SLEEPING MURDERS- CHAPTERS 7-9 Miss Marple and Gwenda "run in" to each other. Gwenda shares that they have put an ad in the newspaper asking for knowledge of Helen Halliday. Her brother, Dr. Kennedy, responds to the ad, and they meet. We begin to add meat to the bones of our mystery. After a year of marriage, Helen ran away with a lover and was never heard from again. Helen's father ended up in a Sanatorium. We later learn that Kevin Halliday believed he murdered Helen. Dr. Kennedy never believed he did. There was never any evidence of the murder. We run into a contradiction about the location of the supposed murder. Gwenda remembers looking through the bannister into the hall, but her father says it happened in the bedroom. All we know is there was a missing suitcase and clothes. Dr. Kennedy later received two letters from Helen. (Are they really from her?) Gwenda was sent to New Zealand to live with family. We have the introduction of an unknown factor - "X." Someone who hasn't shown up yet, but is very much involved. Is it possible that Halliday didn't finish the job and Helen still went away with her lover? Giles and Gwenda know they must visit the Sanatorium. Have you ever regretted being so insistent at getting to the bottom of something only to uncover things you wish you hadn't? I have. Betrayal, wrong motives, etc can be earth shattering. Miss Marple knew, didn't she? She knew pain was going to come from stirring up this "Sleeping Murder" and it has.

SLEEPING MURDER - CHAPTERS 10-12 The image of a father. I keep coming back to this in my mind. Gwenda has very little recollection of her father. She was very young when sent to New Zealand to live. Surely in her mind's eye she had conjured up an honorable, courageous, militaristic type man. Now that image is breaking as she and Giles visit the Sanatorium. Was he a man capable of the murder he believes he committed? Neither Dr. Kennedy nor Dr. Penrose believes so. But Halliday was so sure of it and unable to live with it, that he commits suicide. What about the drugs that he believes Helen was giving him? Was he losing his mind? Was he jealous and acted upon that? Was he a pawn? But the real question is IS HELEN REALLY DEAD? Gwenda reads her father's journal and we can't help but get a glimpse of the dedicated father he was. Protecting his daughter to the end, he gains some assurance that she will never know, and yet here we are! What are we starting to think about Helen and all the men in her life? What type of person is she really? She goes out to marry Fane, can't do it, marries Halliday, but then our mysterious "X" enters in. A romance on the boat on the way to India? If she didn't love Fane why was she going to marry him all the way out in India? Then we meet Lily. Poor Lily who has a husband that hardly pays attention to her. She was employed in the Halliday household the night everything happened and she knows that what was thrown in the suitcase wasn't right. She also remembers a married man that Helen was sweet on.

SLEEPING MURDER - CHAPTERS 13-15 Oh plain, boring Walter Fane. Why in the world did Gwenda board that boat and travel all the way to India to marry you when it's clear she didn't love you? Is it any wonder she couldn't go through with it? But weren't Agatha Christie's descriptions of Fane fantastic? "A house with all the blinds pulled down" and "a dead body in it?" Or how about "the ghost of a spider" that Gwenda notices on her way out of Fane's office? Is it really possible to be as blah as we are finding Fane to be or is there something lurking beneath that "non-descript" countenance? From there we get a deeper look into the Halliday household, a different view of Helen, and another layer of information about the fateful night by way of the cook, Edith Pagett. Who in the world was Helen talking to when she was overheard saying, "I'm afraid of you?" Who was the man that was sweet on her while his wife was shooting eye daggers? And who owns the "flashy car?" Of course the next chapter answers one of our questions. Now we're off to find the Erskines and Lily if possible!

