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Gina DiMartino

~ finding beauty in pain

Gina DiMartino

Monthly Archives: March 2016

Life’s Great Dare

31 Thursday Mar 2016

Posted by ginamd in Uncategorized

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author launch, Christa Hesselink, life's great dare

“God, like no other, transforms cold, dark places and makes them beautiful. 
He mends the broken and refreshes the weary.
He restores the smoldering and dying and gives hope for new life.
He really does make all things new.”
Christa Hesselink

Guys. You HAVE to read this book. Order it from Amazon. I promise you won’t regret it!

I don’t really know how to begin this book review. I feel like I have to read the book three more times just to be able to absorb it all. What Christa has done is amazing. I am so excited to be able to say this book has come from someone in the Author Launch class. Someone whom I have met and spent a day with. I’m proud that our little writing community is beginning to produce books and I’m proud that I got to experience this one.

It is a refreshing read. Something that compels you, dares you, to actually believe that God loves you. In one of the first chapters she said; “He [God] finds us completely worthy just because we are, because he made us…when you create something out of deep love, you make it your business to do whatever you can to fix it when it breaks.” And I don’t know why but this hit me so hard. I can relate to this, but I don’t know why. It just really tugged my heart. I think it has something to do with creating art, and how you always want it to be perfect, so you will do whatever you can to make it better. And I never thought about God making me and then doing that exact thing.

Each chapter I read I thought, yes, she knows me, she’s been through the same things as me. She went through cancer and treatments and the afterwards, she called it a “new normal”. Guys I have a chapter in my book called “New Normal” and I know I didn’t go through cancer, but so many of her struggles were exactly struggles that I have felt since the bombing.

I will read this book again. I read the whole thing today, and I need to read it again slower and really process it. But I promise, you won’t regret reading this book. This definitely will have many copies on my shelf, ready to give away to people who need encouragement during tough times.

Thanks Christa for your openness and for sharing your story!

more terror

22 Tuesday Mar 2016

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Boston Marathon Bombing, Boston Strong, brussels, light in darkness, survivors

It seems like the anniversary of the marathon can’t approach us without tragedy, fear, sadness, or anxiety. Last year was the trial. We were all dealing with giving statements, attending hearings, being bombarded by the media. This year one of our survivor community, Victoria, has had a tragic accident and is no longer with us. And now today the attacks on Brussels. I woke up to phone calls and texts from friends asking if I’m ok. I avoid the news so I didn’t even know what had happened yet. Each attack is terrible. It doesn’t make me relive what happened to us. But I do avoid seeking out stories and photos. I know what it is like. I know what it looks like. I don’t need that reminder.

The thing about all this is that things never go back to normal. Nothing is ever the same. Even as much as you try to be normal, or be how you were. You can’t get back to that. You can’t go back. And maybe that’s ok, but these intermittent attacks, like regularly scheduled reminders, beat into me the fact that I too fit into that category. One who was in a terrorist attack. One who was in a bomb. One who is a victim. A survivor of something so tragic. These bombing survivors are our family. Only they know what our lives are truly like. Only they can truly understand us. But it saddens me to see our family growing. What is happening in the world when this is so common it is no longer surprising. It is no longer something that makes you gasp and say “WHAT things like this NEVER happen!” Because they do. They happen a lot. More than we even know, I’m sure. The news doesn’t report every terrorist attack or bomb that goes off.

It used to seem so far removed. It wasn’t anywhere near us. We didn’t know anyone involved. But now, each one is a reminder. Each one slams you back down on the ground and reminds you of where you were not so long ago.

John 1:5 says : “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Which doesn’t seem true. It just seems dark here. But I read it over and over. The darkness can not overcome the light. And where does the light come from? It comes from God. John 8:12: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” But it also comes from US. We are the light of the world. Jesus told us that, Matthew 5:8: “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” 

I feel like every time something like this happens all I have to say is “cling to Jesus”. But really, is there any other answer? We are the light, we can not be hidden, the darkness can not overcome us. So we need to cling to Jesus and keep shining our lights. And someday, the darkness will be destroyed forever. Today is not that day. Today we mourn with Brussels. Today we are sad and we remember our own experiences. We call some friends from our survivor family and make sure they are ok. We lament together. But because we have gone through these experiences, we have an understanding that others do not. We can show more love. We can help bring peace. We can bond together and show these new additions to our family what surviving looks like. And we can show them that we can continue on, together.

 

Sisi: Empress on Her Own by Allison Pataki

07 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by ginamd in Book Reviews

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Allison Pataki, book review, Empress, Sisi

“I wander lonely in this world,
Delight and life long time averted,
No confidant to share my inner self,
A matching soul never revealed.”
Empress Elisabeth 

When I started reading this book, I knew nothing about Sisi, Empress of Austria-Hungary, but as I set it down to write this review, I feel as if I know her, deeply, intimately. Her hurt, frustration, sadness, and passion, followed by slanderous gossip, destined to live a life unfulfilled and alone. This novel begins in the late 1800’s, and takes you through important historical events, leading all the way up to the start of WWI and the collapse of the Hapsburg empire.

I love historical fiction because I feel like I am learning something while being immersed in a captivating story. This book took me through a whole realm of emotions. Sadness in the realization that she was in a loveless marriage, excitement in her joy of traveling and finding adventure, heartwarming in the way she loved her children, but couldn’t figure out how to be a mother to them, all the internal struggles and hardships of the young Empress.

Allison’s elegant writing style flows naturally making Sisi an immersive novel that is entertaining, and an easy read. However, in reading this the reader will come to view Sisi as a selfish, ignorant, immature, and irresponsible leader who disrespected her husband, the Emperor, and was clueless about how to be a mother. I found her character conflicting. At one point she returns to the court to rescue her son, the Prince, who was being mistreated, and she was firm and stood up to her husband and other advisors and did what she thought was best for her child, but then the next chapter she is off riding horses and neglecting her responsibilities. The ending felt rather anti-climactic, despite the traumatic events that were occurring.  I enjoyed the book for entertainment purposes. It was quite lengthy, but I had no trouble reading the 420 pages in 2 days.

In response to the many reviews saying that Allisons’s research wasn’t done well and had many historical inaccuracies… I guess I would just say keep in mind it is fiction and enjoy the story.

You can order the book from Amazon here. Enjoy!

 

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