From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs Basil E. Frankweiler

by E.L. Konigsburg

Claudia loved the city because it was elegant; it was important; and busy.

“I’ll eat it. I like complications,” Jamie said.

Some people spend all their time on a vacation taking pictures so that when they get home they can show their friends evidence that they had a good time. They don’t pause to let the vacation enter inside of them and take that home.”

Happiness is excitement that has found a settling down place, but there is always a little corner that keeps flapping around.

think you should learn, of course, and some days you must learn a great deal. But you should also have days when you allow what is already in you to swell up inside of you until it touches everything. And you can feel it inside you. If you never take time out to let that happen, then you just accumulate facts, and they begin to rattle around inside of you. You can make noise with them, but never really feel anything with them. It’s hollow.”

Read The Secret Garden, and you find another world that I know about only in words. Here

All of you, thank you, for giving me something that allows me to go home like Claudia-different on the inside where it counts.