Where the Red Fern Grows--Where the tears flow

A few nights ago our family finished 'Where the Red Fern Grows'. I had read the book as a child and had seen the movie a few times, so I knew the general plot of the story. I was unprepared, however, for the emotions this book would evoke and the great experience our family would have reading it.
On the surface, it seems like just another book about a boy and his dogs. (Sage has been going through a bunch of these. She recently finished 'Old Yeller'. I swear that if she wants to read 'Sounder', she is on her own!)
What distinguishes this animal tale from all the others is the great sense of family and their belief in God. I hadn't really remembered the role that prayer played in the story. As we read through together, we made a point to stop and talk about prayer: What is prayer? Why do we pray? When we pray, does God always answer us? How much of the answer to the prayer rests on our shoulders?

It is good to see illustrations of where life and faith meet. So often when we are teaching our kids I feel like the lame scenarios we give them to illustrate the principles we are trying to teach are ineffective. Our kids felt so connected to Billy that it made them really think about wanting something so much, praying, and then working hard to make it happen and having faith that it would. Gabe actually decided to use this book as an example of prayer in action for his talk in church. (Enos was a close second.)

When I read this as a kid, all I remembered was Billy, the little boy and the cute dogs. Reading as an adult it was interesting to note that the other characters in the story were well developed: The mother, the father, and the grandfather. They were adults who, in various parts of the tale expressed faith, doubt, fear, longing, gratitude, and love. Just as I could relate to Billy as a child, I could see so many great attributes in his parents and grandparents that made them great characters to emulate. (Three cheers for Billy's mother who vetoed him ever using a gun. She's my favorite!)

For all of these reasons, (and many more), we were on an emotional roller coaster from page one. We shed tears throughout the reading and finished the book with such vigorous sobs that I wished I owned stock in the Kleenex company. I haven't cried that hard in such a long time. How is it that certain things trigger the flood gates to open and the water to flow so freely?

A while back we read Charlotte's Web, another favorite, that I had not picked up since I was a child. As we read these books as a family, I learn so many things and I am so grateful that I am having the chance to read these great books again as an adult.

It is November 22nd which means that the stressful holiday season is practically upon us. (I know some of you will not admit it until after Thanksgiving, but it is upon us!) Dear friends and family, please take this time to pick up a book you haven't read for a long, long time and get reacquainted. It might be the greatest gift you give yourself this year. I am taking recommendations for our next read aloud!