Southern Comfort (ISBN 0971225958)

"Opening the scriptures regularly will throw a log on your fire and keep your heart warm.":
The more I read and hear the words of Shellie Rushing Tomlinson, the more I am impressed with her strength. She has the rare skill of communicating wise words laced with side-splitting hilarity. Shellie epitomizes the Proverbs 31 Woman as in Proverbs 31:10: "Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies." Her life has not always been easy, but she is a woman with goals in her life, and she does not let problems defeat her. Instead she turns every challenge into something to celebrate with laughter, and she keeps working while she laughs. Her greatest strength is that which she gains by relying on the Lord. At first I thought she was simply a comic, but soon I saw that all she does is to share her faith in Christ Jesus and to glorify Him. She seeks to give comfort - her Southern Comfort - to all those who listen to her or read her books. As she explains in the Introduction to Southern Comfort, she begins her selections with her porch chat, which is her rambling about this and that on the front porch. After that she adds her Southern jokes and quotes. Never confrontational, she tries to make people comfortable. Then she slips in some inspiration. When I first looked at the book, I noted that she has wise sayings at the end of each selection. These are placed on separate pages. I first thought, "Where did she get these?" Then when I started reading, I realized that these sayings are quotations from her clever writing. They are often the essence of whatever it is she is saying in the preceding essay. Here are some examples of her pithy Southern sayings: I hope you're not dreading the future; God is already there. God longs to hold you close and kiss your skinned knees. Are you willing? Faith accepts that God is good and life is hard. The setting of Southern Comfort is the area where she has lived, mostly the Mississippi delta on the Louisiana side of the river. She also takes the reader across the river to Natchez, Mississippi, to visit her grandparents. Having lived in Mississippi and Louisiana, I love hearing about the life she describes. She has open eyes and ears to the ways of the Lord right where she is and has been. And she freely shares her intimate thoughts to use them to help others. Southern Comfort can be read straight through, but I think it is better to read two or three of the little selections per day. It is just enough to enjoy with a cup of coffee during a break in a busy day. It would be an ideal gift for any woman interested in turning life's struggles into a celebration of life. Men can enjoy it too; in fact, men love her Southern style and offhanded humor. This book would make an excellent gift.