RebeccaThe four March sisters continue on their journey to find contentment in life around them. As they indulge in fanciful afternoons with Laurie, and the merriment of youth, they are reminded of those suffering about them. While the idyllic life is bliss, the stark reality of the world is still around them. When they get word that father is ill, they rush to make preparations for Mother to join him. While the work on getting all her things together, they know that there are going to be some sacrifices ahead. Jo slips out and is gone for quite a while. While Mrs. March hates to ask, she knows that she must ask Aunt March for the funds to go and be with her husband while he is sick. Jo, while on her secret errand has gone and cut off her hair, in order to give her mother some much needed money! Their kindly neighbor Mr. Laurence promises to look after the girls while Mrs. March is away, and he takes his duties very seriously. The girls want for nothing while their mother is gone, but the happiness is fixing to take an abrupt turn to horror.
Beth is the tender-hearted sister, and after some wheedling to her sisters one afternoon, she slips out to tend to a sick family. Knowing that they are down on their luck, and the baby is sick, she takes small comforts to the other children and helps to ensure that they are well looked after, as their mother would have wanted. While she is there however, she suffers a loss that only her sisters know will deeply affect her. The youngest child, just a baby, dies in her arms while the mother is out to get the doctor. Beth is deeply disturbed by the babies death, but more than that, the child suffered from Scarlet Fever. The dreaded sickness can kill those who are not strong enough to withstand it. Within a couple of days, Beth is stricken with the disease. Mother is gone, and the March girls dread to write to their mother and tell her the news. So for the time being, they agree to not say anything and pretend that all is normal at home. When the doctor finally announces that he is not sure if she will make it or not, and they best send for Mother, Jo rushes to send the telegram, but Laurie has beaten her to it. He sent one the day before, and mother is already making her way back home.
As the family moves forward, and the peace of the holiday seasons come back to the home, there is more than one surprise waiting for the March family…
This week, we are reading Chapters 12-23
Questions:
- How far would you go to keep a promise that you made to your mother?
- As the war rages on, the March sisters have found contentment where they are. Can you find contentment with where you are in life?
- The thought of a loss of a loved one is more than the sisters can bear. How do you think this shaped them for the coming years?
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