In Memory of a Storyteller

In searching for a Shakespeare quote tonight, I happened across a quote by Madeleine L'Engle, who just happens to be my favorite author of all time. Yes, I've said it....while I am quite wowed by the Bronte sisters, love to be seduced by Tolstoy and Ayn Rand, and dozens of others, it's this one woman to whom I owe so much. And in finding this quote, I am mourning again the loss of such a fabulous life.

I never thought that I would be so impressed with a person I have never met, but there you are. From the first time I read A Wrinkle in Time, to the moment I picked up Glimpses of Grace, I have been enraptured by a woman who saw the world through both the wide eyes of a child and the wisdom of several generations. She was the first person who made me see the possibility of science and religion living in harmony.

Madeline L'Engle wrote about crazy aunts and angels, dolphins and John Donne, mitochondria and sibling rivalry. She addressed my soul, made me question my faith, and helped me to accept my own humanity, all through her writing.

When we lost power last Fall, and my family lived without power for two weeks, following Hurricane Ike, my children and I passed the evenings reading Many Waters by candlelight. What a wonderful story that gave me the gift of talking to my children about choosing right from wrong, and the battle between what are simply the forces of good and of evil. Her stories were never just stories, but rather a way to open conversation. You could never read one of her many layered children's stories without asking yourself some pretty serious questions.

I was only five when my brother first read A Wrinkle in Time to me. I can still remember the voices he used, the personalities he gave to Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which. WHen I read that story today, I can still hear his voice and I am connected to the child I used to be.

I can mark the stages of my life by the books I have read. Madeleine L'Engle has been my constant, the stories I return to again and again, and the author who has grown even as I have grown too.

The world misses her voice, her humor, and her humanity. I only wish that I could have thanked her.