I sorta wanted to be Ann Voskamp

I admit it. Thirty pages into One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, I almost thought about becoming a farm wife who home-schools her children. (I didn't tell my hubby he'd have to walk away from the hospital and buy a farm.) And I thought about picking up my camera more often - cuz it sits in the closet so much. I even considered hand washing the dishes to meditate on soap suds.

Mostly, I wanted to be the person who could write some of the most beautiful words I've ever read. Her words pierce. They play across the page and sing to your soul until all of a sudden you are face to face with a moment and you must talk to God about it. And sometimes you know He's not gonna like what you're thinking.

Whew. I still have thirty pages to go. And I'm reading it slow. Soaking it up. Pondering, like Mary. And I hope this book will stick. I'm pretty sure it already has. Not because I'm just like Ann now. But because I'm realizing (and this realization started years ago) that what I'm called to do is different from every other person's calling. I'm not called to be Ann Voskamp. I'm called to be Jennifer Fromke. And the part I find difficult to believe is the idea that no one else can be me except me.

And what I pulled from the book is this: it's not about what I'm gonna get. It's all about what I have to give.  And what I have to offer, I only have because it's been given to me first. Like I'm standing in a rushing mountain stream and water is gushing all around me, I'm soaked and happy, and when I turn downstream, I splash water into the air, the sun catches tiny droplets in a golden moment and I push the water further down, because there are others standing in the water.

It's the water that's so beautiful. It's the rush of refreshing movement that cleanses, cools, invigorates. And splashing is just joy. And if I don't even step out into the water, I'm stuck on land with feet in the mud.

If you haven't read One Thousand Gifts, do. Even if it doesn't change your perspective, the words are beautiful unto themselves. But I think it will change something inside you. Truth does that.

Can you give e-book gifts?

I must admit, I've stopped giving books to people in my life who now own e-readers. I used to spend lots of love and energy choosing perfect reads for specific people. One time I bought a gift card for my dad and told him which books I wanted him to buy, but somehow, that didn't feel quite right.

So I was thrilled to find out Amazon has addressed this frustration. There is now a way to give a specific digital book! If you go to the kindle book store, under the "buy" button, there is an option to "give as a gift." You can have the book emailed to the recipient and they can download it either to their computer or whatever device they use to read. The best part is you can choose the date your gift is delivered!

I feel so free! Even though I've already purchased gifts for everyone on my list (almost) I think I'm going to try this just for fun. So somebody gets a bonus gift this year!

And if you'd like to give it a try, here's a great idea: buy my Christmas story for $.99! It's a great little stocking stuffer - and you can stuff an email box with it too. Search for Jennifer Fromke on Amazon and check out Special Delivery.

If you get a chance to try this, come back to the blog and let me know what you think. Did the whole process work seamlessly? And what did you think about the story?

The Gift of a Book

Do you give them? Do you put them on your list?

I attended a birthday celebration a few months ago and as my friend opened her gifts we began to notice a trend. The first gift was a handmade necklace - given by a girl who makes jewelry, a real jewelry hound. The second gift was something like a calendar or organizer - given by a girl who is well known for her type-A highly organized nature. (this makes me jealous, by the way) The next gift was from me, a book. And everyone said, well of course! Jenn gives her a book.

We give what we like to get, don't we? To me, there is nothing sweeter than a book given with special thought for my tastes. Someone who knows me well can pick a story I will love, and it means so much that they would put thought into choosing one especially for me.

A book is not just a thing to set on your coffee table. (especially those e-books!) It's an adventure, an escape, a process, a ride, a friendship (or two), a heartbreak, a victory, true love. It's a mirror for life which can sometimes reveal truth about yourself that you wouldn't recognize outside of fiction.

However, I know there are people in this world who will pick up a wrapped book and think to themselves, "Great. It's a book." And this reaction before they even know which book! So lately I've tried to put myself in the place of the person for whom I am buying a gift. If I know you read, I'll probably still give you a book. Because I love giving them.

Are you giving books this Christmas? If so, which ones? If you love giving books, check out this great opportunity:

 

http://www.writeintegrity.blogspot.com/p/99-hour-99-cent-e-book-sale-win-e-books.html