Saturday and School is in Session!

We've had so many snow days that Steven had to go to school today. Yuck, school on a Saturday and you aren't even in trouble!

Today, in honor of school being in session I thought I'd do a book report. Actually, book reports. In the past couple of weeks I've read 90 Minutes in Heaven, Heaven is For Real, and Prayers For Sale. The first two are true stories and the last a work of fiction. (I had many people tell me I should read the first two. When you're grieving or have been through a traumatic experience I don't know if that's always a good thing. Reading about Mr. Piper's accident and recovery brought back some bad memories and I often had to put it down.)

90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper is our book club pick for March. This book relates Don Piper's experience after a horrific car accident outside of Houston. Technically he was considered dead for 90 minutes by paramedics at the scene. During this time he went to Heaven and the book is a description of his recovery and memories of Heaven. I enjoyed reading the book, the setting was a part of Texas that I was very familiar with. In fact, we lived in the area during the time of the accident and recovery. I can't say how I feel about his description of Heaven. I can certainly understand how difficult it was for him to reconcile having to endure a tough recovery instead of remaining in Heaven. I think if you had doubts on it's existence you may find comfort in this story. I didn't need to be persuaded, I already believe that Heaven exists. ***

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo is another account of Heaven. This account is from a child's view. Mr. Burpo's son almost died from a burst appendix. As a pastor, Mr. Burpo began to be aware of comments that his son made about Heaven and information that there was no way a 4 year old could possess. I was more enthralled by this description of Heaven. I especially enjoyed how this book incorporated scripture to back up accounts from the child. Once again, I didn't need this book to help me believe in the existence of Heaven. I already believed 'Heaven is for real'. ****

Finally, my favorite was Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas. It was a sweet story set in Colorado during the gold mining rush after the Civil War. The story tells of hardship, perseverance, and strength. At the center of the story is Henny Comfort. She's in her late 80's and is being urged to leave the high country to come live with her daughter in Iowa. I fell in love with this tough woman. Henny befriends a young wife that moves to the area and feels she can't leave until she helps her learn how to survive in this brutal environment. Henny is a story teller and helps this young woman through retelling of the stories of her life. ****

So I've implemented Jill's rating system. 5 stars ***** Excellent, 4 stars **** Enjoyed it, 3 stars *** Decent read, 2 stars ** Not sure it was worth my time, and 1 star * Didn't even bother to finish.