The Universe

The Two Books in the Trash: Part 2

| Flower Roberts

This post is a follow-up to an earlier post. THE LINK IS BELOW.

I am sorry for the delay caused by throwing the books away.
I had to order them on the internet because they were printed over sixty years ago.

Time Circles Take Their Time

Copies had to be ordered.

In this post I will discuss again my original reaction. A later post will be about my thoughts now after several years of wondering what the possible meaning of this sign could be? Was it from my mom or my dad? How did these two books get into that room? Landing in a wicker trashcan made them visible from the outside or they may never have been noticed. What a coincidence!

The answers are always in the details. Here I will describe each book and my initial reaction to it.

Front and back of the Kenneth J. Foreman
book about marriage vows.

I do wish I had the book jacket of the original book from the Enwood house, if there was one. This one is so much more interesting. This is from the third printing in 1953. The first printing was in 1950.

My initial reaction to this book was not pleasant. This book was a wedding gift from some friends of my maternal grandparents to my parents. The view of marriage in the 1950’s was very different from my views in 2023. I was not happy to have to revisit these old views of matrimony. I felt like I was being chastised and corrected from the grave. I was not sure if I wanted to be married at all at that point. I certainly was not about to backtrack to an antiquated version of marriage. This supposed sign actually made me furious.

Vietnam Era book by Thomas A. Dooley M.D.

The second book was also a propaganda powder keg. I was too young to fully understand Vietnam as the war unfolded and damaged the lives of thousands of people. I did understand tragedy and death. The books by and about Thomas A. Dooley tried to add a positive spin to the war story.

The Dooley story was carefully crafted to show how good Americans were and how evil the enemy was. The stories were fabricated or atleast slanted. Later information exposed that Dooley was actually a spy not just a selfless humanitarian. He got enemy information by locating his clinics in strategic locations. His crew did treat the ailments of locals and provide much needed nutrition packages. Every story has two sides. This one is tricky.

So now you know the names of the Two Books in the Trash.

I will follow this with my take on the meanings now. I have decided to treat each separately even though they ended up in the same trashcan. Stay tuned.

Be patient.

Remember, Time Circles Take Their Time.

FLOW

How the Universe Works

| Flower Roberts

I am a good girl because that’s what my Daddy wanted. Well actually he wanted a boy, but I did my best to be a good girl, tomboy, green-thumbed, smart child. I mostly did what I thought I should do.
I continued this as an adult. I aquiesced over and over. I let myself be over-ruled. I went along, especially when I was uncertain.

Paths were taken to please others…and now I am here. In the wrong place, in the wrong life. Counting down the years.

But this year has been too bad to go along with. My parents’ homeplace was sold. The things from my past are scattered with strangers. My soulmate, Sandra, died five weeks after surgery to remove cancer. I injured one hip while awaiting surgery on the other.

I could go on and on here. I won’t. Something changed as I was lying in my bed waiting to walk again. Acquiescing no longer seemed like an option. I wanted to follow my own path, not the “should” breadcrumbs left for me to follow.

Then the Universe stepped in just when I was sinking in the care-giver quicksand.

My good friend, Joyce, sent me a link to a Cheryl Strayed workshop occurring in March near my family’s mountain house. I signed up. Then I figured it would be a good thing to read all things Strayed in preparation. The Universe prepared me by encouraging me to order Tiny Beautiful Things months ago.

So into my life comes Dear Sugar the advice column writer that tells it straight/Strayed.

I am at my sister’s house helping her recover from knee-replacement. It is snowing. I finally have quiet time to absorb what Dear Sugar is saying. Low and behold, she is talking to me, Miss Be Good Do What You Should.

She put in black and white what people who love me were afraid to say. It is time to find my path and quit aquiescing.

I must be strong. I must be brave. I must set a good example for Rose.

Get ready world. Get out of our way.

Thanks Sugar and Joyce and the Universe

FLOWER (in bold)