Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Catherine, Called Birdy- so wise!


One of the kids novels that tries to depict life in the Middle Ages features a precocious, hilarious girl who is determined not to be "married" off by her "pig" of a father to the highest bidder.
An excerpt- "Dear Diary, The stars and my family align to make my life black and miserable. My mother seeks to make me a fine lady- dumb, docile, and accomplished- so I must take lady-lessons and keep my mouth closed. My father, the toad, conspires to sell me like cheese to some lack-wit seeking a wife.
What makes this clod pole suitor anxious to have me? I am no beauty, being sun-browned and gray-eyed, with poor eyesight and a stubborn disposition.
Corpus bones! He comes to dine with us in two days' time. I plan to cross my eyes and drool in my meat." Karen Cushman

Obviously, the author does a great job giving laughs, but through out the book there are little nuggets of truth, only children are honest enough to speak out loud. One particular entry was really intriguing to me, because it made so much sense. See what you think-
"26th Day of October- My mother makes the best cider in Lincolnshire. She swears it is because she always includes a number of rotten apples in the mix. I was wondering if this could be true of people- if the world needs a few rotten people to make the sweetest mix. This would explain the problem of God allowing evil in the world." Karen Cushman

Would the love and mercy of God taste as sweet if we didn't have the hurt and sorrow of the world?

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