Literary Tag

Charity U at Austenitis did this Literary Tag and it sounded like so much fun I decided to do it here too! Thanks for this fun tag Charity!

1. Share (up to) four heroines of literature that you most admire and relate to: Margaret Hale in Mrs. Gaskell's North & South. When I first read N&S I connected with her and felt her heart more than any other heroine I've read before. Not just her personality but also her circumstances touched right where I was in my life when I first read N&S. I also love and relate to Anne Elliot of Persuasion and Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility.

2. Share five of your favorite historical novels: Hmm...this is tricky. Defender of the Faith by Charles Ludwig, Mozart's Sister by Nancy Moser, I love all of the Little House books about the Ingalls family. Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess by Carolyn Meyer, Standing in the Light: The Captive Diary of Catharine Carey Logan by Mary Pope Osborne, I also read and enjoyed several books in the Trailblazer Series based on the lives of Christian heroes.

3. Out of those five books, who is your favorite character and why? I always love books about royalty and Queen Victoria is my favorite, she's so fascinating! Defender of the Faith is my favorite book about how the Lord worked to bring Victoria to the throne and bringing a much needed change to the monarchy.

4. What is your favorite time period and culture to read about? Books about or from the 1700's-1800's era are my favorites to read. Most of the books I read are set in England.

5. If you were to attend a party where each guest was to portray a heroine of literature, who would you select to represent? Well any of my favorite heroines but probably a Jane Austen character first of all. Probably Catherine Morland or Elinor Dashwood.

6. What are your sentiments on the subject of chocolate? I ADORE chocolate! It's a must and is great for indulging while reading! :) I especially like chocolate mixed with something else like peanut butter, nuts, caramel or fruit.

7. Favorite author(s)? Jane Austen and Agatha Christie are my all time favorite authors. I've read and enjoyed almost all of their work. Other favorite authors include: Elizabeth Gaskell, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Janette Oke, Lori Wick, Grace Livingston Hill, C.S. Lewis and so many more!

8. As a small, imaginative, red-haired damsel might query: would you rather be divinely beautiful, dazzlingly clever, or angelically good? Probably angelically good, then I'd be patient and kind to everyone.

9. In which century were most of the books you read written? In the 19th century, mostly. But early 1900's is a close second.

10. In your opinion, the ultimate hero in literature is... This is a hard one! I adore Henry Tilney and Mr. Knightley and Captain Wentworth but they probably wouldn't be considered the ultimate hero. I do just adore Austen heroes though, they are

11. Have you ever wanted to change a character's name? Yes! I love names and their relation to history and I can sometimes get very put out when a name is overused or used in the wrong time period. One great thing about Austen and Christie is that they use great names that are time period appropriate.

12. In your opinon, the most dastardly villain in all literature is... Wow! This is tricky! Maybe like Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes or Bill Sykes from Oliver Twist. Both are the worst I can think of. I recently made a list of my favorite villains but those were really my favorites because they're semi-good and interesting in their own way.

13. Three favorite non-fiction books? Besides my Bible the other books that have influenced my life are probably: I Kissed Dating Good-Bye by Joshua Harris, Let Me Be A Woman by Elisabeth Elliot, and The Delicate Power of Modesty by Dannah Gresh.


Now it's your turn! If you're reading this I'm tagging you! Go answer these questions on your blog and if you do let me know about it! This was so much fun!

~Miss Laurie

Writing Advice

I'm getting myself re-introduced to the characters of my projected NaNoWriMo novel.
So far I've found myself among a sweet young heroine, a silly aunt, a couple of giggling girls, a vicar with strong faith and a brother who is humorous but wise.

Today I opened a fortune cookie and the little slip of paper inside rather fit my novel writing frenzy:

"Write your life's events in a journal"

Well, while I won't be taking that advice literally I shall be adding many of my own life experiences to the stories to come.

I am enjoying getting to know my characters more and learning where their lives may take them. I tremble at the idea that November 1st is just a few days away and I must start writing more than I've written in months!

To The Burdened Heart

I wrote this poem over two nights at work and it really didn't take long for the words to form together. This poem originates from word spoken by my dear friend Karis to my family on the death of my maternal grandmother.
This is really just a first draft so I haven't measured the meter and rhythm of the poem and no one else has read this yet so I'm not sure if the thoughts come across clearly or not.