SLEEPING MURDER - CHAPTERS 16-18 I absolutely loved the opening of chapter 16. Can you not picture these two older women (Miss Marple and Fane's mother ) clucking back and forth to each other about their mutual acquaintances and health ailments while properly sipping their tea? More pieces to our puzzle emerge from their conversation. -Fane has 2 brothers. -He is a Momma's boy that makes a one time attempt of escape to India to become a tea-planter. -Obviously Fane and his mother know about Helen's affair. How weird is that? -We are given a flashback in Walter's life of an encounter with his brother that left him so angry he threatened to kill him. Meanwhile Giles and Gwenda go to visit the Erskines, the husband that Helen had her affair with. As one of you mentioned previously you can't help but feel bad for him due to the controlling wife. I then stop myself and ask though, which is the chicken and the egg in this situation - the wife's controlling nature leading to an affair or an affair that then led to her controlling nature? This chapter offers us a beautiful juxtaposition, however, between the bleakness in the Major's voice and the vibrant summer day. It is clear that both Erskines have a clear remembrance of the St Catherine's and Helen Halliday that has left lasting wounds on them both. The last chapter takes us to Bindweed, a very telling symbol of a weed that is hard to remove and chokes the life out of the garden plants. Miss Marple is steadily hacking away at the nemesis when Dr. Kennedy arrives with one of Helen's letters and a sample of her handwriting. Miss Marple asks Dr. Kennedy who his sister was afraid. Dr Kennedy replies no one that he's aware of. He takes his leave and Miss Marple returns to the task at hand, removing the bindweed.

SLEEPING MURDER - CHAPTERS 19-21 I can't hardly believe we are a week away from wrapping another book! Time does fly when you are having fun! Our reading today circles back to Lily (remember the one in service to the Hallidays?). Things still aren't resting easy in her mind. Besides there could be a monetary reward. So she writes a letter to the doctor to see if they can meet. It's time to share her questions and thoughts. Meanwhile a new gardener has come to help out at Giles and Gwenda's home, employed by the ever crafty Miss Marple. Manning has been around a long time and worked in many of the area gardens. He's in the know. He reminisces about Helen and her love of fun. How the tennis court was fixed for her and then someone cut the net to pieces, how she had a foot accident that refused to heal. Poor girl had the worse luck! J.J. Afflick. I don't know about you, but I get a visual of a slimy-type, used car salesman with his hair slicked back when I think of him. Afflick tells us he felt sorry for Helen. That she just wanted to have a bit of fun and was never allowed. But he was punished for his relationship with Helen. He wasn't her caliber. To end the chapter we see how he treats his wife, and you have to wonder if we are starting to get somewhere. After all, he does have a yellow car!

SLEEPING MURDER - CHAPTERS 22-25 Our reading opens up with three big happenings. The first, the letters are REAL. Were you expecting that? The second, we have another murder. Lily is strangled, led "like a sheep to the slaughter." Our murderer is no longer "sleeping." They are on the prowl again. The third, we know where Helen Halliday is buried. Did you suspect? As Giles, Gwenda, and Miss Marple narrow down who was actually on "The Spot" at the time, we find our list of suspects hasn't begun to dwindle yet. Christie holds out on us to the last possible second! I loved the bindweed being brought in again here at the end. As the police are digging the garden up looking for Helen's body and Gwenda is telling the entire story up to this point to the inspector, where is Miss Marple? She's out in the garden battling the choking weed that pushes its roots down deep and "squeezes the life out of the pretty growing flowers." This symbol absolutely ignites are imaginations with the knowledge that this strangling began long before the physical act of the murder occurred. Remember the ripped net of the tennis court, the hurt foot, and Helen's overheard words of being afraid of someone. Choking...choking....choking. Poor, poor Helen Halliday. But then we have the moment of revelation. Dr. Kennedy comes to talk to Gwenda, is blinded and he says words close enough to the quote from the play that caused Gwenda to go into hysterics, "My eyes are dazzled," and suddenly Gwenda knows. She is standing in the presence of the murderer. As he attempts to strangle Gwenda, Miss Marple bursts in and sprays a soapy mixture into his eyes she had been using in the garden. And so we wrap up our mystery with the story of an extremely controlling brother who was losing his power over his sister, and so he ended her life and destroyed the life of the man who loved her. So what do you think Agatha Christie wants us to take away from this story? I think one thing is that murder is rarely simple. Whether it's premeditated or a crime of passion, it is the result of sin that many times has been allowed to take root and grow just like the bindweed. Galatians 5 puts us in mind of a garden when it talks about the fruits of the spirit, but it also lists the acts of the flesh which include jealousy, envy, and hatred. Nothing good ever comes about when these seeds are allowed to grow and flourish. So pull the weeds! Hope you enjoyed the read!!

