The Scent of CHERRY BLOSSOMS by CINDY WOODSMALL

I am use to thinking of religion as bringing peace not war. Some very religious people can quote chapter and verse about The Lord bringing "war and rumours of war" divided houses. The Scent of CHERRY BLOSSOMS by CINDY WOODSMALL is a novel which puts these opposing views in perspective by using two families. One family is Amish. The other family is Mennonite. Aden falls deeply in love with Annie. There is a very big problem. Aden's family is Amish. Annie's grandfather is a Mennonite. It is believed the marriage between Aden and Annie can't possibly work. In Biblical language they would be unequally yoked. I felt so sad for these two young people. How can you stop loving someone because it makes other people unhappy?

"Some aspects of their religion made little sense to her, but she knew why she and Aden couldn't be seen together. Old Order Mennonite and Old Order Amish were good neighbors, helpful, kind, and generous, but the boundaries concerning interrelationships were wide and high and made of steel."

Roman, Aden's brother is facing personal difficulties too. He is wheelchair bound. He is deeply in love with Marian. However, he doesn't want to become a burden to her for the rest of their lives. I could almost feel the weight of Roman's wheelchair and the heaviness of his feelings every time someone had to remove his wheelchair to a different location. It's not often I take time to put myself in the shoes of those who are suffering a physical need daily. Cindy Woodsmall took me to that place and helped me look at the reality for many people and what could be any person's future circumstance. We just don't know what might happen in our lives.

Again, I have been given the chance to look closely inside the world of the Amish. Cindy Woodsmall tells some of the beliefs of the Amish and the Mennonite. I thought it very interesting to learn the values of both congregations while at the same time learning the opposite views of each group.

"He made no effort even to hold her hand. She trusted that he was respecting the ways of her people and their policy of hands-off dating only."

 I especially loved the Cherry Blossom orchards weaving throughout the novel like the threads of a quilt making a Feather circle. I also liked the idea of two brothers with different physical needs. However, each brother is able to help the other brother. Aden is a stutterer.Aden is able to speak better when he becomes angry. Roman as I wrote is wheelchair bound. Roman can speak for Aden while Aden is able to move Roman's wheelchair to unreachable places. This is definitely a novel about family, friendship and our beliefs. It is a novel about the beauty of nature. I wonder if the beauty of nature, if noticed, makes our hard days easier along with meditation on our faith.

"Seemed reasonable to think she could figure out how to get past Aden's quietness and into the place where his thoughts flowed as freely as  falling cherry blossom petals on a windy day."

The Scent of CHERRY BLOSSOMS by CINDY WOODSMALL also includes a song, 'ANNIE'S SONG' sung by JOHN DENVER.

"....John Denver record playing. Mamm sang one of the songs to Roman and me over and over when we were little. I'd forgotten about it....It's called  'Annie's Song.


cindywoodsmall
waterbrookmultnomah








Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Catherine E. Mckinley had a deep desire to know about Indigo. It became her purpose.

Image
"We watched the woman disappear into the bend of the road. It was unsettling. She seemed possessed, driven by some mimetic force. I was afraid that that force was also a part of me. I was also a worshiper, set wandering in an unfamiliar land."   It seems this week I have been driven to write about my mother. It has happened more than once. Here she is again. Tapping my shoulder a reminder that she loved blue. There is the one and only photo of her where she wears a dress of blue. The photo was taken years and years ago. In the photo are my two nephews, my mother and myself.. The photo was taken in West Philadelphia. She sewed it. A light blue that now I wish to call "Indigo." I have much to learn about Indigo. It is easy to pick up on the author, Catherine E. Mckinley's, fervent love for the color. One day my son asked me my favorite color. I said, "I don't have one." I don't. Perhaps, I choose colors by mood. Today red  and tomorrow green,
Read more

First Chapter First Paragraph

Image
http://www.bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com Closed until June 13     "Michael Hunter stared at the hand-lettered sign on the Gull Motel office, expelled a breath, and raked his fingers through his hair. Not the welcome he'd been expecting after a mind-rumbling thirty-six-hour cross-country drive to the Oregon coast. And where was he supposed to stay for the next three weeks, until the place opened again?"
Read more

First Chapter First Paragraph

Image
http://bibliophilebythesea.blogspot.com Every end is a new beginning. " He's not in there." "What do you mean he's not in there? I left him just a few hours ago. We have to get in there and check! Why is everybody just standing around/" Leo and my father didn't move.  What was wrong with them?I started running into the fire, but felt hands fastening onto my arms to hold me back. The Pecan Bayou Gazette building that stood proudly on Main Street for sixty-three years now began caving in on itself as the white hot flames overtook the structure." 
Read more