Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Charm of Simple Things


A sweet friend game me this book. She's the kind of friend you can never out give. She is constantly doing so much that it is impossible to "pay her back". She's a mentor to me, a real live mentor. What a blessing! In my homeschooling journey most of my mentors have been online friendships. Women, who I've never met, except at my keyboard, who have taken the time to invest in my life. I'll be forever grateful to those few who have shared their wisdom with me. And now God has blessed me with an "older woman" to encourage, admonish, and, yes, correct me!

My mom has always been there for me. I can't even begin to describe all the ways she has invested in my life. And I realize more every day the heritage that I have been given. It's in me. It's who I am, because of all the hours that she and my dad spent with me. It comes from the home she built for us, the food we cooked together, the clothes she sewed for us, the games we played together. And the list goes on and on. Some things are just part of my fiber. I don't remember learning them. But now I have friends who are learning these things as adults, I don't mean cooking and cleaning, I mean all the lessons my mom taught me as we were cooking, cleaning and playing, just going about our every day lives. And then I realize so much has been given to me by my parents. The life we lived together was a simple life! And I'm so glad.

I found several quotes in book The Charm of Simple Things that I want to take note of.

"You will be surprised by how much of an adventure can enter into ordinary things."
Laura Ingalls Wilder

"Most of us, if we are honest with ourselves, will admit that we live too fast, too erratically, too crudely, and too thoughtlessly. The remedy or antidote for all of this is to live gently."
W. Phillip Keller
Taming Tension

"Simplicity is not just another interior design option. It is also one of the great expressions of Christian faith. Simplicity is devoting our lives to one thing and one thing only--to loving the Lord our God with our whole being and our neighbors as ourselves."
Harriet Crosby
A Place Called Home


2 comments:

Gumbo Lily said...

Well said. How very little we realize that Big Things are happening while we go about our simple everyday lives with our children. I'm glad we don't realize it lest we get prideful.

Jody

Plain Ol' Vanilla said...

I love the photo and I love your thoughts, Miss Bessie. You are a blessed woman to have your mom available and a new older woman friend in your life. They are special gifts.

Blessings,
Joyce