What I like most about good books are the nuggets of philosophy found scattered throughout their pages – nuggets that cause me to think or re-consider my own attitudes.

Though expressed by fictional characters, such nuggets also offer insight into the personal philosophies of the writer. 

The simply named *The Bird in the Tree by Elizabeth Goudge is full of such nuggets, most often thought or said by Lucilla, the Eliot family matriarch.

Following are some of the pearls of wisdom I gathered while reading this first book of Goudge’s Eliot Family Chronicles. The trilogy also includes The Herb of Grace and The Heart of the Family.

On God

We all try to make God in our image. It is one of the worst of our temptations. (pg. 278)

On aging

One would know the first cold breath of old age when one found oneself in a world where there was no one left to whom one was a child. (pg. 117)

On a danger of beauty

Such a [beautiful] woman could not help but be blinded, now and again, by the smoke from the fires that she kindled. (pg. 281)

On receiving praise

The acceptance of homage gives no permanent satisfaction; it is better to give it. What is given to you, you are always afraid will one day cease to be given, but what you give you can give forever. (pg. 66)

On the value of retrospection

You cannot judge anything without its context, and you cannot judge the value of what happens to you until many years afterwards. Then you see how one thing led to another and how it was all, even the little trivial things as well as the big ones, somehow necessary. (pg. 253)

*First published by Gerald Duckworth and Co. Ltd., 1940

Talk to me. Do you have any literary pearls of wisdom to share?

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#9 – On the Value of Money

“Money is the longest route to happiness.”

Evangeline Lilly, cast member of Lost television program
Quoted in Women’s Health magazine, June 2009.

Why I Like This.

I see a road extending so far you can’t see the end. If we think we can’t be happy until we reach a certain level of wealth, we’ll almost certainly never reach the goal. For when we reach the first level of wealth, we’ll see that there’s still more road ahead.

And while we’re on that long road, we pass by the flowers, streams, sunsets and the smiling friends and family that could have provided us that happiness all along.

Whenever I’m feeling financially confined, lacking freedom to come and go and do as I please, I feel better remembering something our mother used to say: Be thankful if your problems can be solved just by having more money.

Because money is inadequate when it comes to solving many of our problems. Only generous amounts of love, forgiveness, patience, time, and acceptance can hold a family together, mend estranged relationships, or heal a broken heart.

#8 – On Delayed Gratification

“Leave some fun for later.”

– Jennifer Bryan at Wedding Reception in Houston
In a conversation about getting a (small!) tattoo
June 27, 2009

Why I Like This:

It’s a reminder to be patient with life. We don’t have to do it all now. I remember when this occurred to me, though maybe not in those words.

I must admit that at times I would view my four growing children as interruptions of my work – domestic and otherwise – until I would remember that they were my work – and pleasure. To view their needs and wants as interruptions interfered with that pleasure.

Anything else I wanted to do could wait. If it was important to me, if I had a passion for it, I’d get to it. If not, then did it really matter?

Now I look back at that time as one of the richest and most fulfilling of my life and wish I had paid more attention and savored each moment more.

Personal Note to Jennifer:

No need to lengthen your “bucket list” because you think you might be doing it all now. Your children have yet to graduate from high school, complete a higher learning degree, establish their own homes or give you grandchildren. Believe me, each of those milestones will present its own challenge. It’s fun to plan ahead, but I have a feeling you won’t find it necessary.

Personal examples:

Not on my list: Africa. When I was a child, I would never have dreamed of living – much less bearing three children – in South Africa. Yet I can’t imagine our lives without the 12 years we spent there.

On my list: Barcelona. I was intrigued by the city in 1992 when it hosted the Summer Olympics. In 2007, we were able to enjoy the city and its sights on the way back from a nostalgic trip to South Africa.

Not on my list:  Bangkok, Thailand. With children (and a grandchild!) in this remote land, it’s been moved to the top, with plans to visit in 2010.

On my list: England and Ireland someday. Who knows? It doesn’t hurt to wish. But if the wish gets waylaid, it’ll be okay, because I’ve learned that sometimes the best experiences of life happen while you’re making other plans.

Not on my list: a Tattoo. Does this mean….?

#7 – On the power of one

“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

Jeremiah 29:21
The Old Testament

Why I like this.

This portion of a letter sent from the Old Testament prophet to those in exile under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon struck me as good advice to anyone who is in a circumstance not of their own choosing. Jeremiah is telling them to make the best of it.

Before this, he has told them that they’re going to be in Babylon for 70 years, so they might as well build houses and plant gardens. Now he tells them to do what’s best for those around them. Rather than sitting around bemoaning their fate, they should do what it takes to serve the community.

When we find ourselves in circumstances beyond our control – whether it is a geographical location, a profession, a social situation, a family predicament – or an aging body – the best thing to do is not to withdraw or to bellyache but to pitch in and do what we can for the welfare of everyone. In doing so, our circumstances will also improve.

#6 – On Books

Books are keys to wisdom’s treasure;

Books are paths that upward lead.

Books are gates to lands of pleasure;

Books are friends.

Come, let us read!

from her Little Notebook of Sayings
Hilda Kitt, 1890 – 1967

Pop-up Proverbs are sayings that catch my fancy as I go about my day. Some have surprising sources; all of them have made me stop and think – and maybe smile a little.

#5 – Aging

Grace: “Mother, there’s a splendid new book on avoiding old age. You ought to read it.”
Abbie Deal: “I’m only sixty-two, Grace, and I don’t see any signs of senility. You can’t avoid old age, but you don’t need to think about it.”

From A Lantern in Her Hand, page 221
by Bess Streeter Aldrich

Pop-up Proverbs are sayings that catch my fancy as I go about my day. Some have surprising sources; all of them have made me stop and think – and maybe smile a little.

#1 – Gossip:

“When you’re talking about me, you’re leaving someone else alone.”

My dad – Bruce Kitt 1921-2007
As quoted by my mother

#2 – Fear

“It is not failure itself that holds you back; it is the fear of failure that paralyzes you.”

Brian Tracy
Nightingale-Conant Newsletter, May 17, 2009

#3 – Materialism

“[Islam] teaches me to hold my material possessions in my hand, and not my heart, so if they’re taken away from me I won’t be affected.”

Abeer Raazi, May 14, 2009
Interview with Krista Tippett on Speaking of Faith radio program

#4 – Wealth

“Money is the longest route to happiness.”

Evangeline Lilly, of Lost
Quoted in Women’s Health magazine, June 2009

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