Newsletter - January, 2001
Ordinary time. The various festivities of Christmas & New Years left
behind. Time to get the flakes (snow!) off the window. An uncluttered
livingroom. A miraculously cleaned home office. In between doing last
year's accounts, I cruise office supply stores looking for the perfect system
to Organize My Life.
We are awash with books, other people having been satisfied with simply
organizing their bookshelves. The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
($7HB) floated like creme to the top of a box sent with love from Idaho. I
read it and decided I was Highly Effective at many things. It would be nice
if selling books was one of them.
Today I have sold 2 books. $5.50. I have also had three intense and
interesting conversations. Highly effective conversations, no doubt.
My new printer prints negative balances in red. I'm not sure I
appreciate its efforts. What I do appreciate is the love that gets passed
around day by day. I like watching lives change, grow, blossom. I like the
taste of Jesus, different colored jewels glistening in different hearts:
some on fire, some smoking & smoldering, some hot coals--banked down.
Splendor in the Ordinary ($3) by Thomas Howard. "A litany on the wonder of any house where charity is taught and practiced, where the rites of love are carried out in life's routines." I haven't read it, but it beamed at me from our biography shelf (of all places).
HOW TO ORDER BOOKS FROM US: You hit reply and email what you are interested in. There is a real person who will answer you back. We're short on forms and long on real people.
NEW HOURS: For all you local folk our new hours include SUNDAY AFTERNOON. Mon, Wed, Fri 10-3: Tues, Thurs NOON-6 Sunday noonish to fourish.
A couple of folk have reminded me that Lent is Lurking in the future, so I ordered in Henri Nouwen's SHOW ME THE WAY ($12.95), a daily devotional that runs from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Prepare for un-ordinary (extraordinary) time.
FEATURED AUTHOR: Corrie ten Boom of THE HIDING PLACE fame. We also have her TRAMP FOR THE LORD, NOT GOOD IF DETACHED, and MARCHING ORDERS FOR THE END BATTLE. ($1-$2)
FEATURED SECTION: All Marriage, Family, Sex, Dating, and Parenting books are half price between now and Valentine's Day. All except THE BLESSING by Smalley & Trent which is one of the few new books in that section and well worth every penny of $6.99.
What I'm reading this week: WHY WE BUY-The Science of Shopping by Paco Underhill, CHRISTWALK-The journal of a young priest's 600 mile pilgrimage by foot along the California Mission trail, ESSAYS OF E.B.WHITE, and Yancy's CHURCH WHY BOTHER, which I read with clean hands and without eating chocolate because someone ordered it and I just read it quickly before he came in to pick it up. Perks.
BookaDay: Another 6 days worth is happening. Soon. You won't get this daily thumbnail sketch of a book unless you've told me you want it. (Hit the reply button...write words.)
RECORDS: I'm off-ing the records. Two boxes full. Undoubtedly something of great value for the serious collector. $5 per box. Yes, you have to take the WHOLE BOX.
THANK YOU: If you bought even one book in the last year, or became a member of one of my "not-safeway" schemes, you helped keep us here and happening. If you shared your heart or sent encouraging words, you helped us WANT to be here and happening. If you sent forth a prayer for God's grace and blessing on this work, you helped make it worthwhile for us to be here and happening. Thank you for your part, every little bit.
Blessings,
Alliee +