Jocie Brooks here reporting from Hollyhill.
I know it’s been a while. You can’t believe how busy a high school girl can get. You’d think I’d have all the time in the world. At least that’s what Dad says. That at my age, I should be cherishing my days when I can do whatever I want.
I’m not sure if he hasn’t been paying attention or what, but I don’t have every day to do whatever I want. Half the time, well, more than half the time, I’m helping him out at the paper. And a lot of the other time, I’m helping Aunt Love out here at the house. Tabitha is still here too, but Stephen keeps her hopping now that he’s walking and then she got a job at the grocery store. So that means I have to help Aunt Love watch Stephen. Aunt Love loves Stephen way more than she ever loved any of the rest of us and she would never want him to get hurt or lost. But she’s getting more and more forgetful. So I have to hang around to make sure she doesn’t forget she’s watching Stephen. We don’t think she would, but just in case. As dad says, it only takes one accident to maybe change things forever.
Leigh helps with Stephen when she’s not working and when she’s not feeling too sick. She’s been sick a lot lately. Sick at her stomach. She says it must be something she has been eating. Tabitha and Aunt Love have been giving her looks like they don’t believe that. She’s gained a little weight too. You think I’m going to have a baby sister or brother? That will really have things crazy around here. So far nobody has actually come out and said that, but Dad has been acting really peculiar. Like he’s afraid Leigh might break or something. Wes says if my suspicions are right, I’ll find out soon enough. Babies on the way have a way of being pretty obvious after a while.
But meanwhile, I do have some free time now and again to ride my bike and play with Zeb and go visit Wes. I see Wes at the paper all the time, but we’re working then. So we don’t always have time to talk about the books we’re reading and what Wes hears from Jupiter and what Dad preached about last Sunday. No, it wasn’t about Hannah wanting a baby. Not yet anyway.
He preached about butterflies. Did you know that nowhere in the Bible are butterflies mentioned? You’d think when Jesus was preaching the Sermon on the Mount that butterflies would be fluttering around everywhere. They do have butterflies over there in the Holy Land, don’t they? Dad didn’t say anything about that in his sermon. Instead he was talking about how this Greek word metamorphoo (sounds like metamorphosis, doesn’t it?) is translated as transformed in the Bible.
He read Romans 12:2. “And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Then he talked about how a butterfly is transformed from a tiny egg to a caterpillar that becomes a pupae in a chrysalis and eventually emerges as a beautiful and amazing butterfly that goes from crawling flat on its belly to flying on the breeze and drinking nectar from flowers. Other things too, but Dad says it’s better to think about the flowers than cow poo. Or maybe it was Wes who said that.
Anyway Dad said (and yes, I’m sure this was Dad saying) that when Paul talked about us being transformed we could think about it being like a butterfly as we go from our lowly existence down here to whatever lovely form we will eventually take in heaven. While we’re on our trip to our heavenly home, we are continually being transformed if we think on doing what Jesus taught. We can renew our minds with prayer and Bible study. Dad said that’s how we can figure out what’s good and acceptable and perfect according to God.
I still feel pretty much like a caterpillar most of the time, but Wes says I’ve always looked like a beautiful butterfly to him. Wes is such a great granddad to me even if he’s not really my granddad. I asked him if they had butterflies on Jupiter and he said of course they do. Big purple ones. If Wes is to be believed, a lot of things are purple on Jupiter.
Thanks for stopping by to read about whats going on here in Hollyhill. Not much, as usual, but Dad says peaceful is good. It might not stay so peaceful if Leigh is really going to have a baby. I’m not asking her or Dad. They should tell me, but until they do, I’ll use my reporter skills and sniff out the truth.
What do you think? Will I make a good big sister?
Comments 27
Great reading more about Josie! I think she will make a wonderful big sister! Thank you, Ann.
Author
Jocie here, Karen. Maybe I should have said anything about maybe being a big sister. Now everybody is going to be disappointed if it’s not true. Especially Leigh.
Ahhh, you can make it happen with a stroke of the pen. 😊 Now there’s another reason to write more about Josie! 😊
Author
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? 🙂
I hope, hope, hope that this update means that another book is coming soon from Hollyhill. Please, please, please… :o) Thanks for writing so that we can be reading…
Author
Jocie here, Connie. I can’t imagine what all of you think might be exciting enough in Hollyhill that anybody could write a book. Sometimes the most exciting thing to happen is the stoplight at Main and Woodford quits working and nobody knows who should turn when. Or the flags they stick on the lampposts for the 4th of July. They do look nice. But then we did have some things happening last year. More excitement than we needed. Wes says he’d rather read his excitement in a book about somebody besides us.
