Giving peace a chance...

I think I've found the sign of a great book. Though I finished it a week ago, I can't seem to stop thinking about The Lovely Bones. And, it's not just that I can't stop thinking about it, but that I am still having realizations from it days later. This story gave me my first glimpse at what the world could, and never will, be. This story is the only story I have ever known to discuss events in a completely nonjudgmental way. It hit me yesterday that regardless of all the painful and difficult events that happened in the story, they were never viewed as negative. They just were. For instance, the grandmother's alcoholism is regarded as simply part of her personality. The mother's affair is simply viewed as her way of dealing with her daughter's murder. The father's self-absorption a desire for closure that will never come. No blame is attributed; only understanding.

There is no drama related to any of the events. There is no anger or hatred. It's the most peaceful environment that the author has created. Yet, even with this, the story is still beautiful and captivating. It reminds me of the saying that people can't see the forest for the trees. As I blogged about in my last post about this book, the storyline is not focused on the small points. Most books would focus on the capture of the murderer, punishment for the mother for her cheating, anger at the grandmother for her drinking, pain in the children for having to go through the loss of their sister. But none of these even near the forefront of the plotline. Instead it focuses on the forest, the point- living. It is a tale of one family's struggle to live with death. And, despite the fact that each of them achieves peace in his own unique way, no judgment is given to the path they each choose. If only the real world could open its viewpoint that way and take in all circumstances, understanding that not every one can get to point Z via the same route, our lives would be filled with such peace.


Meet Fortress Maximus, here to establish peace for all. So, my husband's parents brought up some of his transformers when they came for Christmas. Turns out they're worth a pretty sum of cash money. So, I decided to do a little photo shoot to help me practice manually focusing my new lens. Thanks, Max.