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Sunday Matters

Hey there! How are you? Our heat wave calmed down a bit. Temps in the 90’s. I can handle that. Once it hits 103+ I am not all that enthused. I think some of you are in agreement with me on that.

Hey! My daughter arrives this week. Just for a week because she’s taking summer classes and is working a lot. She recently got promoted at the coffee shop to manager so she is packing the hours in. BUT, we have her for a week. She will be celebrating her friend’s bday while here and fitting in a Disney trip too. She misses it so much out there in Missouri.

She got the lead in the fall play at school so once school starts she will be very busy with that.

Right Now:

I do have student ministry this morning. Even though it’s summer the turnout has been pretty good.

This Week:

I am taking this week off since my daughter is here. The Hub could not take off but I picked up tickets for my daughter and I to visit The Getty this Wednesday. I think I’ll be able to handle this museum just fine.

I also wanted to hit the botanical gardens near us. We really enjoy the botanical garden but I don’t think I can walk around much in 90 degree heat. Still recovering. It’s going well. Milestones hit every day but that would be pushing it.

I am thinking maybe a beach trip might be nice too.

Reading:

I blew through a number of books recently and posted reviews for:

I started The Mothers. I heard someone mention it on a podcast recently. It’s an older title but it’s very good.

Finishing up:

Watching:

We finished Season 2 of Alice in Borderland. Waiting for season 3 to drop.

I am trying really hard not to watch the news but it’s impossible with the recent events that took place. There is just too much that doesn’t measure up.

Grateful for:

Our little pup pup, The Otter Pup Chloe. She turned 14 and is experiencing difficulties these days. Some days she is her normal self but 3 out of 7 days she is not feeling it. Stares at the wall. Doesn’t eat. Sleeps all day. Many times I have reached over to make sure she is still breathing! That is the worst feeling but such a relief when she pokes her little head up looking at me like I am a crazy person. I am grateful for the days we have with her. Glad that my daughter can visit with her this week.

Clear
By Carys Davies
Scribner, 9781668030660, April 2024, 208pp.

The Short of It:

Heartbreakingly beautiful.

The Rest of It:

John, an impoverished Scottish minister, has accepted a job evicting the lone remaining occupant of an island north of Scotland—Ivar, who has been living alone for decades, with only the animals and the sea for company. Though his wife, Mary, has serious misgivings about the errand, he decides to go anyway, setting in motion a chain of events that neither he nor Mary could have predicted. ~ the publisher

This is a beautiful, quiet, novel. Although brief, at just over 200 pages, the prose makes you want to linger in this contemplative story. John’s assignment, to deliver what is basically eviction papers to this island’s lone inhabitant, does not bring him there on good terms and he quietly bristles at the act of removing a man who has been existing on his own, not a bother to anyone. But upon arrival, John makes a misstep and injures himself quite badly.

Ivar, having not seen another human in quite some time, takes full charge of this visitor, not knowing what brought him there and unable to communicate with him in a language he would understand. For a few days, this is not an issue as John remains unconscious.

As John gets stronger under Ivar’s constant attention, he becomes curious about Ivar and wishes he wasn’t there to deliver such bad news. But how would he do that anyway? They don’t speak each other’s languages so John decides to just ride it out. Over solemn, simple meals, John ponders his predicament.

As the days wear on, the two form a bond and they begin to communicate one word at a time. Before long, Ivar pieces things together when he finds the contents of John’s belongings by the sea.

This is one of those novels that speaks volumes. The friendship between the two men is touching. As John continues to heal, his wife Mary sells all she has to secure a boat ride to the island. She intends to fetch John. Easy as that. Just get off the boat, find him, and bring him back.

Not so easy. Those final paragraphs are just beautiful. I highly recommend Clear if you like quiet, pensive reads. It will be on my favorites list at the end of the year.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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