Heidi - Johanna Spyri

14th of 2021; Heidi is a beautiful, heart-touching novel, and which you can read any number of time, which bring in Childhood memories. 

Though the book say Children's Fiction, Johanna Spyri's heart-warming story is said to be  based on the real-life adventures of Heidi Schwaller, 92, who grew up near Chur in the Swiss Alps. ... Elegant yet down-to-earth, Schwaller recalled how she met Spyri when the writer spent summers near the village of Maienfeld in eastern Switzerland more than 80 years ago.

There had been a sequel to the novel 'Heidi Grows up' written by Spyri's French and English translator, Charles Tritten, after a three-decade long period of pondering what to write, since Spyri's death gave no sequel of her own. In this book, Heidi goes away to boarding school and then returns to Dorfli to teach in the village school. Eventually, she and Peter gets married and have children. 

The original Heidi book was written by a Swiss author, Johanna Spyri, but scholars claim that she borrowed heavily from a book written 50 years earlier by a German, Adam von Kamp.

These three discussions made me ponder and re-read Heidi; which is such a touching novel. 

The story is about an orphan girl, Heidi, who was living with her Aunt Dete, but as Dete has been appointed to a job in Frankfurt she is been sent to live at the top of a mountain in the Swiss Alps with her grandfather who is called Alm-Uncle by all. She loved her stay up in the mountains with the goats and Peter.  The five year old Heidi, quickly wins the heart of her grumpy grandfather and befriends the people around, they all become fond of her, as much as she becomes of them. She love visiting Peter's grandmother and mother.  In three years time her Aunt Dete comes again to take her to serve as a companion to Clara Sesemann, a wealthy, disabled girl who is wheel chair bound. 

Thus begin a new chapter about New Things, Heidi miss her mountains from day one and the view outside the window. Fraulein Rottenmeier is not happy with Heidi and has an uncomfortable day, with her around who create great commotion in the large house. Herr Sesemann, Clara's father hears of things which are new to him. Soon after this visit, there is another grandmother who makes her entry - Clara's. 

New grandmother, help Heidi start picking up on her reading. She makes her understand that the actual reason she does not pick up reading is because  Heidi's friend, Peter, has told her over and over again how hard it is to learn to read, and Heidi doesn't have enough belief in herself to overcome what she thinks is her own inability to learn to read. She makes her Believe she can read, so she will know about all the wonderful things. Pray, God can deliver us from every care. Many unlikely things happen in life. Two things comming together produce happy result. Heidi gains in one way and loses in another. 

Heidi enlivens and charms Clara, but soon herself becomes homesick, she starts sleep walking and people think there is a Ghost in the house. Their family doctor advise, it would be best to send her back to the mountains. She is happy to be back home, to meet grandmother and grandfather, start reading and going to church. First the doctor visit them, and then Clara and her grandmother, and Clara love being there, her health improves, and something unexpected happen. She is able to walk by herself. 

Heidi  drank in the golden sunlight, the fresh air, the sweet smell of the flowers, and wished for nothing better than to remain there forever. The picturesque landscape almost come alive, as we read the book. 

"Let us enjoy all the beautiful things that we can see, and not think about those that we cannot" - The other grandmother's words of wisdom is worth pondering always. 

God did not think what you have been praying for was good for you right now. God is watching over you...

Joy shall be ours

In that garden blest

Where after storm

We find our rest

I wait in peace - God's time is best

“Oh, how glad I am that God did not let me have at once all I prayed and wept for! And now I shall always pray to God as she told me, and always thank Him, and when He does not do anything I ask for I shall think to myself, It's just like it was in Frankfurt: God, I am sure, is going to do something better still. So we will pray every day, won't we, grandfather, and never forget Him again, or else He may forget us” ―  Heidi

All things will work for good,

To those who trust in Me,

I come with healing on my wings,

To save and set thee free.

And there is this poem/prayer that Heidi reads to the doctor:

Let not your heart be troubled

Nor fear your soul dismay,

There is a wise Defender

And he will be your stay.

Where you have failed, He conquers,

See, how the foeman flies!

And all your tribulation

Is turned to glad surprise.

If for a while it seemeth

His mercy is withdrawn,

That he no longer careth

For his wandering child forlorn,

Doubt not His great compassion,

His love can never tire,

To those who wait in patience

He gives their heart's desire.

This brought me to another book and another thought:

“had I never stumbled down the mountain of my ideals, had my ego not been humbled by loss, and my heart not broken open by pain, I would not have discovered the secret treasure that lies waiting for each one of us at the bottom of our most difficult times.”

Elizabeth Lesser  in ‘Broken Open’