Timeless...

I am one who believes that all stories that draw us in are reflections of THE great and true story. (By this, I am referring to God's great story of rescue, redemption, and restoration!) All stories reflect this Story; some do it well, others do it in fragments and broken pieces.

There are those stories, that truly grip your heart...the ones that have you all caught up in something greater and grander...the ones that stir your heart and remind you of all the things your heart dares to hope.

Today, in light of a back that's giving me trouble, and new school curriculum and supplies that haven't yet arrived, we took the day to read one of my favorites. It's been awhile, so I was unprepared to be fighting back tears as I read. 

Back in the "camp days", when Ben worked for a Christian Camp, this book was used as the basis for their program theme one year. 

Imagine my surprise, when going through old pictures, and I found a picture of myself holding a copy of this book. That was....well, at least 20 years ago, and it's still tugging on my heart today. Here is the picture of me with the book, next to Emma holding the book we are reading today. 

I'll leave you with a couple of excerpts:

"And so the boy escaped from the perilous Enchanted City because he was a hunter at heart and hunters always find more than they know."

"And the boy learned that a kingdom is a place where it is not enough to say the King's name. One must do the King's will in the King's way or lose the Kingdom altogether."

"So the pig girl left her pigs for the sake of the One she loved. And she became the clean one, who had a tender place in her heart for all things ugly because she knew a King who could find something beautiful in every garbage heap."