God Bless Pollyanna

“When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it.
When you know you will find the good—you will get that…”
– Eleanor H. Porter, Pollyanna

In my growing up years, Summers were spent in North Truro, a small town on Cape Cod.  In those days the Public Library was a tiny one-room building and many of the books my mother read during her growing up summers were still there.  Mom brought me to the little library at least once each week to satisfy my appetite for Bobbsey Twins books, and later, Nancy Drew Mysteries.  Pollyanna was there, too.  Oh, how I loved that book! I read it “for the first time” every summer.

It has been many years since I spent time with Pollyanna, but the lessons she taught me are always close at hand.

The Glad Game, for instance – finding something to be glad about, no matter the circumstance, is woven into the fabric of who I am.  I realize that my penchant for looking on the bright side often annoys those I love the most, but the way I see it, Pollyanna’s game is rooted in Scripture (Philippians 4:8) so I will never stop playing.

Pollyanna has been by my side during this season of adjusting to having a college student in the family.  After dropping Elizabeth off in August, the best thing I did for her and for myself (let’s face it…it was good for Rob, Nick, and everyone else who had to be around me) was to play The Game; to choose to be excited for her instead of sad for myself.  It wasn’t that I didn’t experience sadness; I simply permitted myself to care more about her side of it than my own – to find “the good.”

So when I felt tears coming on, I consciously forced a smile instead.  I smiled big smiles (probably looking like a maniac) – until my cheeks pushed the tears from my eyes.  Focusing on God’s promises and all the amazing experiences I knew she was about to made it easier to honestly feel glad.

Now, if I’m being honest, I must confess that after a completely magical Fall Break, on my way back down the mountain from delivering Elizabeth back to campus, I cried for most of the 3-hour trip.  I may have shed more tears on that day than I did on the day we dropped her off in August.  For a few hours I wondered if I had just been lying to myself the whole time and I worried that I couldn’t handle it, after all.  After a good night’s rest, though, Pollyanna, the Philippians and I were back on track.

We’ve made it to Thanksgiving Break – her first semester is now just a few weeks from being complete.  A year ago, I was wondering how I would ever survive this experience, and now I have found sheer joy was waiting “over here” all along.  Elizabeth has graciously shared many details with us along the way and we often marvel at how much she’s grown – how much more independent she’s gotten.  It’s all good.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
– think about such things.
Philippians 4:8