BECOMING CHLOE by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I am really liking this book. I like the idea of searching for joy and identifying it in the little things we see every day and take for granted. Here's another paragraph that struck me:

I look around, breathe, close my eyes. See Randy's face and experience this briefly for him. Then I look around at the view again. And I realize that for all the joy we've seen so far, I've allowed it all to remain outside of me. It's always been over there. Look, over there. Some joy just went by. A little more just flew by. And when I realize that, I let it into me. And I become the joy. Just for a split second, I think I do. (p. 158)

I can relate to that. Noting things that are pretty or someone doing something nice for someone else, but not necessarily taking the time to fully appreciate it. This book is reminding me to appreciate.

BECOMING CHLOE by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I'm in the middle of this book, so I'm not ready to post a complete review yet. But I just came across this section, and I want to remember it because it really hit me the right way.

Jordy is burying Bruno, the dog that belongs to his landlord, Otis. He says :

As I shovel dirt onto it, I actually notice a lump in my throat. I haven't cried for so long. I can't even remember the last time. Maybe I'm regaining my ability to feel things. Which I absolutely refuse to do until someone can guarantee me it won't be retroactive.

"Jordy," Chloe says. "You're crying. That's so nice."

Judging from the next few pages, both Jordy and Chloe are beginning to heal emotionally from some of the really bad stuff they've gone through over the past few years, though I don't think Jordy realizes that's happening to him yet. Maybe heal will turn out to be the wrong word to use, but at the very least, they seem to be getting to a better place emotionally. Anyhow, I just loved the line I typed in purple. It just says volumes about where Jordy has been and what he's afraid of, yet Hyde does it so subtly. Whew!