I'm teaching it in World Lit, and I finished it today for about the fourth or fifth time. I don't care one whit that half of my students have expressed that they abhor this book, because I love it. And I love my copy of Jane Eyre. I love the way it feels in my hands and the black and white illustrations within its pages. But most of all I love it because my father bought this copy just for me over 20 years ago and inscribed it:"May you use to good purpose that gift with words with which the Creator has endowed you."
My father, all those many years ago, blessed me in a way that perhaps seemed small to him then. He blessed me with this book that he knew I loved, and he blessed me with the gift of encouragement and faith. He saw me; he believed in me; and he told me.
No amount of sighs and grumpy students could take away my joy in Jane Eyre, for reasons beyond Charlotte Brontë's wonderful story. For me, this book represents a father's delight in his child. And that has carried me through many, many hard times in my life.
Linked to Tuesdays Unwrapped at Chatting at the Sky and Just for the Joy of It at Good, True and Beautiful
What a beautiful gift he gave you! I would cherish that too.
ReplyDeleteThe blessing of a father is something that will never be taken away. It's yours to keep all the days of your life. What a smart man your father was to speak blessing into your life.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful gift to cherish!
ReplyDeleteWow- you make me want to read it...but I probably won't...at least, not until I'm finished with the last riveting part of "The Cat in the Hat"...
ReplyDeleteOh, what a sweet gift from a father to a daughter. Wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great inscription.
ReplyDeleteThat is one of my favorite books - and I actually have that exact edition you have a picture of here. I read it again a few months ago and enjoyed it just as much the 3rd/4th time around. It's one of my favorite movies too. :)
What a wonderful book, and a wonderful thing for your father to write inside.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, and have a beautiful day!
That is one of my absolute favorite books. What a wonderful memory you have wrapped up in yours.
ReplyDeleteAww thats awesome! I actually just stumbled on your blog looking for followers for mine. Im a first time author trying to promote my book. If you get a chance, please take a look at my blog: wordsareinnermusic.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteThank you!
great post, fellow literary mommy. i teach too, and it's hard to expose a book you truly love to the grand ambivalence of teenagers.
ReplyDeleteYou have imparted your love of literature and inparticular Jane Eyre. Even those who grump will remember your enthusiasm for this book years down the road.
ReplyDeleteLove the classics!
What a sweet blessing! I have that same copy of Jane Eyre, and I love it, too!
ReplyDeleteI suppose it's better late than never to visit a Tuesday Unwrapped post :) And this one is certainly worth the visit. I love this post, how your father took something you loved, noticed something in you and then spoke it into your life. Powerful.
ReplyDelete