When I opened the Mother’s Day gift from my daughter, I was surprised to see a book by Maggie Smith. Maggie Smith, the acclaimed British actress, did not seem to be someone that my daughter would be interested in or sending me her book as a gift. But I was thrilled to receive the book, as I am always thrilled to receive any gift from my children. But this gift was also intriguing. Wow. Maggie Smith.
I was soon to be even more intrigued to discover a Maggie Smith I had not known before. Yes, there is more than one Maggie Smith. The book, You Could Make This Place Beautiful, is by the American poet Maggie Smith. I can only share with you that this book is amazing. Truly and utterly amazing.
It has been a long time since I have been so moved by a book. It is a memoir about hurt and grief and the slow deep healing from heartbreak.
Many have come to know Maggie Smith through her poem Good Bones that went viral on social media. I would be breaking copyright laws to reprint the poem here in its entirety but it starts with this line:
Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
I strongly encourage you to find this poem (and others by Maggie Smith) and read it. Read it several times. One of the beauty of poems is that they deserve to be read multiple times.
It is such a gift to discover a new author (new to oneself) and to have the opportunity to find their other books to explore. I am now currently reading Maggie Smith’s book Keep Moving. When I put Keep Moving on hold at our local library, I did not pay close enough attention and the book that came through was indeed titled Keep Moving but it was by Dick Van Dyke, not Maggie Smith! I sped-read Dick’s book and it was entertaining and he is indeed a person who has and continues to keep moving in his life (both literally and figuratively); but I was more careful when I requested Keep Moving the next time.
This book was published during the pandemic (Smith did not know this when she wrote these “notes to self” which became this book) and it is a book that tries to give bite-size pieces of hope even when hope seems an impossible task. It is a book that sits on my bedside table to be savored slowly before sleep. I sent a copy to my daughter as a small thank you for helping me discover this Maggie Smith.
It is a wonderful thing to discover an author you had no idea even existed. Others definitely know that this Maggie Smith exists as they estimate her poem Good Bones has been read by over one million people and her books seem to have good stays on best-seller lists.
Every month I talk to two very dear friends from college days; yes, we have been friends for over fifty years. Part of our conversation is always about what we have been reading. I keep pen and paper handy during our conversations so I can jot down book titles and authors that I want to find after our zoom chats end. Sharing what we read is really another way of sharing what we love, what has inspired us, what has made us laugh or cry or both.
I love to read. I have loved to read ever since I first learned the magic of letters forming words and words forming stories. Libraries and book stores enchant me like no other places (well, maybe some museums…). A recent conversation with a grandson revealed to me that he is not a big reader; he excels at science and math and I can confess that those genes did not come from my DNA. I pushed him a little on if he had read anything he liked this past year. He thought and then shared, “Yes. We read The Great Gatsby for a class. That was a good book.” That was a definite point of connection for the two of us. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books. So maybe a teeny bit of my DNA had made a home in this amazing young man. We couldn’t connect over a love of the periodic table but we could connect over a favorite book. A good read.
It’s why I wrote this blog today. To tell you about a very good read by Maggie Smith. I would love to know what you are reading these days. What are your good reads?
I already bought the Kindle edition of Keep Moving. I liked what you said about reading it before you go to sleep. I'm sure I'll also read You Could Make This Place Beautiful. And I love memoirs so I will read Dick Van Dyke's!! Thank you. I remember the feeling of quiet wealth when I left the library with my allowed 5 books!
Sylvie
That IS indeed a fine poem. Worth looking up. Now a keeper in my files and reading her work is on my book list. Thanks for the lead.