The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know...

I don't know who first said that but I imagine people have been saying it, in some way or another, for thousands of years.

I'm currently the midst of a very intense briefing. By the end of this week we will have spent 8+ hours in the classroom every day for 12 consecutive days. So far we have talked about everything from flies embedding their larvae in your skin to the Sustainable Development Goals. We have discussed personal experiences, broad and somewhat theoretical methodologies, and we have participated in activities that helped me to realize how passionate I am about seeking justice. It has been incredible.

When you're not in an educational environment on a regular basis it is very easy to forget about learning. It's easy to forget how little you know. Most of all, for me, it's easy to forget that learning more is worthwhile.

I have to be honest. I tend towards laziness when it comes to learning. I learn what I need to learn when I need to learn it. I am not a keener. http://www.bbc.com/news/world is very rarely in my browser history. I might read slightly more than the average person my age... but that generally only happens when I don't have access to wifi. I like mindless youtube videos. I often mention that I should look things up (this happened at least three times today). I almost never actually research anything.

I tend to think that if I know enough to complete the basic tasks put in front me then I'm doing alright.

Well, this week has been a kind reminder that learning really is worthwhile. I don't want to be the person among my peers that has no idea what is happening in the world. I don't want to think the education is only about moving up in the world.

Learning is not a waste.

Back to Bunyonyi

As I write this I'm sitting on the ferry. I’ve just started what I can only assume will be one of the biggest adventures of my life so far. I’m headed to Victoria to begin 12 days of intensive training before I head to Uganda for six months. I have very little idea what the next six months will hold but I can’t wait to live them. I’m hoping that some of you will be able to experience a little of what I’m experiencing through reading this blog over the next couple months. 

I guess that means I should clarify what I’m actually going to be doing and where I'm going.

I am going to be interning with Victoria International Development Education Association (VIDEA) through one of their partner organizations, Lake Bunyonyi Development Company (LBDC).

LBDC was created to address the environmental impact of farming around Lake Bunyonyi in Uganda, near the border of Rwanda. I will be filling the position of Ecotourism Project Officer. I’ll be helping with planning and management of Bushara Island Camp- an environmentally sensitive community-based ecotourism project.

My role there will involve providing tours to visitors, developing promotional materials, providing training to local students who are studying hospitality, helping to develop workshops in sustainable development and resource management, conducting HIV/AIDS workshops, and working as an ambassador for VIDEA.

While I’m there I’ll be sponsored by Global Affairs Canada through the international youth internship program.

I’ll be living on a small island on one of the deepest lakes in Africa and I’ve got a slackline and inner tube in my suitcase so have no fear… there are blogs coming that won’t be quite this monotonous.

2015 in Review

I love December 31st.

I think some people love the coming of the new year because it provides an opportunity for a new beginning. I, personally, am a fan of this holiday because it allows me to engage in one of my favorite activities. It allows me to reminisce till my heart is full and my mind is whirring away with excitement about the things I have experienced.

2015 was an incredible year.

I began 2015 holding a month old baby and watching the Texas-style fireworks. I was surrounded by people who I had known for longer than anybody else in my life (excluding family). It was a beautiful night.

Six days later I flew to Ottawa, Ontario where I experienced a real winter for the first time. Okay, technically I had experienced winter before... but since my childhood memories are fairly romanticized it's safe to say that this was the first time really I experienced a cold that took my breath away and froze my eyelashes. I remember this day so clearly. I remember lugging my suitcase up the grand staircase into a room with a view of a beautiful brick apartment building. I still secretly hope to call that building home one day. I remember the first dinner that was shared with people who would quickly become close friends. I remember receiving advice that day that I promptly ignored.

The majority of the first four months of 2015 were spent in that mansion of a home. Shared meals, game nights, classes, dance parties, paper writing sessions, conversations of political nature and so many shenanigans. When we weren't at home we were skating on the canal, eating beavertails, and, of course, diligently completing our internships.

My time in Ottawa ended with what just might have been the most ridiculous trip of my life.
Two overnight greyhound rides that gave us less than 48 hours in New York. Shoutout to Sarah and Julia for agreeing to such a ridiculous plan. There was that one time we all took our shoes off and a taxi driver/ice cream vender took our photo. Or that time we accidentally got into The Met for free. Or the time we paid almost nothing for our hotel room but still ended up in a hotel with a live band in the lobby. Also, there was that one breakfast sandwich I still haven't forgotten... and those terrible pretzels. And that time a tree in Central Park almost killed Sarah. So much hilarity.

