Such a good book!!

    I love to read best-selling fiction and biographies of heroes of the faith.  Recently, Jim and I were browsing the Bob Jones University book store and I found this journal of a young woman's entire life by Elizabeth Prentiss.  

    The girl is a fictional character from the 1800s, but I've read 3/4 of the book thinking that she truly lived and I've decided to finish the book believing that people can really love God as she did.  She is SO transparent and honest, but brash and unforgiving at the same time -- just really real.  I really can't put the book down and would recommend it to anyone.  Here is a quote from the book:

    

    "I see that the Christian life must be individual, as the natural character is, and that I cannot be exactly like Dr. Cabot, Mrs. Campbell, or like Mother, though they all three stimulate and are an inspiration to me.  But I see, too, that the great points of similarity in Christ's disciples have always been the same.  This is the testimony of all the good books, sermons, hymns and memoirs I read - that God's ways are infinitely perfect; that we are to love Him for what He is and therefore equally as much when He afflicts as when He prospers us; that there is no real happiness but in doing and suffering His will; and that this life is but a scene of probation through which we pass to the real life above."

    How good?!?

Poor Dishrag...

    I'm going into maternal mode because our fish, Dishrag Wilberforce Thompson, is very sick.  As you can see by the photo, he has a lesion on his side that's rapidly growing.  He also has some kind of light brown fungus on parts of his skin.  I didn't really start to get worried until I put a lamp over his bowl and really took a good look at him.  

    Up until this point I just made stupid jokes about flushing him down the toilet and saying things like, "Well, it's about time he kicked the bowl!".  For some reason, however, my heart really does hurt for him.  God created Dishrag and, while I don't believe he should have the same inalienable rights that I have, I feel terrible that he's in pain.  

    Jim bought him for me last February when I was going through a particularly severe bout of the Baby Bug.  I really didn't think he'd live for more than 4 months but he's a trooper!  He's part of the family even if he doesn't do anything special like fetch or even show affection.  I think he's beautiful.

    Long story short, I'm going to PetsMart tomorrow to see about some medicine for a $5.00 fish. The meds will most likely cost more than he did.  Any fish advice would be appreciated, too.  I guess I'm just doing my part with the dominion that God has given me over the earth's creatures.  :)