A Little House life in the 20th Century
These lessons and more were instilled into me as I enjoyed the adventures of Laura and her family on the prairies of America.
For whatever reason, I decided this summer to re-read the Little House
series. I think I was looking for some easy to digest comfort food to
help me cope with the hectic world I've created around myself in the
past few years.
While I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the
stories in the forgotten, yet familiar pages, I also felt a little sad
reading the stories from an adult's perspective rather than a child's.
As a little girl, I was captivated by the romance of living on the
praire: playing on creek and lake shores, bringing in the cows, and
meeting all of the interesting people who dared to settle the West. I
knew every predicament that Laura and her family got into would end
well, because the grownups were in control. Every story ended with Pa
tucking the kids into bed and serenading them to sleep with his trusty
fiddle, and that's the way I wanted it to be.
As an adult,
I found myself experiencing the torrent of emotions Ma and Pa must have
felt during all of those romantic adventures Laura Ingalls described in
her books.
I suffered with Ma as she frantically searched
the huge prairie grasses for missing baby Grace, or resolutely fought
to keep prairie fires from her home with nothing but a bucket of water
and a feedsack.
I agonized with Pa over how he would feed his
family over the long winter of blizzards or keep them safe from the
wolves surronding their tiny claim shanty.
I got angry with
the townsfolks at greedy storekeepers and struggled with the
schoolteacher trying to discipline a classroom of unruly students.
In other words, this summer I read the books with my current adult
mindset that I had to solve all of the problems, rather than with the
innocent, trusting mind of a child who just believed all would be well.
And felt just a little melencholy at the innocence I had lost.
Until I realized that the simple message of love, trust, and acceptance
that Laura Ingalls offers in her books is mirrored in verse after verse
found in another book:
Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you (Genesis 26:24)
He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms (Isaiah 40:11)
God comforts those who suffer (2 Corinthians 1: 5)
...and so many others that prove to us that we can be trusting and
innocent like little children, knowing that the Almighty Father up in
Heaven loves us and will take care of everything for us.
What a relief in this 20th Century that preaches action and control to
know that we don't have to have all the answers: that even now we can
live a Little House life in this 20th Century, trusting in God to wrap
us in his loving arms, tuck us carefully into bed, and lull us to sleep
with his gentle prairie music.
About the Author
Copyright 2006 Sue Dickinson is a mom, a business woman, and the founder of www.Unlimited Mom.com, a web site and e-newsletter designed to celebrate the many facets of a Mom - including her walk with God. Sue is also the author of the book: "What's a Mom to Do? Overcoming the Urge to Put Your Life on Hold", which can be purchased at unlimitedmom.com
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