In a recent conversation with someone near and dear, we discussed the good and the bad of what I write about. Please don’t get me wrong, this was not an argument in any way. I know there’s some trepidation on the part of some people… So, I thought I’d share a few thoughts on this topic. As in all things there’s both good and evil, light and dark… In this conversation we both agreed that just like in Star Wars, there’s good and bad, and there’s a balance between the two. We have to have, the really good to make up for the really bad…
I think sometimes we hear so much about the bad in our world that we can forget to look for the good. We hear about the war, terrorism, the civil unrest (even in our own country) and we see the bad. I don’t like to think about the bad guys who’ve hurt people, like Jim Jones or Warren Jeffs, but they are there and they did what they did. I like to focus on the good guys like Mother Theresa, Elenore Roosevelt, Eliza R. Snow, Jacob Hamblin, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, Joe Darger… the list goes on and on… people who live and lived as real heroes.
I’m a very Pollyanna kind of person – if you don’t know who Pollyanna is please google it – but in short, she’s the girl who always looks for the good in every situation. I see the bad just as much as anyone else, but I choose to focus on the good. I see people helping people, I see people standing up for what they believe in, I see people finding happiness in adversity. So, I write about the good things, I don’t focus on the bad, there’s enough people writing about and reporting that. I hope to be the balance and show the good in our world…
In my book New Parish Sarah finds a way to be happy while discovering a very different way to live… the dark side of things are discussed, but I focus on the good.
Excerpt from New Parish:
Chapter 2 – Undecided
“Later that night there was a knock on Sarah’s bedroom door, “Come in,” she said, but Hannah had already opened the door and was entering the room.
“Hey,” she said tentatively.
“Hey,” Sarah replied curiously.
“So, tell me about this New Parish place and plural marriage,” Hannah said, as she plopped down at the end of Sarah’s bed and sat with her legs crossed like an Indian – just like she used to do when they were kids.
“What do you want to know?” Sarah inquired with surprise.
“You’re not the only one who’s had “dating” experiences with guys who aren’t who you want to spend your life with. If this is a good thing, I might think about considering it too,” explained Hannah.
“Oh,” Sarah said, now in complete surprise. “Okay, well, what I’ve learned so far is that they have the same beliefs we were taught growing up in the church, except, they still have everything that was restored and didn’t give anything up, back in the day.”
“Okay, so how do they do it?” Hannah urged her sister on.
“They use an old traditional matchmaking system, but no dowries. The girls have freedom to choose and get out of the marriage if it’s not working out. Brother Michael, the church leader is so funny…”
Sarah spent over two hours explaining what she’d learned to Hannah. When Hannah finally left her room, Sarah felt like she somehow understood the whole thing better. As she lay there drifting off to sleep she thought, “Maybe explaining to Hannah clarified things in my own mind.” She felt very much at peace with things, and hoped she could stay that way.”
Find all the answers to Sarah’s journey in New Parish!
New Parish by Julie Worthington on Amazon.com –
Also available at:
Barnesandnoble.com
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/new-parish-julie-worthington/1129421210?ean=9781732224001
Bee’s Grocery (in Centennial Park)
Changing Hands Bookstores in Phoenix and Tempe AZ
Coming soon to many new bookstores!
