I love George MacDonald

Michael and I are reading The Princess and the Goblin with the boys.  The other night I was so struck by the dialogue between Irene and her grandma about Curdie not believing Irene......

'You must give him time,' said her grandmother; 'and you must be content not to be believed for a while.  It is very hard to bear; but i have had to bear it, and shall have to bear it many a time yet' ...

'In the meantime you must be content, I say, to be misunderstood for a while.  We are all very anxious to be understood, and it is very hard not to be.  But there is one thing much more necessary.'
'What is that, grandmother?'
'To understand other people.'
'Yes, grandmother.  I must be fair-for if I'm not fair to other people, I'm not worth being understood myself.'

I loved these sentences so much I read it a few times before the boys asked if we could keep reading more.
I am striving to be a person who seeks to understand others and be patient about being understood myself.  I am far from that mark most of the time.  But it's a goal I'm aiming for.

Other great George quotes....

~We die daily, happy those who come to life as well.

~Afflictions are but the shadow of God's wings.

~I find that doing the will of God leaves me no time for disputing about His plans.

~It matters little where a man might be at this moment; the point is whether he is growing.

I'll stop now.  But that's some good stuff!