Tuesday, September 29, 2009

There's No Place Like Home by G. MacDonald

From page 3:
There's no place like home when the people who live there are making "building one another" their highest priority."

From page 21:

How could it be, God,
That at one moment
I could confidently express
What I believe to be the principles of genius
In raising children,
Of being an affective father?
But at another time
Fall so utterly impotent
So as to suspect
That I know nothing
That it all amounts to nothing?
After having poured
The treasures of heaven
Into this life of mine,
Are you often hurt like this?
Are there strange divine moments
When you also feel this futility,
This "powerlessness"
When those called by your
Family name are out of control
And ruin your celebration?

Do you ever share this feeling
That cuts tonight so deeply into my spirit?
If you do,
I, too, am sorry.

From page 70:
"I ask myself if there is any theme more wonderous, more mysterious, and maybe more underestimated in human experience than the story of what happens when one person chooses to impart his or her life-forming love upon one another."

From pare 71:
"How, I wonder, could anyone conclude that there is a greater task [referring to the pursuit of a career or achievement] than providing one's generation with a son, a daughter, or a disciple/protege who has chosen to live life as a giver and not a taker!"

From Page 303:
There's no place like a home, where you can look back upon treasured memories that were given as a gift by the kindness of God.