The View from Goose Ridge: Watching Nature, Seeing Life

by Cheryl Grey Bostrom

What do barn cats, manure in a field, a pygmy goat, a lonely horse, a muddy pond, and pruning have in common? They offer lessons of grace from the life of Cheryl Bostrom, columnist for the Women of Faith Web site (which gets more than 1 million page views a month). The View from Goose Ridge offers a refreshing look at the changing seasons in a woman's life-and a wise perspective on living a life of faith with grace and gentleness. Original observations and often unexpected applications to God's Word have made this column a word-of-mouth favorite. Women across the country are discovering the humor, hope, courage, and faith that can be found at Goose Ridge-and enjoyed by urban and rural women alike. Now readers everywhere can own a collection of the best of Cheryl's devotionals in The View from Goose Ridge. It's a fresh perspective for women of faith who need to be reminded of organic spirituality and God's down-to-earth ways with us as believers.

Genres: Devotional

238 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 2001

About the author

A keen student of both the natural world and the workings of the human heart, Pacific Northwest author Cheryl Grey Bostrom captures their mystery and wonder in her lyrical, surprising fiction.

Her novels Sugar Birds (Christy finalist, Amazon bestseller, and Book of the Year) and Leaning on Air have won more than two dozen industry honors, among which are CT’s Fiction Award of Merit and American Fiction, Reader’s Favorite, ACFW Carol, Nautilus, Best Book, Foreword Indies, and International Book Awards. Her newest work of contemporary women's fiction, What the River Keeps, releases August 12.

Cheryl's widely published short-form work currently includes her column in the American Scientific Affiliation’s God and Nature Magazine and her Substack: Birds in the Hand. She has also written two non-fiction books.

An avid birder and nature photographer, Cheryl lives in rural Washington State with her husband and a pack of half-trained Gordon setters.

Reviews

[Charity Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheryl Bostrom's keen observations and insightful reflections make this book a great companion in any season of life, but I particularly liked the way it kept me attentive and anticipating during the difficulties of 2020. Her love of nature and rural life drew me in to the stories about life on her farm and with her children, and her Biblical connections between this life and the next were encouraging and hopeful. If you flew me around the world blindfolded and dropped me into Goose Ridge, I'd know exactly where I was from Bostom's vivid descriptions. Get this book. Your soul will thank you.

[Sara Easterly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheryl Bostrom’s The View from Goose Ridge captivated me from the first page. I relished experiencing Cheryl’s world from her unique pastoral setting, where she’s surrounded by such wonders as barn cats and caterpillars, farm animals and fruit trees, a pregnant Golden Retriever and shamrock spider—each with a spiritual metaphor to impart for anyone paying attention. And Cheryl is the kind of person who pays attention. Each approachable chapter begins with an anecdote. Each story sucked me in on its own, while I wondered, “Where is she heading with this one?” “What will be the spiritual significance of this vignette—drunk teenagers swinging baseball bats at rural mailboxes?” And each time, Cheryl would delight me with her astute reflections, storytelling acumen, and powerful ability to see metaphors. Reading The View from Goose Ridge is like having a wise mentor and friend impart her sage perspective on faith, parenting, living in harmony with nature, and appreciating God’s beauty and messages everywhere. This uplifting book was just what my soul needed!

[Michael L Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, compelling descriptions of nature.
Loved the connections illustrating Biblical truth in rural life!
A highlight was trying to compare the picture of the house on the front cover, with her lush descriptions of nature. I was entranced by her powerful real-life imagery. And trying to guess which window she was looking out as she wrote these scenes!
Five stars!

[Julie Kreun · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cheryl Grey Bostrom was selected to talk at a One Book One Sioux County event last November. I had the pleasure of taking her to lunch after she had a discussion with our Sioux Center book club on her title, Sugar Birds. I learned she had written a devotional, this one, and I purchased it from her. It has been a blessing to me. The lessons are short and down to earth. As she writes in her inside cover, Watching Nature, Seeing Life. She sees God working in the everyday, and it's a good reminder for me to look around and see Him at work.

[Angela Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was well written and stayed true to rural living. The detail to nature and god's country was amazing.

[Carol Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This devotion was a delight. As a fellow nature-lover, I resonated with the lessons and encouragement Cheryl Bostrom gleaned from her varied experiences with this world that God created for us.

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtful insights from a dear friend