Anne Bradstreet was considered by her community as an exemplary mother and wife to husband Governor Simon Bradstreet. Her extraordinary faith has been recognized by many. Anne's happiness superseded material wealth and she found joy in the simple act of living and contributing to those around her. She successfully juggled her own work as a writer with the demands of raising a family, largely on her own due to her husband's travel schedule.

A quote from Anne Bradstreet caught my eye recently as I looked out my window at the sleet and snow and hail bombarding my backyard, wondering if these late winter storms would soon give way to more mild conditions. She said,

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant, if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome."

How appropriate. We have a steady diet of daily doom and predictions directed at us from every information source. Experts and prophets litter the airwaves with dire predictions and advice. Our world is so cluttered with warnings; I think most of us have the propensity toward overload. It is times like these that gentle reminders of what is really important in life are critical. I suppose that's why Anne's quote grabbed my attention as it did.

Interestingly enough. Anne's life sounds so much like our own, doesn't it? She knew a thing or two about the adversity of which she spoke. Anne was a Puritan. She was born in 1612 and died in 1672 and was credited by many to be the first American poet. Just another example of what we can learn from our forbearers.

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