Comfort for the cold days of winter

In January I usually feel like this -

- spent and drained, knocked down by the cold and the shortened days.
It's the season for napping, sitting by the fire, and warming my spirit with comfort books.   Comfort books are those that feed my spirit, that have themes of hope.
My favorite comfort book this winter is "The Secret Garden" by Frances Hodgson Burnett.  I first read "The Secret Garden" when I read it aloud to my children when they were small.  The book is considered a childhood classic, but its message of hope is one for all ages.
The secret garden of the title is a place of healing for Mary and Colin, two children ailing in spirit and body.  When Mary first enters the garden in the cold of winter it appears lifeless, but with the help and encouragement of Dickon, a boy who seems to be one with everything in nature,  she begins digging and pruning and weeding.  As the garden comes to life so does Mary.  Mary and Dickon bring Colin into the garden and he, too, grows in strength and hope for his future.   Reading about the transformation of these children and the gradual coming to life of the garden reminds me that Spring will come, that there will be an end to the cold and the dark.
Near the end of the book, the children, along with a weathered old gardener and Dickon's mother, are in the garden.  Dickon is full of joy and thankfulness and the gardener, Ben Weatherstaff, suggests that they sing the Doxology.

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;

Praise Him, all creatures here below;

Praise Him above, ye Heavenly Host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.


And I sing along with them.

A movie was made of "The Secret Garden" in 1993.  The trailer for the movie gives a short synopsis of the plot for those who aren't familiar with it.  If the trailer peaks your interest, read the book first, then see the movie.  Get to know Mary in your heart and your imagination before seeing someone else's portrayal of her.

"Honey for a Child's Heart". . .and for mine

When my children and my sister's children were small, she gave me a copy of "Honey for a Child's Heart" by Gladys Hunt.  The back cover of the book states "A good book is a gateway into a wider world of wonder, beauty, delight, and adventure."  The book guides parents in including reading in family life and in encouraging children to read.  And there's a book list, too, with suggestions for all ages.  We read many of the books on that list as a family.  Some we read aloud, others the children read on their own.  One of the joys of all the reading was that I was introduced to these books, too.  I loved "The Secret Garden", "The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe", and "A Certain Small Shepherd" as much as my children did.  I have always been a voracious reader, and my mother was a believer in the public library, where we spent a lot of time.  But for some reason, I had not been introduced to many of these books.
Now, as a grandmother, I love reading to my grandchildren.  I look forward to the time when they are old enough to enjoy what my daughter called "chapter books" - when they beg for "one more chapter" before the lights are out.
But I discovered all those years ago that those books are not just for children.   I'm currently reading "Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis, which I started just after finishing "The Magician's Nephew" (no, I'm not reading them in order!).  I read Madeleine L'Engle's  "A Wrinkle in Time" not long ago, and am thinking of re-reading the Austin Family books.  Or maybe I'll go back to some other classics - the books I read as a preteen or teenager, such as "Little Women" and "Jane Eyre".  Whenever the new books in the book store or on the library shelve are unappealing, I know it's time to read something that will nourish my soul.

  My dad reading to three of his grandchildren in the early 1980s.