I have read a few of Ann’s adult fiction and non-fiction titles. I believe I have read her books a total of 14 times, and I have all the others on my ‘to be read’ pile, and have picked up all in eBook format. I absolutely love her stories and her non-fiction. This falls in that category and is the third in the “My Road Goes Ever On” series.
The description of this volume states:
“The internet may be the first word in information gathering, but can it save one soul from despair or the human race from self-destruction?
Science offers insight into who we are, what we are made of, but it is through personal reflections that we can consider our extraordinary ability to live as both physical and spiritual beings.
Embrace the beauty in life and love generously with unwavering hope and faith.
Believe in renewal—undaunted and unafraid.
No matter the trials of our times, we will rise again.”
About the author we are informed:
“A. K. Frailey has written the historical sci-fi OldEarth Encounter series, a contemporary first contact novel, Last of Her Kind, the Newearth sci-fi series, an OldTown series, short story collections, a modern parent’s reflection on J. R. R. Tolkien’s works in The Road Goes Ever On: A Christian Journey Through The Lord of the Rings, personal and introspective My Road books, children’s books, and a poetry collection.
She taught elementary education in Milwaukee, WI; Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; and Wood River, IL.
She also trained teachers in the Philippines for the Peace Corps and later earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing for Entertainment from Full Sail University.
Ann homeschooled all her children and currently manages her rural homestead with her family and their numerous critters. In her spare time, she serves as an election judge and secretary/treasurer of her small town’s cemetery.”
This volume is a collection of articles, reflections, pensées that were originally published between 2022/2/18 and 2025/12/12. The specific pieces in the collection are:
The Best Rise Again
A Storm Is Brewing
This Year’s Life
Soul Glories
While Human Hearts Beat
Fruit Will Follow
Real Understanding
Miracles in Life
Life Net
Amazing Achievements of Humankind
Family Memories
This Momentous Event
Homeschooling As I See It Now
Trust in a Dishonest World
Life’s Rules of the Road
Multitasking Disorder
Revitalization
Loveable Libraries & Bookstores
Psychological Safety
Real Life Matters
Puppies, Gardens, and Books
Autumn! My Favorite Season
We Live in a Mad World
In Light of Faith
AI and Our Creative Nature
Natural Order
Clickbait Is Not Wholesome
The Future of Education
Not the Same Test
Good Books
Natural Good and Evil
Literary Genres
Why I Gave Up TV
And My Life Changed for the Better
Can’t Own a Cat and Other Life Lessons
I highlighted several passages while working through this volume, some of them are:
“Imagine my surprise when I realized that it was the fiction novel that helped me unscramble the confusing tangle that I was feeling about the other two books. Since each person has free will and can rise or fall, become isolated or connected, what does that say about the human race as a whole?”
“Despite over a thousand pages of storyline, the whole plot comes down to—what do the characters believe? What are they willing to—not die for but—live for? Faith in something beyond themselves is ultimately the maker or breaker of the whole story. Some characters grow into heroes while others descend into the abyss as villains. The hope for the whole is based on the best always rising again.”
“But I can get out of the frozen snow, enjoy the beauty of crystalline trees on a winter day, and trust—with hope-filled faith—that spring will rise again.”
“In order to face the day, I need a bit of a pep talk. Since I am a lousy cheerleader, I look to those who have inspired humanity from ages past. Each morning, after my personal prayer time, I read a passage from Scripture, classic fiction, or poetry. I have come across some wonderful gems—imagery that takes me to another world, mentally and emotionally.”
“Beautiful days do not last. Storms inevitably roll in. My neighbor passed away today. More friends and family will pass in the days to come. It will be my turn to move on at some point. But the lesson of singing birds, wild storms, and changing seasons, is that we have the grace of living now.”
“In the acceptance of the present moment, I discovered an enlargement of my spirit. The daily bread of God’s grace is most manifest when I lift my soul to Him.”
“There was a lot I didn’t accomplish. I didn’t complete a writing project, post my work online, chat with a friend, take a long walk, or connect with the carpenter. But the day was complete and fruitful—even if in only tiny ways—nonetheless.”
“World news troubles me with haunting specters of war, violence, hunger, and a future not of everlasting prosperity, but rather, of desperate grief. It seems that the clutter of human evil continues to mar the orderly beauty of our better nature.”
“So where do I find solutions to the troubles of this world? How do I make anything better? Where are hope and happiness found? Right in front of me, beside me, behind me, above and below me.”
“There are so many ways to live fully and generously: Give money to local and world charity organizations. Check in regularly with an elderly friend. Ask a son or daughter how they are doing and really listen without “fixing” but allow him or her to share issues and possible solutions. Offer honest insight to a friend with humility—knowing that each person must own their choices and the consequences of their actions.”
“Wherever anger lunges its spikes, forgive and move on. When mistakes are made, say sorry and make amends. Being sorry is not humiliating. It’s healing. True contrition builds up—it never tears down. It is one of the deepest acts of love.”
“We are born to die. Suffering and evil are part of life, but the story does not end there. The Old Testament wasn’t the last word. Christ lived, died, and rose—our old humanity gives way to new possibilities. God did not give us Heaven on Earth. He gives us a choice. Every day. In unlimited ways.”
