bittersweet

last night i finally finished

the last few chapters' i was saving to savor every delicious word of

bittersweet by shauna niequist

do you ever get so sad when a book ends

but then so exited to page back through it

and read all the amazing bits over and over?

bittersweet was that kind of book for me

i was telling rachel at book club

in fact we practically said it in unison

that in every chapter at least one paragraph(and then some)

struck a cord with me

the martha stewart (perfectionist/control freak) in me

doesn't allow for turning down pages

but with bittersweet i caved

there are too many passages i wanted to re-read and remember

i'll admit it, i dog eared the heck out of this book

after reading this book i want to grab coffee with shauna

{no big deal- we are so friends ;-) }

what i respect most about her is her honesty

the way she candidly speaks about her hardships, struggles,

faith and everyday life

i hope the following passage touches you as much as it did me

and if not then go buy the book today and see for yourself!

there are so many juicy nuggets of wisdom,

humor and reflection that i know

every woman can identify with

from the last chapter in bittersweet

your story must be told

the big story really is actually being told

through little stories,

and by sharing our lives,

not just sermons,

we're telling god's story in as reverent and divine ways

as it has ever been told.

god's story was told in hebrew and greek,

and i believe that it's also being told

in whispers and paintings and blogs

and around dinner tables all over the world.

***

there's nothing small or inconsequential about our stories.

there is, in fact, nothing bigger.

and when we tell the truth about our lives---

the broken parts, the secret parts, the beautiful parts---

then the gospel comes to life,

an actual story about redemption,

instead of abstraction and theory

and things you learn in sunday school.