Etched...Upon My Heart Book Review and Giveaway!

I read a really good book last week.  

Isn't it a beautiful book?  The cover is a perfect compliment to the contents.


As I've said before, January is not a good month for me. As a matter of fact, it is my least favorite month of the year.  This book, Etched...Upon MY Heart by Jill Kelly, which just hit the shelves earlier this week, brought a spark of light to my dreary soul.  What great, great timing by my friends at Fly By Promotions!

In this book Jill Kelly writes about how the single moments of life...the good, the bad, the joyful, the pain-filled...and every emotion in between, come together to tell our personal and individual stories.  We are who we are because of the moments of our lives.  The moments we enjoy and yes, the moments we endure.

Jill writes about moments of her son's hard, short life and death at the age of eight years old.  She writes about the moments of her daughters' lives.  She writes about the moments of her marriage to former NFL quarterback Jim Kelly.  But most of all, she writes about how her faith in God has worked all of those moments together for her good to meet His plan for her life.



The main message of this book (to me) is that God is love and you cannot really know anything about real love unless you know God in an intimate way.

I enjoyed the lists of truths and prayers at the end of most chapters.  My favorite quote from the book is, "God will break our hearts, but He will hold the pieces.  He will cradle us and redeem every tear we cry."  Oh, I just could not agree more!

I believe everything happens for a reason.  There are no coincidences in this life--that God has a plan and is not surprised by anything we face.  Ever.

The moments of Jill's life will have you smiling, crying, and praising God for the moments of your own life.  The days are long, but the years are so short, I always say. We have to savor the good, the bad, and the ugly to understand the meaning of life.

You can learn more about Jill Kelly, this book, and the other books she has written by visiting her website, Facebook, and Twitter pages:

Jillk.org

Facebook

Twitter

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Now for the giveaway!

My friends at Fly By Promotions were kind enough to offer a second brand new copy of this book as a giveaway to my readers!  I've been really sick this week, so I'll make this simple....

Leave a comment to enter.  That's it.  And blog about this giveaway, leave a link in the comments, and I'll add 5 more entries for you.  Sound good?

Open to US residents, 18 years old and up.

Giveaway starts NOW (January 25, 2013) and ends January 31, 2012 at 11:59 PM.

Tell your friends!







**Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog.  Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

It's 2013 Jump Rope for Heart Time!

Cade's Jump Rope for Heart page is finally ready! 

(I procrastinated a little bit.) 

The kids at BES jump next week, Friday, January 25th.  We do not have a lot of time! 

Cade's goal is only $250.00. Will you help him reach his goal in honor of his little brother, Eli? 

You can donate on his page.  Just click this link and click the GIVE NOW button.

You can also Paypal me directly if that works better for you. Some people have money sitting in their Paypal accounts just waiting for a good cause like this, but do not use credit cards online.  Paypal to me and I'll add it to the page.  Just send me an email (button on the top right of this page) and let me know.  Please put JR4H in the comment section.

We can take checks made out to the American Heart Assn, but our time is very limited. Email me for the address.

Locals, we can take checks and cash. Just comment on this post or email me and we'll work out the details.

Thank you in advance for helping Cade tell our family's story by participating this year! 

No amount is too small! Believe me, we understand that times are tough.  If you can't donate, please do not stress about it. You can also help by sharing Cade's page link with all of your friends.

Thanks, friends!

Remember this Post???

  

 





Remember when I posted this post about my 'sticky situation' for Mom Central and Wet Ones?


Well....believe it or not, my entry in the contest was chosen as a finalist!  Voting ends this Saturday (January 19th).  Here's a linkto my contest entry.

We sure appreciate your votes if you feel led.

On that note, let me acknowledge that yes, I do realize this is my first post of 2013.  

Nearly three long weeks since my last post.  Happy New Year.

January is a hard month for me.  My emotions are all over the place.  Forgive me for my absence?

I hope so...