by Sarah and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth
personal copy hardcover 133 pages
Published: 1994
Genre: Non-fiction advice, memoir
I've long loved Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. When I saw this book of wisdom by the sisters, I grabbed it! What amazing women. They've since gone to Eternity, but I'm so thankful that their stories (at least some of them) have been preserved for posterity.
Page 19: "Bessie: I'll tell you what I cherish most from the past: our family traditions, all those little rituals that bind you together. Folks today tend to be so busy and independent that they abandon the daily habits, like eating meals together, that keep you close. They think they can watch the TV during dinner or grab a quick bite and rush off. They think it doesn't matter. Well, they are wrong!"
Bessie goes on to talk about the value of the family supper meal and everyone together, talking and just enjoying one another. Yes! Research has actually shown that families who share regular meals have statistically positive outcomes. I'm so glad that I grew up in a household that valued shared meals and that Louie and I provided them for our children.
Page 62-63:
I love this wisdom! It fits nicely with Financial Peace University teaching . . . and it makes a lot of sense. Number 4 is especially good . . . live within your means.
Page 70: "We don't see folks as black or white. This race mess is just plain foolishness! And the fighting that goes on between religions is crazy, too. Papa used to get very upset when he'd hear anti-Semitic remarks. He wouldn't stand for it. He'd say, 'The Jews are God's Chosen People. Who are you, who couldn't make a flea, to disrespect God by criticizing the Jews?' The world is full of nice folks, whatever their color or religion. As Mama used to say, your job is to find them."
Bessie's and Sadie's parents were wise people. They raised ten children to also be wise. Wonderful!
Page 80:
A Word to Young People. This is kind of funny - neither of the sisters got married or had children . . . but this is still great advice.
These women doing yoga amaze me! I love that they work at eating healthy and exercising . . . smart ladies.
Page 123: Sadie: "That's a big problem with some older folks - they have such low expectations of themselves. When they get to a certain age, they just give up. That's a shame! If there's anything I've learned in all these years, it's that life is too good to waste a day. It's up to you to make it sweet."
Such sweet advice! It comes on the heels of a story about Sadie in the hospital with a broken hip, trying to give her roommate (in her 70s) a pep talk about not giving up. She notes that she was in better shape than most of these younger roommates even though she was much older.
Page 133: Sadie: "But you know, we aren't ready to give up yet, unless the Lord makes up His mind that it's finally time to call us. In the meantime, like all human beings, we want to keep on living. As Bessie says, 'Heaven is my home but, honey, I ain't homesick!'"
One of the things I love about that is how conflicted I sometimes feel when another Christian talks about Heaven and wanting to go to their heavenly home so much. I love having the hope of eternity, but I have Bessie's sentiment - "Heaven is my home but, honey, I ain't homesick!" I love life.
This book is so wonderful. It's a gift for one of my daughters-in-law.
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