We returned to Ottawa with less than a week left before we all parted ways so I'll skip to my last night. There were only five of us left but it ended up being an incredible night. The contents of that evening should, for legal purposes, probably not be written but I can say that there were cigars, hidden nooks, a few mattresses, and the color gold involved in our celebration.

After Ottawa I returned to B.C. where I spent the rest of 2015 (other than two trips to Colorado and Christmas in Texas.) A couple weeks after coming home I graduated from Trinity Western and quickly settled into daily life. It turns out life after graduation isn't quite as glamorous as you might expect. Thankfully, between working two jobs, attempting to be a mature adult, and looking for better jobs there was still a bit of time for hiking.

I went on my first couple overnight hikes in 2015 and learned that overnight hikes are pretty much the best way to spend time. They are the best way to see back-to-back sunrises and sunsets and they can make pretty much any food into a delicious meal. Hiking was one of the reasons I chose to stay in BC after graduation. I'm so thankful I stayed.

Other than the hiking the summer wasn't just a breeze. There was tough relationship stuff going on in my life, I had yet to make friends in BC, and I was working a bum job. Thankfully, looking back I can see how much I learned about God, about life, and about myself through those rough couple months. Thanks to awesome roommates, trinity acquaintances who became friends, and connecting with people at church things started to look up.

I desperately needed community and as fall moved in I witnessed that community begin to form around me. It is beautiful to see your life move from being empty to overflowing with things to do and people to see. In September I was spending about one night per week with friends, by early November I was occupied almost every evening. As a semi-extroverted person it was a pretty great change.

Then, just as I was settling in I was offered a paid internship that I couldn't pass up. On November 13th I officially accepted the position and just a few days later I received notification that they had booked my flights. It has been an incredible journey so far and I haven't even left the country. I blogged awhile ago about how I was lacking passion. Preparing for this trip has reminded me that I studied International Development for a reason- I am passionate about Development. In preparation for the internship I've had to do some required reading. As I finished up that reading this morning I realized that I actually love reading about Development. I love learning about practical ways we can change the world and have a positive impact on others. I was reminded that even though this stuff sometimes gets buried under political jargon it is actually incredible how small actions have the ability to reduce poverty and improve people's lives.

In writing this blog I have realized that my experiences in 2015 have fueled me up for 2016. I am realizing that these experiences, though beautiful on their own, are also building towards something else.

They are part of a greater story. This is story that doesn't end just because the calendar year ends.

Stay tuned for the next chapter.

Growing Up (Part 2)

 I have sat here for three months living a highly mediocre and unfulfilling life and simultaneously almost lying about it to my boss because of the love of money and the love of stability. I am afraid to branch out, to travel, so take career risks because of my love of financial security. I am not even making a lot of money and yet I am already afraid to risk moving, afraid to risk giving up this job, afraid to pay the price of finding something that is more fulfilling.

So, when I was essentially forced to quit just so that I could take five days off at Christmas to spend time with my family and meet my newborn nephew I actually breathed a sigh of relief. I was thankful that I love my family more than I love the security of this sad little job, thankful that the jaws of financial security have not fully clamped down on me quite yet. Thankful that I could still see an escape.

But, I lost my job, and so the fear is slowly creeping in... but this fear is not yet nearly as great as the relief of realizing that my days of being confined to this sad little office for four days a week are numbered.

Debt is a reality and a very real burden, not one that should be taken lightly, but when trying to escape debt prevents me from seeing, understanding, and experiencing the beauty of this vast world it is definitely time to take a priority check.

I never want paying off my debt to be my only priority. It will be a priority until I have paid it off... but it is not and should never be my only priority.

Growing Up (Part 1)

While I was a student I remember hearing rumors that those people who make it through to graduation eventually miss writing papers and want to come back. I honestly didn't think I would ever fit into that category... but now I sit at a desk four days a week and I dream about the freedom I had as a student. I even sometimes consider going to grad school *gasp* because more school sounds better than continuing with the route I'm on now.

