March 2023 Newsletter

Spring Stirrings

Last month, I was excited to offer a variety of Valentine/love-themed books & gifts in the bookshop, and I so enjoyed helping you find something special for your special someone. Now, as the days are beginning to lengthen and become more and more filled with beautiful sunshine and warm weather, I’m very much looking forward to Spring, which officially begins this month on Monday, March 20.

Inside the bookshop, Spring has already arrived, with many books & gift items that are all about the season and the upcoming Easter celebration. The bookshop’s Spring merchandise includes Easter-focused adult & children’s books, devotionals, coloring books, bookmarks, greeting cards & stationary, garden flags, porch boards, t-shirts, caps, and much more.

I’m also continuing to carry a Book Basket exclusive item - candles that are handmade using natural soy wax and essential oils (no harmful chemicals or dyes!). New floral scents, like magnolia and wisteria, are now available. So if you haven’t already, I hope you’ll visit the bookshop soon, check out the selection, and get ready for Spring with me!

As Spring starts to stir, I hope something in you is stirring as well.

Something like excitement for the change happening both in the natural world and maybe in your own life. Something like awe at how our Heavenly Father orchestrates creation and how He blesses & cares for us through the seasons. Something like comfort as you are warmed by the sun and thrilled as you feel the soft winds against your skin. Something like hope as you notice the flowers and trees beginning to bud, knowing soon they’ll burst into blooms. Something like joy and thankfulness as you realize anew how creation, through every season, speaks of God, and how Spring in particular, reminds us of the new life & fresh starts we always have in Christ.

Book of the Month

With St. Patrick’s Day being celebrated this month on Friday, March 17, I’ve chosen St. Patrick of Ireland by author Philip Freeman as the Book of the Month.

In this historical biography of this famous saint, Freeman follows Patrick’s personal life through all its ups and downs, exploring Patrick’s aristocratic family history and his cultural & religious upbringing. Writing vividly about the abduction that resulted in Patrick being held as a slave in Ireland for six years, Freeman highlights Patrick’s change from atheist to true believer. He then chronicles Patrick’s escape to freedom and his compassionate return to Ireland where he devoted the rest of his life to ministering to the people there, a ministry that ultimately influenced the whole country. So much about St. Patrick is distorted by myth and legend, so I hope you’ll join me this month in reading this inspiring true story and learning about the real-life Patrick.