Hannah Coulter

I've been meaning to write about Hannah Coulter for a while. It's a novel by Kentucky author Wendell Berry that's written from the perspective of Hannah Coulter, an elderly woman who is reflecting on her life. There's nothing particularly remarkable about Hannah, and her journey is anything but easy. But she's developed a profound love for her family, her farm, and the rural Port William township to which she belongs.

This book isn't action-packed, edgy, or even an instant "page-turner" (although I love those kinds of stories, too). Instead, it forced me to lean in and think deeply. The beautiful themes and simplicity of Hannah Coulter were like nourishing stew for my soul.

Here are a few quotes from the novel that I particularly loved:

“You mustn’t wish for another life. You mustn’t want to be somebody else. What you must do is this: 'Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks.'”

"What is the thread that holds it all together? Grief, I thought for a while. And grief is there sure enough, just about all the way through. From the time I was a girl I have never been far from it. But grief is not a force and has no power to hold. You only bear it. Love is what carries you, for it is always there, even in the dark, or most in the dark, but shining out at times like gold stitches in a piece of embroidery."

"Sometimes I was grateful because I knew I ought to be, sometimes because I wanted to be, and sometimes a sweet thankfulness came to me on its own, like a singing from somewhere out in the dark. I was grateful because I knew, even in my fear and grief, that my life had been filled with gifts."

I hope this is meaningful and encouraging to you. Praying for you this week, friends!

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"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

- 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)