I, just like you, have been spending most of my time reading about COVID-19 and what that means to me and to all of us. Each of us is grieving for the losses—from not getting together with friends to having a loved one die. It has become a time of reflection and survival, a time to focus on meaning and faith.
Stay is a novel by Catherine Ryan Hyde that looks at the difference one person can make in the lives of others. Many times, in the midst of personal despair, we believe we have nothing to offer to others.
An older woman, disabled by tragedy, becomes a source of hope and relationship for two adolescent boys and a young adult man. It is a story of the overwhelming power of relationships in restoring lives and bringing hope.
If you are wondering whether you make a difference, read this book.
Eugene Peterson is the translator of the Bible into modern day language in The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. His original writing is excellent. He has an incredible ability to write with references to literature, history, etc., and he does it with such wisdom—a rare commodity right now.
His book Run with the Horses starts with this quotation: “So Jeremiah, if you are worn out in this footrace with men, what makes you think you can run against horses? And if you can’t keep your wits during times of calm, what’s going to happen when troubles break loose?”
For those of you who would like to examine our current situation with wisdom, this book may be for you.
