I've been re-reading Middlemarch recently. It's fascinating, and full of complex characters. However, it will never be an all-time favourite book of mine because of the hero. Listen, guys, if  you ever find yourself becoming attracted to a married woman, YOU RUN FOR THE HILLS!!!  Don't mope around in the same village as her, nobly saying nothing about your passion and secretly hoping that her husband will die so you can marry her. It may have worked out ok in the end for Will Ladislaw, but it wasn't thing right thing to do.

Sorry, I guess there was a spoiler for the book in the above paragraph, but how many of my readers were actually planning to read Middlemarch anyway?   It's a long, long book.

The point I was going to bring up, though, was from the last paragraph of the book:

"Her full nature, like that river of which Cyrus broke the strength, spent itself in channels which had no great name on the earth. But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs."

Most of us live "hidden lives" in this respect. We'll never be mentioned in history books or extolled as those who influenced the lives of thousands. But a faithfully lived hidden life does untold good to those around it. And God uses mostly the weak things of the world to shame the wise.

Thankful Thursday

1. There are so many things in my family's life that are almost coming to pass. It's encouraging that things are moving along on many fronts, but to be so near the end of waiting makes it tempting to be impatient. I'm thankful to be in this position to remind me that it is God who ordains the events of life as well as their timing, so that we rely on Him alone.

2. I'm thankful that the children have all recovered from their colds. Next week I hope to say that same about Tim and me!

3. I'm thankful for my very supportive extended family; what a blessing!