Something Worse

So I read this book called After Anne (the author has another one called Finding Ruth). It was a wonderful book that made me cry through most of it, but still it was great. The author was Christian, but not specific. I wish I hadn't already taken it back to the library because then I could tell you her name. Anyway, the theme of the book is friendship and faith. I think this book touched me because I think we all long for a friendship like Libby and Anne had. They found each other and while they were not perfect, they were great friends. They learned from one another and both became better through the course of this book. The character of Anne is a faith driven woman who is young and pregnant with her first child as her and her husband move to a new town. Anne finds Libby and they develop a bumpy friendship. Libby has fears about letting people in and allowing herself to love unrestrained. Libby has faith issues and often judges others before she knows them. Anne teaches her how to love and Anne is also an example of faith. Anne is diagnosed with cancer early on in the book and a game that they play throughout her treatments and doctor appointments is called "Name Something Worse". This game helps them focus on their blessings and helps them laugh through some hard trials. Like I said, I bawled through most of this book. As I woke up this morning, I had this book on my mind. I think that naming something worse could really help. I wonder if in the midst of our trials if we stop and think of what blessing we have, it could help a little. Also, I think that having faith lessens our burdens so much. I don't care what church someone goes to or what they believe in, but faith in something greater than ourselves often pulls us to a better place. On a humorous note, McKayla was upset because she couldn't find her sock this morning, so I told her that something worse would be not being able to find her foot. She thought I was very odd, but she did laugh and take a minute to calm down. So at least it works for little ones :)