Literature, Life, Love and Thankfulness
Some of you know me as a writer of nonfiction. As I have been talking so much about the book I have just finished about 3D Technology in Fine Art. But, I also write fiction and especially enjoy middle grade (MG) and young adult (YA) fiction. I read it almost every night. Sometimes, as was the case today, I am desperate for a book to read. I have been sick in bed and could not get to the library, which I often do in a frenzy as some people might go to the grocery store because they just have to have chocolate ice cream. I’m addicted to reading.
I have a new granddaughter and so, old books are coming down from the attic. In some of these boxes I found this treasure. It is my favorite children’s book. I sat this evening and read it right through and discovered I still love it just as much. I wondered about why I loved it so much. Opening the stained inside cover was an inscription it reads,
Christina,
This was my favorite book when I was your age. I hope some day you will share it with your little girl.
Remember… be adventurous and learn to find treasures in the simplest things.
Love Momma
Christmas 1991. (Christina was 6.)
I read the book and thought about why it resonates with me so. I have a saying, “It is not what you have, but what you do with what you have that matters.” Some peole might wonder, “doesn’t that thought pattern keep you stuck where you are?” But look at these children. They had a sense of adventure and every thing they found and discovered was precious to them. They had such joy in their hearts because with everything that happened to them they were so thankful. And that thankfulness just bubbled out of them. They were creative in their approach, and most importantly they had each other to take care of.
People used to describe me as someone who was like these children. I think over the last few years I have not expressed openly my absolute joy over certain things. I think that when you stop saying it openly, if it can’t bubble up, it kind of just fizzes. I am making the decision to go back to that old me. To absolutely become enthused with all of the little things, and I’m looking forward to doing it. You should have seen how excited I used to get about compost. No really I was giddy over the stuff.
So thanks to this little book for putting it into words. Thank you for enlivening something that was in me all along. I had just recently made this internal acclimation. It was good to have it confirmed in this little novel. In a few more years my daughter can share it with her daughter and I hope I can read it to her many times.
Sometimes you just have to hold up your pink cracked cup, filled with milk from the refrigerator in the stream behind the water fall , take a cold drink followed by a handful of berries and smile!
Bridgette Mongeon is a sculptor, writer, illustrator and educator as well as a public speaker.
Her blog can be found at https://creativesculpture.com.
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