Hopeful Things

Recently I was traversing the family farm in our ATV. The drought-stricken terrain was a rough ocean of native grasses, yellow and parched. The view was broken by the occasional renegade mesquite that had somehow avoided the whining blade of my husband's predatory chain saw. In the distance stately cottonwood trees stood like leafy sentinels, shimmering in the breeze. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, a clump of majestic purple flowers rose out of the prairie and took me by surprise. My eyes had grown accustomed to the dry, colorless land, and the bold, lavish color of the flowers made me stop and marvel. As I gazed over the land, I noticed splashes of purple grew like beacons in a sea of mediocrity. The farm had not seen significant rainfall in over a year; yet flowers as beautiful as any sold in a garden center greenhouse dotted the earth.

Suddenly I could imagine myself in another place and time. I could have been a pioneer woman crossing the prairie, following the dreams of a husband with wanderlust. Having left the comforts of home and family in the east, what could have given me the courage to continue the journey to an unknown, uncertain future? Hope would be the motivator, hope in the form of a clump of purple flowers punctuating the prairie with unprecedented beauty.

Four Fabulous Reads

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas: After reading the first three pages of this book, I was emailing others to tell them that they had to read this book. Rarely do I read a book that hooks me so completely in the first chapter. The story is set in a tiny gold-mining settlement in the Colorado Rocky Mountains during the Great Depression. It tells the story of an elderly woman who befriends a young woman who is a somewhat naive newcomer to the area. Their friendship begins with the love of quilting and solidifies through stories of their personal lives. There is even a bit of mystery involved. If you love historical fiction or quilting, give this one a try.

The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson: One of the marks of a good book is the pearls of wisdom or quotable lines that you can keep with you long after you have finished the book. This book has both. The book focuses on a diverse set of women of different ages, races, and backgrounds. The main character is a Black woman named Lorraine. Lorraine is a single mother who is an LPN at a nursing home. She is the source of strength and sometimes substitute family for two of her elderly patients. Once when her daughter asks how she can work in a nursing home and remain sane, Lorraine says, "Honey, if all I saw was what's right on top, they would all look the same to me. All of em old and can't do nothin, some can't even talk. No, you got to look harder than that." What sound advice for us all! Readers of this book may just start to look at not only the elderly but also everyone who is a little different in a more accepting and empathetic way.

Angelina's Bachelors by Brian O'Reilly: If you love to cook and like a good story, then this book should appeal to you. It tells the story of a widow searching for a way to combine a lifelong dream with making a living. When Angelina is widowed in her thirties, she also loses her job. Alone and broke, she uses her love of cooking to start a new life. She finds bachelors willing to pay for home-cooked meals six days a week. Each meal is described in detail followed by the recipes. The food is Italian and not for the novice cook. The story develops further with more conflict and of course a happy ending.

Nothing Daunted, The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden: Using her grandmother's journal and other sources, the author recreates the adventures of two upper class young women from Connecticut who go to the wilds of Colorado in 1916 to teach school. Dorothy Woodruff and Rosamund Underwood lived a life of privilege. They were well educated and well traveled, but expectations for woman of their time were low. Marriage, children, and social obligations were their predetermined future until they answered an ad for teachers in rural Colorado. Neither of them had ever taught school. In fact, no woman in their social set had ever earned a living. Yearning for something different and meaningful, they set off for a poor settlement in Colorado where they became the sole teachers for a new school. Living with a local family and riding horses to school each day, the young women encountered a culture completely different from their own. While dealing with poverty-stricken children and learning self sufficiency, they succeeded in acquiring lifelong friends and in making a lasting difference in the lives of the children they taught. Full of the history of the time, the book chronicles a presidential election and comments on women's rights. This book is a must for history buffs and an inspiring story for anyone.