October Column



September was a very busy month. My book store did more business than usual. I wonder if its because it is fall now, if so come in and stock up on books for the winter. I now have a large selection of Christian Fiction books and I have prices for everyone. Also don't forget to buy locally crafted gifts for Christmas instead of imported stuff.

I was fortunate to participate in our fiber guild's annual event Sept 20^th and 21^st, which was in Mt. Vernon this year. We had the MARC center reserved and what a great place to hold our fiber classes. There were many vendors with their beautiful yarns and equipment for all kinds of fiber crafting. I took an advanced rigid heddle class and really enjoyed that. I keep my loom at the store so if anyone wants a demonstration I will be glad to share.

I wanted to report on what I know about Bright Futures. I was invited in August to attend the dinner at East Newton High School. It was well attended and there were speakers to explain the program that has been started for our school district. Bright Futures has its roots in Joplin after the tornado and people saw a need to assist students who where not having their needs met, weather it was in supplies, proper cloths, or food. The goal and focus is not so much a hand out to just meet the needs of today, but to keep these kids in school, so they will get their education and ultimately become good citizens as apposed to some of the alternatives. At the present time they are in great need for volunteers. A volunteer can help by being mentors, bus greeters, or assist with the backpack food program. You will see boxes in many businesses collecting food for this worthy program. So if you can't volunteer perhaps you can donate food items. A phone no. to call if interested is 417-472- 6231 at the school. You can also go to Face Book and type in Bright Futures East Newton and find their site with a list of people to contact. This is a good cause to help right in our own community.

Now for my reading this past month. I read a book that really caught my eye about Aboriginal wisdom. After the first book I had to go on line and get the second book. I will report on them together.

Mutant Message Down Under

Message From Forever

by

Marlo Morgan

Morgan lives in Lee's Summit Missouri. Her story in the first book tells of her “personal” adventure in Australia, doing a Walk About with a small tribe that lasted several months. In this book she tells her accounts of learning their ways and their spiritual history that goes back 40,000 years. In the second book she tells a fictitious story of twin Aboriginal babies taken from their mother at birth by well meaning missionaries so that they will be raised properly and not as heathens. So the story follows their separate paths and how they meet at the end but still do not know they are brother and sister. I was really taken with these books as the ancient spiritual wisdom seemed to have a strong ring to it of the American Indian.

But as I did some back ground research on Morgan I found that she has been greatly criticized for making it all up and that she did not really spend 4 months in the bush with the “last” surviving Aboriginal people. So either she is the real thing or a convincing fraud. Either way I enjoyed the books and they made me want to learn more about this culture. Isn't that what reading is really all about? To open our minds and make us think and sort out what we choose to be true for us. One statement that I will end this with from the book was “ All life is one life”.

Drowning Ruth

by

Christina Schwarz

The setting for this book is the winter of 1919 in Wisconsin with Amanda, a nurse, returning to her birth place to escape an event that changed her life. She returned to her younger sister who is raising a 3 year old daughter, Ruth, while she waits for her husband to come home from the war. Amanda and her sister Mathilda are very close and Amanda talks her sister into moving to their small island to live while they wait on the husband. Then her secret is revealed as Amanda's pregnancy becomes evident. The mystery is the death of Mathilda and what becomes of this new baby and who is her father, as Amanda and Ruth return to the farm house that they share with Carl when he returns to find his wife gone. I found the story being told in some of the chapters by the voices of Ruth and Amanda, and I like that. And why does the title say Drowning Ruth?? Have to read it to find out.