Books and Things

I have this book, it was returned to me after I had loaned it and what is most important is that I have loaned this book many times but this was my original read. I open the book to all my notes and comments, my underlines and I feel like I have traveled to a woman long ago yet still the same. I see the words that I wrote in the margins and I am amazed to feel so much the same. The book is a favorite about faith and being a woman, it is a remarkable read and often people have not heard of it. The book is An Interrupted Life, The Diaries of Etty Hillesum 1941-1943.

Here is a quote that has always been a favorite:

"As life becomes harder and more threatening, it also becomes richer, because the fewer expectations we have, the more the good things of life become unexpected gifts which we accept with gratitude."

What a wonderful thought indeed. Perhaps that is why the people I have worked with all my life, people with developmental disabilities, are generally grateful for small things. It is both sad that they would have lower expectations but perhaps the one thing that I love the most. I am continually witness to what is good about life through their eyes.