21 december 2014
And Mack would see her, all fire like that, and he'd probably be laughing, thinking he'd done it. He'd touch her cheek and fire would come away on his hand and he'd probably just lick it off. He'd say, Now, that's the kind of girl a man would marry! Telling that damn lie again just to see if she could burn any hotter than fire.
...
Life on earth is difficult and grave, and marvelous.
...
He nestled against her. That sound of settling into the sheets and the covers has to be one of the best things in the world. Sleep is a mercy. You can feel it coming on, like being swept up in something. She could see the light in the room with her eyes closed, and she could smell the snow on the air drifting in. You had to trust sleep when it came or it would just leave you there, waiting.
Marilynne Robinson, Lila
So glad I started reading Lila, that it came out at such a fortuitous time, that a companion to Gilead (one of my favorite books of all time) would be help me continue my love affair with books, even if I can only read it in 30 minute chunks and it's taken over a month to finish. I started it in the hospital in the days before they were born, and at one point two nurses came into my room. They laughingly advised me to enjoy my book now, as it might be a while before I'd be able to read a book again.
"I have an eight month old and I can't remember the last time I read a book!"
"My kids are twelve and I can't remember the last time I read a book!"
:::
Taken November 14, 2014, birthday of Eleanor Lita Cole Bedingfield, and Beatrice Rhea Cole Bedingfield -- Nora and Bea.
More pictures of the girls are on our old marilynandbo.com website, and on Instagram and on Flickr.