“She had come at last to the bend in the road.”–L.M. Montgomery

Our church is cleaning out its library. Each Sunday the library-powers-that-be spread out about 50 books all over four tables, and anyone can come in and pick out which books they’d like to take home. They are all free.

We have a large library of our own, here at April’s School for Little Men, so I have not been too tempted.

Until today.

What do you think I found today? FOUR books from the Anne of Green Gables series. Good ol’ paperbacks!!

I took a deep breath the moment I saw them. I have misplaced my copies. I haven’t seen them in two years, at least. And there on that “free books” table sat series numbers 2,3,4, and 7! I picked one up. I thought about it.

I put it back down. “No,” I thought, “Some teen or tween girl may read them for the first time if I leave them here and enjoy them as much as I did. I won’t take them.”

And I went on in to church.

I came out an hour later, and you know I had to check. There they sat. All four books, all alone, all for free. I swiped them all up in my arms before anyone could challenge me and dashed off to the nursery to pick up J.D.

Once home, I fed the boys as quickly as I could. Then I snuck off to my room and skimmed the pages. I came across a couple of touching quotes, towards the end of Anne of Avonlea. Anne has completed two years of teaching in Avonlea, putting her college dreams on hold, as she feels it’s her duty to stay and take care of Marilla. Then suddenly, things change, and Anne learns that she may return to college in the fall.

I am further along in my life’s journey than Anne, who is 18 at this point, but how I can relate to these book quotes! We are indeed coming to the bend in the road. We’ve spent our time researching schools, travel plans, and neighborhoods. There are eight weeks left in the school year, and in only 3 months we will be Southerners again.

Each day the picture becomes clearer.

“Joy and regret struggled together in her heart. She had come at last..to the bend in the road.”   –Anne of Avonlea, chapter 26.

 

“I’ve put out a lot of little roots these two years,” Anne told the moon, “and when I’m pulled up they’re going to hurt a great deal. But it’s best to go, I think, and as Marilla says, there’s no good reason why I shouldn’t. I must get out all my ambitions and dust them.” —Anne of Avonlea, chapter 26

Moving is always bittersweet, and we will miss all of our new friends. But this move is more sweet than bitter. This time we are going home.