To be honest, I'm embarrassed.

I remember hearing about jobs when I was a student and thinking, maybe that will be me one day. As an international studies major my fellow students were all extremely passionate people. So passionate, in fact, that for four years I essentially skimmed off their extra passion and managed to convince myself that I was also passionate about building wells in #Africa, making positive changes in public policy, and staying up to date with world news.

Then I graduated. I left school. I left those acquaintances and many of those friends behind. And I lost my passion.

Well. More accurately, I lost their passion.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like people are attracted to passion in other people. We all want to be a part of something important and passionate people give us the opportunity to engage with things that matter. I'm looking for friends who are passionate but I'm not the only one looking for passion... people are looking for passionate employees... so how do I gain the passion they're looking for?

My identity used to be student and then suddenly it was graduate and then it was passionless office administrator and almost seven months later I'm finally realizing that, in a way, I get to choose my own identity... my own passions.

I have been formed by my past experiences, but my family and by my friends, my travels and my education and now I'm in the position to choose what will form my identity.

I suddenly have free time and I get to choose what to do with that time... my identity does not have to be passionless bookkeeper because my identity is formed by so much more than the desk I sit in for eight hours a day four days a week. It's formed by the choices I make twenty four hours a day, by whether I choose to look for other jobs, engage in new friendships, spend time with my roommates, study Spanish, or read the news.

Throughout our lives our identities change... it's time to embrace that fact and make the most of different seasons we find ourselves in right now. The choices we make now will dictate the next seasons of our identities. We can't choose what we will be passionate about but we can create a lifestyle that pushes us towards passion and into the relationships that used to give us passion.

I now know that I am passionate about friendships and passionate about loving people. Therefore my passions will change as I learn what other people are looking for and what other people need and that is okay, in fact, that is good. 

On Settling Down

"I want to settle into one place. One set of people. I want to spend years and years, the rest of my life really, focusing on knowing one set of people. And I don’t just want to know. I want to love. I don’t want to back away when I figure out that you’re not perfect. I want to embrace that imperfection because it is exactly the same imperfection I see in myself. We’re all walking around missing the mark and we’re all covering it up. I want to be with people who know my depravity. I want to live into the truth that I am corrupt, not because I want to be more corrupt but because I don’t think that corruption can be escaped until I admit it and I don’t think admitting it to myself carries nearly as much weight as allowing other people into my life to see me for who I really am."

Approximately 19 months have gone by since I wrote those words. I am just now settling down. Since I wrote those words I have to admit that I have become jaded. I've seen people come and go through my life, and, once again, I've been the person doing the coming and going. 

I'm finally settling down but now I'm afraid of this thing most people seem to do so easily. I'm afraid of getting to know people without the easy escape of moving away. I'm afraid that even in one place the duration of my friendships will continue to be brief. When you move around constantly you never really have to deal with many of the realities of friendship. If you have a disagreement you can just suck it up and move. When you move constantly you rarely have to deal with patching your friendships back together. What will happen when I have to face the reality of allowing people to fully know my own depravity? What will happen when I come to know other people's depravity?

Can you understand why I might be afraid? 

Happy New Year!

The hardest thing I learned this year is that not every year is better than the previous year.

This year was, in many ways, pretty fantastic but it is really hard to see that when I compare it to 2013.

2013 was a truly incredible year. In 2013 I finished up my second semester at Trinity. That semester was and will be the best semester I had on campus at TWU. I loved the girls I was living with and academically I was learning things I really cared about and to top the semester off I was still pumped about college life. Then came the summer of 2013.  It was filled with hiking, ice cream, late night stargazing and friends from all over the world. On top of that I got to spend an awesome weekend in Colorado with my family to celebrate Charis' wedding. The fall semester of 2013 I was in Uganda. I seriously can't emphasize how incredible Uganda was... it was hard but it was great. I learned and grew and spent hours and hours just talking with some awesome people I'm thankful I can still call my friends. In other words, 2013 was a year spent in the presence of people I don't ever want to forget.

