Book Review: Ordinary Time

I'm awestruck by how many endorsements this little debut book of essays has accumulated. Anne Bogel, author of I'd Rather Be Reading, writes of the book, "Ordinary Time feels like a long conversation with a good friend about the things in life that matter most, the kind of talk that leaves you feeling both grounded and inspired." Of course, I am unfamiliar with the author or her podcast, From the Front Porch. Several friends have tried to turn me into a podcast junkie, but I spend my days in other ways. Thus, I had never heard of Annie B. Jones or From the Front Porch. I'm glad to know them now.

I felt a kinship with Annie almost immediately, when I read that she and her best friend enjoyed playing boarding school. What? Really? In one of my parents' many Salvation Army appointments, I had a friend named Amy. Our favorite thing to do was plot starting our own boarding school. We planned out what the dorm rooms would look like (down to the furniture), who would attend, and what they would  study.

If only I had the wherewithal to develop and run a podcast about books. Alas, I realize, I'm not gifted in that way. Indeed, perhaps it is my age. I had to laugh when Annie is talking about people 20 or 30 years older than her (She seems to be in her mid-to-late-thirties) and she says she's always felt comfortable with "the elderly." Oh, my! I'm elderly. No wonder I'm falling on treadmills.

Getting all the references to the movies, shows, and books made my heart happy. I love the structure of the book. She breaks it down into 5 categories: Staying Friends, Staying Put, Staying Faithful, Staying Grounded, and Staying You. The writing is smooth and easy to follow. I could relate to many topics raised.

I had to note a quote I'd never encountered before. There's a different quote about friendship by C. S. Lewis, but this one says, "For a Christian, there are, strictly speaking, no chances. A secret master of ceremonies has been at work. Christ, who said to the disciples, 'Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you,' can truly say to every group of Christian friends, 'Ye have not chosen one another but I have chosen you for one another.' The friendship is not a reward for our discriminating and good taste in finding one another out. It is the instrument by which God reveals to each of us the beauties of others." What a beautiful concept! I think Annie B. Jones and I could be friends in-real-life. Although I'm not much into "deconstructing one's faith," our shared love of books might carry us through.