Miracles on Maple Hill

Today I emailed my friend Kate and was telling her that I have just read "Miracles on Maple Hill" by Virginia Sorensen. It is a children's book written in the 50's and was a Newberry winner. I found it as I was unpacking my children's Christmas books and as I was looking at it I thought "What is this doing here....it isn't a Christmas book is it?".

I decided to go ahead and read it just to be sure. I read children's books all of the time.....cause I LOVE THEM.....and it was such a wonderful little book!!!

It was about a family who moves the mountains in Pennsylvania after the father comes home from a WW2 prison camp and can't seem to function in Pittsburgh anymore. It was told from the little girls perspective and is full of lessons as to the importance of family....and how the neighbors all help each other to live in times of crisis.

And DANG IF I DIDN'T CRY!!!!

It may have been written in the 50's...but it's lessons are timeless. The importance of making sacrifices for members of your family even if it isn't what YOU want....and how the Lord blesses us for it. The importance of community and helping each other. Respect for your elders. Learning to appreciate the beauty of nature. How everything in it REALLY is a miracle....and how we REALLY CAN live on the things that God provides in it.

I was struck as to how a tiny little children's book could move me so much....and I think it proves a very important point. We strive SOOOO incredibly hard to dig deep...to be smart...to read and discuss the "heavy stuff"....to try to find a deeper meaning in EVERYTHING.....when sometimes the lessons just aren't so hard. They are right there on the surface. We're just so busy, so stressed, have been taught to work so hard for EVERYTHING,and take EVERYTHING SO SERIOUSLY.....that we forget to take joy in the very simple things.

So read a children's book...even if your don't have children...or your children aren't little anymore....it's okay! And you might be blown away by what you take away with you.

Oh....and my father,Earl, was born and raised in the hills of Pennsylvania about 45 minutes outside of Pittsburgh. He grew up on a hill surrounded my his family. That's his picture up there ....it was taken about the time this story took place.