New Years Eve a year ago I boarded a plane headed for Europe (they really do give you champagne if you're on board over midnight on New Years!). And so I started my year in Rome and I didn't leave Europe until the beginning of March. It might seem ridiculous that I have anything to complain about, but honestly those two months were pretty brutal. Yeah, I got to see a bit of Italy, Spain, England, Austria, Hungary, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Turkey. Unfortunately, I was ready to be home and so though I did enjoy parts of the backpacking experience I also found it really lonely. In both Banff and Uganda I was experiencing life with large groups of people. Every place I was during 2013 I could and still can reminisce about with a large number of people. And so Europe represents for me a crack in that sharing of life with others that shattered me. I thought I was ready for the solitude but I wasn't. I realized while I was in Uganda how much you can learn about God through community with others and then suddenly I was in a place where that wasn't really a possibility. 

I don't want to complain about Europe. It was an opportunity that not everyone is given and fewer people choose to take... but it was probably a mistake for me. In March I came back to Texas to spend six months with my parents and rebuild my bank account for the fall semester and found myself also rebuilding the part of me that longs for adventure. Thankfully by the end of the summer I was ready to get back out of my comfort zone. It was good. I worked two jobs for most of the summer... by the way after studying abroad and traveling for two months home isn't necessarily the easiest thing to adjust to. Finally, I returned to Trinity for my last semester in Langley. It was good. My roomies were great. The semester was filled with hiking, reunions, seeing my brother quite a bit, and not having to eat sodexo food... though the amount of potatoes I consumed might make some people cringe it seemed great to me!

In writing this I have realized that once again comparison can make things that are great seem like burdens. Many of us compare ourselves to others and that can be overcome. I guess I hadn't realized that comparing our presents to our pasts can be just as detrimental as comparing ourselves to others. I have been caught up in comparing 2014 to 2013 and it has limited my ability to see and appreciate the places I have been and the people I have met this year. 

In conclusion, 2014 has been a truly epic year.

Here's to a 2015 that we can allow to be unique.

I was sent into 2014 with this blessing:

May God, who is present in sunrise and nightfall and in the crossing of the sea, guide your feet as you go. May God, who knows your path and the places were you rest, be with you in your waiting, be your good news for sharing, and lead you in the way that is everlasting.

And so....

May God, who is present in sunrise and nightfall and in the crossing of the sea, guide your feet as you go. May God, who knows your path and the places were you rest, be with you in your waiting, be your good news for sharing, and lead you in the way that is everlasting!

The Trinity Debate

There was a little while where I wanted to not be associated with Trinity because of just this issue. I saw Trinity as perpetuating the stereotype of Christians as haters... but looking back over the past four years I do believe that Trinity has provided me with a thorough education and given me a loving community to call home. I have seen that Trinity influences Canadian politics positively in a way that many institutions cannot. I have seen the way professors at Trinity care about students, the way they have at times taken me under their wings. I have watched my classmates over the past four years and seen them grow into lovely people, people who are capable of thinking for themselves, who are not brainwashed to simply follow the crowd.

I have also watched as people slander Trinity's name, claiming, among other things, that we are simply using our religion as a cover to produce prejudiced people. I am standing here with my eyes wide open and that's not the Trinity I see. I see instead a community that is teaching young Canadians how to love people regardless of who they are or what they believe. I see Trinity as individual students, professors and staff who come every day wanting to learn more about living out the love of Christ.

I know that's not very convincing, but before you join a side, would you please take the time to consider the individuals that make up this community?

We are not perfect, but we are trying.



http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2014/11/higher-education-gay-rights-and-religion

"You ask, what would I do with them? I would make them virtuous and happy, easy in themselves, and useful to others. Whither would I lead them? To heaven, to God the judge, the lover of all, and to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant. What religion do I preach? The religion of love. The law of kindness brought to light by the gospel. What is this good for? To make all who receive it enjoy God and themselves, to make them like God, lovers of all, contented in their lives, and crying out at their death, in calm assurance, "O grave where is thy victory! Thanks be to God, who giveth me victory, through my Lord Jesus Christ."

- John Wesley

Unedited Thoughts

There are so many thoughts running through my head right now, I’m learning that this is the hardest part of change. It’s the days and weeks after the initial change has been made. The days after the initial excitement is worn off, the days before new friends are made. The in-between days that feel like they shouldn’t be in-between. These feelings never lasts for long but I have felt throughout this day a longing to be known. I don’t want to continue standing in the in-between. 

