I bought this at Tractor Supply the other day. I smile every time I look at it.
Trivia about me: I adore chickens. I raised a flock for several years and even blogged about the adventure of raising chickens on gluten-free feed (Gluten-Free Nana and Her Girls). I so enjoyed sitting out in the evening and watching the hens peck and run across the lush green grass. To this day when I see a hen walking, swaying that little fuffy butt, I chuckle with delight.
To me this image is an illustration of miracles, accomplishment, and truth. As I need constant reminding of these priceless intangibles that kindle life, I hung the image above my kitchen sink, where I see it all day long. I recommend you do the same with anything that inspires you. Do it deliberately.
In straightening up my mess of a desk, I moved a copy of According to Carley Love, and, of course, opened it and started to read. It’s been long enough now that the book is separate from me; as if written by someone else. I came to the part where Carley Love reads her mother’s journal that begins with pithy quotes. I was reminded of taking those quotes from the notebook that I found in my mother’s belongings at her death. I searched my office and found the notebook under a stack of papers.
My mother had typed many quotes and sayings onto notebook paper–she would have had to use the hunt-and-peck typing method. Others are scribbled onto scraps of paper, and many are torn out of magazines and newspapers. Obviously I come by my love of quotes from my mother’s blood.
A quote both my mother and I would agree on is attributed to Phyllis Diller, one of my mother’s favorite comedians: “Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance?”
And one attributed to my grandmother: “I never liked a person who didn’t have a bit of temper. Without a temper, there is no passion.”
But most of the typed and jotted quotes have no author attribution:
“I think laughter may be a form of courage.”
“I don’t suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.”
“Small deeds done are better than great deeds planned.”
This notebook is the most priceless legacy my mother could have left me. It’s a notebook of comfort when I need a lift and wisdom when I need direction. It occurs to me that this notebook of gathered quotes is my mother’s journal of a sort, where she saved what meant much to her. I wish I could tell her how much it means to me. It is a reminder of things we may think are flights of fancy or useless or silly are often what someone else needs to read.
I invite you to read According to Carley Love. . . . a funny and heartwarming look at a woman facing midlife, marriage, and moving on.
Buy Now!
Paper and Ebook at
Apple Books, and
Kobo.
Grace and Peace,
Curtiss Ann Matlock 
7 responses to “She Believed She Could”
The Phyllis Diller quote reminded me of one I heard a long time ago, from where, I don’t know: “Housework is like stringing beads on a string without a knot in the end.”
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Oh my goodness, that is a great quote! So true.
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How precious!🤗💕
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Dear Curtiss Ann,
<
div>Sometimes I wonder if we were sisters
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Thank you for the smile, sister. How sweet it is to be understood.
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My mom left old gimme notebooks with all kinds of handwritten quotes in them. Her granddaughters cherish them.
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Liz, thanks for posting and encouraging me and anyone who reads your comment. Hugs, CurtissAnn
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