Monogrammed

(don't you love my hand-drawn Hester?  Google images didn't do her justice)

You wanna know who I've been thinking about a lot lately?  Hester Prynne.

I want to start a new thing where I talk about my favorite literary characters that have taught me a lesson.  Most All of them are fictional women.

So, what do I like about Hester?  Other than her awesome name, Hester is one of the most fearless literary characters that I've read about.  In the face of adversity, she somehow still managed to have poise and grace.  When her lover denies her and her family is shunned from the town, she continues her life full of charitable deeds.  Most importantly, she does not let her past define or torment her.  She lives her life peacefully, knowing truth.

I guess the whole point of this post is to take something away from Hester Prynne.  We've all done stuff in our past that we're not proud of.  Maybe I'm the only one, but those bad choices seem to have a way of creeping back into my life.  It may not be just bad choices that haunt you.

My major setback?  Fear.  I shouldn't let fear define who I am and what I do.

The lessons we can take from Hester are endless.  How to treat people graciously after they've hurt us.  How God has redeemed us.  Perseverance.    

If nothing else, just read The Scarlet Letter.  Because it's a good read.

Is it just me or does Hester resemble of Laverne from Laverne and Shirley.

Also, remember when everything was monogrammed with first initials?  I had a "K" shirt.