Classic Hilton's

Two things really stand out to me at the end of this jam packed weekend.  First, my mom came into town to watch my kiddos while I attended a two day homeschool convention.  That act alone is not what inspires me, though I am so grateful for her willingness to help when I need her!  In the days leading up to the convention, she took us to the park to walk. We walked and rode bikes around Stoner and Overlook parks every day, sometimes twice! (we are all exhausted!)  When it comes to exercise, I have a million and one reasons not to do it. But walking around with my mom this last week I realized that it doesn't have to be complicated. I don't have to make any big commitments, or walk the track in a certain time frame, or wait for perfect weather conditions.  I just need to get out and move.  I DO need to remember to bring a first aid kit and to SHUT the doors of my car...but that's another set of issues all together. The second thing that inspired me was something I heard

"The act of reading is a partnership. The author builds a house, but the reader makes it home." ~from Between the Lines I thoroughly enjoyed reading Between the Lines  and Off the Page  by Jodi Piccoult and her daughter Samantha Van Leer. I was completely swept up by the story and felt like I jumped right into the book and lived the adventure with them.  They are not "Christian" books but the spiritual undertones are rich and surprising.   What captivated me most was the idea of authorship.  In this world, an author wrote the story, but once it has been read it cannot be changed. The author is not all powerful because it is the reader who brings the imagined world to life.  It made me think of how God created the world and invited mankind to work in the garden and name the animals. (The difference being that God is  all powerful.) On another level, the characters in the story all recognize, simply because they exist, that there must be an author...    "Ye