Gregory Boyle, or G Dog as his homeboys call him, has written this book that literally warms your soul. The setting is his parish and non-profit work agencies that employ ex-gang members and paroled prisoners in urban Los Angeles. There are plenty of tragic stories that bring tears of sadness and frustration explaining how some "characters" can't escape their situation. However, the success stories propel this story into a quite a page turner.
He is a priest, so there are a lot of scripture quotes. One of my favorites parts concerns the Bible passage, "I have called you by name; you are mine." (Don't ask me for the book and verse, I forget.) He writes about how powerful this is for his outreach and also for boys in the book who have renamed themselves for better or worse, and the power of that. For the first time, I read some articulate how I feel about this.
Knowing a kid's name is fundamental. This happens several times a week to me: I am walking around my campus, see a kid, saw something using their name. Sometimes they are surprised; sometimes they poke their friend and brag that I know their name. But this ALWAYS happens, the kids around the one I have called by name all start demanding, "What's my name? Do you know me?" There are 1700 kids at my school. I wish I knew them all, but of course I don't. When they pepper me with requests for their names, and I don't know, I usually just look wounded that they think I don't know and tell them to get to class. Boyle didn't say what he does.
Here is another part I copied from the book:
Jesus says, "You are the light of the world." I like even more what Jesus doesn't say. He does not say, "
One day,
if you are more perfect and try really hard, you'll be light." He doesn't say "
If you play by the rules, cross your T's and dot your I's, then maybe you'll become light." No. He says, straight out, "You are light." (Boyle, p. 108)
Doesn't your soul feel warmer?
Then came these books! Kelly recommended these to me a while ago, and, by happenstance, I was at work in our testing center room with a pile of them in front of me. Now I cannot stop reading. In fact, I can't believe I am blogging right now when I could be finishing book two so I can start book three. Futuristic, morally thought provoking, terrifying action, the sweetest love story with a movie coming out next year with Oscar nod Jennifer Lawrence to star. They are super fast reads as they are written at, like 7
th grade reading level, and addictive as hell.
Finally is
The Postmistress. My mom said I had to read this after I loved
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peal Pie Society. Both are WWII novels set in small towns (with the exception of bombed out London), have a small set of charming characters with some sweet love stories. This book isn't
better then
Guernsey, but it is smarter and assumes you are too. It asks the impossible question we are all faced, all the time, 24 hours a day is we wish: What do you do when you know about horrible things happening around the world? We know some are called to action, some shut down and unplug but most of us shake out heads in bewilderment. She kind of answers the question with the idea that we should at least pay attention, bear witness and, at minimum, do no more harm. It's not much
consolation, but it's a really good book.
Milo and Sophia's other friend "helped" her open her gifts.
Isn't this cake the cutest? Les found "The Hungry Caterpillar" paper goods and was inspired to decorate the cake herself free hand. There were three cakes in the series- very impressive and delicious.
Here are some of Milo's 4 year old pictures from the studio. I have a lot of snapshots of course, but I love these posed, more formal pictures with good lighting. When you have a baby, people tell you all kinds of stuff you don't need to hear. One thing (annoying, but well meaning) people tell you all the time is, "Take lots of pictures!" Really? I never thought of that! Is that because they didn't, and now they are filled with regret? Maybe they did, and they look at them everyday? Who knows. I take lots of pictures; not because many people gave me that advice, but because I cannot help myself. My boy is too cute! 
Gregory Boyle, or G Dog as his homeboys call him, has written this book that literally warms your soul. The setting is his parish and non-profit work agencies that employ ex-gang members and paroled prisoners in urban Los Angeles. There are plenty of tragic stories that bring tears of sadness and frustration explaining how some "characters" can't escape their situation. However, the success stories propel this story into a quite a page turner.
Then came these books! Kelly recommended these to me a while ago, and, by happenstance, I was at work in our testing center room with a pile of them in front of me. Now I cannot stop reading. In fact, I can't believe I am blogging right now when I could be finishing book two so I can start book three. Futuristic, morally thought provoking, terrifying action, the sweetest love story with a movie coming out next year with Oscar nod Jennifer Lawrence to star. They are super fast reads as they are written at, like 7th grade reading level, and addictive as hell.
Finally is The Postmistress. My mom said I had to read this after I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peal Pie Society. Both are WWII novels set in small towns (with the exception of bombed out London), have a small set of charming characters with some sweet love stories. This book isn't better then Guernsey, but it is smarter and assumes you are too. It asks the impossible question we are all faced, all the time, 24 hours a day is we wish: What do you do when you know about horrible things happening around the world? We know some are called to action, some shut down and unplug but most of us shake out heads in bewilderment. She kind of answers the question with the idea that we should at least pay attention, bear witness and, at minimum, do no more harm. It's not much consolation, but it's a really good book.
