I had to make a slight adjustment to this weekly feature since I never had a chance to write on Saturday (we've had house guests...and a birthday party coming up today), so this week it's Quote It Sunday! Thanks to That Chick That Reads for starting this feature.
I chose something a little different today, a quote (two actually) from a kids' book. Earlier this week, I read a wonderful middle-grade book, I Wanna Be Your Shoebox by Cristina Garcia (you can read my full review at my kids' book blog). The lead character, 13-year old Yumi, comes from a multi-cultural family and is dealing with lots of upsetting changes in her life, including the impending death of her beloved grandfather, Saul. Saul is from Brooklyn originally, though he lived in Japan for many years where he met Yumi's grandmother. Yumi spends a lot of time with Saul, listening with fascinati0n as he tells her his life story. I loved these passages between grandfather and granddaughter, so today's two quotes are excerpted from those discussions:
But change is inevitable, kid. No use trying to run from it or pretending to keep everything the same. It's a law of nature. Things die if they stand still too long. They get stagnant, like an old pond. That don't mean that everything will get better right away. But everything happens for a reason. In the long run, it usually turns out for the best.
And another:
...Listen up, Yumi girl, there's no use running away from your problems. 'Cause where are you gonna run to? There'll be up times and down times, and sometimes, looking back, they're the opposite of what you thought. Sometimes big changes force you to grow in ways you can't predict. But if you got a problem, look it straight in the eye and deal. That's good advice, kid. Take it. I wish I'd followed it myself. You can't return to the past, as much as you'd like to. Look at me: I couldn't go back to Japan, and when I finally returned New York, it didn't work out neither. You gotta keep looking forward, little one. Live in the present, take on the future. That's what I say.
Good advice, huh?
Hope you're enjoying a good weekend.
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