Tuesday, October 20, 2020

Tuesday, October 20, 2020 -- Mattie died 577 weeks ago today. 

Tonight's picture was taken in October of 2006. That weekend we took Mattie to a fall festival. One of the fun activities at the event was a corn maze. As you can see, Mattie was smiling from ear to ear in front of the corn. Happiness from successfully completing the maze! Mattie introduced me to so many new events and activities. It was wonderful to be able to experience these adventures through Mattie's eyes, commentary, and feelings. Something, now 11 years later, we still miss. As there is nothing like experiencing the world through a child's eyes. 

Quote of the day: Today's coronavirus update from Johns Hopkins. 

• number of people diagnosed with the virus: 8,258,568
• number of people who died from the virus: 220,806

In August of 2019, I went with my parents on a Canadian Cruise. One of our stops was to Prince Edward Island (PEI). Specifically to the Anne of Green Gables Museum. As you can see they had a girl with a red wig dressed up as Anne and she greeted guests and took photos with us. Unlike many of the people on tour, I had never read the book by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables. But it was clear that Lucy was LOVED and she helped to put PEI on the map. I heard many women around me oohing and aahing over the books about Anne and the wonderful, heartwarming stories, her mature, yet full of imaginative personality. I absorbed what they were saying, but I couldn't quite appreciate it because I was truly unfamiliar with Anne of Green Gables. 

When my mom and I visited the Museum, there were many tourists from Japan visiting. Apparently Japan LOVES Anne. There is even a replica of Anne's house in Hokkaido, Japan. The love began just before the outbreak of the Second World War, when a Canadian missionary gave her student Hanako Muraoka a copy of the book, Anne of Green Gables. It continues to this day with an anime series, comics and several Japanese movies inspired by the story.

Why am I reliving my trip to the Museum, because I am now watching a Netflix series called Anne with an E. It is basically bringing Lucy Maud Montgomery's book to life. As I am watching this coming of age period drama, I am transported back to my visit to PEI. I just wish I read the book before visiting the Museum. But now I have much greater insight into why there is a cult following. In a way, Lucy Maud Montgomery was able to capture the complexities of adolescence, the challenges of being a woman, the importance of imagination, making the best out of a bad situation, and to appreciate the beauty around you. Both Peter and I are loving this series. In fact, I can't get through even one episode without a tear. The writing is beautiful, each episode is heartwarming, and the characters in this story have a way of weaving their way into your heart. 

Here is the story line...............

In 1896, elderly brother and sister Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert (who live together as they never married) decide to adopt an orphan boy to help out around their ancestral farm of Green Gables, on the outskirts of the Canadian town of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island. When Matthew goes to pick the child up at the railway station, he finds 13-year-old Anne Shirley, an imaginative, bright, high-spirited, and talkative girl, instead (an orphan since her parents died when she was a few months old, Anne lived as a servant in various households before being placed in an orphanage).

While Matthew decides he would like for her to stay, Marilla does not trust Anne, given her status as an unknown orphan and the perceived uselessness of a young girl. Her distrust appears confirmed when Marilla cannot locate a brooch, thus leading her to believe that Anne is a thief. The Cuthberts send her away, thus "returning" her to the orphanage. While she does arrive back at the orphanage, she is terrified to enter, haunted by bullying she had endured there and returns to the train station. Meanwhile, Marilla discovers that the brooch had been misplaced rather than lost and that prejudice had led her to believe Anne was a thief. Matthew consequently finds Anne and convinces her to return to Green Gables, where she is officially made part of their family. However, Anne continues to face bullying from students in the Avonlea school and class based discrimination from Diana's parents and others in Avonlea. Anne once again returns to her survival mechanisms of imagination, intelligence and problem-solving abilities that eventually lead to her acceptance by the rest of the community.