Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

by Beth Hoffman

Twelve year old CeeCee has a difficult life. She lives in the 60's, and her mom is imbalanced and getting worse. Her dad is a traveling sales person and never around. Aside from one neighbor, the town makes fun of CeeCee and her mom and shun them. CeeCee's mom dresses like a beauty queen with a tiara and sash and waves at make-believe crowds. She never really knows what's going on. Practical things like being a mom aren't part of her schedule. Then she's hit by an ice-cream truck while crossing the road from the Good Will store where she was buying more "prom" dresses. CeeCee's dad decides she will go live with her Great Aunt Tootie in Georgia. Finally, CeeCee is learning what it is like to be cared for.

Quotes I like:

"I was so embarrassed, I thought I'd implode right there on the sidewalk. With my books hugged to my chest, I ran full throttle until I reached the library. I pushed through the heavy wodden door of the ladies' restroom, hid in one of the stalls, and opened a book. I read as fast as I could, gobbling up pages until the wild thumping of my heart subsided, until the story on the pages became real and my life became nothing but a story-a story that simply wasn't true."

"My first impression was that pies seemed to help people be kind to one another a whole lot better than any mean-talking preacher. In fact, there were mores miles around the bake-sale tables than I had ever seen in one place before. I made a mental note that if I ever needed help from a man I would make him a pie."

"My life is here; this is my real life" she whimpered poking the old picture with her finger. "I was so young and beautiful."
"But momma, winning that pageant wasn't your life- it was only a day in your life- that's all. Life is what we made it. Maybe you'd be happier if you adjusted your thinking a bit!"

"Life is full of change, honey. That's how we learn and grow. When we're born, the Good Lord gives each of us a Life Book. Chapter by chapter, we live and learn. Each change gets written in your life book. It's guarded by your spirit. When a chapter of your Life Book is complete, your spirit knows it's time to turn the page so a new chapter can begin. Even when you're scared or think you're not ready, your spirit knows you are."

"I heard your momma passed away. Such a tragedy. Once you get settled, you come over and tell me all about it, but I just can't stop myself from askin'- how in the world did she get hit by a truck?"
'I was stunned speechless. Who does she think she is. What kind of person asks a question like that?
"I've learned the more we talk about things the better we feel. I talk about everything, and I know that's one of the reasons why I never so much as catch a cold."

"I don't have a bird. Who'd ever cage a bird? I can't imagine a worse fate. I bought this cage and wired the door open to remind myself how delicious freedom is-financial and otherwise."

"She reached out, slid the magazine from my fingers, and studied the woman on the cover. I used to look just like that. But after I turned forty it was a daily struggle to keep myself up. I turned forty-five this past Feb., and let me tell you, every day is nothing but an insult. Aging is a terrible slap in the face. My body betrays me every chance it gets."

"While Miz Goodpepper pulled a pitcher of lemonade from the frig, I asked 'Is the Kama Sutra a volcano?' She gasped and splashed lemonade. The strangest look streaked across her face as she sopped up the mess. 'Well I suppose some might think it's a volcano of sorts, but I can say with absolute assurance you wouldn't enjoy that book.' 'That's what I thought' I said feeling pleased with myself, 'so I put it back on the shelf.' She let out a barely audible sigh. 'Good."

"Karma stems from mental, physical, and verbal action. It's the sum of all we've said, done, and thought, be it good or bad."

"While I was out of town in April, my neighbor, the great gaping vagina otherwise known as Violene Hobbs murdered my magnolia tree!"

"There aren't enough years left in my life to cauterize the wounds that wretched woman has inflicted upon me."

"From the minute I met her I knew she was a pea-minded idiot. I've known ferms with higher IQs than hers."

"Mark my words, one day all the wicked deeds she has done will gather together and form a big black boomerang of karma that will spin through the sky and strike her down. I only hope I'm around to see it!"

"Your fire? Yes. Everyone needs to find the one thing that brings out her passion. It's what we do and share with the world that matters. I believe it's important that we leave our communities in better shape than we found them. Far to many people die with a heart that's gone flat with indifference, and it surely must be a terrible way to go. Life will offer us amazing opportunities, but we've got to be wide-awake to recognize them."

I glanced over my shoulder at the scene of the crime. When Miz Hobbs slipped on the slug and hit her head, was that kinda like the black boomerang of karma you talked about? Miz Goodpepper clutched the empty slug jar to her chest and slowly turned toward me. 'You are a very smart child.'

"Forgiveness had a whole lot more to do with the person doing the forgiving than it did with the person in need of forgiveness. She said holding on to hurt and anger made about as much sense as hitting your head with a hammer and expecting the other person to get a headache. But too many years of resentment were swollen inside me, and I had no forgiveness to offer just now."

"My grandmother was so alive and full of original ideas, especially for that era. While other women were busy being proper, she was busy cultivating her spirit."

"What's the difference between eccentric and crazy?"
"From over her shoulder she laughed and called out, 'Nobody knows!'

"It's what we believe about ourselves that determines how others see us."
"You make it sound so easy."
"You know what sugar, once you set your mind to it, it is easy."