I love to read! When
I say I love to read, I mean, I LOVE to read!
My love for reading goes way back.
My mom tells me that when I was little and we had “nap time” I would sit
in my room quietly reading instead of taking a nap. That pretty much sums it up too, because
there have been MANY times over the years that I’ve chosen reading to sleep. In
my opinion one of the best inventions ever is the Kindle! Anyway, through all
these years and years of reading, I have gotten to know and love some truly
amazing characters, characters that have inspired and moved me. Today I’m going to share with you my favorite
and most inspiring heroine of all-time.
Anne Shirley
Oh Anne how I love thee!
If you’ve ever read this series, you will know that I am not alone in my
love for all things Anne Shirley. Everyone loves Anne, even grumpy, old
Aunt Josephine who generally hates everyone and everything. Even when Anne tries to get people to dislike her, they simply cannot help but
love her. For example, when she smashes
her slate over Gilbert Blythe’s head because he calls her “carrots,” he
promptly falls in love with her and chases her for years until she gives in and
forgives him (best love story ever by the way).
The best way to describe my love for this character is through her own
words, so here are all the reasons I love her!
1. Her charming imperfections-“Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it... Yet.”
2. Her determination in the face of challenges-“We pay a
price for everything we get or take in this world; and although ambitions are
well worth having, they are not to be cheaply won, but exact their dues of work
and self-denial, anxiety and discouragement.”
3. Her optimism-“It's been my experience that you can nearly
always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”
4. Her love of life-“Dear old world', she murmured, 'you are very lovely, and I am glad to
be alive in you.”
5. Her smarts-“People
laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use
big words to express them, haven't you?”
6. Her sense of
humor-“Life is worth living as long as there's a laugh in it.”
7. Her love of people-“Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's
splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world.”
8. Her ability
to stop and enjoy beauty-“Look at that sea, girls--all silver and shadow and
vision of things not seen. We couldn't enjoy its loveliness any more if we had
millions of dollars and ropes of diamonds.
9. Her
gratitude-“I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”
10. She is so
completely genuine-“Why must people kneel down to pray? If I really wanted to
pray I’ll tell you what I'd do. I'd go out into a great big field all alone or
in the deep, deep woods and I'd look up into the sky—up—up—up—into that lovely
blue sky that looks as if there was no end to its blueness. And then I'd just
feel a prayer.”
11. Her
self-acceptance-“There's such a lot of different Annes in me. I
sometimes think that is why I'm such a troublesome person. If I was just the
one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn't be
half so interesting.”
12. Her depth of understanding-“It has always seemed to me. ever since early childhood, amid
all the commonplaces of life, i was very near to a kingdom of ideal beauty.
Between it and me hung only a thin veil. I could never draw it quite aside, but
sometimes a wind fluttered it and I caught a glimpse of the enchanting realms
beyond-only a glimpse-but those glimpses have always made life worthwhile.”
Anne has taught
me a lot about life, love, and being a woman.
Her journey from an unwanted orphan to a beautiful, intelligent, wife
and mother is an incredible thing to experience. If you haven’t read this series yet, I
encourage you to read it and let Anne inspire you. And to you Anne Shirley, you
truly Shimmer, Sparkle, and Shine!
Alicia
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