just beautiful. the first pages bring you to Baxter Island. and a boy. playing in the creek instead of hauling the wood he had been assigned. and i held my breath just a little as the father entered the scene, doing the work of the son. i worried that the son would be met with wrath. my heart warmed and a smile spread as Penny Baxter greeted his son Jody with great understanding and joy.
the book continues with many such lovely scenes. childhood. innocence. a father and son pairing that made me breath easy.
loss and pain still find this pair in the middle of the scrub. we all look out our windows and see similar things-- so much that is good and whole ends up gone and broken. as you journey with Jody Baxter and his father, you can see it all.
it's that aching beauty. that truth about this world that resonates so loudly as you read quietly in your bed. the beauty and joy. the inevitable growing and stretching into the realities that surround.
i fear i'm not telling this story well. it doesn't seem i'm able to rewrite this for you in 3 paragraphs that make sense. read the book. it's beautiful. lovely. warming. it's sitting with me still and i'm sure will continue for a bit. i keep thinking of their hard work. their joyful hunts. the sweet potato dinners. hard-earned, simple meals. so many thoughts and feelings i can't quite hold or grab yet. it was lovely. hope you enjoy it.
"Ever' man wants life to be a fine thing, and a easy. 'Tis fine, boy, powerful fine, but 'tain't easy."
- Penny Baxter, speaking to his son, Jody
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