Wednesdays with Words (A Lantern in Her Hand-Part 3)

One more quote from A Lantern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich. This one is on the fun side and made me smile. In this quote Abbie and her friend Sarah are at listening to a speech celebrating the beginnings of Nebraska about 50 years earlier.

     And then it was time for the speech of the day. The young county attorney made it, from the airy heights of the band stand, at his side a glass of water on Abbie Deals's marble-topped table.
     It was a good speech. It flapped its wings and soared over the oaks and elms, and eventually came home to roost with: "You...you were the intrepid people! You, my friends, were the sturdy one. You days have been magnificent poems of labor. Your years have been as heroic stories as the sagas. You lives have been dauntless, courageous, sweeping epics."
     "'Sweeping' is the word, Sarah!' Abbie said when the applause had faded away into the grove. "I wish I had a dollar for every broom I've worn out."
     Sarah Lutz's little black eyes twinkled.
     "How about it, Abbie, do you feel like a poem?"
     "No, Sarah, I was always too busy filling up the youngsters and getting patches on the overalls to notice that I was part of an epic."

What's On Your Nightstand - March

It is a good thing that I did a lot of reading at the beginning of March, because I haven't done much here at the end. Between two vehicles breaking down, running my kids to a church convention for 3 nights, sickness and allergies, and also helping my kids prepare their projects and memorization for an upcoming competition has thrown my life into a violent shift of crazy. Next month we start baseball, so I'm going to keep my Nightstand picks a little on the lighter side hoping that I can make it through them.

For April:

From February's Nightstand I read:

• The Life-Giving Home by Sally & Sarah Clarkson - A beautiful and encouraging read.  
• The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton - Even though I read this from The Complete Father Brown book. These are just short stories and though I'm not a big fan of short stories I found did enjoy this first book.
• A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich - This book really touched my heart and is a book I have thought of countless times since reading it. Though it shows how hard life was in the Nebraska prairie it does a good job of focusing on what living is all about and what is important. Highly recommended!
• Penrod Jashber by Booth Tarkington - This was a read-aloud and the third book we have read about Penrod and also the one you could probably bypass if you are willing to check Penrod out. Though it had its funny moments there were parts that just seemed long and very drawn out. We all agreed it wasn't his best.

I'm currently reading:

• The Renewing of the Mind Project by Barb Raveling - I started this book and then life has happened and it (plus all my reading) has been waylaid, so on the list it goes for this month.

I also read:

• The Life-Giving Experience by Sally & Joel Clarkson - The companion book to The Life-Giving Home
• Miss Julia Lays Down the Law by Ann B. Ross - I always enjoy a Miss Julia novel. 

I listened to:

• Trent's Last Case by E.C. Bentley - I checked this out after reading a recommendation for it (I have forgotten where I read about it.) This is one I think I would have enjoyed reading rather than listening to due to the style of writing. Enjoyable read with a great twist in the plot. 

See what others have read over at 5 Minutes for Books.

Wednesdays with Words (A Lantern in Her Hand-Part 2)

Even though I finished this book a few weeks ago it still lingers with me. I had a couple more passages I wanted to jot down and keep forgetting so I'm just going to make them into Words with Wednesdays posts. 

In this passage Abby's daughter, Isabelle, has informed her mother that her and her husband won't be having children since she with children "you ought to have plenty of time and money for their development." 

As a woman who loves being a mom and loves to homeschool, I find this passage such a heart wringer and I have spent many weeks reflecting and digesting this story. I can't say that I've come to any concrete answers, but it does make me aware of how much my reliance has to be on God and not on how good I feel about being a mother or how well I think I have homeschooling down.. 

     Abbie Deal looked out of the window, down through the long row of cedars. 'To have plenty of time and money for their development.' Instead of the cedars, heavy with snow, she was looking into a sod-house where a little painted blackboard stood against the mud-plastered walls, seeing one shelf of books and a slate and some ironed pieces of brown wrapping-paper. The mother there was hearing reading lessons while she kneaded bread, was teaching songs while she scrubbed, was giving out spelling words while she mended, was instilling into childish minds, ideals of honesty and clean living with every humble task.
     For a long time Abbie Deal sat and looked out at the cedars bending under the snow, like so many mothers bending under their burdens. But she did not answer Isabelle. Maybe there was no answer. Perhaps there was no argument. She did not know."