Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Important Books Attract Other Important Books!

The mother of my best childhood friend loved books. They once owned a used bookstore and she enjoyed reading the classics and the rare, out of print books. Towards the end of her life, she handed me a book and written on the inside were these words:

"Important books attract other important books!"

Oh how true that statement is. About a year ago, I was rereading a favorite of mine called The True Woman by Susan Hunt and in that book she quotes another book. A letter actually that an intriguing woman named Elizabeth Prentiss wrote to a dear friend who was going through a hard time. The part that caught my attention was when she said..."seek God, not joy; consent to suffer, not cry for relief." She went on to say "the intent of sorrow is to toss us on to God's promises." What?!!!!? Society today says to do what makes you feel good and what makes you happy. This is a bold statement.

I must have read the entire letter 10 times. This got me interested. Who is Elizabeth Prentiss? Where and when did she live? What happened in her life that she can say such statements as these with such boldness, conviction, and yet compassion to a friend?
So, I did a little research. Elizabeth Payson Prentiss was born October 26, 1818 in Portland, Maine and died August13, 1978 in Dorset, Vermont. During her nearly 60 years of life, she suffered poor health, the death of a child, and many other hardships along the way. Yet she wrote children's books (in which I do intend to get my hands on) and she also compiled many of her journal entries to make up a very interesting read called Stepping Heavenward: One Woman's Journey to Godliness.


http://www.amazon.com/Stepping-Heavenward-Journey-Godliness-Inspirational/dp/1577483421/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446252715&sr=8-1&keywords=stepping+heavenward



Her journal entries start at age 16 and continues into her 30s.
This book has been on my list of books to buy and read for over a year now. Yesterday, some friends of ours brought us a box of books and there it was. Just waiting to be picked up and read. So my next few posts will be about the life of Elizabeth Prentiss.


What are some of your favorite books that have led you to other great books?

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