I wish I could fast-forward or rewind because this type of loneliness is daunting. It’s a loneliness that I don’t want. At home I am often alone but it is different. Here I find that the loneliness is largely unwanted and often stems out of jealousy. I see what other people are doing and I want to be them. I don’t want to have just one other life. I want the good and social parts of everybody else’s lives. And it doesn’t work that way. I wouldn’t have the energy for that many relationships, nor the empathy/heart and having time to think these thoughts is so important in the early stages of relationships. 

Maybe I shouldn’t over-evaluate every interaction I have with everyone but I have seen the most growth in my own personality and relationships occur throughout the early stages of relationships in a way that often doesn’t continue after months together. This is the stage where people are easy to appreciate, the stage where I barely think to get mad because I don’t know anyone well enough to be angry at them. There are aspects of this stage that, if they could be drawn out in the future of the same relationships would bring so much room for growth. I yearn for these relationships. Yes, there is something deeply beautiful about seeing where people are broken, but you can’t see the brokenness without having to deal with it. That dealing with it part is hard.

It’s been a long time since I have witnessed someone turn their life around. I long to see that because change in one person gives me hope for change in others… hope for the people I met in the DTES during my first two years, hope for my friends and family members and hope for myself. But even when I don’t see it I know that we are each capable of growing and changing and becoming better at living. We are not like the water stuck at the edge of the waterfall, stagnant and growing more algae-filled by the day. We can be like the water pouring over the edge. It’s split apart and beaten against the rocks but in the end it actually gets someplace. The journey is hard but the destination is worth the fight. With every day on the road we become stronger. We become more able to handle the loneliness and more able to love. We don’t have to become calloused and close-minded. There is always more than one way to react to any given situation. 

When I find myself alone and longing to be with people I can curl up in a ball and cry or I can grab my bible/homework and make the most of it. I am here for a reason and I want to be able to sink into the silence while it lasts and not think of the future. I want to be present here even if that means spending hours on end alone… or even if it means never being home. Even if it means long and awkward hours spent at school between classes. 

I want to live my own life, I don’t want to yearn for another life.

Perfection in the Present

I was going to take this time to write about how hard change is... but then I realized that it doesn't feel hard right now. I can look back on times when change was hard and this time (so far) simply isn't one of those times. 

Today I'm thankful for:

simple transitions

chasing sunsets

chill roomies

antique cars

swimming holes

city parks

chai tea lattes 

google hangouts

sunshine

blackberries

school spirit

cheese bread

free couches

inspiration

silence

Philippians 4:4-9

4Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

6Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

8And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Everybody is Cool on the Second Day of School!

So many feels.

There is something extremely satisfying in being reunited with friends from the past. People you have known deeply yet who have slipped out of the radius of your social reach. I think this happens in most peoples lives. You re-locate, they re-locate, they reach a stage you have yet to reach, or the group around you simply becomes too large and they end up in one group and you end up in another.

Then suddenly, you catch up with each-other and you find yourselves in the same place, stage, or group of friends.

You might have forgotten that they're allergic to carrots, or some other such life-changing detail but for the most part everything remains the same. Yes, both of you will have evolved in some way, hopefully you've both grown, but most likely the things that brought you together in the first place remain the same (or, on the other hand, you both remember so little about each other that you get to start from scratch... that's also great!).

Basically, what I'm trying to say is, it's really great to be back at school.
Mainly because people are cool.. but also because learning is good... but it really is mainly about the people.

Happy second day of classes!!

Summer Reading 2014

I've always wanted to successfully keep a running list of the books I've read and what I thought about them. This blog is my attempt to start that tradition. These are the books I've read since January... minus a few (ie. the entire Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series) that didn't seem worthy of making it onto a list.

The Go-Between God - John Taylor
Okay. This first one is kinda cheating. I read it before January and it took me approximately 4 months to read. It wasn't an easy read but it was completely worth the time it took. It was also probably the only non-class related book I read during my semester in Uganda. I could definitely re-read this book at least four more times and would definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to think more about the role of the Holy Spirit in their life. I can't say I agreed with everything that was said but I always knew when I picked it up that whether I read one page or a whole chapter I would come away from it with something new to think about. If you're interested in theology you should give it a glance!

