"I don't know whether you know that long, sad wind that blows so steadily across the thousands of miles of Midwest flatlands in the summertime. If you don't, it will be hard for you to understand the feeling I have about it. Even if you do know it, you may not understand.

To me the summer wind in the Midwest is one of the most melancholy things in all of life. It comes from so far and blows so gently and yet so relentlessly; it rustles the leaves and the branches of the maple trees in a sort of symphony of sadness, and it doesn't pass on and leave them still. It just keeps coming, like the infinite flow of Old Man River."

And so I was hooked. I don't often get hooked on an author or a style of writing, probably because I prefer to read non-fiction. There's something about writing facts that does not lend itself to glorious writing.

But I found these paragraphs gloriously written. I never felt the wind in the Midwest was melancholy, but Lordy, I could feel that the author felt that deep in his soul.

I picked up this book for 25 cents at a library book sale. It is keeping me company this holiday break, along with my happy children, my shopping list, and the frenzy of activities.

The name of the book? Home Country. The author, well-known Hoosier Ernie Pyle. He became famous for his war-time correspondence, and was killed in Okinawa in 1945. I am surprised by how much I love his writing. I feel so happy to have found him, long after millions of others enjoyed him. It's not unusual for me to be late to the party. ;)


Merry Christmas, and I hope you are reading something wonderful, too.