Victorian Therapy

Lately I have been swept away by this:

I was trying to describe it to a friend the other day and could only compare it to "Little House on the Prarie", but then it hit me last night and I realized just why it has swept me up. It speaks to me in the same way "Anne of Green Gables" does. Sigh. I do love Anne. And Gilbert. And Diana. And Matthew Cuthbert. And I could keep on, but I won't.

 They both speak of a less hurried life with a heap of love triangles; there is drama, but nothing compared to the likes of "Twisted." Jane Austen's works do the same for me. I just finished Northanger Abbey and I was caught up in it, just as I was with her other beautifully provoking novels. 

I find myself getting caught up in these beautiful stories, they soothe my soul, give me comfort, stir my brain to think of another time and way of life. However, if I'm not very careful I begin to shame myself for sitting and watching an episode instead of scrubbing the floor, making clothes, and foraging for dinner, but then I remember I live in 2014, not 1880 and times have changed. There is something to this for me though. Thankfully for my mind, the something is swathed in grace and does not say to stop watching TV or reading good books. It just reminds me to get lost in His Love too. He reminds me to remember how simple and good He is. How deep His affirmation of me is, because I'm clothed in His righteousness. I can let these books and series soothe my mind and stay in a place of peace as long as I am mindful that His peace is the one that sustains and won't give up on me. I'm thankful for these sweet stories and little joys that bring life and love out of me, but today I'm also thankful He has used them to remind me of the present day simple, yet complex, never stopping, never giving up radical love story He invited me into. And now that I've released that dear revelation, back to Episode 8!