Monday, February 1, 2021

A Month of Giveaways: Week 1

Many of you are familiar with Dorcas Smucker; I have followed her blog and social media accounts for years. You may remember that I've given away several of her books, one being the giveaway where everyone who entered received a book! Today, I have a book for you that was written by her daughter. 

I'm not sure when I started reading Emily's blog. I'm thinking it may have been the first time Dorcas and her daughters collaborated to post every day for a month? At any rate, I've followed along there for a while now; if not reading every single post, usually going back and playing catch up. I even joined her patreon account, which I rarely ever do. And, I pre-ordered her book, which is also a bit unusual for me. 

How honest do you get in a book review?

Emily and I have very different personalities. Granted, I've never met her in person but some things are pretty obvious. Following along with her blogs, there have been plenty of times when I rolled my eyes at her adventurous and (to me) impractical spirit. Her writing isn't always necessarily my style and I even confess that when I heard she was writing a book, I didn't think it would be that great. 

So why did I buy it?

I think it was when I signed up for her patreon posts that my feelings began to shift a bit. I discovered a depth to her heart and a connection with some of her beliefs and feelings that I hadn't seen before. Then, she wrote a post about the story behind the book and described how her editor encouraged her to dig deeper than just, "I did this crazy thing, and then I did that thing, and then I locked my keys in the car again." And instead asked, "But how did that make you feel?" Something about that intrigued me and I made the decision to pre-order the book. 

I must say, my earlier thought that a book by Emily would not be that great was completely and totally wrong. My deepest apologies. I loved The Highway and Me and My Earl Grey Tea; loved it. And I think I loved it because of Emily's hard work in asking "how did it make me feel".

The book is about Emily spending a year traveling around the United States, living in a different Mennonite community every month. It was fun to read about many communities and names and events that were familiar to me. Emily's candid impressions had me laughing many times. I learned about Mennonite expressions and habits that I'd never heard of before. It was intriguing to read about different communities and the way they socialized. But Emily's book also made me cry. 

The underlying theme in Emily's book is connection. She writes, "At the beginning of the year, I thought I wanted to escape, but what I really wanted was connection. I thought I wanted to find myself, to figure out where I wanted to live, and to figure out if I could be a real writer. But what I really wanted was to understand my place in this world." Who of us can not identify with that?

Reading through her journey, I found my own heart throbbing with the same questions she was facing -- Who am I? Where do I belong? What do I really want? Her poignant conclusion at the end of the book had me wiping tears again the other day as I re-read it: "This year had taught me that relationships and connections are what really matter. And you can't grow connections when you're always escaping."

When I decided to do another month of giveaways, I reached out to Emily, and she  has graciously agreed to give away a copy of The Highway and Me and My Earl Grey Tea to one of my readers! You can also order a copy of her book here. I am pretty sure you will enjoy it as much as I did. 

Connection is an interesting thing, made even more complicated by the fact that we don't all find it in the same way. I have learned that the things that make people feel connection are as diverse as the people themselves! For example, my husband feels the most connected with people when they engage in disagreements with him. I on the other hand, feel the most connected with people when they say things like, "Oh, yes. I can understand why you feel that way!" 

So, I'm curious. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment telling me what makes you feel connected to other people. Or if that is too difficult to describe, I'll accept any comment...

Winner will be announced a week from today, February 8.

**The winner must have a US address the book can be shipped to.

28 comments:

Pam Laurie said...

Your question sent me pondering. When do I feel most connected to people? I think I feel most connected when there is a give and take in a conversation. There have been too many times when it has been one way, either talking all the time or listening all the time. I can't connect when I have to do all the talking or when the other person doesn't let me say anything. Even if we don't agree, if there is give and take, I feel connected with you. I love to talk, sometimes too much, and I love to listen. And I love to connect with people!

Karen said...

I feel connected when we have time to talk and the other person actually listens to me and I am also able to really hear what they're saying.

Anonymous said...

I feel connected to someone when we discuss deep soul truths. Even if it's the first time I've met someone, if we can go beyond the stiff introductions to discussing ideas and info that build Character and Godliness, I feel a connection and will remember that person fondly even if we never meet again.

Regina said...

That's an interesting question. At one time I felt connected with people when we would fellowship with Mennonites since I'm a Mennonite wannabe. Since my family doesn't want to attend a Mennonite church I had felt really disconnected. But! The ladies in my small group Bible study at the Baptist church where we attend I just love them to pieces. There are ten of us and we are very close and I feel connected to them. I don't always agree because of my Anabaptist beliefs but I wouldn't trade these ladies for anything in the world.

