There is nothing more astonishing than a human face. It has something to do with incarnation. You feel your obligation to a child when you have seen it and held it. Any human face has a claim on you, because you can’t help but understand the singularity of it, the courage and loneliness of it. But this is truest in the face of an infant. I consider that to be one kind of vision, as mystical as any.
–Marilynne Robinson, Gilead
A Mindful Life / Kathryn Harper
express : discover : renew : create
Robinson says so much in such a concise way. That is the wonderful thing about Gilead. Thanks for sharing!
I finished reading *Gilead* this past weekend: wow! I love the recurring imagery of faces & foreheads, esp. Rev. Ames’ thoughts on smoothing the wrinkles on a worried infant’s (or adult’s) forehead as he baptizes or blesses them. So powerful!
Yes, Robinson is an amazing writer, and I bless you for sending her book to me, Shirl. I’ve got about six more quotes in the wings, and I’ll post them over time.
Lorianne, one of the most touching points for me is when he blessed his namesake. In all, this is one of the most poetic novels I have read in a long time.