Sabbath Snapshot : diversi-TEA

Diversi-TEA is key for this reader. ....tho recently I've had more than my share of "heavy" non-fiction wartime reading. Heavy reading, even if well written and needful, can eventually wear me down. So....I was primed for a change as our summer road trips began.
When traveling great distances, audio books are a great diversion, but "heavy" isn't the best genre. So...on-line check out of an e-book is a cheap, (free) easy download to my iPad followed by a simple connection to the car radio. It's been one "way to go" on the road this summer.

Alexander McCall Smith's, The Saturday Big Tent Wedding Party fit the bill. This No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series title offered a diverse locale (Botswana) and a diverse dialect. Not having a clue as how to pronounce many Botswana names such as Tlokweng Rd., Mma Ramotswe & Mma Potokwane, audio has been my "chosen way to go" for all the books in this series.

Synopsis---An older Precious Ramotswe, Botswana’s No. 1 Lady Detective, is hired by a fearful client who has had two of his cattle killed. She and secretary Grace Makutsi, (who loves shoes) both work to discover the "killer." Factor in Mma's love for her old white van and Grace's upcoming wedding to Phuti Radiphuti, (a good catch) with a dilemma facing Charlie, the "do nothing" apprentice of Mr J.L.B. Matekoni (Precious' hubby) and you get an idea of the diverse lifestyles of folks living in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana.

This title, #12 in the series, is not a riveting read. Actually, none of them are. Maybe that's the appeal for me. Not a page turner---but a wholesome story of a few ordinary people doing good things for others.

A comfortable read, made all the better by a great reader and believable characters. 

All that was needed was a cuppa of African red bush (Rooibos) to sip on our car trip.

Rules of the Dance

4/19/10 Earlier this month I blogged about “rules” in life---rules for our own safety and protection. I intimated that for me some rules are easier to follow than others. Believe it or not I see this analogy very clearly in dance. Following the step patterns (rules of the dance) is important but some steps or routines are just easier than others. When one is dancing with a partner, more often than not, it is the ability of the one following the leader to relinquish the lead and totally depend on the “lead” which makes the dance flow. It looks easy. Seamless. Hard to see where one ends and the other begins. Beautiful.

Alexander McCall Smith writes a charming series of lady detective stories set in Botswana which grace my bookshelf. In his 7th book, Blue Shoes and Happiness, Smith writes, “Dancing is about contact between people…..When you dance with somebody you are talking to him even if you do not open your mouth. Your movements can show what is in your heart.”
I so understand what he is saying. When I recognize the One Who is the “Lord of my Dance” and allow Him to lead me, there is no need for talk. It’s as if we move as one in a prayerful communion, without uttering a word. If the desire of my heart is to truly follow Him and His lead wherever that might take me, He hears my heart---no words needed.

I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 11:19)

At our house we say, "It's the rule." Enough said!