Beach & Books

Last night, our young men and young women groups had a combined activity at Emerald Bay.  It is a private beach neighborhood that one of our leaders must have gotten permission to use, I guess.  I got to be a driver/chaperone.  (Most of the YW leaders weren't able to attend so they called a few parents to help out.)  So, I've been in the neighborhood, just not down at their beach.  It was beautiful.  The youth played volleyball and football.  They played in the surf, some of them got soaked.  (Thank goodness no one in my car! I might have had to tell them to hitch a ride with someone else!)  It was just a fun evening.  I was so thankful for the leaders and friends that my kids get to be with.

I love to read, especially novels.  One of my new years resolutions was to add some variety to my reading, including some type of non-fiction.  Well, I haven't really done much of that yet!!!  But I will.  Until then...I just finished a book called "Moon of Manifest".  It is about a little girl from the depression times, who is figuring out her past, who she is and where she came from.  It is a recent newbery award winner.  It is very good, I'd highly recommend it.  I finished it last night and I was so distraught when I read one part of the story about a woman who moved to the US with her 4 year old son (same age as Ren).  I guess it was common back then to be sent home to whatever country you came from if you were sick or unhealthy.  So, the woman had an eye infection (something minor) but her son was fine.  They sent her back to her country, but she didn't have $ to pay for a ticket for her son.  He had to stay.  Isn't that aweful!  I can't believe this could really happen!!  I am outraged that things like this may have happened.  I know the book is fiction.  I just can't get this out of my mind.  Eventually, the woman was allowed back into the US, once she was well and had earned enough $ for her passage back.  She found her son 3 years later.  But he was established in a adopted home now and she was an outcast (because she couldn't speak the language well and was a foreigner) so she just lived in the town that he grew up in and kept an eye on him.  She never told him who she was.  Miserable, I would be miserable.

I am so thankful that I don't have to go through anything like that!