Understanding the subtle nuances behind formal introductions and customary greetings during Jane Austen’s lifetime is a lot of fun, and it can provide a unique level of insight into her books. The reason: Austen uses breaches of etiquette and manners as commentaries on her characters. In her book Those Elegant Decorums, Jane Nardin says, “In… Continue reading Greetings and Gestures in Austen’s Novels
Author: Rachel Dodge
Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret
“From two to four A. M. was the time he usually gave to prayer; the time when he could be most sure of being undisturbed to wait upon God. That flicker of candlelight has meant more to them than all they have read or heard on secret prayer; it meant reality, not preaching but practice.”… Continue reading Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret
Heidi
“I’ll always say my prayers…and if God doesn’t answer them at once I shall know it’s because He’s planning something better for me.” -Heidi I thought it might be nice to do a Throwback Thursday book today. I loved this book as a girl! I read Heidi probably four or five times all the way through,… Continue reading Heidi
Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights
It’s an overcast day here…which totally puts me in the mood for novels like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights because it just doesn’t get much better than misty moors and mysterious secrets when it’s cloudy outside. I remember laying with my feet hooked over the back of my grandmother’s couch one summer evening, feverishly reading Jane Eyre,… Continue reading Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights
Girl of the Limberlost
“To Wesley and to Margaret the bright young face of Elnora, with its pink tints, its heavy dark brows, its bright blue-gray eyes, and its frame of curling reddish-brown hair was the sweetest sight on earth, and at that instant Elnora was radiant.” –A Girl of the Limberlost, Gene Stratton-Porter Nothing like a warm day… Continue reading Girl of the Limberlost
Old-Fashioned Girl
“Young men often laugh at the sensible girls whom they secretly respect, and affect to admire the silly ones whom they secretly despise, because earnestness, intelligence, and womanly dignity are not the fashion.” –An Old-Fashioned Girl This is the book we read when we wanted more of Louisa May Alcott and had read Little Women,… Continue reading Old-Fashioned Girl
The Secret Garden
“However many years she lived, Mary always felt that she should never forget that first morning when her garden began to grow.” -Frances Hodgson Burnett It was in The Secret Garden that we learned that we can make beautiful spaces that are all our own. And the garden was the place where dreams came true,… Continue reading The Secret Garden
Anne of Green Gables
“I don’t want sunbursts or marble halls, I just want you.” -Anne Shirley Tattered and well-loved, tear-stained and dog-eared, this is where it all began. Best read with tissue close at hand, Anne of Green Gables changed our lives. Thank you Anne with an “E” for teaching us that adoption is love and that our… Continue reading Anne of Green Gables
I Press On. (Adjusting to Change.)
After going through a big change as a family earlier this year, I see God’s plans and purposes in a new light. There’s joy, struggle, heartache, and beauty when we experience a season of “new.” Adjusting to change isn’t an easy road, but our willingness to face forward and press onward makes all the difference.… Continue reading I Press On. (Adjusting to Change.)
The friend of a friend.
Have you ever thought about the importance of a “friend of a friend” in your life? These secondary connections are some of the most vital relationships in our lives. I’ve heard (and said) the phrase “a friend of a friend went there / ate there / stayed there” many times, but I’ve recently become more… Continue reading The friend of a friend.