Three weeks in Paris

So I just finished a book yesterday that I really enjoyed. As you have probably guessed from the title of my blog, it was "Three weeks in Paris" by Barbara Taylor Bradford. I just got the book on a fluke when I was strolling through the library and casually stopped at the much hated books on cd section. I thought about it and realized I could take advantage of this convenience and be justified because I drive a lot and work out a lot. This is a great way to pass the time in the car or on the treadmill where it is hard to actually read a book. I started it and listened to it in various places like going to get Chris from Corona, on the treadmill, laying in bed nursing a bad shoulder, etc...

This book was a work of art. I am not sure if I would have enjoyed it nearly as much if it was in printed form because it had a great narrator. She could do all of the accents that I myself could never have conquered. There are characters in the book from Russia, France, Scotland, etc and that narrator could do them all. She even did male and female voices and you just believed it. You could tell when the characters changed and to be honest, I am more impressed with the narrator than with the author. Ideally though, it was an excellent book.

Today I am writing about this book because it had a lot of psychological implications within it. There were four distinct stories of four young women who had went to an art insititude in Paris. It was so amazing because each of the characters had a struggle that I viewed as very psychological. I would encourage you to pick up this book if you are interested after this blog, soooo good! Here are the run down of their issues and the strong lessons I learned from them:

Alexa: ok, Alexa dated ( in Paris) a guy named Tom Conners and he had lost both his wife and his daughter in a tragic terrorist attack. It was powerful. I realized that sometimes it is important to move on and grieve something fully before involving someone else in your mixed up craziness.

Jessica: Jessica's man (Louciane) *not sure how to spell as it was a book on cd* disappeared without a trace and left her uncertain of her future. I learned here that sometimes people choose selfish things and you can't take that on yourself but rather, move on and do what's best for you!

Maria: Maria struggled with her weight and how she appeared to others. I think we all see how I related to this. I learned from Maria that when you want something...you have to just go and get it!

Kay: Kay had been highly abused in her past and allowed that to halt intimacy in her marriage. Again, pretty clear how this relates to me but I thought about it and sometimes we just need to tell the people we care about where we have come from and allow them to care for us and lead us to healing.

This book was supposed to be a drama/romance or something but to me, it was a interesting psychological piece of literature. Imagine me seeing the psych in it!?

Anyway, I wanted to tell you all that this was a great book and although a little scandalous at times, VERY interesting!

Please pray because I have a job interview on Friday at 10:00 in the morning and it looks like it would be a good deal for my finances at least! Please please pray! Also, I have a sinus infection right now and my glands are swollen so prayers for healing would be appreciated!

Have a great day and here are my learning and thankfulness for yesterday:

Learning March 22, 2005:

1. I am quite good at picking up things on the piano. I like my skills musically.

2. Shoulders and Neck are so essential to everything you do that you must be careful not to hurt them.

3. Last night I made BBQ chicken and Richard said "Dinner was excellent" I love the way it feels to create a great dining experience.

4. I am moving toward being done with Atlas Shrugged and this is by far the most profound reading I have ever done!

5. Finances do not have the power over me that they did when I was a control-freak. I am proud of myself for learning to control my control issues! :)

Thankfulness March 22, 2005:

I am thankful that Richard appreciates the hard work that I do for him and Christopher. I am thankful that God has given me such an amazing way to impact two men who don't know HIM. I am thankful that I have such a great force of energy in my job and it is the first job I have enjoyed so much that I do it when I am ill or injured, gladly. It certainly makes me think. Thank you God!

~Shalom~