Becoming Gertrude

     BOOK REVIEW:   ''Come in---I'll get us some lemonade.''  With those words, a teenage Jan Peterson was welcomed onto her Southern neighbor's back porch and into a lifelong bond of friendship. And like her friend, Jan now opens her own life to us, offering five elements---caring, acceptance, service, hospitality, and encouragement---that lead to rich, faithful friendships. In these pages, Jan speaks into the everyday rhythms of life, encouraging, guiding, and identifying the ways we can flourish as we, too, are Becoming Gertrude to our friends.

     MY REVIEW:   I expected this book to be about friendship as friendship usually is. And it is. But there is a concept included that gave me pause: being a Spiritual Friend. I would call it being a friend to someone's Soul. Caring about them in a deeper way than we usually do. I had to think about that for a bit, and wonder why it surprised me.
     As I read through this book, I realized that being a friend is never as easy as I expect. There is incredible work in being a good friend. Not to mention sacrifice, unselfish, and putting others before yourself. Throughout this book, Jan writes of instances and occasions in her life that relate to and illustrate the chapters. Her book is enjoyable to read. I was especially impressed with her sacrifice in response to world hunger. She decided to remind herself of the problem by changing the way she cooked---less meat, making more with less, etc. While this didn't solve anything, it kept her aware and thinking about it.
     This book is not long, 140 pages cover to cover, not as tall as a full-size book, and written in slightly larger print.  It is a beautiful hardcover book---deep blue under the jacket with marbled yellow inside the cover. I felt cheerful just looking at it. :) It would make a lovely gift, or coffee table book. I was, however, disappointed that she used the MESSAGE for her scripture references. I like a bible with more substance than that one.

  I received a copy of this book from TYNDALE PUBLISHERS and was not required to write a positive review.