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 1-2 I could write so much about these 2 chapters.  Mentors. Have you been blessed in your life to have a mentor at some point? I'm talking about the type of person that walked alongside you for at least a stretch of your life's journey. They deeply cared about you and were actively involved in you as a person and your daily growth. This looks a lot different than someone who simply shares knowledge with us. This goes much deeper. I loved what Sally tells us, " A worthy mentor seeks to maximize the human potential of the one being influenced." Her example of Jesus and His disciples was spot on. He didn't just hand them a book and say, "read it!" He walked and talked beside them. Now, as parents, we are called to be mentors to our children. Does that make you nervous? Do your insides rebel and cry out at the idea of constantly pouring into someone else? Do you see all your bad habits, attitudes, etc and try and steer your children away from those areas instead of repenting and changing and as Sally says, "becoming your best self?" (The old do as I say, not as I do mentality.) Christ didn't leave us to figure out how to do this. He laid out a plan! Have you come to the point of loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul? Are His words on and in your heart? Are they modeled and shown through your behavior? Are you walking and talking with your children daily or are you typically above them talking down to them? Take a breath as you examine yourself. Know that Christ reveals these things to us not to condemn us, but to offer us a way of life that incorporates true fellowship and communion together. There is still leadership there, but it is encased in love. Then when a situation comes where we have to draw a line or stand firm, there is no question in our children's hearts that it was with their best interest in mind. They might still buck it, not like it, but deep down inside they know! Love- I loved how she used the word "generously" to describe how to love! After all isn't that how Christ loves us? Isn't that how you like to be loved by your spouse and by others? Generously. My mind immediately goes to a beautifully ornate cup that is just flowing and bubbling over with cold, refreshing water. Refreshing, life giving, delightful! And the heart of it all is in worshipful, service to Christ. Sally dives into the world of technology for part of this chapter. This is such a tough one in today's world! As you can tell since I am on Facebook doing this book club, we do use electronics in our home, but each of our kids will tell you that we attempt to limit it. It does bother me when I look around our living room and everyone is on their phone or ipad. We limit game time and build in reading time and encourage activities. I keep air dry clay, paints, paper, colored pencils, puzzle books, Legos, balls, nature guides, etc, etc, etc within easy reach. I have also tried to open up our home more to friends. Yes, it can be very wearying, but I look around and I know that there is a day quickly coming when I will desperately wish I was back in the middle of it all! Last thing I'm going to touch on is "be for your child." We live in a culture that absolutely beats us up. You need to be the best in sports, looks, grades, whatever to gain attention. Let home be a place of respite and refilling. Don't fuel that attitude. Be your children's biggest cheerleader no matter where they fall on the spectrum of gifted, average, or below average. Your child is created in the image of God and is worthy of your love and care. Know that I am praying and cheering for you, Momma!

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 3-4 I could write so much about these 2 chapters.  Mentors. Have you been blessed in your life to have a mentor at some point? I'm talking about the type of person that walked alongside you for at least a stretch of your life's journey. They deeply cared about you and were actively involved in you as a person and your daily growth. This looks a lot different than someone who simply shares knowledge with us. This goes much deeper. I loved what Sally tells us, " A worthy mentor seeks to maximize the human potential of the one being influenced." Her example of Jesus and His disciples was spot on. He didn't just hand them a book and say, "read it!" He walked and talked beside them. Now, as parents, we are called to be mentors to our children. Does that make you nervous? Do your insides rebel and cry out at the idea of constantly pouring into someone else? Do you see all your bad habits, attitudes, etc and try and steer your children away from those areas instead of repenting and changing and as Sally says, "becoming your best self?" (The old do as I say, not as I do mentality.) Christ didn't leave us to figure out how to do this. He laid out a plan! Have you come to the point of loving the Lord with all your heart, mind, and soul? Are His words on and in your heart? Are they modeled and shown through your behavior? Are you walking and talking with your children daily or are you typically above them talking down to them? Take a breath as you examine yourself. Know that Christ reveals these things to us not to condemn us, but to offer us a way of life that incorporates true fellowship and communion together. There is still leadership there, but it is encased in love. Then when a situation comes where we have to draw a line or stand firm, there is no question in our children's hearts that it was with their best interest in mind. They might still buck it, not like it, but deep down inside they know! Love- I loved how she used the word "generously" to describe how to love! After all isn't that how Christ loves us? Isn't that how you like to be loved by your spouse and by others? Generously. My mind immediately goes to a beautifully ornate cup that is just flowing and bubbling over with cold, refreshing water. Refreshing, life giving, delightful! And the heart of it all is in worshipful, service to Christ. Sally dives into the world of technology for part of this chapter. This is such a tough one in today's world! As you can tell since I am on Facebook doing this book club, we do use electronics in our home, but each of our kids will tell you that we attempt to limit it. It does bother me when I look around our living room and everyone is on their phone or ipad. We limit game time and build in reading time and encourage activities. I keep air dry clay, paints, paper, colored pencils, puzzle books, Legos, balls, nature guides, etc, etc, etc within easy reach. I have also tried to open up our home more to friends. Yes, it can be very wearying, but I look around and I know that there is a day quickly coming when I will desperately wish I was back in the middle of it all! Last thing I'm going to touch on is "be for your child." We live in a culture that absolutely beats us up. You need to be the best in sports, looks, grades, whatever to gain attention. Let home be a place of respite and refilling. Don't fuel that attitude. Be your children's biggest cheerleader no matter where they fall on the spectrum of gifted, average, or below average. Your child is created in the image of God and is worthy of your love and care. Know that I am praying and cheering for you, Momma!