Our hearts are often heavy
With burdens that we've met
But do not say you're sorry
For that sounds like regret

We don't want to be careless
We don't like to be bold
We're fearful of being rude
And certainly shan't scold

But if everything is part of
God's great and perfect plan
And His plan's been in effect
Before the wold began

Then why should we regret
The sadness, hurt and pain
If it's all part of something better
He has yet to make plain

The sadness may be real
The hurt may deeply sting
The healing may be long
But yet we still can sing

We fear a risen Lord
Who's been through death and pain
He's faithful and He's loving
His blood can cleanse sin's stain

He knows our every need
He knows each tender heart
He has said there will be trials
But our hearts won't come apart

We can trust Him fully
With our worries and our sorrow
He knows what is ahead
And He plans for each tomorrow

Will you simply trust Him?
Don't worry and don't fret
Don't say that you're sorry
For that sounds like regret

-To The Burdened Heart, 10-9-09

Kay

My work with Alzheimer's residents is such a blessing and is teaching me a lot. I have come to see each and every one of my residents as unique and beautiful. The nurse who taught my PCA class challenged us as caregivers to look beyond the medical info and ask ourselves "can I describe who this person is without thinking of their disease first?" This was a great point, and I began to change my way of thinking. I love learning about their family and history and discovering today what makes each person tick.

I think my residents are the most fascinating people and my views on love and beauty have differed from what they used to be. I posted on my other blog on the beauty of hands, particularly work worn, weather beaten hands. In fact I think that white hair and wrinkles are the most endearing beauty marks around. On the outside a person might not look like much but when you take the time to listen you'll see the true beauty of the soul coming through.

I wrote the following poem (ballad, essay, not sure what to call it) about one of my favorite residents. Kay's heart is so sweet, she'd always polite and thinking of others. She's the person I want to be when I'm her age. She's aged very gracefully, not just in outwardly but inside too. She doesn't let her limitations of mind or body keep her from being kind to others. I find her even more beautiful when she hears other residents repeating themselves or being forgetful and she points to herself and says "that's like me, I do that". Other times you wouldn't think she knew she had Alzheimer's but at those moments you can tell she really does understand.


I hold out my hand to her
She takes it, trusting me completely
She is small and round
Her face is screwed up as she concentrates

Her eyes stare at the floor
Her tongue runs over her lips
She hums a repetitive three notes
She carefully lays each foot, step by step

I speak to her gently
She looks up at me quizzically
Her steps falter
Her expression changes to one mingled with confusion

She reaches her other hand out to the wall
She braces herself to regain balance
Her eyes have drifted back to her feet
She stands still only a moment

She doesn't understand what has happened
She continues to walk
She looks up at me again
My dear sweet Kay smiles bravely at me

“I don't know what's the matter with me.”
She speaks the works with a little chuckle in her voice
“Are you dizzy, Kay?”
I ask her.

“Yes...a bit”
I can see the gears turning in her brain
She still doesn't understand
She holds my hand a bit tighter

We reach the kitchen safe at last
She sits down gingerly
She is ready for what is next
She is ready to eat

Later we walk to her room, hand in hand
She hums again her same old song
We near her door
She repeats her room number several times

She knows the door when she sees it
She recognizes the room
She knows this is where she belongs
“This is where I was before” she tells me.

After a quick toilette she stands before the glass
Carefully she washes and dries her hands
Then she brushes her thick gray mop
Carefully curling a lock of hair on her forehead

“Can I get in there?”
She asks me as she points to her bed
She tucks her favorite shoes under the bed
I turn down her covers

She lays her glasses on the night stand
She fluffs the pillow
I tuck her under the covers
One more blanket for warmth

I kiss her bonny face
“Good-night dear” I say.
She cups my face in her hands
“Thank you” she says.

“You do so much...for me.”
She stammers, trying to say what she thinks
“You are just...so..you're so smart...just beautiful.
God bless you.” she finishes.

“I love you.” I tell her
I walk to the door.
I take one last look
Before I close it tight

I wipe tears from my eyes.
My dear sweet Kay loves her sleep
One day I fear to find her there
Never to awake.

- Laurie B Michael 1/21/09