Yes, you will make a wonderful big sister, and I think your reporting skills are going to come in handy as you “sniff out” a story about a possible baby brother or sister. I am so glad you pop in here now and then to tell us about life in Hollyhill. And thanks for telling us about your Dad’s sermon today. We learned why we shouldn’t complain in the sermon at my church today. I’m trying not to.
Author
Jocie here. Boy, Birdie, Dad could probably preach a dozen sermons on why we shouldn’t complain. Sometimes I think that’s all any of the people at church do. Complain about it being too hot or too cold. Complain that we picked the wrong color rug. Well, you know how it is. Somebody is always complaining about something. And sometimes that’s me complaining about people complaining. So guess I’d need to pay attention to a sermon about that.
I’ll be back on here again soon. Maybe something exciting or at least a little bit interesting will happen in Hollyhill to give me something to write about. Maybe.
What fun and inspiring reading ! I love the Holly Hill series and enjoy the updates from Jocie . The upcoming events sound very exciting !
Author
Jocie here. You never know what might happen next in Hollyhill, Nancy. Well, if anything happens. Most of the time nothing exciting ever happens. Yawn. But there was that one year…
Yes, Jocie, you will keep a baby VERY entertained!
Author
Jocie here. You think I can keep him or maybe her, I hope her, from crying too much, Paula? Maybe you could come and help me sometime. That is – if I have a baby sister or brother. I might be getting the cart before the horse the way Aunt Love says I sometimes do.
That was such a fun reading. I’m just new to your books and haven’t read the Hollyhill series, but this makes me want to check into them.
Author
Jocie here. Well, Darlene, you need to hunt up those books about me and my friends here in Hollyhill. We had one crazy year. You won’t believe all the things that happened to us. I’ve always said nothing ever happens in Hollyhill, but I guess I was wrong in 1965. First off you have to find out why that first story has lilacs in it. You’ll never believe it.
Jocie is one of my favorite characters ever! She is so fun! I love the town of Hollyhill, hopefully we will get to visit there again soon.
Author
Jocie here. April, that’s so nice. That you like to read my reports and find out what’s going on in Hollyhill. You can come visit anytime. I’ll give you a tour of the paper office. Well, if I can sneak you past Zella. She’d worry you’d get ink on your dress and expect us to pay your cleaning bill or something. Zella is always worrying about something.
Jocie would be a marvelous big sister! I’m hoping this report from her might lead to a new story or two from Hollyhill.
Author
Jocie here. You never know, Lavon. Maybe someday somebody will go back down to Main in Hollyhill and see what new stuff is going on. Till then, I’ll just look around and see what I can report on now and again.
Oh my gosh Jocie you will make an amazing big sister!! Just think of all the exciting things you can teach a little sister or brother. Love hearing all the news from Holyhill get us posted!!!!
Dear Ann,
I would love to read another book in the Hollyhill series it’s a favorite of mine! The characters are like family to me.
Author
Jocie here. Thanks, Carrie. I hope I would. I’ve been practicing on the little kids at church by helping teach the Beginners class there. That should help. If Leigh is really going to have a baby. Maybe something else will happen in Hollyhill to get me something to report on soon.
Ann says to tell you that you never know. Maybe Hollyhill will wake up with another story someday.
Dear Ann,
You know all of us at Woolwich Wiscasset, Maine, would love to see another book in this series. Hope all is well with you.
Sincerely,
Hope for the Book Club
All of us everywhere would love to see another book (or two) in this series.
Author
Jocie here. I’ve always wanted to be a book club. That sounds like so much fun, Hope. For all of us to read the same book and then sit around and talk about it. Sometimes Wes and I do that if we read the same books. It’s funny how we like different parts best. Wes says that’s because he’s way older than me. That we have different perspectives on life. And of course, he’s from Jupiter and I’m from Earth. That always makes me smile.
I have to tell you, the name of your town is sort of weird. Woolwich Wiscasset. In a town like that something interesting is bound to be happening unlike a town like Hollyhill. But maybe someday enough will happen that another story might get told by somebody.
Jocie, you will be the greatest big sister ever!
Author
Jocie here. If I’m right about Leigh, I hope you’re right, Nancy. I’ll have to start paying attention to what my friends do with their little sisters. Some of them do nothing but fuss about how the little sisters get into their stuff. I guess we should all learn how to share.
Jocie’s reports are so fun to read – chuckled aloud several times. Would love a book completing suggestions read in her report. She’d be a wonderful big sister.
Author
Jocie here. I don’t know about this big sister stuff. Sometimes I just want time to myself. You know so I can write a story now and then. But I do love the little kids at church so I’m sure I’d love a little kid here at the house too. I could read to her the way I do Stephen. But I don’t want to change any poopy diapers. Eww.