Dear Reader:

I think part of my problem with my recent illness was my ego got damaged. You see I don’t get sick. I know this sounds bizarre to say from a long-term ( on-going cancer patient) but I can count on one hand how many times I have had any kind of virus-even a common cold in the past years.

I can be in room where everyone else gets sick from some virus… but not me. It is like life has given me a trade-off for living with cancer- cancer yes… viruses no!!!

Whatever ” bug” I had was brutal but swift. It hit without notice leaving me completely drained of energy but yesterday morning I woke up and immediately sensed that I was back in my body again… the worst was over… suddenly I was hungry. Always a good sign!

One very bright side of being sick ( I forgot to add yesterday) was that by yesterday I was ready to resume reading… my head was clear again. The greatest gift given a reader is a line or passage that makes you stop, put down the book and ponder the line.

Louise Penny is a master at subtle but powerful connections between her characters.

What I love about her latest book is her intentional fall-back in time to the fragile, horrific case that started the enduring, long-term relationship between Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and Jean-Guy Beauvoir.

Throughout this novel a returning thought felt by Beauvoir during this horrifying case is deliberately and continuously included in the story… almost as a forewarning to the reader that whatever you are thinking about the case , at any point, is probably wrong. The thought that consumes Beauvoir is ” There is always another story, there is more than meets the eye.”

Louise Penny writes as if she is peeling an onion… slowly but deliberately taking off the layers of deception to final reveal the truth.

I find myself thinking every time I read Beauvoir’s recurring thoughts that this statement is so true of life. Outside our family and close friends… most of us just know the people around us at ” face value.” If we really knew the cleaner, the pharmacist, the insurance agent, the plumber or electrician… I have a feeling that we would all find another story inside them… that ” there is more than meets the eye” good or not.

We shouldn’t be too quick to judge a person’s actions before knowing the whole story or as Paul Harvey taught us … The Rest of the Story. It is always the story behind the story that surprises us.

So until tomorrow… Isn’t it nice to know that we are lucky enough to have God in our lives-for He is the only One whose judgement matters… why? Because God created us , knows our every thought and action… because He, alone knows each of our stories behind the story. He knows it all!

Today is my favorite day-Winnie the Pooh ( and a blustery one) awoke to tornado watches and dangerous thunderstorms predictions-we did get some initial torrential storms but mainly just a rainy day… perfect for reading. Excuse me while I return to my book!