The Spirit of Sweetgrass by Nicole Seitz - A Few Thoughts

     If I were not a Christian, I would love this sweet story about a family protecting its heritage and its future. However, as a Christian, I experienced a lot of mental dissonance with the scenes that played out in heaven. This came about because:

•  Jesus and God received cursory attention.
• While the Bible says that there will be not marriage in heaven, married couples lived as married couples in a replica of the same home and town they shared on earth. 
• People in heaven fretted over their family on earth, and returned to earth to influence events there.
• This fretting over their earthbound family caused the people in heaven to begin to age again, along with all of the accompanying aches and pains.
• A young girl lived in a home all alone in heaven. She had no name, and others just called her "girl" or "honey." It was suggested that she might be a product of abortion after an affair. 

     I wouldn't put this book at the top of my Christmas list even though the author has wonderful writing skills, and the background information on the sweetgrass weavers is very interesting.