It's Ten O'Clock - Do You Know Where Your Keys Are?
By Freda Gower Ward 

     Book reviewers read books. That's how it's done. However, sometimes, books read book reviewers. That's unusual.

      Freda Gower Ward, author of some of my all time favorite books, (Serving Gravy with a Slotted Spoon, Can You Tell Me Where I'm Going?, Threading the Pointy End of the Needle) recently sent me a box that contained several of her books. Falling behind in reviews as well as everything else, my first reaction was to wonder how I would ever get all of them reviewed. My second was to wonder how in the world this woman was able to churn out this many books. As an author, I was struggling to finish one in the time it took her to write three! On top of everything else, I misplaced one of her books. That had never happened to me before. Okay, it happened once, but I found it in the car. Thank goodness the author never asked why it took so long to get her book review done! I confessed my sin to Freda, who just sent me another copy and told me not to worry about it. After finishing Freda's new book, It's Ten O'Clock - Do You Know Where Your Keys Are? I've decided that I probably left the book at my doctor's office-or in a restaurant. But, I'm fairly certain it was for a reason. Someone needed to read it. Just like I did.

     Freda is funny. Let me make that a little clearer. Freda is really funny. She uses humor to make us laugh at ourselves. And it helps to do that. But Freda can also be very serious. Do You Know Where Your Keys Are? mixes some of her incredible humor with some extremely pointed wisdom. Freda points out that God has given us the keys to the Kingdom, but some of us just don't know how to use them. Or, in some cases, we don't even know where our keys are. ("They should be here somewhere…now where did I put them?") Freda shows us how to use our keys to open doors that have been locked too long. Doors of hope, gifts that are inside us, the knowledge of God's unending love for us, and an understanding of Boston Ferns, Old Towels, Dirty Knobs, Wrong Addresses, and Maggots. There's also the chapter that pulled me up short, "Duking it Out With God." Oh, and a reminder to "Go to the Pot Often." (No, it doesn't mean what you think it does!) You'll have to buy the book to figure out what these chapters are about.

     Freda uses her God-given abilities to offer a special present to her readers. All of her books are gifts-but this one should be read over and over again. I highly recommend it to everyone. It will impact your life-and help you find your keys.