some Truths and ways she could get to know God. It turns out B knows Him and Iz goes to church.”

I have no greater joy. . .