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 5-6 Forgive the business of the background, but I am in wonder of butterflies and moths right now! Their beautiful coloring. Their fluttery journey across the yard. The Joe Pye Weed is in full bloom and the butterflies are congregating on the large, dusky pink flowers. We stopped to check the milkweed the other day for monarch caterpillars. My sister-in-law and daughter found 2 that were obviously newly hatched. They were tiny, but already bearing their beautiful striped pattern. When I see things like the caterpillar that are a work of art, I am reminded that God is in the littlest of details! Hallelujah! The "eyes of my heart" are opened! These chapters have so much meat in them that it's hard to choose which direction to go in my posts.  I was so touched with the opening letter. At some point each one of has or will walk a difficult path in life. As much as we wish we could shield our children from this, they will as well. When the treasure chest (their soul) is filled with the choicest of jewels of God's truth, evidence of Him in creation, evidence of Him in their lives and the lives of loved ones, love of their family, etc they have an abundance of truth to fall back on. No matter what is happening, they can pull out those jewels and examine them knowing that God is with them, holding them, loving them. I highlighted in my book that "Faith in God must be passed on in every generation as a foundation of how to live, how to see life, how to serve God if our culture is going to keep Christianity alive. And the fragrance we leave with children must be something beautiful and authentic. " We are seeing the evidence all around us of losing that faith. The baton is not being passed to the next generation. Mommas, I know that life can be tiring. It is not easy to be on duty 24/7. However, if we are not faithful, eternal souls are at stake, because as we read about on chapter 6 the goal is not to keep the "jewels" I mentioned above to ourselves. It is to give our children (and ourselves) purpose by reaching out and sharing with others. Something just struck me as I am writing this. Two of my children are in college. I have a third in high school and 2 more behind that one. A constant question the older 3 are asked is, "What do you want to do with your life?" One had a clear direction. One found a clear direction. One is uncertain. (The youngest 2 aren't to that point yet.) None of that matters! What the answer to the question is is I am going to serve the Lord. The path in how God is going to use me may not be entirely clear, but my job is service to my King and others. The "how" is secondary. We are surrounded by a society steeped in hopelessness! Grasping at anything and everything, they try and fill the cavernous hole inside, but there's only one thing that fits, and we know what it is! It is our purpose to share it! The last thing I want to hit on (and then you all can take this into whatever other direction you want) is a true, life-giving relationship with Christ. The alive and thriving versus the dead or dying. There are commands that we are to follow in God's word, but they are commands that are for our benefit. Think about it. If we are to have no other gods why would that be? Because there is only one true God that can love us and help us. Therefore our focus should only be on Him. He alone is worthy. We shouldn't lie or steal or covet. Why? Because it destroys our relationships with others. Trust cannot flourish. Why should we obstain from sex outside of marriage? It protects us from disease. It keeps the birth of children in the designed unit of a family. On and on it goes! We must help our children realize that the commands are from a loving Heavenly father, not a controlling dictator. So what have you "wondered" about this week?

