For a lifelong reader, I came late to the work of Madeleine L’Engle.
I didn’t have a taste for fantasy as a child, so I never read A Wrinkle in Time or any of its sequels. For years, I didn’t know that Madeleine had written other books, that in fact her oeuvre ranged from adult fiction to memoir to poetry. But when my friend Teresa sold off a few of her books at the end of one semester in college, I picked up an old paperback copy of Walking on Water, Madeleine’s book of reflections on faith and art. And for nearly two years after that, I could be found with one of her books – The Small Rain, A Circle of Quiet, the entire Time Quintet – in my hand.
I love all Madeleine’s work in different ways, but A Circle of Quiet gave me a phrase that continues to resonate, striking a deep gong in my soul.
She recounts:
A winter ago I had an after-school seminar for high-school students and in one of the early sessions Una, a brilliant fifteen-year-old, a born writer who came to Harlem from Panama five years ago, and only then discovered the conflict between races, asked me, “Mrs. Franklin, do you really and truly believe in God with no doubts at all?”
“Oh, Una, I really and truly believe in God with all kinds of doubts.”
But I base my life on this belief.
That quiet anecdote, slipped in between Madeleine’s musings on ontology (the why of being) and a digression on the punctuation of A Wrinkle in Time, has changed the way I view faith, and the way I view life.
I’m at Micha Boyett’s blog today, participating in her One Good Phrase series. Click over there to read about how Madeleine’s phrase continues to resonate for me.
cakes, tea and dreams 
Wow. A Wrinkle in Time was my all-time, absolute favorite book as a child, and I’ve read a bunch of L’Engle’s work since. But I hadn’t for some reason noted this passage – perfection. Thank you. xox
I like what Mrs. Murray says in A Wrinkle in Time. “One thing I’ve learned is that you don’t have to understand things for them to be.” And Thomas Merton also made a great point when he said, “Faith is a principle of questioning and struggle before it becomes a principle of certitude and peace.”
I love that quote from Mrs. Murry. What a wise woman!
I am currently reading A Wrinkle in Time. I am only a few chapters in, but I like it so far. It is one of my location books, so I usually only read a chapter or partial chapter at a time.
I’ve never read L’Engle either. Maybe i should? Seems like a gap i need to fill.
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I’d highly recommend her – she’s written a wide range of work, so I think a lot of readers can find something to love.
I’d forgotten this phrase, or, maybe just misplaced it somewhere in the crevices of my mind. Madeleine L’Engle has given us many gifts with her words, and the come to us and mean things to us at different times in our lives. I need to pick up A Circle of Quiet again. Thank you for inspiration to do so, especially upon reading your entire piece at Micha’s blog. Thank you.
Love, love, love Madeline L’Engle. Both the fantasy and her more existential works. I love your quotes. Thanks for the reminder to reread!