Stones for Ibarra

I finished reading Stones for Ibarra last week. What a wonderful book! Thank you, Elizabeth, for such a great gift. You were right--I had not read it. I'm glad I have now. I found the story of the Evertons so bittersweet, and the denizens of Ibarra a strangely fascinating group of people. A few of my favorite things about this book:

This quote: "The Evertons expect too much. They have experienced the terrible persuasion of a great-aunt's recollections and adopted them as their own. They have not considered that memories are like corks left out of bottles. They swell. They no longer fit." I love the truthfulness of this image.

Sara fills in details of stories she does not know but which add a certain Shazam! I find I do the same. I am able to create whole scenarios, just like Sara does with Madra Petra, projecting experiences onto people that may never have happened, but would certainly be interesting. I have wondered if other people do the same thing with me--imaging my life differently than it was, but creating a life I might have enjoyed more than the one I actually lived/am living.

As I read, I wondered how I would live my life differently if I knew Kent only had a finite number of years to live. How could I make our lives richer, fuller, more vibrant and alive? Or would I? Would I, like Sara, imagine nothing was really going to change and that everything would be fine? Would I appreciate small moments, like sitting on the veranda in the heat of a summer evening soaking in the beauty of my life? Hard for me to say.

And I loved the conclusion and the title of the book. Stones to remember. Stones a million or two million years old that can remind us of all that is good, all that is warmthing, all that is worthwhile in the grand scheme of things.

Thanks again, Elizabeth, for a wonderful book!