Things I Learned From Little Women (Part I)

All photos of book artwork by @melodyh_s

 "Watch and pray dear, never get tired of trying." Chapter VIII

Chapter eight is a very dramatic chapter. When I read this book with my bookclub, most of us admitted that we didn't forgive Amy for the terrible thing she did to Jo. While it's difficult to reconcile, I am happy for its foothold in my heart. The chapters of Little Women can be read like episodes, each teaching its own lesson. Near the end, Jo has a long conversation with her Marmee about how to deal with her anger. The reflections on Jo's experience have had an impact on my formation of this blog. Here is some of that conversation:



"'You think your temper is the worst in the world; but mine used to be just like it.'

'Yours mother? Why, you are never angry!' and, for the moment, Jo forgot remorse in surprise.

'I've been trying to cure it for forty years, and have only succeeded in controlling it. I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo; but I have learned not to show it; and I still hope to learn not to feel it, though it may take me another forty years to do so.'

The patience and humility of the face she loved so well was a better lesson to Jo that the wisest lecture, the sharpest reproof. She felt comforted at once by the sympathy and confidence given her; the knowledge that her mother had a fault like hers, and tried to mend it, made her own easier to bear and strengthened her resolution to cure it..."



#metoo is very much about women sharing experiences, realizing we are not alone in them. I am reminded how valuable and empowering this is, and hope to be as humble and open with my own daughters as Marmee is in this story.








"Watch and pray dear, never get tired of trying." Read a story, tell a story, connect with someone new, do something new, change a habit. Be inspired this day, like Jo, by our Mothers, and resolve that your inspiration will affect tomorrow by sharing it with someone.