This poem is beyond awesome, and is a shockingly great reminder of how we should behave. Apply it to yourself while you read, and ask if you belong to the Grumble Family. Also…you might notice the author is a certain “L.M. Montgomery”. I haven’t done any research on if it’s Lucy Maude…yes, THAT one…the one who wrote “Anne of Green Gables”???? Fun Fact: I’ve been to her houses in Uxbridge, Norval, AND the unpublicized one in Toronto…but not the one on Prince Edward Island. Crazy, huh?
The Grumble Family
There’s a family nobody likes to meet;
They live, it is said, on Complaining Street
In the city of Never-Are-Satisfied,
The River of Discontent beside.
They growl at that and they growl at this;
Whatever comes, there is something amiss;
And whether their station be high or humble,
They are all known by the name of grumble.
The weather is always too hot or cold;
Summer and winter alike they scold.
Nothing goes right with the folks you meet
Down on that gloomy Complaining Street.
They growl at the rain and they growl at the sun;
In fact, their growling is never done.
And if everything pleased them, there isn’t a doubt
They’d growl that they’d nothing to grumble about!
But the queerest thing is that not one of the same
Can be brought to acknowledge his family name;
For never a Grumbler will own that he
Is connected with it at all, you see.
The worst thing is that if anyone stays
Among them too long, he will learn their ways;
And before he dreams of the terrible jumble
He’s adopted into the family of Grumble.
And so it were wisest to keep our feet
From wandering into Complaining Street;
And never to growl, whatever we do,
Lest we be mistaken for Grumblers, too.
Let us learn to walk with a smile and song,
No matter if things do sometimes go wrong;
And then, be our station high or humble,
We’ll never belong to the family of Grumble!
By L. M. Montgomery
It’s neat to see this was by L.M. Montgomery; I often believe I am a true descendant of this family called Grumblers! It’s awfully hard to mend one’s ways, but at least this is inspirational to move forward!
Wow! Sarah, I didn’t even notice the author…could this really be Lucy Maud Montgomery?? That’s awesome; I didn’t know she wrote poetry. I mean, I’m only really familiar with the usual stuff, like Anne of Green Gables. Actually, I just looked her up on Wikipedia and it says she wrote 20 novels and over 500 short stories and poems!
I’ve been to her house in Uxbridge and even her other house in Norval (just outside Georgetown) and I have taken time to read the historical plaques that are there. I know she lived somewhere downtown Toronto too, but don’t know where exactly, though I just checked Wikipedia and it says it’s in a neighborhood west of High Park, right on the Humber River; actually, I may have driven past it before and never knew! (if you’re ever in that area, check out Humberview Rd and Old Mill Rd; there’s and INCREDIBLE inn called the Old Mill Inn & Spa which I just linked to).
Oh, and I’ve never been to P.E.I. 🙁
Ah ha! I found it! She lived at 210 Riverside Drive from 1935 to 1942. I’m gonna check it out!
I am guily but working on being disowned by the Grumble Family!
Neat! I’ve always wanted to go to PEI… someday when we get enough money we’re going to finally take our honeymoon and drive down there (and back through the states to see all the church historic sites!)
Hello Shawn,
There are so many people on this earth who have a valid reason to complain but they don’t…They suffer in silence, endure many hardships, pain and helplessness in their lives. Then there are those who complain at the slightest misfortune, nothing makes them happy, yet they probably have more then most, but still they are never satisfied. Always hoping for more! They should look through the eyes of a hungry child or one that is dying. Some people never understand because all they can think about is themselves. Take care always….
Good points, Lee. Glad to have you here. How’s things?
Life has been very busy, some of my friends are seriously ill. I have been spending whatever time I have with my granddaughter. Had the flue the last couple of weeks, just trying to catch up with all the emails at the moment.
I sent an email to you asking if you would be so kind as to leave a comment on an interview I did regarding my book, not sure if you received it. You could also indicate if you like the interview or not.
The link is:
http://hubpages.com/hub/AN-AUTHOR-INTERVIEW-WITH-LEE-DURMAJ?done
I would very much appreciate if you could do this for me Shawn.
Thank you and take care, Lee
Yeah, I was just reading over your interview earlier tonight and formulating my thoughts. I did post a comment, which is under review now. You seem to be taking Hubpages by storm! But I can’t seem to find your own page there; if you have a ranking of 91 there, you must have a page, right?
Hello Shawn,
No, I am afraid I don’t have my own page, maybe I should smile!…..This is the only Hub page that exists of me…..You know I am not even on face book or twitter either, I have been amazed at the results….I cannot explain it but I am very happy since I am going to publish a second book by the end of the year….Ken Cowle, my publisher, will be doing a radio interview with me some time in the next couple of weeks….I am really looking forward to it…..I will also read some of my poems on the radio show…..
I hope you are keeping well, thank you so much for posting a comment, I greatly appreciate you doing this for me. Take care my friend, Lee
I have now joined Twitter, not sure I know what I am doing but so it goes, smile. Thank you for your wonderful comment on my interview on the Hubs page, greatly appreciated. I will also be doing a prerecording interview tomorrow with my publisher for his radio show which is coming up this Tuesday. I will be reading some of my poems and having a chat with him. I must say I am surprised how popular my Hub page is. I am catching up to all your quotes. I kept each email you sent. I haven’t forgotten nor will I ever. I do love reading them they inspire thought within me, this I believe is good for the heart and soul. So thank you once again….Take care always, Lee
Lee, what’s your Twitter handle?
Hi Shawn, my Twitter name is Anielke….
wooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwww