when others shuddered.

last saturday morning brought me back to the my saturday mornings when i lived in Chicago. with a book in hand, i disappeared into a Starbucks (downing a vanilla macchiato - my new fave!) and became enraptured by this recently released book, When Others Shuddered written by one of my favorite college professors and friend, Jamie Janosz.

When Others Shuddered is a compilation of eight stories about eight women who were ordinary and determined and refused to give up on life, on personal struggles or on their dreams. these women brought me back to the historic days of skirts that trailed the dusty ground and when education was viewed only for men; however, skirts and social boundaries did not keep these women's passions from spurring them forward. it was their faith in God that gave them the strength, compassion and love to do the work they were called to do - from loving the unlovable to accomplishing what seemed to be impossible.

growing up in a Christian environment, there were a few stories that i was familiar with ; however, Mrs. Janosz' gave me fresh insight on the familiar stories as well as introduced me to some brand new ones. my favorites were the ones on Emma Dryer and Nettie McCormick, two women who became a personal inspiration to me.

the beautifully narrated stories of these women's lives reiterated that these were ordinary women with hearts that yearned for more than this world could offer them. they weren't perfect women but they surrendered their lives to God, allowing Him to use them - from helping so many helpless people during the Chicago Fire or crafting gorgeous hymns for generations to sing or sharing His love through teaching His Word and assisting in laying the foundation to very college i attended!

to be honest, it's been a rough couple of weeks for me. transitioning to a new job. making decisions about the future. learning to trust God with the unknown. but what i'm thankful for is the timing that this book arrived in my hands and thankful for the stories that spoke volumes in that just because life is hard, doesn't mean that it is impossible to tackle. it truly is amazing to see what God can do in the willing hearts and lives of ordinary women - women just like you and me.

much love. {happy tuesday, friend.}