Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Review: Seasons of Solace

Originally posted here on May 11, 2010 as "Seasons of Solace (review)"

I was contacted several weeks ago to review a book of grief poetry and photography. Days after agreeing, Seasons of Solace: a story of healing through photos and poems, by Janelle Shantz Hertzler arrived. Ms. Hertzler, a native of Canada, now lives in Pennsylvania with her young son, after losing her husband to a drunk driver while they served as missionaries in Thailand. The book itself is beautiful, and the cover art immediately drew me in. (Although, with two babies, it did take me a while to finish the entire 77 page book).



The photography is breathtaking. Focusing on nature scenes, Ms. Hertzler's technique makes the simplest image of a leaf or feather serene in both natural beauty and heartbreaking sorrow. Without looking back at the pages, in my mind's eye, I can see a photograph of a red leaf against river rocks. At first glance, it is a natural eavesdropping of a fallen leave against a riverbed. But, from a grief perspective, the blood red leaf lays alone against the dry, waterless stone. Soft on hard. Life dying on death.

Ms. Hertzler rediscovered her love of poetry in response to her grief, and as a tool for releasing her feelings. Although only a few of the poems in their entirety spoke to my heart, the majority of them had sections of them that brought tears to my eyes or made me think "Yes, I understand...". Poems like "Gap in Time" (I sit in an unseen gap in time./He's dead. I don't know it.../Emptiness between the wings of cherubim,/where God said, "I will be met."), and "Pearl Earrings" ("Dead inside,/I resolve to join the living.../Choosing to love and live/is no guarantee there/wont be more loss and death") have lines that caused my breath to catch in their brisk honesty , while her musings on picking up her husband's things in "Personal Effects" will speak to anyone who is left with only tangible reminders of a life lived and the ignorance of thoughtless words. But it is the simply titled "Your Stories" that brings the measure of loss to full impact. ("So many stories have gone/that only you knew.../You are so much more/than thesum of your stories./Yet that is all we have left,/so we will cherish them.").

Overall, I would give this book 4 out of 5, and would recommend it for those who have lost older children or adults close to them (although, those who have lost pregnancies, infants, and young children will also find poignant moments that speak to the soul as well). Curl up with the book, a hot cup of herbal tea, and a window view on a stormy afternoon at dusk, and let yourself grieve and grow.

Interested in winning a copy for yourself? Leave a comment below, and I will randomly pick a winner via drawing names of readers out of a hat! The giveaway will end on Friday (May 14th).

For more information on the author, you can click here and to buy a copy of Seasons of Solace, you can find it here.

In full disclosure, while I was not compensated for reviewing this book, I did receive a copy at no cost (a $17.95 value).

Seasons of Solace
by Janelle Shantz Hertzler
Published by Synergy Books (c)2010
ISBN: 978-0984076048
$17.95 list price

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Wild Boar

Originally posted here on April 29, 2010 as "Mama's in the Kitchen"

Well, the wild boar was a success! I'm not too unhappy with it, seeing as it was my first time ever cooking it, but in the future, I think I'd deduct about 5-7 minutes from the recommended cooking time. It wasnt dry, but without the demiglaze I made, I dont think it would have been as moist. Where do you even get wild boar? It's not something our local grocer carries, LOL! But when the FIL has his mind set on something, a local grocer is no obstacle! Not sure how to cook your wild boar? I marinated mine all day in a cherry juice teriyaki, some apple cider, and mango juice, with several stalks of rosemary, thyme, and sage. In an oven-safe frying pan, I sautéed, in butter and olive oil, some red onion, golden apple, and dates, then seared the tenderloins for 3 minutes on both sides, before popping the entire pan into the oven at 350 degrees. All the recipes I'd investigated for hints on how to cook suggested 20-25 minutes, until a thermometer registered 150-155, then to let the meat sit for 5 minutes. I cooked it for 25 minutes, and a thermometer only hit 145 but, because it was obviously done, I sliced it and then, in the pan, added some cider to deglaze and brought that to a boil to make a quick reduction, which was poured over the sliced meat. (In the future, I think I'd cook for no more than 20 minutes). I served it with pickled red cabbage, apple-date stuffing, homemade golden delicious apple sauce, zucchini topped with herbed tomatoes, and, of course, a salad (with raspberry pecan dressing). And whole wheat yeast rolls! All together, I was really happy with the way it came out. I made a kissass carrot cake with my favorite (ande quick) homemade cream cheese frosting. Yummy!

Now I'm hungry! Since the kids are watching Kung-Fu Panda (this is their favorite, right after the Rosary for Kids, which, although I find the child-angel a little creepy, they seem to love!). I only let them watch about half an hour, so it takes us a while to get through the whole movie (it's about 90 minutes), but it's a nice quiet time (when both are interested) for me to fold laundry or eat breakfast!