"See, Lily, honey is a preservative. It seals over the comb in the hives to keep it safe and pure so the bees can survive the winter. When we bathe Our Lady in it, I guess you'd say we're preserving her for another year, at least inside our hearts we're doing that." (pg. 269)
My favorite quotes, thoughts, and lessons from the book:
1. "You know how adults love to ask, 'So what are you going to be when you grow up?' I can't tell you how much I'd hated that question..." (pg. 16)
me too!!! one of my professors in college (elementary education degree) told me once, "Don't ask your students 'What do you want to be when you grow up.' Ask them 'What kind of a person do you want to be when you grow up.'" Meaning, a good person, a person with integrity, character, love, humility, desire to help others, etc. I LOVE that.
2. "Day one of my new life, I said to myself. That's what this is." (pg. 57)
It's ours for the taking. So get out there and TAKE it for yourself!
3. "We were to offer them the five-part plan of salvation, which they could accept or not. The church gave us a plastic glove with each step written on a different finger. You started with the pinkie and worked over to the thumb. Some ladies carried their salvation gloves in their purse in case they ran into a Catholic unexpectedly." (pg. 58)
hahahahaha, salvation gloves! I loved this, it made me laugh...only because I pictured our missionaries teaching the discussions with gloves on though;-)
4. "The body knows things a long time before the mind catches up to them. I was wondering what my body knew that I didn't." (pg. 69)
5. "It separates the honey," she said. "Takes our the bad stuff, leaves in the good. I've always thought how nice it would be to have spinners like this for human beings, Just toss them in and let the spinner do its work." (pg. 77)
thinking of anyone in your life you'd like to put in the spinner right now? how about yourself sometimes? me too:-)
6. "She reminded me that the world was really one big bee yard, and the same rules worked fine in both places: Don't be afraid, as no life-loving bee wants to sting you. Still, don't be an idiot; wear long sleeves and long pants. Don't swat. Don't even think about swatting. If you feel angry, whistle. Anger agitates, while whistling melts a bee's temper. Act like you know what you're doing, even if you don't. Above all, send the bees love. Every little thing want to be loved." (pg. 92)
this was my favorite lesson of this book. it pretty much summed up life for me. how to live it.
7. themes: and the truth shall set you free (example on pg. 101), having purpose, not dwelling on the past, honesty, sisterhood, life lessons, equality, learning to love those you nurture (June learning to love Lily, pg. 226), rebirth, readiness (pg. 237), saving grace
anyone else with me on this?
8. "I laid my head on his shoulder and wondered how he could stand me. In one short morning I had exhibited insane laughter, hidden lust, pissy behavior, self-pity, and hysterical crying. If I'd been trying to show him my worst sides, I could not have done a better job than this." (pg. 128-129)
ain't love grand?
9. salty peanuts and coca cola (pg. 139)
10. women loving people that sting (pg. 143)
11. "You've been halfway living your life for too long. May was saying that when it's time to die, go ahead and die, and when it's time to live, live. Don't sort-of-maybe live, but live like you're going all out, like you're not afraid." (pg. 211)
12. "We can't think of changing our skin," he said. "Change the word--that's how we gotta think." (pg. 216)
13. "She was like a sponge, absorbing what I couldn't hold anymore." (pg. 238)
14. "It was scary, my secrets spilled out across the room, like a garbage truck had backed up and dumped its sorry contents across the floor for her to sort through." (pg. 240)
sometimes laying it all out seems to be part of the healing process to me.
15. "...no matter how much you thought you could leave your mother behind, she would never disappear from the tender places in you." (pg. 237)
sooooooo true.
16. "In a weird way I must have loved my little collection of hurts and wounds. They provided me with some real nice sympathy, with the feeling I was exceptional. I was the girl abandoned by her mother. I was the girl who kneeled on grits. What a special case I was." (pg. 288)
17. "When you're unsure of yourself...when you start pulling back into doubt and small living, she's the one inside saying, 'Get up from there and live like the glorious girl you are.' She's the power inside you, you understand?...that's the only purpose grand enough for a human life. Not just to love--but to persist in love." (pg. 289)
goddesses! are we allowing our hearts to live to their fullest potential?
18. "People can start out one way, and by the time life gets through with them they end up completely different." (pg. 293)
19. "If you need something from somebody, always give that person a way to hand it to you." (pg. 298)
what a lesson to learn.
what were your favorite quotes, thoughts, and lessons?
tune in tomorrow to see what the April/May selection will be!
dear sean a.k.a. "spanish speaking hottie,"
