Today's quote comes from The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison, which is the story of a young girl who is evacuated from war time London to a big house in the country.
Some of the evacuees never got letters, but they still could not resist hovering on the outside edge of the letter crowd with forlorn eyes. Yet even for those who were remembered, there was still a dull ache of homesickness which never really eased, running like a buried river through their daily lives.
December, in particular, was a time when many of the children grew sad, and in the years to come, Anna would never forget her wartime Christmases so far from home. But she would remember, too, how generous the Ashtons were, always making sure that every evacuee had a gift under the tree. And how on Christmas Day itself they all shared a hearty lunch, with the rare treat of roast chicken and crispy potatoes, with plenty more vegetables from the grounds.
Yet none of those consolotions could ever quite staunch the Christmas night tears in the dormitories. The remembrance of home, of mothers, of fathers. The emotional wasteland of their lives without them. It would take years for many of them to dare to love again.
Wow. That's an emotional quote.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know this book was about London evacuees! Now I am much more interested in it, especially after reading that post.
ReplyDeleteOh, what a moving and thoughtful quote today. I often forget how much I have to be thankful for, and this quote certainly reminded me of that today. Thanks for posting this and making me rethink my holiday attitude.
ReplyDelete