Saturday, November 06, 2004

Two Blessings

In addition to good parents, good food, and a garden (which then seemed large) to play in, I began life with two other blessings. One was our nurse, Lizzie Endicott, in whom even the exacting memory of childhood can discover no flaw--nothing but kindness, gaiety, and good sense. There was no nonsense about 'lady nurses" in those days. Through Lizzie we struck our roots into the peasantry of County Down. We were thus free of two very different social worlds. To this I owe my lifelong immunity from the false identification which some people make of refinement with virtue. From before I can remember I had understood that certain jokes could be shared with Lizzie which were impossible in the drawing room; and also that Lizzie was, as nearly as a human can be, simply good.

The other blessing was my brother. Though three years my senior, he never seemed to be an elder brother: we were allies, not to say confederates, from the first.
~ C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy (1955)

_________________________

On this day:

1944 Lewis reads "Is Theology Poetry?" to the Oxford University Socratic Club; it is later published in The Socratic Digest, vol. 3 (1945)

1962 Hmmm...lemme check my driver's license...

4 Comment(s):

At Fri Nov 05, 11:17:00 PM EST, Blogger Arevanye said...

All right, all right, since you insist.

Baby Arevanye
You can see that already I am having trouble keeping my mouth shut.

 
At Sat Nov 06, 01:23:00 PM EST, Blogger Bob said...

From my conversations with my parents, my personal experience with the "memory of childhood" is that it is not that exacting. Distance tends to make it more fuzzy and pleasant-seeming than it perhaps was. Perhaps Lewis remembers better than I will at his age, but I am mildly sceptical.

 
At Sun Nov 07, 12:45:00 AM EST, Blogger Joelle said...

Too true Sandi, most don't realize what a good thing they have until they've lost it.

I admit, when my mom had her seizure last year, I have a whole new appreciation for her after almost losing her. All my life I just assumed/knew she'd be there, and then in minutes everything changed, and who knows what would have happened if my little sister hadn't found her as quickly as she did. *shudders at the thought*

 
At Mon Nov 08, 08:14:00 AM EST, Blogger Arevanye said...

Thanks, Joelle, for that reminder to not take our loved ones for granted.

I think I'll go hug my hubby and kids right now.

I'm glad your mom is better.

 

Post a Comment

<< Home