Revisiting Old Friends ~ Valerie Ronald

 Relaxing outside in a lawn chair, I watch a bumble bee buzz its way from colorful flower to flower in the nearby garden. It visits various blooms, lingering on some longer than others, gathering bright yellow dots of pollen on its legs as it goes. The way it meanders leisurely and randomly among the flowers reminds me of how I read my way through the summer. Dipping into this book, then that book ˗˗ reading all the way to the end of some, and just skimming through others, collecting treasures as I go. If my books could talk, they would say they are fine with my casual approach, because we are, after all, old friends.

Summer is my time for revisiting old book friends, those that are almost as dear to me as my human friends. Between their worn, familiar covers is a treasury of beloved stories, characters and wisdom I love to visit again and again. I’ve heard it said that readers can be divided into two camps: those who read a book just once and those who re-read a book, sometimes multiple times. My criteria for a book I will return to again is that it must engage my imagination, delight my love of language and teach me something about life, either through story or prose.

Following is a brief introduction to some of my old friends who have given me hours of summer reading pleasure. Perhaps some of them are already your friends too, or this may be your first encounter. I hope you will enjoy getting to know them.

Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge 

This book was my first introduction to the author, who lived and wrote in rural England during the early 20th century. The novel’s quaint richness of language, fully rounded characters and picturesque settings delight my love of all things old and British. However, I am most entranced by the beautifully interwoven story lines with their themes of courage, history and love. I have read Gentian Hill often, finding new wisdom in old legends retold and authenticity in how the lives in each narrative ultimately grow together to make a stronger whole.

I wrote about Elizabeth Goudge in a previous InScribe blog post, linked below.

https://inscribewritersonline.blogspot.com/2020/09/learning-in-shadow-of-two-elizabeths_23.html
 

A Garden to Keep by Jamie Langston Turner 

This novelist’s writing is an acquired taste, with its “stream of consciousness” style jumping from thought to thought within the main character’s mind. Admittedly it took me a while to engage with the story, then I couldn’t put it down. The introspective journey of the main character as she experiences the breakdown of her marriage, resonates with me on many levels. As a writer I am intrigued by how the story moves along in incremental detail while still maintaining suspense and interest. I also appreciate how the main character’s process of coming to faith in Christ is handled in a believable way without being heavy-handed, and has much to do with the satisfying conclusion. I return to this book occasionally because it evokes an empathetic response I need to revisit, for my own heart’s sake.
 

Roots & Sky: a Journey Home in Four Seasons by Christie Purifoy

Reading this book is like coming home to a comfortable old chair by the fire after rambling in the wilderness. In evocative, poetic prose, Purifoy describes how the old house of her dreams becomes home for her heart as well as her family. Through each of the four seasons, she chronicles the first year of loving Maplehurst back to life. While restoring its Victorian farmhouse and overgrown gardens, she undergoes a personal interior restoration. God glows warm in the lowering sun creating rainbows through rippled old glass and in the age-old rituals of planting, weeding and harvesting. She finds a simple rhythm in the pared-down days of caring for her newborn daughter and watching her three older children bloom as she gently introduces them to the liturgy of unstructured play and imagination.

Since I discovered this book several years ago, I have read it through every autumn, the season where the book begins. It reminds me to look for God in the sacred of the ordinary and mark each moment on the pages of my spirit so I will always remember.

Enjoying the Presence of God by Jan Johnson

I confess I am not a fan of “how-to” books, although I will reference them when needed. Jan Johnson has the gift of instructing by coming alongside, saying “this is what I learned in my journey so I share it with you, hoping you will find it helpful.” Returning to her book is a regular habit in my spiritual life now, as it reminds me that being in God’s presence isn’t about duty but about enjoyment. She gives examples of thanksgiving being the atmosphere of our days, of talking to Him in “breath prayers” throughout routine activities, of discovering what His voice sounds like when He speaks to our spirit, and how obeying Him frees us from disappointingly trying to manage our own lives.

The book is Johnson’s own story of finding enjoyment in the presence of God after a long spiritual drought. Her insights, sprinkled with pertinent quotes and examples from other Christian authors, ring true and practical without sounding lofty. I come away from reading it, not overwhelmed by shoulds and musts but encouraged by how simple an enjoyable life with God can be.


These are only a few of my old book friends I love to revisit. There are many more on my bookshelves, waiting for me to peruse their familiar passages and discover new treasures. Like all genuine friendships, they only improve with age. 

