I love my mother, not as a prisoner of atherosclerosis, but as a person; and I must love her enough to accept her as she is, now, for as long as this dwindling may take.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of unconditional love and acceptance, especially towards a loved one who is facing health challenges.
Madeleine L'Engle's quote expresses a profound and compassionate stance towards her mother, illustrating the deep emotional connection that persists despite the challenges brought by illness. It highlights the necessity of accepting loved ones for who they are, particularly in difficult times, and recognizing their humanity beyond any afflictions that may alter their state of being. This perspective encourages a loving attitude that transcends physical limitations and focuses on the essence of the person.
In practice
In a speech at a family gathering to celebrate Mother's Day.
Truth is what is true, and it's not necessarily factual. Truth and fact are not the same thing. Truth does not contradict or deny facts, but it goes through and beyond facts. This is something that it is very difficult for some people to understand. Truth can be dangerous.
George MacDonald gives me renewed strength during times of trouble--times when I have seen people tempted to deny God--when he says, "The Son of God suffered unto death, not that men might not suffer, but that their sufferings might be like his.
If you don't recount your family history, it will be lost. Honor your own stories and tell them too. The tales may not seem very important, but they are what binds families and makes each of us who we are.
I never want to lose the story-loving child within me, or the adolescent, or the young woman, or the middle-aged one, because all together they help me to be fully alive on this journey, and show me that I must be willing to go where it takes me, even through the valley of the shadow.
The minute we begin to think we have all the answers, we forget the questions.
When we believe in the impossible, it becomes possible, and we can do all kinds of extraordinary things.
My mother never, ever told me about evilness. She only saw the beautiful things... she wanted to protect me from it.
Without a mother, one cannot love. Without a mother, one cannot die.
No government can love a child, and no policy can substitute for a family's care. But at the same time, government can either support or undermine families as they cope with moral, social and economic stresses of caring for children.
Make sure your family and loved ones don’t interrupt you during your_x000D_ writing time. If you’re a lawyer or doctor, friends don’t just stop by the office to chat or interrupt you from your work. But for some reason, people think writing is different. It isn’t, and you need to make clear that this is sacred time.
I come from a family where the only emotion respectable to show is irritation. In some this tendency produces hives, in others literature, in me both.
A sister they had, Galadriel, most beautiful of all the house of Finwë; her hair was lit with gold as though it had caught in a mesh the radiance of Laurelin.
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