Anne’s Green Gable Hope

“When I left Queen’s my future seemed to stretch out before me like a straight road. I thought I could see along it for many a milestone. Now there is a bend in it. I don’t know what lies around the bend, but I’m going to believe that the best does.”
– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Maybe it’s my Scottish and English heritage that stressed keeping emotions buckled in, but it really has taken some soul searching to find the right balance of understanding others and listening to God’s still, quiet voice in my life. Often it could be hard to see the potential in new situations or relationships.

I learned so much about accepting my heart-worn-on-my-sleeve outlook from watching Anne of Green Gables. I keep thinking of her “e” on the end of her name and distinctive way of approaching things that may first have seemed jumbled up, but often turned out to be very resilient. My favorite scenes are when she accidentally dyes her hair green, confronts the rude but later wonderful Gilbert, walks the ridgepole and sprains her ankle, saves the baby next door bravely, and so many others it’s hard to count. She would usually bounce back stronger from each roadblock. She faced into each challenge rather than running away from them.

Living through her character’s debacles and successes, Ms. Montgomery gave me a small corner of Green Gables in my heart. I have tried to teach my boys this “best is yet to be” philosophy not as a trite saying, but as a working philosophy in building a new life out of difficulty.

“I’m not a bit changed–not really. I’m only just pruned down and branched out. The real ME–back here–is just the same.”
– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

I’m often asked how we have taught our kids to accept change and be resilient. When we’re facing a challenge, I’ll find Bible quotes and books to help us. Regular prayer and keeping “short accounts” really does help spiritually. Our families provide strong role models, too. But sometimes a show like this reminds us to be open to change, rather than fighting it, whether it’s trying a new exotic food or dealing with a difficult person in our lives. It sparks conversations about accepting a limitation, releasing fears, or keeping hope despite the circumstances.

“They keep coming up new all the time – things to perplex you, you know. You settle one question and there’s another right after. There are so many things to be thought over and decided when you’re beginning to grow up. It keeps me busy all the time thinking them over and deciding what’s right. It’s a serious thing to grow up, isn’t it, Marilla?”
– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

I am grateful for the “scope of imagination” that this character has lent to my real life and inspired in my imaginary ones for tweens in my upcoming novels. I’m also rather fond of red heads, since we have three in our family and more in the family trees, too.

Wishing you much joy in your holidays, time to sit and brew some tea, perhaps watching a show like this one and remembering to savor the moments ahead.

All images courtesy of Sullivan Entertainment.