 

Valerie Ronald lives in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. She is a graduate of Vancouver's Langara College journalism program, and has worked as a newspaper reporter, freelance writer, public speaker and bookstore employee. She writes devotionals for her home church bulletins and her online blog. Her current book project chronicles how God's faithfulness saw her through the dark valleys of divorce and cancer. Along with her husband, Valerie enjoys spending time with their blended family and six grandchildren. She is a nature photographer, water colorist, cat lover and Scrabble addict.
More of her devotionals can be read on her blog   https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com

Learning in the Shadow of Two Elizabeths ~ Valerie Ronald

                                  

When I decided to base this month’s blog post on two authoresses who are significant “shadow mentors” to me as a writer, I was delighted to find a yet unread book by one of them. Elizabeth Goudge, a prolific British authoress born at the turn of the 20th century, has long been the classic novelist I return to again and again. Described by biographer, S. Gower, as “fragile in appearance, but strong in spirit, she seemed at one with the peace and simplicity of her setting. Few novelists have had comparable knowledge and faith in the goodness of human nature, the beauty of childhood, and the pursuit of things lovely and of good report. ” ¹ 

I have a lovingly curated collection of her books, most out of print now, but this one I did not yet own. I began reading “The Little White Horse” with the goal of observing what it is about her writing that inspires me. Instead, I found myself totally drawn into this captivating children’s tale replete with magical settings, vivid characters and deep wisdom beyond its intended audience. My daily routine was set aside as I lost myself in another rich world created by my favorite storyteller.

It did not surprise me that even though written for children, the book contained layers of piquant wisdom woven seamlessly throughout its pages; glimpses of providence fulfilled, good triumphant over evil, animals and nature showing the way. There is a goodness which inevitably leaves its mark on my heart after I read a book by Elizabeth Goudge. I come away believing that hope can still be found in the timeless corners of the world and in the hearts of those who live in her stories. Her books satisfy my yearning for the mysticism of old legends and folklore, yet they are founded on the truth of Christianity. Jesus walks every page of her books without being named, for He shines in the eyes of innocent children and beasts, He paints the natural world with strokes of love and beauty, and He speaks through the struggles and fortitude of characters who strive to do the right thing.

This theme running through Elizabeth Goudge’s writing is what I want to emulate; to soak my stories and words with the love of Jesus without preaching. My goal is to weave His essence throughout my stories, to evoke a deep inner response in a reader’s heart toward the good. Elizabeth Goudge’s books are peopled with believable characters demonstrating their simple faith by living outward-looking lives, desiring the greater good of others rather than focusing on themselves. She does this through enchanting tales so beautifully told, the reader hardly realizes they are being taught how to live well.

“Christmas was like a star fallen down upon the earth, a miraculous thing. If you were paying proper attention to it, you were so astonished that you couldn’t pay attention to anything else.” ~ from Gentian Hill, by Elizabeth Goudge

I discovered the writing of Elisabeth Elliot when I read her first book soon after I became a believer. Through Gates of Splendor is a first-hand account of the deaths of her husband, Jim Elliot, and four fellow missionaries, at the hands of a primitive Ecuadorian tribe in 1955. I would venture to say this classic missionary story is the most well-known of its genre in Christian literature. Elisabeth candidly chronicles not only the gripping events surrounding the tragedy, but the overarching narrative of the individual and corporate motivation of the five missionaries. The impact of this incident could not have resounded around the world as it did if not for her careful yet heart-rending account of its details and repercussions. She tells her own deeply personal story as well as those of the other missionary widows, with unwavering faith and reliance upon God, even in the face of such tragic loss. This book opened my eyes to the power of fine writing to move the heart and spur a life of faith on towards the call of God. I have seen the results of such influence in my own family.

My husband’s brother sold his successful vegetable farm to become a missionary to indigenous people in the north of Manitoba. He had this quote by Jim Elliot posted prominently in his workshop. “He is no fool to lose what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” One dark night flying home from visiting an isolated reserve, the plane he was piloting crashed, killing him and his fellow missionary. His life was influenced by, and in many ways, paralleled the life of Jim Elliot.

Elisabeth Elliot’s literary eloquence, fitting to the era in which she wrote, taught me much about using precise words and carefully chosen descriptions to convey truth. I continued to read many of her books as her literary career flourished, and I must admit, I did not always enjoy them. Not because they were not finely crafted prose, rather, their content was at times like a bucket of cold water jolting awake my often flagging spiritual walk. As I learned from her, I grew to appreciate Elisabeth’s straightforward, refreshing encouragements on how to live in a way honoring to God. The wisdom stemming from her own severe trials and how she faced them gave me much to ponder. My trials have been different yet I have learned and grown through this wise “shadow mentor”, how God can use tragedies and trials to draw others to Himself.

"Peace is as infectious as panic. If my soul is quietly at rest in God, then others will share my peace, because I share His." ~ Elisabeth Elliot


¹ Gower 2001 p153 The World of Elizabeth Goudge Periwinkle Pub. ISBN 0954201507

More of Valerie's writing can be read on her blog   https://scriptordeus.wordpress.com