Meeder (Hope Rising) tells the story of an unwanted dog whose forlorn and broken heart and body called out to Meeder'sco-author, Sacher, and how, in their subsequent relationship, the dog became the agent of spiritual rescue to her owner. Together, Meeder and Sacher write about their own meeting and work at Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Oregon, where Sacher was moved to take ownership of a disabled pooch that she renamed Mia. In a completely disarming manner, Meeder relates a love story between Sacher and Mia as human and dog grew to trust one another one day, one bump, and one bruise at a time. Meeder parallels their human/canine relationship with the trust and love Sacher develops with God. With humorous and poignant asides, Meeder beautifully bridges the gap between the sad and silly, showing the lovely and forsaken aspects of the individual heart so powerfully that readers will be coaxed into revisiting their understanding of the rescue God readily offers to all.
The Review:
My Ranking: 5 out of 10
Ages 12 & up
Blind Hope was my first by Kim Meeder and I was happy with the encouraging and inspirational thoughts that were etched into the pages. The story of Chiquita Mia(Mia for short) and her owner, Laurie, touched my heart. I enjoyed learning about the lessons Laurie learned from her dog and how through Mia's unwavering loyalty, though maybe a bit fiesty at times, Laurie recognized that her relationship with God was lacking, at the least, and that she was in need of His life giving grace.
While I did find this book a bit soft at times, there were several things pointed out that I couldn't agree more with. Laruie learns that love isn't a feeling, but a choice. She learned this when she acquired Mia and she wasn't the pretty, blue-eyed dog she'd expected. Still, she felt obligated to take Mia home - so she did. And she gained a best friend who taught her more about life than she ever could have imagined.
Another thing I found that I loved about the book is that Laurie realizes that happiness is choice; not just something some people are gifted with.
"Well, I'm learning through the actions of my dog that happiness is a choice; it's not something that just happens to people. I'm responsible to choose it - not to wait for it to choose me. I heard recently that happiness is based on our outward circumstances, but joy - real joy - comes from the inside, from God."
I loved that! SO true!
All that being said, I did find the book a bit lengthy and not too unique. I have a book called Lessons From A Sheepdog that had pretty much the same idea...and 112 pages shorter. I did enjoy Lessons From A Sheepdog more than Blind Hope, but both showed the amazing lessons a dog can teach you.
This book was perfectly clean and I would recommend it for ages 12 and up, as I don't believe anyone under that age would enjoy it. Meeder's writing was exceptional and her descriptions were detailed. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a sweet, simple story about an unwanted dog, and the woman she rescued.
If you are interested in purchasing Blind Hope, go HERE
!I received this free book in return for an honest review from Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
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