Mary Ann Mast said...

I feel connected to people who are real and honest. People who care about me as much as I do about them. It's a joy to connect with someone who when you meet the first time and they accept you at face value, you make a connection of some type and they remember you. The most thrilling part is when you find out they have talked to someone they know from another town and they tell them you are their friend.

Vanessa's Ventures said...

I feel connected to people when I have good conversations with them. Learning where they come from, why they do what they do, or how we're alike makes me feel like I understand them better and then I can connect better.

Elisabeth said...

I often feel a connection when people do go beyond surface conversation and share their heart in some way, and one or the other (or both) of us says, "Me too!"

Anonymous said...

Shared experiences for one but this has me pondering as well! Connections take time and energy something I find hard to do somtimes at my stage of life.

LizAnnQ said...

I feel connected when someone puts down their phone to look directly at me (if it’s in person!), or when they use a phrase I said and repeat it back to me (if it’s via a text or phone all). Something like “I just feel like peaches are amazing because they can be sweet and tart at the same time”, and they would respond “sweet AND tart! I never thought of that; I always felt they were too soft to enjoy”. Or in other words it doesn’t have to be a connection of agreement; their using words I said tells me I was truly heard.

Anonymous said...

My connection is greatly enhanced when I feel accepted without judgement.

Shelly said...

I feel connected with someone when I feel safe and can have a heart to heart conversation.

Ann said...

Good Question. What makes me feel connected. It could maybe have several answers but I think one would be working together towards common goals. Being able to have honest conversations while reaching for those goals.

Jane said...

I feel connected to people when they act like they’re actually interested in me.

Dora said...

To me connection is finding things in common with someone and feeling safe around them. When I feel like I can be myself.

Bethany said...

I feel connected when I feel heard, understood, and still accepted after all that :)

Miller scribe said...

Being an introvert, I feel connected to the people who ask me questions to draw me into conversation.

Anonymous said...

I think I'm kind of hard to be friends with. I've never had close friends. But there is one lady at church who is so very dear to me because when I chat with her I feel 'heard.' She pays attention and she responds thoughtfully. She treats me like I'm an important person in the church and in the world, instead of just another 'outsider' that should just learn to fit the mold here. She has a real gift.

Dorcas said...

Both being genuine. honest. open. heart to heart sharing. Ahh, thats well on the way to connection for me! But when you add acceptance and being understood on top of that - now that is rich!!

Rachel said...

I feel like I can connect best with someone who can share their heart with me, and listen to mine, someone who can understand what I am saying, and give encouragement or constructive criticism as needed.

Anonymous said...

Connection, I'm not even sure what that really is anymore? I think that's probably the hardest part of being an older military wife who moves every two or three years. You never fit in with the younger wives, and you're never usually in one place long enough to make really good friends. MZ

Anonymous said...

I have many friends that I seldom see. When I do have a chance to talk to them I love to ask them questions about themselves: their family, their job, etc. Depending on our level of friendship, I tend to ask general (and not too specific) questions to let them choose how detailed they want to get. Such as, "How many grandchildren do you have?" rather than, "Does all your family love the Lord?" It helps me to feel connected if they go into a lot of detail in answering my questions. And their answers can give me clues on my next questions. LRM

Brenda said...

When we can have a good back & forth conversation. And of course, having things in common always helps!!

Anonymous said...

I'm not good at long heart to heart conversation. Sometimes the small chatty joky interactions mean the most to me.

Just Me said...

I feel connection when talking with some one who has walked a path similar to mine.

Luci said...

Oooh. I'd love to win!
Good question, Bethany. I think all my ways of feeling connection have already been mentioned. 😊 I feel connection when there's give and take. And when I feel heard and understood. -Luci

Danette Martin said...

I'm happy that as a Canadian I may still enter this contest, because I have a place in the States where the book can be shipped, if I win it. (Some giveaways don't allow that option, so I can't enter) I feel connection to someone who not only listens to me and understands, but also knows how to awaken and stir up the connection-nourishing parts of my own heart.

Melinda Kornelsen said...

I feel connection in good one-on-one conversations, not usually in group conversations.

Ellie said...

I feel connected when, even if someone doesn't agree with me, I feel heard and understood. 🙂 Conflict in the main gives me a stomachache. I can't imagine feeling connected as a result of that stuff. 😆