Little House

A few weeks ago Sweetheart returned from the thrift store with a special surprise for me. He found all nine Little House books in perfect condition. I had an old, worn out set when I was teaching, but couldn't find them in my tubs of books. What a treat to receive the whole set in such nice shape. See why I call him Sweetheart?

I've been reading them off and on since he brought them home and finished the series earlier this week. I loved these books as a child and enjoyed rereading them a few years ago. How nice it's been to visit with them again!

Laura's role as Mary's eyes to the world, I believe, made her an extraordinary writer. Her prose is simple, yet descriptive. I always feel as if I am a part of the scene, just standing on the end, watching her life. I enjoy how she also shares her feelings. Personally, having a perfect sister like Mary would have driven me nuts and I, too, would have wanted to speak my mind more.

The hardships that the Ingalls family lived through are truly amazing to me. How many of us would have given up when things got tough? Their ability to keep on persevering is inspirational to me. I've been personally convicted to stick with some tough jobs since I began rereading these because I've thought about how much harder they worked than I ever will.

It's so neat to read about a family that works so hard for one another. I want to instill that love of family into our children as they grow up. Laura became a schoolteacher, not because she wanted to, but because it would help Mary. She stuck with it even through some horrible times (the lady with the knife!) because the family was counting on her. She gave and sacrificed time and time again, as they all did for one another.

Yes, she was pretty critical of one of the preachers, Reverend Brown, whom she grew up under and she refused to have "obey" as part of her wedding vows, but she was equally kind in her descriptions of the Reverend Alden, who truly loved his church members.

All in all, I love these stories. I'll keep rereading them in the future I know, and look forward to sharing them with my own children someday.

Here's a link to a fun site that has some fun activities to go along with the books. Also, Kelli shares her experiences with her three children and their Prairie Days. What fun! Think Pumpkin's too young? I bet he'd love Farmer Boy. I think all Almanzo did was eat, do chores, and dream of horses! Pumpkin would be eating, playing, and dreaming of Airedales!