Thursday, June 30, 2011

with what feature do you lead?

i just finished tracy chevalier's remarkable creatures and found it
to be unremarkable but loved the perceptive introduction of her
characters.  she maintains that ones leading feature reveals ones
dominant characteristic.

her protagonist, mary anning, "leads with her eyes. . . that are
button brown and bright, and have a fossil hunter's tendency to
look for something."  her father enters with "his sharp, shapely
nose pinning her to the spot like a dart."

the heart breaker of the book, colonel birch, has such a thick,
wavy head of hair that he is always bowing to show it off.   "i
have never trusted a man who leads with his hair."

i lead with the proverbial big toe, testing the temperature of the
water before i jump in.



when we were newlyweds, we had no idea how many children
we wanted.  we took them one at a time and enjoyed them so
much, they just kept right on coming.  we have been visiting a
rustic colorado mountain town for 25 years and cherish every
visit.  my husband has asked me many times if i would like to
have a home there, but i have declined.



but, four or five years ago, i agreed . . . to a tiny condo on the
side of the mountain to just put in my big toe.  it has been the
most joyful experience since having all those babies, so now we
have built a cabin on the top of a ridge, surrounded by the
mountains we love.  i guess we have jumped in with both feet.

"how lovely on the mountains are the feet of them who bring
good news."   isaiah 52:7

with what feature do you lead?

love,
lea

ps.  this is an edited repost from one year ago.