*Please note: This post contains affiliate links.
I love books that take us on adventures. And while I’d never have the desire to sail across the ocean in my real life, I’m all for experiencing it through the pages of a book.
Because of this, I couldn’t help but love The Wanderer (Amazon Affiliate Link) by Sharon Creech. This story pulled me in from those first lines: “The sea, the sea, the sea. It rolled and rolled and called to me.”
The Wanderer is the story of a girl named Sophie who sails to England with her three uncles and her cousins Cody and Brian.
Cody also has a part in telling the story, since we experience the narrative through his and Sophie’s travel logs.
But The Wanderer is more than an adventure across the ocean. There is an intrigue and mystery to the nature of the sea—and to the story of our protagonist, Sophie, which is slowly unraveled. I love the exploration of nature, relationships, and history the travelers experience as they cross the ocean. And, to add an element of suspense, we see the challenges of survival at sea during very gripping scenes.
The Wanderer reminds us that our pasts will always be part of us—but also, our pasts are not something we need to fear. In the present, we are loved. In the present, we have new opportunities and new adventures. In the present, we can find a place to belong.
Is there something from your past that continues to haunt you? Do you carry regrets or fears on your shoulders?
I would encourage you, today, to lay it down. To know that you don’t need to carry that on your own. And to surrender it in favor of life in the present moment. While Sophie and Cody talk a bit about the nature of life, they don’t talk about the freedom Jesus offers us. But that’s what came to my mind as I read. God is so good to us, in helping us overcome the past in favor of the adventures of the present moment!
By the way, Sharon Creech has some other great stories too. One of my favorites is Walk Two Moons (Amazon Affiliate Link). You can read the review for that one here.
And never forget . . . you are wonderfully created.
Love,
Becca
