many waters cannot quench love

[electricalgwen]

...neither can the floods drown it.

One time, my supervisor at work took a small group of us out at lunchtime. Only we didn't have lunch. He gave us a choice: "We can have a feast for the body - or a feast for the mind." (Imagine it in an Inigo Montoya accent.) So we went to the nearest bookstore instead and he bought us each a book.

I got The Summer of the Great-Grandmother by Madeleine L'Engle. It's a very moving, simple, beautiful description of an approaching death and how the family dealt with it. L'Engle herself died this past week, age 88.

Her "children's" books tackled difficult subjects like death, religion, sexuality, hatred, and love, in a straightforward way and without being preachy, although her faith is evident throughout. When I was 15 or so, I kept giving "A Ring of Endless Light" to friends for birthdays etc., and I've continued to give away various of her books, including the wonderful poetry collection "A Cry Like a Bell". (The poem from the point of view of the mother of baby Judas is amazing.) Of her adult novels, I particularly recommend "A Live Coal in the Sea."

Lloyd Alexander is dead, too. Where's my childhood gone? *sigh*

Comments

[laisserais]

You've explained why she was so great much better than i could have. i think i might go out and get a new copy of "A Ring of Endless Light." I think checking it out again would be a good thing.