“No matter the message, a bit of humor and lots of gratitude go a long way toward real understanding.”
“No, my miracles are more mundane but no less powerful in the great scheme of things.”
“To refuse a miracle is to refuse happiness. For in this world, it is the hope to see, the faith to believe, and our ability to love, which are the greatest miracles of all.”
“Life is an amazingly unpredictable, unfolding event. Despite my attachment to the internet, I am grateful that there are times when I'm forced to disconnect. For there is a life net just waiting for me—if I stand on the creek bank and appreciate what is revealed.”
“How often do mental images pull me through seasons, relationships, and life itself, only to dissolve in the face of reality? And can reality, lived in the present, be more fulfilling than what I imagined?”
“When my mom passed away after years of dementia, I cried. Not because I had only good memories of her, but because despite the passion of her chosen hate as well as her passionate love, I wished her well on her journey, wherever she was going. When my brother passed after an overdose, I suffered the loss of a life that I could never reach. A troubled soul who, it seemed to me, never knew happiness. When another brother passed unexpectedly of liver failure, I wanted to understand, but too many questions could not be answered, and I was left with poignant grief. When my father died, after a long life and much professional success, I had too many terrible stories and painful memories crowding my mind to celebrate his life.”
“Perhaps, I wonder, if we humans spent as much time living in the present as we do in the past and the future, we would be able to experience the outstanding joy of spring.”
“Personally, I raced through Lent at high speed. Holy Week arrived, and I had to come to a skidding halt. I was surprised at how hard that was. Kind of like running into a brick wall, without the black eye. It felt so unnatural to sit in a quiet church or in my room and simply be. Listen. Pray slow prayers. Allow the presence of a greater Presence to infiltrate my conscious mind. My soul.”
“Coming from a dysfunctional family in a dysfunctional society, I see why many people turn to technology to find support and “the truth” needed to navigate through life—a life raft of reason in a world of unreason.”
“Being a writer in today’s world is much the same as being an artist in any era. I can think of no more vulnerable way to expose the human experience than through writing and poetry.”
“Despite the vagaries of daily weather, I trust in the logic of seasons. Despite personal aspirations, I know I am growing older and must face predictable aches and pains, hopefully with humor rather than rage. There are rules to my life’s road, and I know why they are there—to keep me and others safe while I travel to my destination. Education is more than facts and book learning, though the facts and books do matter and should not be ignored. What I do with what I learn spells the difference between a piece of paper and a meaningful life.”
“What the natural world has to teach reminds me that not all learning happens in school, and life has rules for a reason.”
“Multitasking Disorder is hardly a professional diagnosis but rather a personal observation that when doing too much, I miss the wonders of life.”
“As impersonal AI and online services invade our world ever more deeply, I pray to God that we don’t forget the value of dedicated librarians and passionate bookstore owners.”
“I know with certainty that every truly mystical, magical land has at least one library and probably more than a few bookstores. Even in Lothlorien. And Tolkien—like me—loves them.”
“The value of fiction is not in the distraction from reality but rather as it enhances our perception of reality. If real life doesn't matter, then fiction merely delays inevitable doom.”
“My personal desires must allow for forces beyond my control, which is a lesson in humility. One that I'd benefit from learning.”
“I may tend to plants, but I cannot make them thrive. In that mystery of growth, leading to healthy fruit, I find a wealth of peace, trusting God's abundant vitality.”
“What haunts the human race is not a case of inherited mental illness, though that may factor in; it’s a spirit-killing grief that chains the strong and saintly as well as the weak and cruel into dark dungeons. Mad fury, justified anger perhaps, insists that things are not as they should be, therefore, life as we know it deserves to be destroyed. If I lived by that rule, I’d be dead already.”
“I had to accept the obvious—Life here on Earth is not as it ought to be. In time, I could heal from trauma and move on.”
“A guardian accepts the frailties, imperfections, and limitations of others without being unduly disturbed. Guardians with a will to serve don’t live in a fantasy world.”
I hope those quotes give you a feel for this excellent volume. Frailey writes in a very engaging manner. I read these reflections over a number of days. A few of them I had to stop and think about and more than few I went back and reread it a second time, some even a third. In many ways this volume reminded me a lot of Madeleine L’Engle’s non-fiction, specifically: Madeleine L'Engle Herself: Reflections on a Writing Life or like a mash up of her Crosswick Journals and the Genesis Trilogy. Like L’Engle Frailey has written across genres, and she writes about that a bit in this volume. The both wrote fiction, science fiction, poetry, nonfiction and theology. And both are amazing authors. I had the chance to meet L’Engle in person twice, both times at conference, and to be honest reading this was like sitting down with her one on one or hearing her talks live. I have yet to meet Frailey, but maybe someday. There are other authors I have compared to L’Engle’s works for specific genres but Frailey does so across the lot of them.
This volume has reflections on numerous topics, but the themes woven throughout it are family, faith, friendship, and finding our place in the world. It is an excellent read. A volume I can easily recommend. Enjoy it over a few evenings on cold winter nights with a big mug or tea or on the beach in the summer with something cold to drink. But no matter how, I encourage you to give it a try.
