Jessica McCarty, Author

"Music is the medicine of the mind." --John Logan My newest practice? Starting the day with music. And I'm not talking about after I've made my tea. I mean before I get out of bed. If you're like me, mornings are hard. You might need a good pump-up jam to start the day. Why not give it a try? What I've been reading . . . My Sister's Big Fat Indian Wedding  by Sajni Patel YA Romance My Sister's Big Fat Greek Wedding  with a dash of American Idol . Stone by Ronie Kendig The Metcalfes, Bk. 1 Christian Fiction Ronie at her best! A definite recommend!! All the Stars and Teeth  by Adalyn Grace All the Stars and Teeth, Bk. 1 YA Fantasy Bastian once asked me why I didn't just find a crew and save myself. But what he didn't realize was that I'd already found them--this was my crew, and I hold them tight. A crew made up of a princess, the fiancé she'd rather remain a friend, a pirate, and a mermaid. Need I say more? *Warning for sensitive readers...

"You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." --Dr. Seuss If you enjoy romances, I have a nice little list for you.😉Except for Storm Siren , I've been reading lots of soft and squishy books this month.💜 What I've been reading . . . The Library of Lost Things  by Laura Taylor Namey YA Romance Don't you know? You've got me, Wells. Storm Siren by Mary Weber YA Fantasy Storm Siren trilogy, Bk.1 Re-read The Upside of Falling  by Alex Light YA Romance You're the best girlfriend I never had, Becca Hart. Flirting with Fate by J.C. Cervantes YA Fantasy (magical realism) You can always recognize the love when it belongs to you. This book was so unexpected! A family blessing in danger of being lost forever, a ghost grandma, & a goofy patron saint of teeth. Loved, loved, loved it! *Warning for sensitive readers: language. What I've been listening to . . . "Wild Things" by Alessia Ca...

 "The wind blows where it chooses . . ." John 3:8a (NRSVCE) This verse came to mind when I was in the grocery store yesterday. It's funny how often I feel like the Lord is speaking something when I'm getting groceries. It makes me wonder if He's like, "I know this isn't your favorite. Let Me keep you company." After I'd finished running my errands, I was flipping through the radio stations. I'm incredibly picky when it comes to music. I finally landed on a station playing "Let It Go" by James Bay. There was a line that really grabbed me. "Everything that's broke, leave it to the breeze." Whatever you're dealing with today, leave that business to the Breeze. What I've been reading . . . Praying with Jane  by Rachel Dodge Nonfiction The author takes three prayers written by Jane Austen and breaks them down into a three section, thirty-day devotional. To Love a Viking by Heather Day Gilbert & Jen Cudmore Tavla...

 "Hulk smash!" --The Incredible Hulk On Father's Day, my family gathered together at my parent's house for a cookout. The kitchen door opened repeatedly as people arrived. One person caught both my and my husband's attention. My three-year-old nephew was wearing an Incredible Hulk mask. We were torn between laughing and feeling slightly uncomfortable as he stared us down, mean mugging and unblinking. J is his own brand of awesome. I may be biased, but I think all my nieces and nephews are. Lately, I've been feeling particularly thankful for my siblings and their littles. I'm amazed at how personalities can shine through such tiny people in big ways.💚I want them to embrace every beautiful part of themselves, to discover and grow and flourish. Too often we get disconnected from those parts of ourselves. Take some time today and think about the things that made you happy when you were a child. Was it painting? Did you love to climb trees? Were you the person...

"Nice! I did it!" I have had this quote in my head ever since I saw the cutest Tik Tok video while tapping through stories on Instagram. An adorable little girl proceeds to go down a slide and not very gracefully! She reaches the bottom of the slide headfirst, barely catching herself on her hands. Then she joyfully announces, "Nice! I did it!" I watched this video over and over, chuckling every time. But I was also struck by the fact that not only was she right, she did go down the slide, but it didn't matter what it looked like to her. She'd done it! A couple of weeks ago, my sweet sister graduated from law school. There were multiple moves, juggling home life and studying, not to mention figuring out how to handle her and her daughter's online school during lockdowns. I'm sure there were times when she felt like she was going down a slide headfirst. But when she reached the end, she'd done it! And let me tell you, she was absolutely glowing on ...

Normally, I like to start the blog with something that's been on my mind or heart. But this time around, I didn't really have anything to share. This bothered me a bit until I realized I still hadn't posted a poem I recently discovered in a library book. And it's absolutely ponder-worthy! "We Wear the Mask" by Paul Laurence Dunbar We wear the mask that grins and lies, It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes-- This debt we pay to human guile; With torn and bleeding hearts we smile, And mouth with myriad subtleties. Why should the world be over-wise, In counting all our tears and sighs? Nay, let them only see us, while We wear the mask. We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries To thee from tortured souls arise. We sing, but oh the clay is vile Beneath our feet, and long the mile; But let the world dream otherwise, We wear the mask! What I've been reading . . . Thorn  by Intisar Khanani YA Fantasy * The Winner's Curse (The Winner's trilogy, Bk. 1) * T...

 "Slow down. Take it in stride . . . Keeping me loose in a world wound tight." --Slow Down // Joel Ansett The last couple of weeks, I've been thinking about pace. It was first brought to my attention when I was reading John 2. In the beginning of the chapter, Jesus turns water into wine. Verse six says, "Now standing there were six stone water jars . . . each holding twenty or thirty gallons." (NRSVCE) That's anywhere from 120 to 180 gallons of water made into wine! Can you imagine being a servant and you and your companions getting over a hundred gallons of water from a well or nearby stream? Talk about working your muscles! But then the chapter moves on to the cleansing of the temple. Verse 15 says, "Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple . . ." (NRSVCE) Did you catch that? Making a whip. I think most of us read that scene and are struck by what happens after, as if Jesus got angry and lost it. But he took the time to make...