A Severe Mercy. Estrogen disclaimer included.

I must apologize in advance.

I don't know if it's the screaming from my uterus to have another baby or the fact that I have estrogen running through my veins...

But whatever it is, it's causing me to be a little emotional these days.

Little might be an understatement.

I've just been feeling so in love with my little family.  God has not only blessed me with a healthy, happy, thriving child, but also with a supportive, funny, affectionate, and loving husband.  I am not lucky - I am blessed.  All that joy and happiness can sure do some good damage to this frail little heart 'o mine.  It hurts!  But in the best way possible.  Does that make any sense?

As I wallow in these beautiful, bittersweet, emotions, I thought it best to introduce you to a beautiful, bittersweet, emotional book.  One that also hurts, but is so beautiful, it's almost indescribable.

A Severe Mercy.

Ouch.  Just the title tugs on my heart.  And yes, my copy is well loved.  Sorry, Sheldon, about the crease through your face.

Stuart bought me this book when we first began dating.  Back then, I called him "Georgia" because he was from...Georgia.  Creative, I know.  Let's just move on.

So Stuart and I read it together.  And it was wonderful.  My pastor brought this book up in his sermon a few weeks ago, using it as an example of turning relationships (and/or the people in them) into idols.  This book is the journey of Sheldon and Davy as they fall in love, turn their relationship into an idol, and then later on fall in love with Christ.  Christ then teaches them (though painfully) to idolize Him and Him alone. 

The back panel of the book warns you of the impeding heartache that comes.  Love, life, and death.  But what makes this story beautiful is not the tragic events themselves (which inevitably come in all our lives); it's the understanding that comes with them. 

As I was reading through the book and I hit these "tragic event chapters", I called Stuart sobbing.  Bawling.  Weeping.  Heaving (you know the kind of cryin' I'm talking about).  I still remember him picking up the phone.  I couldn't say anything, I was sobbing too hard.

Hello?

*Sniff sniff* *Heave* *Sniff*

You just read about Davy, didn't you.

*Insert hysterically sobbing* Da..Da...Dav....Davy.  Oh, Davy!  My hea...hea...hea...*sniff* *heave* ...my heart hurts!

Stuart thought this conversation was funny.  I did not.

But please don't let my emotional, sobby reaction deter you.  This book is a must-read for, as the cover states, anyone who has "truly ever loved another person". 

And if you read it (as you should), feel free to call me sobbing.

I will understand.  Love is a beautiful thing.