These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Do you ever find that some of your favorite things are tied in together somehow?

I have a (copy of) a painting that I really love.

My mother-in-law asked me to pick out something I wanted for Christmas, as she was no longer able to shop. This was the last Christmas she had on this earth.

I didn't want her to spend a lot of money, but I knew she also wanted it to be a good gift. I had had my eye on this print for a long time, so I brought her the catalogue and showed it to her. She was delighted to purchase that for me; she loved the picture, too.

Now, that print is very precious to me for more than one reason.

Of course, the obvious one is who bought it for me and why. I had the best mother-in-law on the planet, and wish she was still here. And she was one woman who absolutely loved giving presents.

The other reason is the painting reminds me of my favorite book in the whole wide world; "Tom's Midnight Garden" by Phillipa Pearce. I first read that book when I was in the fourth grade, and it is not an exaggeration to say I've probably read it a dozen times since.

The book is about a little boy who has to go live in a flat with his aunt and uncle for a summer. His brother has the measles and his parents don't want him to catch it. He is really disappointed because he is leaving the country and his friends for a dull summer in the city with adults who know nothing about children, with nothing or anyone to play with.

Then one night the old grandfather's clock in the foyer strikes thirteen and Tom can't stand it, so he goes downstairs to find everything...transformed.

The house has become what it once was, and he finds a delightful friend in a little girl named Hattie.

Hattie doesn't stay little, rather sometimes she is younger than Tom and sometimes a good bit older. Toward the end, she is even a young woman who is going ice skating.

It is Victorian times, and she is dressed as you might imagine, with ice skates in hand, ready to join in the fun.

The painting my mother-in-law purchased portrays a young woman in Victorian garb, holding a pair of ice skates. She is standing in the snow, with a pensive look on her face. She is at the edge of the pond. It is entitled "Winter - Shall I?"
Painted by E.. J. Gregory.

When I first saw the painting, I thought to myself, "That is exactly how Hattie would have looked - knowing she was growing up and Tom wasn't - and if she had to grow up, she would lose him.

It's a wonderful book. You ought to read it. I cried the first time I read it and I even get tears in my eyes now. It's the first book that completely surprised me with the ending.

Maybe it's because I was nine years old and it was written for such a young, tender heart as mine.

Or maybe that book really is magical.

I believe it has to be.