The Reading Corner....The Blue Bottle Club

John Lennon once said something to the effect of  

"life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."

In the wake of the depression of 1929, four girlfriends, Letitia, Eleanor, Mary Love and Adora gather in a cold, dusty attic on Christmas day to make a solemn pact. "Our dreams for the future," they whisper, as they place tiny pieces of paper holding their life wishes into the blue bottle. They have no idea what the future has in store for them. Do any of us?

 When they look into the future all they see is the desires of their hearts. For Letitia the dream is marriage to a prosperous man and children. For Eleanor the dream is a life in social service to the needy. For Mary Love it is a life of solitude dedicated to her art. Adora's dream is stardom in Hollywood, California. At this tender age, God's will eludes all of them.

The blue bottle, which contained the young girls future wishes was hidden in the rafters of one of the girls' homes. When the home is demolished 65 years later, the bottle is located and put into the hands of a local TV reporter, who is intrigued with the potential story. She spends the next several months locating and contacting all four women to find out if they were able to achieve their teenage goals.

During their youthful girlhood years, all of them were churchgoers, yet God was not real to them. It was only when their circumstances were affected by the Depression of the 1930's, by illness, or by the choices they made that they came to realize that God is was with them for better or for worse, always working to refine their faith and strengthen their trust in him. Sometimes that means that before we can see God's true face, we must go through the purifying fire. Clearly dreams change the path we take, which often ends up not being the path we choose. Through this process, the reporter is able to find out more about herself and the whole process turns her to God, who helps her discover her own dreams. The story is full of hope and inspires the reader to rethink his/her purpose in life. Once again, Penelope Stokes composes a Hallmark of a book!

 A few favorite quotes from the book were,

"family sometimes is where you find it, based on spirit, not genetics - the people your soul connects with, the people who fit in your heart."

Adora softly stated,
"It's been a very good life. And you can bet that when I go to meet my Maker, I won't be asking any foolish questions about why things didn't turn out the way
 I wanted them to be." 

Dear Ellie, with all of her learned wisdom replied, "But sometimes your dreams are not as important as your calling."