Friday Finds- "Longing For Paris"

This is my first time doing Friday Finds with Books and a Beat but it sounds fun and I'm always on the lookout for a new read.  I just got a tablet and I joined Book Bub where every day I'm sent by e-mail book deals.  So the temptation is there everyday to pick out more.  After awhile I ditched the guilt trip- after all I'm just cluttering airspace, so why not?  I limit myself to the freebies (unless I recognize an author I really want- then I splurged for 99c).  But Free is free and I'm finding some interesting reads.  I also have been liberally using the "send me a sample button".  This is great- it's like browsing a store and reading just a bit.

A Friday Find- My son's girlfriend is in France for this term and with pictures being posted by her Mom who visited her I was inspired to look up Paris & France themed books.  What fun I thought.  Well I got as far a sampling the first book- which really hit me.  Here I'm looking for Romance , travel, a sense of place, but what do I get- Godly conviction!  Longing for Paris: One Woman's Search for Joy, Beauty and Adventure-Right Where She Is  The book ended up to be about dreaming of going to Paris by a woman at home with kids and not traveling soon.  And learning to be content in that.  Oh and the words are so beautiful.  It really hit my heart.  Simple, but profound words.  Either it is me- or it's just where I am.  I can dream but here I am and I want to be content and happy in that place.  Here and now.  Sure Dreaming is fun, but seriously God put me here.

 At one point I was desperate to go tend my Mother when she was failing from Alzheimer's.  Totally frustrated that my Dad wouldn't cave and let me come.  I asked, pleaded, for years.  The last time I complained to my husband in my daughter's hearing my teenage daughter pipes up- "But Mom:  I need you!"  OK- that shut me down.  I never had a kid- especially a teen tell me that!  She's my third and it ended up she really did need me this winter.  There was no room for me to be somewhere else.  Being content at home isn't that hard for me.  Just- sigh- when others are flying here and there (Europe especially).  I just so sometimes wish it was me.

I'm reminded of a lesson I once had for my students when I taught- we were going to be Armchair Travelers- so that is who I am.  And this book was starting to root me contentedly here in the now.  So it's a sample I read and it's on my I need to get list.

Paris Eiffel tower by Enxu Zhou

A personal P.S.- My Mom an aficionado of all things French (hence my name Elise!) died last weekend and her obit is in the New York Times today:

The only time my name will probably be in the New York Times! My Mom's Dad and my Grandfather Dr. Aims McGuinness was in the Eisenhower Administration, helped wipe out Polio and was in the WHO (World Health Organisation) and he also was one of the first Allied medical doctors who treated people held in Auschwitz Concentration camps right after the war.

My thoughts one night when I couldn't go to sleep, just yet.  I could after I wrote this in my personal musings blog-  Walking In Random Thoughts: Mom- I'll Be Missing You- Be Happy.