Tonight was our back-to-school “ice cream social” night, where my soon-to-be kindergartener met his teacher for the first time while my second-oldest son went off with his dad to tour the middle school. Afterward, we hung out on the playground of the elementary school while Clara – now looking so big in a size-3T maxidress – climbed the “big kid” monkey bars like nobody’s business, her recently-bobbed hair curling in the humid late-summer heat. She looked so much like a big girl, just a few years away from starting school. My son, the kindergartener, is a big boy. A school-goer, a bus-rider, a backpack-wearer. Big, heavy, proud-but-sad sigh.
So when I stumbled across this particular quote from Anne Shirley-turned-Blythe from Anne of Ingleside, it felt particularly relevant:
“Anne smiled and signed. The seasons that seemed so long to Baby Rilla were beginning to pass all too quickly for her. Another summer was ended, lighted out of life by the ageless gold of Lombardy torches. Soon…all too soon…the children of Ingleside would be children no longer. But they were still hers…hers to welcome when they came home at night…hers to fill life with wonder and delight…hers to love, and cheer and scold…a little.”
Ah, it goes so fast; faster every year. But, I keep hoping, the best is yet to come.
In the comments to last week’s inaguaral Wise Words Wednesday post featuring a quote from Anne of Avonlea, Ana said:
“Anne… has always epitomized my idea of the “ideal mother and wife” that I long to be—present, understanding, fun, a little quirky, handling difficulty and tragedy with grace, and still apparently looking great after all those kids!”
Oh my gosh, me too. I’m midway through Anne of Ingleside now – the first book in the series that portrays Anne as a mother of many (though they were written out of order, which may be why you can’t get Anne of Ingleside on Kindle, boo!) and remembering why I so took to the books about “mother Anne” when I first got to them soon after having kids. She really is a great mother – takes her children seriously (but not too seriously), knows when to intervene and when to stand back, and just seems to enjoy her children and her life and her home so much. In light of our discussion yesterday about inspiring mom blogs, I’m wondering if Anne Blythe was author L.M. Montgomery’s fantasy of the Ideal Mother, or perhaps (as the book was written well after she’d raised her own children and just a few years before her death) her memories of all the best parts of herself as a mother. What do you think?
Do you have any wise words or inspiring quotes to share this week?
I haven’t read those books, but they sound really good. I think I’m going to have to reserve the first one at the library! Thanks for the heads up!
It’s been so long since i read those- I need to reread them as a mom!
Sadly, I read somewhere (don’t have time to verify the source right now) that according to an LM M biography, she actually had an unhappy marriage and one of her sons had serious mental issues (leading to criminal behavior). In fact, she is said to have based the character of Leslie Moore (LM) on herself (from the “House of Dreams” book). This made me a bit sad, and since I didn’t want those thoughts coloring my enjoyment of the books, I decided NOT to read the biography or any more on the matter (sticking head in sand=good coping strategy!)
So it seems that she based Anne’s happy family more on her fantasy than her memories.
BTW, just thinking more about Anne, you aren’t too far from her with your lovely brood of kids, writing, and red hair!
As a mom of 6, ages 33 to 14, I know one thing. We always wish we had done it differently as we look back at our parenting style. My advice…stop looking back and make improvements today. There is no perfect mom.
Indeed, L.M.Montgomery did suffer from depression herself and struggled to cope with a mentally-ill husband and children who grew up with “issues” of their own. Once I read about her life, I went back and re-read the Anne books and was really moved by them. Lucy Maud poured all of her passion for life into that character, and we could imagine that Anne was all she wanted to be: loving, loved, ultimately present in her own life and that of her children, just as we all aspire to be as parents.
Good mom, i really enjoyed reading your story… Thank you so much for having a good time to share with it.
Ana and Stephenie, thanks for the intel about LM Montgomery! I’m saddened to read that her life was full of trouble, but Stephenie, I think you’re right that it makes Anne’s story even more moving and sympathetic. I will have to read a biography!