Beloved nineteenth-century priest and teacher Christoph von Schmid had a beautiful and engaging way of teaching important moral principles. He believed children learn and cherish these truths best when taught by the examples of relatable and admirable characters.
In this captivating collection of stories, readers come to know and love faithful Mina, whose simple, earthen water pitcher brings remarkable blessings; wise Frederic Vollmar and a sacred painting that reveals a generation-long mystery; and honest Mary, with her beautifully woven basket of flowers that both condemns and liberates her. Though they each face difficult trials, these characters learn the value of trusting and loving God completely and witness the blessings that come when they put Him before all else.
Includes: The Water Pitcher - First Pub. 1849 The Best Inheritance - First Pub. 1848 The Basket of Flowers - First Pub. 1908
Johann Nepomuk Christoph Friedrich von Schmid was a writer of children's stories, educator, and Roman Catholic priest. His stories were very popular and translated into many languages. His best-known work in the English-speaking world is The Basket of Flowers (Das Blumenkörbchen).
Read this collection of short stories for school. I did enjoy them. . .but they had a little bit of a dark twist to them. Definitely not a fluffy "feel good" read, but packed full of real life lessons and morals. There were SO MANY good quotes, though. If I'd used a highlighter at all, I probably would have highlighted half of the book. The Water Pitcher: a story of a meek, pious young woman named Wilhelmina who had the heart of a servant. The Greatest Inheritance: a story about a family who lost worldly riches in a series of unfortunate events, but gained friends, greater faith in God, and a better perspective of what their true, everlasting inheritance was. The Basket of Flowers: a story of a young girl named Mary, who was falsely accused of stealing, imprisoned, and treated badly. But she trusted that God would work everything for His glory and her good. And He did. All three stories taught the importance of trusting in God's plan, kindness to others even when they aren't kind to us, and that being truthful, meek, merciful, and patient is so much better than having all the riches in the world.
This book took a very long time to read, but it was well worth it. This book is comprised of 3 stories which shed light on life's most important lessons. Each written about good people, they teach of trusting in the Lord and having sure faith in the gospel. I don't think I've ever said Amen after reading a book before. But I have now.
The first two stories were just ok, but I really enjoyed The Basket of Flowers. It was unpredictable and faith-filled, although it did start to feel a little preachy. I think the plot was very engaging.