Mother of Pearl
19 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Book Reviews Tags: books, fiction, literature, melinda haynes, mother of pearl, oprah's book club, reading, reviews
I’ve been reading a lot recently – something I used to love to do and was number four on my list of things to do in the rest of 2011. It’s hard to believe it’s only been two months since I made that list…
Anyway, most recently, I finished Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes. I bought it at our monthly library used-book sale for a dollar. It has a little “Oprah’s Book Club” label on the front and I figured that was a good sign I might enjoy a good story and feed my female need for vicarious emotions. Here’s what I thought:
Mother of Pearl by Melinda Haynes
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sometimes, people just aim too high.
The story and characters were well-crafted, I’ll grant that much – but the book gave off the distinct vibe of an author that was trying too hard for a literary masterpiece. So much was overdone: too many characters with involved story-lines, too much sexuality and crass language, too much abstract literary and poetic allusion, too much.
And yet the really big moments – the emotional pivots and climax of the book – are understated, like the author is trying to trick you. If you’re not reading closely, you’ll miss them. It seems arrogant, like she wants to catch you confused.
I loved the characters, but I am glad to be done with the book.
An Unorthodox Scrapbook Tackle
02 Aug 2011 2 Comments
in family, life Tags: digiscrap, digiscrapping, digital scrapbook, digital scrapbooking, digital scrapbooks, loss, miscarriage, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, scrapbook, scrapbooking, scrapbooks, tackle it tuesday
Hi there, it’s me again, back from yet another unexplained, unexpected, and extended absence. Sorry about that. Sometimes life just outweighs blog, you know?
Anyway, I’m trying to get back on track after a few rather eventful weeks. This is, in fact, my Tackle-it-Tuesday post – but I think you might find it has a bit of a different feel than my previous ones have.
The task I set out for myself to complete today was a scrapbook page. I used the Urban Kiwi kit from ShabbyPrincess, and you can see it here:
I know that a miscarriage seems like an odd thing to scrapbook. Maybe you even think it’s morbid – I don’t know. But I found it was very healing for me to sit and pay tribute to my lost child this way. Like the rose-bush we planted, it is a reminder that, hey, this did happen. There was a little person beginning inside of me, and whether he could think or feel or any of that is immaterial to the fact that he existed – God gave him an individual soul – and he had an impact on our lives.
I know that I need to be able to move on from this loss, but I also know that as a mother, I can’t just ignore it. These small acts of memorial help me to feel that I am honoring his memory. They give me freedom to move on without guilt.
I am sorry if this post is a downer; it’s not meant to be. I think it is just part of my grief process.
Has anyone out there set up similar memorials for lost pregnancies? I would love it if this were a place for us to share the heartache and the healing.
