Grace A. Johnson

The way this devotional is set up is similar to one I read recently. I really enjoy the style and how it is easy to read. Each day is short enough that you don't get overwhelmed with information. The point is made and then it all gets wrapped up. I think it is great for people who want something short everyday for a month.

Like with all devotionals, there are some things I didn't necessarily agree with. This one really strives for the truth, which I like. It remained focused on the Biblical teaching, which is a little hard to find. A lot of devotions tend to go into opinions, or even focus more on the person writing it rather than the Bible. I liked that this wasn't like that. We did get some personal things, but they aided the point rather than obscuring it.

I really liked how some of the lessons seemed to build off each other. That really helped me to keep those points in my mind. It made them stick a bit more. A lot of the days were good reminders of things I have heard a long time ago. I liked having a different perspective of them.… (altro)

There was a lot to like about this short story. Usually it is hard to get a good sense of the characters from a short story, but this one actually built up a lot of backstory to the characters. I actually found myself wanting more about them because the small glimpses I was given was enough to make me feel sympathy for them. I did struggle with a few things, like this being considered a romance. It missed that little spark between the characters. Subtle little moments that tell you exactly how they feel without telling you or saying it. It lacked those moments and so I didn't really see any desire between them. Yes, their actions told you about their feelings, but it didn't give me any of the feels. Maybe all of that was lost because of the weight of the setting.
For anyone who didn't experience first hand what happened on that day is left with only their imagination and what stories they can read from those who were there or were effected by it. I think this author did a great job of imagining what happened, some details will obviously be off, but I don't think any story could ever truly put everything that happened into perspective. This story only gave us a small slice, it didn't go into many details, just enough to give us a setting to the story.
I think that at that time, no one was really thinking, they were just working on autopilot, trying to survive. There is this numb haze that falls on people who are grieving, and that is exactly what people were doing at that time. They were in shock and they were grieving. They probably didn't feel safe anywhere and they never thought they ever would again. There is a hopelessness felt in those moments, and I think this story tries to speak to it and say that hope is often found in the darkest of places. There is a plan and purpose for everything. While we may not understand this hope, or even the purpose behind something, it is still there whether we see it or not.
This story talks about God and how He is the one Who gives us hope. He is the One that can give a purpose to even the most horrible moments. He turns mourning to dancing, tears into laughter.
While we will we never forget 9/11 and the horrors that came with it, we can find beauty in it and cherish the moments we have left. We can help those who are hurting from any significant event. 9/11 should remind us that horrible things do happen, and they can happen at any time. We can try as hard as we can, but we won't be able to prevent all of them. Which means, we should live our life to honor those who lost theirs.… (altro)