July 22, 2017 BABY I LOVE YOUR WAY

Whether it's a puppy, kitten, duckling or newborn baby girl --there's nothing quite like a baby. They are such a precious gift. I've actually figured out why babies are SO important in families. Unbeknownst to them, they actually help us cope with the ups and downs of life. They help everything make sense--especially when we are grieving. My first son came along at a difficult time. He was born about 6 months after my father-in-law died. His birth revived the family and although we were sad, the joy he and his cousins gave us--soothed our souls and brought us great joy. Two short years later, my daughter was born helping to bridge the loss of my grandfather--the love of my life--and idol for many years. Much later--our beloved dog Jennie died. We were all devastated by her loss--she was about 15 years old--had a great life BUT we missed her terribly.  I hated coming home after work --it was TOO quiet in the house without her. There was  NO one to greet me at the door--genuinely happy to see me. I'M REALLY NOT THAT EASY TO LIVE WITH BUT JENNIE DIDN'T SEEM TO MIND.  I lasted about two weeks--before I started looking for another four-legged friend.  Ended up adopting two rescue dogs--Farrah and Maggie. Wonderful companions who immediately became part of the family. Babies, human or otherwise, bring great joy--many times

 when we need it most. I just finished reading a book where the main character developed amnesia and forgot ten year of her life including her three children. Interesting right? Anyways, I've never read Liane Moriarty before but I have to say I really enjoyed her novel of 2009 What Alice Forgot.

Alice Love is a 39 year old mother of three in the midst of a messy divorce from her husband Nick.  One day while  at a spinning class at her local gym, Alice falls off the bike, hits her head and develops amnesia. She wakes up and thinks she is a 29 year old newlywed. She has NO recollection of the last 10 years. She can't understand why her husband Nick won't visit her in the hospital or why her sister Elisabeth hardly speaks to her. And who is this Gina person everyone is whispering about??  Alice doesn't even really recognize herself either. She has become everything she despises. She is now extremely thin, obsessed with exercise--with a personal trainer to boot. She wears loads of make-up, expensive clothes and is the head of the PTA at school. She is also totally flabbergasted by motherhood and has no clue how to take care of her three children. It's a nightmare--or is it? Alice decides to put the pieces of her life back together in order to figure out how things went so terribly wrong in her marriage. Was her case of amnesia  really a blessing in disguise? Find out when you read this page-turner for yourself. I could honestly hardly put it down. It is an easy read--450 pages or only a 4 mile run--seriously. It begs the question--if you could forget 10 years of your life would you??