Quotes by Olive Ann Burns

Ask and it shall be given you, I began. Seek and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. We have the same message in the Book of Saint John, I said, sounding for all the world like a preacher....Well, but how could I just stop there? Those words were worse than nothing if I didnt tell what they meant to Grandpa. Looking at the long rough box, I spoke timid, in a mumbled voice. Not preachified at all. Grandpa didnt think Jesus meant, by that, that we should ast God for things, or for special favors. He said we could trust that in the nature of things, without astin, well get lots of blessins and happy surprises and maybe a miracle or two. When Jesus said ast and youll get it, He meant things of the spirit, not the flesh. Right now for instance, I could ast, Lord please raise Grandpa from the dead, but it wouldnt happen. But I can say, Please, God, comfort me, and Ill get hearts ease. Grandpa said Jesus meant us to ast for hope, forgiveness, and all that. Ast, Hep us not be scared, hep us not be greedy, give us courage to try. I was really carried away. Ast any such and God will give it to you. But dont ast Him not to let fire burn, or say spare me from death. At least, uh, thats what Grandpa said.

Theys a heap more to Gods will than death, disapoint-ment, and like thet. Hits Gods will for us to be good and do good, love one another, be forgivin... He laughed. I reckon I aint very forgivin, son. I can forgive a fool, but I aint inner-rested in coddlin hypocrites. Well anyhow, folks who think Gods will jest has to do with sufferin and dyin, they done missed the whole point.

We can ast for comfort and hope and patience and courage . . . and we’ll git what we ast for. They ain’t no gar’ntee thet we ain’t go’n have no troubles and ain’t go’n die. But shore as frogs croak and cows bellow, God’ll forgive us if’n we ast Him to.

But to mourn, thats different. To mourn is to be eaten alive with homesickness for the person.

Hit aint sacrilege. Miss Effie Belle says when she caint think what to have for dinner, she asts God and right off He gives her an idea. To my thinkin, thets sacrilege.Miss Love really laughed. Theres not a woman in the world who hasnt prayed what to cook for dinner, Rucker!

Grandpa had made the Lord seem so real, I wouldnt of been surprised if hed said good night to Him. But after a long pause he just said a-men.

Aint the best prayin jest bein with God and talkin a while, like Hes a good friend, stead a-like he runs a store and youve come in a-hopin to git a bargain?

When Jesus said ast and you’ll get it, He meant things of the spirit, not the flesh. Grandpa said Jesus meant us to ast for hope, forgiveness, and all like that. Ast ‘Hep us not be scared, hep us not be greedy, give us courage to try…Ast any such and God will give it to you. But don’t ast Him not to let fire burn, or say spare me from death.

But she left him. That night the angels came back for her, like shed asked them to. And nobody who saw the heartbreak on Grandpas face when Granny breathed her last would have thought for one minute that he was glad to get shet of her . . . .

“Theys a heap more to Gods will than death, disapoint-ment, and like thet. Hits Gods will for us to be good and do good, love one another, be forgivin... He laughed. I reckon I aint very forgivin, son. I can forgive a fool, but I aint inner-rested in coddlin hypocrites. Well anyhow, folks who think Gods will jest has to do with sufferin and dyin, they done missed the whole point.”

“But to mourn, thats different. To mourn is to be eaten alive with homesickness for the person.”