The small joys
by chuckofish
“…Hilary enjoyed himself, just as he had enjoyed himself drinking the port. Increasingly, as he got older, he enjoyed things. As his personal humility deepened, so did his awareness of the amazing bounty of God…so many things…The mellow warmth of the port, the pleasure of the game, the sight of Lucilla’s lovely old face in the firelight, and David’s fine hands holding the cards, his awareness of Margaret’s endearing simplicity, and the contentment of the two old dogs dozing on the hearth…One by one the small joys fell. Only to Hilary no joy was small; each had its own mystery, aflame with the glory of God.”
—Pilgrim’s Inn
This weekend I finished re-reading Pilgrim’s Inn by Elizabeth Goudge, an old favorite written in 1948 about an English family after the war. It seems a bit dated now, but I found it quite satisfying and I recommend it. The fact that it and her other novels are still in print tells you something.
The boy and daughter #3 came over for dinner on Sunday night after returning from a week in South Carolina and we heard all about their adventures.
Summer has arrived here in flyover country–we topped 90 degrees on Sunday. But spring was long and lovely and the heat and humidity are inevitable. Why complain?
Here are some fun videos (and here) from the Total Lacrosse YouTube channel featuring the boy testing and touting Warrior equipment.
Have a great Monday!







I love that bird on the shelf in the upstairs hallway! And all of your shelf-scapes 🙂
So many great nooks of the house! Small joys for sure.
W. is a star! I love the video — so cool. Also, your pics are fabulous and I have to come visit soon so I can poke around your house 🙂 Inspired by our earlier phone conversation, I, too, read Pilgrim’s Inn. I loved the first half, but thought it went on a little too long and got a bit saccharin toward the end. Lovely post.
I agree about Pilgrim’s Inn–It starts off strong and then loses its way. But I did finish it. It’s funny how a character like Lucilla was perceived then as admirable, but now seems possessive and controlling.
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