The Story We Find Ourselves In - Brian McLaren
This one is written as a conversation/story and in terms of writing style is on the opposite end of the spectrum from Go-Between-God. The story takes place in the Galapagos and provides the backdrop for a discussion on creation and evolution in a way that is easily accessible to non-scientists/theologans. One last thing, if you're picky about the use of parentheses this book will drive you insane.

Worship on Earth as it is in Heaven - Rory Noland
This book brings forth some practical ways to enter more deeply into worship on a daily basis... but I can't actually remember anything that I learned. Maybe I should read it again?

Thinking, Loving, Doing - John Piper
This book is essentially a compilation of essays by various Christian thinkers and because of that it doesn't flow very well... but it was good... once again, that's honestly all I remember.

Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell
I came across this book in an English book store in Austria. Not gonna lie, I picked it up mainly because it was cheap, it fit in my backpack, and it was the first book I had found in English in a good long while. It was fantastic. George Orwell's first full-length novel and it is incredibly well-written. The plot doesn't flow all that well but Orwell's descriptions give life to the many vagrants who occupied London in the 1920s. I read it during a two month period of wandering and I connected with this novel more at that time than I probably would have if I read it again after six months of being settled.

Divergent - Veronica Roth
I wouldn't recommend it. It was okay.

Finally Alive - John Piper
I picked this one up in Amsterdam. It was free and it was english. Enough said? Honestly, I think it was good but I don't actually remember anything I learned from it.

Americanah - Chimanda Ngozi Adichie
If you've ever wanted to learn more about racism or the feelings that emerge when two culture collide I would strongly recommend this book. My mom and I both read it a few months ago and it still comes up in conversation every once in awhile. Adichie conveys some interesting ideas about culture without shoving them in your face. This book covers 40+ years, something not many authors can do successfully but in this context it brings depth to a valuable conversation on the role of culture.

The Fault in Our Stars - John Green
Better than the movie.

The Light Between Oceans - M.L Stedman
Based on the cover I thought this books would be really boring... but it was good! I think the most appealing thing about this book was that all the characters were flawed. This book was set in rural Australia, someplace I have definitely never experienced, yet the characters were easy to sympathize with.

Bittersweet - Shauna Niequist
I cried. In this book Shauna Niequist basically just talks about life. Reading Bittersweet felt a bit like going out for coffee with a good friend. Those dates don't usually end up in anything brilliant but that doesn't make them any less important. Our lives our made up of the day-to-day stuff and sometimes you just have to embrace that shit. From Bittersweet I bring you this quote: "Get up. Create like you're training for a marathon, methodically, day by day. Learn your tricks, find a friend, leave the dirty dishes in the sink for a while. This is your chance to become what you believe deep in your secret heart you might be. You are an artist, a guide, a prophet. You are a storyteller, a visionary, the Pied Piper himself. Do the work, learn the skills, and make art, because of what the act of creation will create in you."

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Jonathan Safran
This is now a movie that I can't wait to see! It's a 9/11 story but is completely unique and very well written. I'm glad not every book is written with Safran's style but it was a nice change... and great if you like being completely lost until you're past the halfway point.

Bossypants - Tina Fey
Hilarious... but I recommend the book on tape if you really want to laugh.

Painter of Silence - Georgina Harding
Most beautiful title ever. Just saying. All I can remember is that I didn't like how it ended. I probably didn't like how it ended because the romantic in me likes it when people live happily ever after. Was that a spoiler? My bad.

The Happiness Project - Gretchen Rubin
This was definitely not a book I would normally pick up. I happened upon it one day on a trip to the library and I'm really glad I read it. Rubin does a great job of incorporating statistical information and quotes from great philosophers and thinkers with her own ideas and experiences. I can't say I'm usually big on self-help type books but I thought this book was pretty good... but then I kinda just like reading other people's thoughts. I wouldn't be brave enough to recommend this book to someone else... but I also wont deny that I did enjoy it.

The Cellist of Sarajevo - Steven Galloway
“Though the setting is the siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, this gripping novel transcends time and place.  It is a universal story, and a testimony to the struggle to find meaning, grace, and humanity, even amid the most unimaginable horrors.” –Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns