You guys! I LOVE this book! I read it years ago, and recently re-read it with my book club. It tells the story of a young girl and her journey from youth to adulthood. I remember loving this book when I first read it, but being older, and hopefully a little wiser, I was amazed at some of the truths about life that this book contains. The world we live in tries to tell us that in order to be happy, we need more stuff. We need immediate gratification. Patience and waiting bring unhappiness. Our society is somewhat selfish. If you pay attention to the media, in all it’s forms, you’ll find that most of the messages thrown at us involve doing what WE can do to make OURSELVES happy. Rarely are we encouraged to think of others and how we can make their lives better.
While, on the surface, these messages seem to make sense, the reality is far different. In this book, author Gene Stratton-Porter paints a much different picture of life. I don’t want to give the story away, but here are a few of the truths I found in reading this book.
- Wealth does not equal happiness. Elnora is born into poverty – to the point that she is unable to pay for her own school supplies and faces the very real possibility that she will be unable to receive the education she desires.
- Work and self-reliance bring more happiness into our lives than handouts. Elnora refuses the help of kind neighbors to help pay her expenses, instead finding a way to earn the money herself.
- We all have something to offer the world around us. Elnora does not have a lot of money, but she does have a love and understanding of nature. She loves the Limberlost swamp and the moths that live there, and uses this love and knowledge to earn her own way. In the same way, we have each been blessed with different talents, strengths, and abilities. Each of us is unique and has something to offer the world around us. One of the things that can bring us the most joy, is discovering these gifts, developing them, and using them to better our communities. When we use our strengths to lift others, and allow others to lift us, we all win. It reminds me of the proverb, “Thee lift me, and I lift thee, and we’ll ascend together.”
- People are more important that things. The relationships we build with those around us are SO important! We all face challenges in our lives, and we all have times when we need someone to lean on. Making the effort to build solid relationships with real people surrounds us with a support network that we can rely on when things get tough.
There is so much more I could say about this book, but I would rather you go get a copy and start reading, than continue discovering my opinions. This book is an amazing, compelling story with characters that you can truly get to know and love. It’s well written and inspiring, and one that will remain on my bookshelves to be read again and again!
