Tilt a Little Higher A Devotion by Jamin Baldwin

Up early to meet a friend for morning coffee, I noticed an orange glow peeking around my curtain. The sunrise! 

   

Excited I went to the window to snap a photo. As I pulled back the curtain and lifted my camera, I noticed an old abandoned trailer and a trash heap marring the bottom half of my photo. Tilting my camera gently higher, I smiled as I cut all the ugliness from view.

  

 You know we've all done it. Found that perfectly wonderful picture of our child or something beautiful. But, when we go to take the picture you notice something undesirable in the background. So, what do we do? We clean it from view, or keep turning until all we can see is the beautiful things. So, the ugly doesn't become a distraction and rob the spotlight. 

    

Oh, that we did the same in our day to day lives. The Bible tells us to think on things that are lovely,  pure and virtuous. If only we would stop looking at the ugly things in our lives. Stop focusing on the mess. On the abandonment. On the trash marring the view.

   

Allow yourself the pleasure of focusing on the beautiful things in your life. The ugly will always be there. But, it's not worth taking a picture of. 

   

Tilt a little higher. 

About Jamin:

I have many writing passions, Historical romance and poetry topping my list of favorites. I also enjoy brainstorming and critiquing with other writers.

All Things Beautiful: A Book Review

Do you enjoy historical novels? Fantasy? Romance? With Keely Brooke Keith's Uncharted series you get a little bit of everything. 

For the most part, I'm a purist when it comes to book genres. I want to know what I'm getting when I pick up a book that claims to be a historical novel, or a contemporary, etc., so I was skeptical when I was introduced to Ms. Brooke Keith's series. 

A few pages into the first book, and I was hooked. The author's vivid description of dress, customs, and day-to-day life immersed me in the mid-1800s, then their boat arrived at "The Land," and fantasy took over. The fantasy elements are not Dragons of Pern or Lord of the Rings, but otherworldly, nonetheless. I enjoyed the fusion, and eagerly await each installment.  Here is my review.

I read the first two books of the Uncharted Beginnings series and was thrilled to sit down again to immerse myself in the community of Good Springs. This story focused on Hannah Vestal and Henry Roberts who are both carry lots of emotional baggage and don’t quite know what to do with their growing attraction to each other. Hannah’s promise to her dying mother to raise her siblings makes her believe she doesn’t deserve a life of her own, and Henry’s injury and past romantic failures weigh heavy on his mind. Once again, the author has created complex and relatable characters who I rooted from the beginning of the story. Their journey to maturation is full of twists and turns, forcing them to look inside as well as try to understand the other. I enjoyed the descriptions of the pioneer-type life. Items must be hunted, foraged, grown, or produced, and the community uses a barter system which I found fascinating. The council system the village uses to govern itself is also interesting. The Land is on an island, so expansion is limited. I will be interested to see where Ms. Brooke-Keith continues to go with this series.

I received a copy of the book from free from the author, and review was not required. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book Blurb: It’s 1868 in the settlement of Good Springs, and Hannah Vestal is passionate about writing fiction and keeping her stories to herself. By lantern light she slips into her story world and dreams the adventures she’ll never experience. When her father asks to read her work, she decides to have it printed secretly for his 50th birthday. Hannah tries to arrange the printing with the settlement’s pressman, but the witty and dapper Henry Roberts won’t make it easy for her to prove her writing is worthy of his ink. If Henry Roberts did nothing else for the rest of his life but print and bind books, he would die a satisfied man. In order to secure settlement support for his printing press, the elder council says Henry must print an error-free copy of the New Testament before the settlement’s 8th anniversary celebration. He is determined to meet their challenge, but when the enigmatic Hannah proves to be a beguiling distraction, Henry longs for something more than a life at the letterpress. Purchase link: www.amazon.com/dp/B07954FB2B Linda Shenton Matchett is an author, journalist, and history geek. A native of Baltimore, Maryland, she was born a stone's throw from Fort McHenry and has lived in historic places all her life. She is a member of ACFW, RWA, and Sisters in Crime. In her spare time she is a volunteer docent at the Wright Museum of WWII and a trustee for her local public library. To learn more about Linda and her books visit http://LindaShentonMatchett.com where you can sign up for her monthly newsletter. Enjoy history? Watch her YouTube videos.