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February 04, 2006
Faith: Stories
This book is a collection of short stories on the varieties and vagaries of faith, some being the old classics like Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne and others very contemporary stories, all dealing in some way with the mystery of faith. Obviously some, in my opinion were much better than others but that of course depends on where you're coming from, what you can relate to.
God's Goodness by Majorie Kemper was probably my favorite; a story that stirs an emotional reaction no matter how many times I read or think about it. And it addresses probably more than any of the others the realities of life and how there are no simple answers.
The story deals with Mike, a terminally ill teen-age boy and Ling, the young Chinese girl who becomes his live-in care-taker. A Bible-studying Christian having known many hardships herself, Ling is fiercely optimistic and thankful for the meager blessings in her life. She believes that her prayers will result in a miracle for Mike.
Over the course of the last weeks of Mike's life they develop a very honest relationship and she does her best to encourage and support hi. Their interactions are touching and meaningful, each being changed by the other.
At some point in our lives we may have to reassess our beliefs and modify the meaning of faith in our lives. Faith in something much bigger than us and which we can never understand but that grants us blessings along the way.
Other favorites of mine were The Priest and His Love, Cello, The Resurrection of a Life, Music on the muscatatuck, and Ringworm. I found My Son the Fanatic disturbing on many levels since it deals with Muslim fanaticism but also because there was truth in the motivation.
Posted by Priscilla at February 4, 2006 08:45 AM