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 7-8 This morning finds me out in the swing under the kids' playhouse enjoying the beautiful sunlight and delicious breeze. Thoughts and plans for the upcoming homeschool year dance in and out of my head as I read Sally Clarkson's words. I enter in as she opens the door and allows us to peek into the Clarkson family homeschool. I breathe a sigh of relief as I am handed a bowl of popcorn and a mug of hot cider and hear the sounds of crinkling pages as Sally finds her place in the read aloud. I love this picture. I love the warmth, togetherness, the discussion, the growth, the results, the trust in Christ to bring fruit to the work that was done. This is not what my current homeschool looks like. But, I get this! I long for more of this, and I put it in where I can! I love Sally's 4 steps to cultivating the intellect. Giving kids purpose and responsibility in their learning is a gift that lasts for the rest of their lives. How do you give ownership to your children in their learning journey? Character. We can't leave our chapters today without discussing the character issue. We all know people who are highly educated who have no character. We all know how dangerous they can be in society with no moral compass to steer the boat. Many years ago I took the idea of a character study from a curriculum and tweaked it to fit us. I had a list of character traits with accompanying Bible verses I picked up somewhere along the way. I developed a four day rotation of activities. Day 1 - write the character trait with a definition. Day 2 - look up verses and copy 1 underneath the definition from Day 1. Day 3- write about an example from life, the Bible or literature that demonstrates the character trait. Day 4- write about an example from life, the Bible, or literature that demonstrates the lack of that character trait. It was a pretty powerful Bible time that opened the door for a lot of discussion. I'm thinking this may be a good one to revisit this year. I loved where Sally brings us to the crux of the character discussion. The time where our children take the reins in the responsibility of their lives. The "you have the ability to choose..." speech. We will cheer you on, we will encourage you, but we cannot force you. As a momma with kids spanning a lot of age differences, this talk is very important and has the ability to enable our children to live in freedom or caged in blame for the rest of their lives. How are you demonstrating or teaching character in the lives of your children?

AWAKING WONDER - CHAPTERS 9-10 Today's thoughts are going to be a mix of reflection and some questions for you that I am pondering myself. 1. If you have older children -What cultural activity (history, holiday, art, music, etc) that you shared with your children was the most influential in their lives? How about your own? If you have younger children - What is something that you look forward to sharing with your children? 2. Have you ever had the awakening thought that God is not American? To help us understand the character and creativity of God we can study and appreciate the depth and range of people and cultures! Isn't that beautiful? 3. In thinking about "trails" being left behind by people, what type of trail are you leaving behind as you travel through life? Chapter 10 really resonated with me! Often times I feel like Michelangelo looked. Did you not love the Skin Horses words to the Velveteen Rabbit? Bit by bit I give myself away to my family and others to hopefully bless them in some way. I think of my grandparents and parents. How blessed I am because of them! It is my turn to further that inheritance. On the idea of home - We live in a tucked back-in place. (This is not for everybody!) When we bought this land I looked at it as a respite from the world. I always tell people I love to go out and visit, but then I'm ready to go home. Although there is bickering, I have encouraged my kids to support each other. There's enough emotional beat up that goes on in the world that it is not needed here! "Home provides a place of belonging in an isolationist world." We all know people that are on the hunt to belong anywhere they can and often times there is a huge price tag for that. Can we see what God created to fill that need for belonging? Family! 4. How have you been intentional in how you have set up the flow of your home? I am sure that we can all see a list of areas that need work in this area. Don't despair! Pick one thing and work on it! Then add one more! 5. What is the biggest area that was your learning curve in your homemaking, homeschooling, or balancing work into the equation for some of us? 6. Do you believe that children are the most valuable resource of a country? If so, what are you doing to protect, grow, and value that resource? Last section I'm going to hit on is self-care. I love my kids completely. I love having them with me. I wish I could run non-stop with them for every minute of the day. I learned the hard way that I cannot. I can feel it when I am pushing myself too hard. I recognize when it's time for a break! I purposefully build wiggle room in whatever I am doing now. I take on big projects, but I make sure there is a spot of breathing room in it. I no longer pack the schedule tight. I am putting space in for moms to get together in my area. I am putting space in for reading for myself or a quiet break. So- 7. What are you doing for self care?