Edith/Maddie here, happy to celebrate a month of August Wednesdays with you all.
I looked up the definition and word history for August and found the following at the Online Etymology Dictionary (one of my favorite places to check when a particular word of English first started being used):
August: “inspiring reverence and admiration, solemnly grand,” 1660s, from Latin augustus “venerable, majestic, magnificent, noble,” perhaps originally “consecrated by the augurs, with favorable auguries.”
It goes on to talk about the name of the month. As a gardener, I got a giggle out of the following:
In England, the name replaced native Weodmonað “weed month.” Traditionally the first month of autumn in Great Britain, the last of summer in the U.S.
August is most surely Weed Month! But back to the first definition.
Wickeds, share a character in your books who inspires admiration or even reverence, either in other characters or in readers.
Julie: Lilly Jayne is a town elder of Goosebush, and has played many roles in town government over the years. Her best friend Tamara is a real estate person, and she’s also served the town in many ways. Those two women inspire admiration. That’s one of the things that lets them take on the role of clean-up in Goosebush.
Barb: Julie, I admire Lilly and Tamara very much. In Muddled Through, the character of Alice Rumsford is respected by almost everyone in a divided town. She’s a philanthropist and a former photographer for National Geographic, something a stunningly small number of women have achieved. She supports the institutions the townspeople use and appreciate and always puts her money where her mouth is.
Edith/Maddie: I loved Alice, Barb! In my Quaker Midwife Mysteries, Rose Carroll admires her wise old teacher, Orpha Perkins, and fans do too. She’s unflappable and competent during difficult births, she treats all women fairly, and she sees deep into Rose’s soul. Aunt Adele in the Country Store Mysteries, like Lilly Jayne, has served South Lick in several ways, and she’s also fun, courageous, loving, and full of life.
Liz: In the Cat Cafe books, Maddie’s mindfulness mentor Cass Hendricks is respected across the island, even by those who don’t understand anything about what he does. He’s got such a calming presence and he helps a lot of people, and I don’t think he’s had an enemy his whole time on the island.
Sherry: Great question and it has me thinking about all of my characters. Everyone seems to love Joaquin in the Chloe Jackson books. He’s helped Chloe and Vivi understand each other, he dances, makes a great drink, has an upbeat attitude, and works hard as a fisherman too. What’s not to love?
Readers: Tell us about a character or a real person you admire or revere!
Love the topic. The person I most admire and revere would have to be my daddy. He was such a gentle soul. He worked hard all his life and never complained about it. He was so proud that his only child was girl. He was my support and strength through some really hard times. He’s been gone for 48 years, but I feel he is still watching over me.
That’s beautiful, Ginny. I also admired my gentle, brilliant father, who also died way too young.
Of course I admire my parents, but I’m going to go outside that pale and say my AP Chemistry teacher, Mr. Eggleston. Not only could he make chemistry fun, he believed every student could be great and did his best to bring it out.
That’s fabulous, Liz. We all need teachers like that.
There are a lot of characters I admire. One that popped into my mind is Meg Langslow from Donna Andrews’s fabulous series. How Meg puts up with everything her family (and the town) puts her through without turning homicidal is very admirable. And super fun!
Agree, Mark!
I would have to say my Mom. She has always shown love and compassion to all she has met. She has taught me to never judge a person. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.