live and learn

When I am struggling I often return to books from childhood that I have loved.  I read them several times a year and even though I can recite passages I love them still.  Books made my childhood stable and were a way to step outside the pain.

I still remember the first time I read Anne of Green Gables.  My mom gave it to me and said I'd love it.  The first several pages made me think it was a book about fantasy woodland critters instead of people (I have no idea why).  I wasn't thrilled.  By the end of the first chapter I was hooked for life.  One of the nicest things my parents ever did for me was to add a little to a vacation to spend a day on Prince Edward Island looking at Anne museums and the like.  I've loved all of the novels by this author and wish more of them had survived childhood.

I have just been reading it again and thought to look something up on the internet.  I found that to my surprise this favorite author who wrote such uplifting and inspiring books had suffered from depression or bipolar disorder and had killed herself, a secret kept by her family until the 100th anniversary of the release of Anne of Green Gables.

Mental illness is everywhere and it's sad that we don't know that.