Yesterday I read this clever quote from The Cutters, (1926) by Bess Streeter Aldrich:
"I wish youngsters were like the pages of the arithmetic where the problems are all alike. When you've worked one, you know, it's easy to work them all. But, believe me, they're like the miscellaneous pages at the end of the chapters, where you have to use your brain."
I quoted this to Tim while slandering poor Bekah, gossiping about how she refuses to become the prototype of her sister Hannah who is in the Philippines. No backrubs, no coffee, no hugs, no banana bread, no piano music. I didn't even get fresh flowers for Valentine's Day until Jim went out and bought them himself (another Hannah task).
Sigh. I don't really want to replace Hannah any more than I want to change Bekah, who has more than enough endearing qualities of her own. I really just wish things could stay "as they are" a bit longer. That's why I like Bess Streeter Aldrich so much. She understands. Her novels read like poetry the way she describes the passing of time.
"One day all seems shouting and confusion and hurrying of little feet to and fro. Almost the next there is silence and peace - a silence that is stifling, a peace that is painful. It is an age-old tragedy - the Passing of the Children." Mother Mason
Postscript: Timmy's response to my arithmetic quote was classic. He said he and Heidi wouldn't be having any children, then, cause he didn't want to be expected to go around "using his brain" all the time!
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2 comments:
I suppose that's just something the second girl must endure. I remember being told, 'You know, your (older) sister comes home from work and visits with me, you just go straight to your room'. But, after all these years, I've learned that while I'm feeling insecure that I'm not 'the older sister'...that same sister is off bragging to her friends about me. And the same is true of your girls. Your sweet Hannah is over here telling us how much she loves and misses Bekah, how Bekah is calm and steady, and now in her absence is the one organizing those all-important soccer games!!(Not to mention that every time she goes shopping, Bekah is the one she has in mind!)
Tell me about it! I was the third girl in my family, and nothing like the other two. One teacher in high school was forever laughing over the contrast, but in a mean sort of way. Big sis was the "quiet one" every teacher loves.
I can't say enough how much I appreciate Bekah. No wonder Hannah misses her! Thanks for keeping an eye out for Hannah, and enjoying some of her special qualities we miss so much.
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