June 22, 2021 LIFE IS HARD

It's funny how we still call my youngest--The Baby. He's 6 feet tall. He just laughs and rolls his eyes--but to us--he will always be the baby. The ONE everyone in the family looks after. The same is true with siblings. Older siblings always want to protect their younger siblings--NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE........It's crazy but true. We want them to be safe, happy and healthy--AND--when something threatens the BIG THREE--we feel it almost as much as they do. We want to make it all better and take away their troubles BUT that's impossible. Can't put a bandaid on grown-up problems. This thing called  ADULTING can be an ARDUOUS journey. It doesn't come with an instruction manual and the are NO guarantees.  There are pitfalls--dead ends--ditches and even one way streets that make it so VERY difficult to navigate. I guess that's where family comes in. When the going gets tough--the tough get going. Right.  Family rallies-- helps you help yourself. Reminds you that things will get better.  Believe it OR not--Things that seem ENORMOUS today will be but a sad memory someday. These lessons and many others are paramount in Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winning novel from 2005, Gilead.  This lovely, quiet story is set in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa, in 1956 where Reverend John Ames writes his memoirs for his seven year old son. Ames is a 76 year old Congregationalist pastor  who knows his days are limited due to a heart condition. He realizes that his young son will not remember him, so he wants to leave him with a gift.  Ames stories include telling his son about his own humble beginnings, memories and  experiences with his father and grandfather that ultimately shaped his life. Ames also focuses on his second marriage to Lila and the importance of friendship with his life long friend Boughton. Although Ames' memoir is also in part theological, it is more importantly a meditation on appreciating life and the beauty of simplicity. I've always wanted to read Gilead--not sure what took me so long--and I can't wait to read the companion books including Home of 2008, Lila of 2014 and Jack 2020. The writing is impeccable and unforgettable. It's only 245 pages--4 mile run--that you will never forget. Enjoy.