I hope you all have a very special day today!
On this Valentines Day the one sweetheart we all have in common is Grandma Mary. And what an inspiration she is to us. At 87 she is still healthy and active, she fulfills her church assignments without fail, attends the temple every week at least twice, has a much better memory than I've ever had, loves you all more than you can imagine (always "bragging" to us about her wonderful and good looking grand and great grandchildren), and you all know how good she is to remember birthdays etc.
She does get a little lonely from time to time. Those of us in town make it a point to see her at least once a week, but sometimes she'll go for days without hearing from or speaking to anyone. So when one of you calls or writes she considers it a great blessing. You, all of her loved ones, are such a joy to her! When she knows any of you are traveling or under great strain for some reason or other she really worries. In fact, she gets worried and stressed over things that to some of us seem inconsequential.
And like everyone she sometimes gets a little blue. But when things start to get her down she repeats this little mantra, that gives her comfort, and it's something we could all use in our stress-filled lives.
"Do your best! Stop worrying!
Go forward with faith!"
May we all be so "with it" when we reach the age of 87.
PS Is anyone reading Jane Eyre with Grandma? We'll look forward to your comments at the end of the month. Does anyone want to suggest a book for March & April?
Hey mom! I am supposed to be reading Jane Eyre right now, but my copy is buried somewhere and I'm still on hold for one at the library. So I've been reading other books during this time. I just started "The 5,000 year leap" by Cleon Skousen. I know it's a non-fiction book, but so far it's been really good and may be beneficial for everyone to read. Just a suggestion. Love you!
ReplyDeleteThe book Rachel suggested by Cleon Skousen, in case you aren't aware, has been described as "a remarkable book detailing how the Founding Fathers used 28 fundamental beliefs to create a society based on morality, faith and ethics. These principles have made possible more progress in 200 years than was made previously in over 5,000 years." Rach says it isn't very long and is entertaining for a non fiction work.
ReplyDeleteWhat do the rest of you think? Are there any other suggestions?
Actually in the side column you will note that Natalie already suggested 1984 by George Orwell, and Tori suggested THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS by John Boyne, YELLOW STAR by Jennifer Roy, and NIGHT by Elie Weisel. Soooooooo, let's have a vote for a March "read".
Then in April we will read COTILLION by Georgette Hyer
I just looked up the 5,000 year leap. That looks like a really great book! I'm casting my vote for that one.
ReplyDeleteI just finished Jane Eyre last night. I think if I had known better, I would not have tried to read it in one week's time. Like Grandma said, it's a book that you can read a little bit at a time but then you have to put it down. Towards the end I remembered one of my high school friends complaining that he had to read this book, saying it went on forever about some girl's life and it just wouldn't end!
ReplyDeleteI did enjoy it and I found it to be full of nice surprises that we don't get in modern novels. There were references to Christianity in just about every chapter. It seemed pretty purist and strict--I don't know if that's the way religion was in England at the time or if it was more Charlotte Bronte's convictions--probably both?
I loved the interaction between Jane and Mr. Rochester--I think my favorite scene was the time he dressed up as gypsy to question her in disguise. I also really loved how Jane was able to turn herself around from a passionate angry child to a very caring and civilized adult, mostly because of the influence of kind people. It gives me hope to be able to become a better person still and also to help others.
I found the ending to be a bit sappy (too happily ever after) after so much up and down throughout the book, but maybe Ms. Bronte was tired of writing it and wanted a quick happy conclusion.
Thank you Grandma for this suggestion. I think Jane Eyre was required reading for 11th grade English but that was the year that I skipped so I missed out on it. I think the 5000 year leap sounds like a good choice for our next book--are we supposed to finish it by the end of March? I'll be able to participate for March, April, and maybe May but in June we are moving overseas and my life's going to be pretty crazy.