Quote of the Week

Quote of the Week // 36th Week

by Simply Megan Joy

Quote of the Week - 36th Week Simply Megan Joy Blog.png

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) was an American poet, teacher, and author most famous for his 1860 work “Paul Revere’s Ride.” This quote was taken from his 1849 novel, “Kavanagh: A Tale.”

This could sway in two different directions. The first way we could think about this quote is that, giving away something that means very little to us could mean a lot to the receiver. Donating a too small coat that we have no use for to a charity shop could mean so little to us, but an abundance to a child who has no coat. Even donating our time to help someone, like at a food bank or nursing home could seem like a little thing to us, but gigantic to someone who needs that help.

The other way to think about it is completely different. Sometimes we don’t really appreciate what we are given: a home, food, water, clothes, family, friends, or pets. It’s easy to take our blessings for granted and forget to be thankful. But when it comes time to give one of those things away, we realize how blessed we really were to have those things in the first place. When we give something away or lose something, we then realize how important it was to us.

Remembering to be thankful for what we have is difficult, as it may seem like we don’t have much to be thankful for, sometimes. It’s good to pause and think of all the blessings we are given and remember to be thankful for them, because we never know how long those blessings will last.

So, here we have two diverse representations of Longfellow’s quote. Both meaning different things, though both still linked together. Which of the two can you relate to more?

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Have you ever heard of “Kavanagh: A Tale?”

Which of the two representations can you relate to more?

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Megan Joy

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