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"A source of little visible delight, but necessary..."
Ever since I’d read Emily Brontë’s ''Wuthering Heights'' in ninth grade, and we picked the book apart for its literary nuances, this novel remains my all-time, hands down favorite work of fiction.
One of the quintessential quotes which has always stuck with me:
“My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary. Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He''s always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being.” (Catherine Earnshaw)
Life imitates art on the tailwind of my sister’s sojourn in Sicily where she toured Mt. Etna, Italy’s most active volcano.
An unforeseen event precipitated a visit to her native state of Rhode Island where I still reside. Bearing gifts bequeathed from an erupting volcano she’d obtained during her climb to its summit—“eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary”:
A sizable chunk of basalt, a hard-grained igneous rock which forms when lava reaches the earth’s surface at a volcano. It has found a new home on top of a storage cabinet in my office.
“Hot” volcanic ash she’d scooped into a container during her exploration of Mt. Etna. Considerably cooled, of course, I decanted some of it into the dainty glass canister she’d purchased at the gift store on the premises. I’ve placed this keepsake alongside family photos perched on a cedar chest.
I will forever cherish these treasures for their organic origin. Of primary importance, however—the spirit of love and determination in acquiring them.
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as always, your writing inspires
Never stop writing !
m
Unfortunately, you made me think of the recent volcanic accident for tourists in New Zealand. And you also made me think of that gnarled landlocked piece of wood that I have on my deck that I picked up in the barren desert of the Baja Peninsula. From all of his consulting travel, my twin brother never sent me anything. :-(
Ron
Beautifully said, Eva.
Good thought for the day. For every day really.
Thanks for sharing.