tinkers

[in case you can't read it, the endorsement up there says, "Tinkers is truly remarkable" -Marilynne Robinson]

As I mentioned, one of the books I'm reading is Tinkers by Paul Harding, a kind loan from my Vermont-blog-friend, Shari. Before sending it along tucked in a fun box o' things, she shared a quote via e-mail. I read that same paragraph just now, sitting here with ginger tea, the dryer tumbling two rooms away. Harding's words pierced me again, and I felt compelled to share:

"Your cold mornings are filled with the heartache about the fact that although we are not at ease in this world, it is all we have, that it is ours but that it is full of strife, so that all we can call our own is strife; but even that is better than nothing at all, isn't it? And as you split frost-laced wood with numb hands, rejoice that your uncertainty is God's will and His grace toward you and that that is beautiful, and part of a greater certainty, as your own father always said in his sermons and to you at home. And as the ax bites into the wood, be comforted in the fact that the ache in your heart and the confusion in your soul means that you are still alive, still human, and still open to the beauty of the world, even though you have done nothing to deserve it. And when you resent the ache in your heart, remember: You will be dead and buried soon enough."
[page 72]

This really is a beautiful book.

In other such news, I strolled around a bookstore yesterday with rooibos tea, and walked away with three treasures:

-Real Simple magazine. I've decided it is time to subscribe. Who else is going to tell me about Ahava hibiscus & fig creamy body wash, remind me about Aveda tea (served in-store), provide amazing salmon recipes, and do it all so beautifully in the process?
-Birds in the Hand: Fiction and Poetry About Birds. On sale for $5.00, the perfect size to tuck in my purse. Some of the authors include Wendell Berry, Billy Collins, Jorie Graham, Barbara Kingsolver, Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty, and so on.
-A bar of Godiva dark chocolate for Johnny.

Happy Over the Rhine day! I'm still a bit weary, but as Katy pointed out, an OTR show is always healing. A late night of great music is worth the fatigue. We can sleep in tomorrow, and make pancakes and yerba mate tea...