Lamppost

Poem: Invictus

by William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Music: Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves

Hero music!

Silly Socks Saturday

Yay unicorn socks!

Book Review: Miracles on Maple Hill

Following World War II, Marly and her family move into an old house in the country in order to get away from the stresses of city life. Daddy is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and Mother believes that the change could heal him. Their new neighbor, Mr. Chris, promises Marly that miracles abound in such a place as Maple Hill, so Marly begins to keep track of them. As the seasons come and go, Marly and her brother, Joe, explore the hills and the woods, meeting people and animals, finding miracles all around them. Daddy feels better. Joe and Marly understand each other better. Mother's heart softens. There are, indeed, miracles on Maple Hill, and they often start with jovial Mr. Chris. But when the sap starts to rise in the maple trees in the spring, Mr. Chris overworks himself and suffers a heart attack. Marly decides to work a miracle of her own as she and others organize a workforce to collect the sap and bring beauty and happiness back to Mr. Chris's life.

I enjoyed all the miracles in this book. Marly continually finds miracles in nature: the changing of the seasons, the wild animals that come so close, the birds that stay even in the winter, the delicious maple syrup, etc. These miracles are simple compared to the extravagant miracles that many people expect to find. With Marly's understanding of miracles, it would be easy to see that miracles abound anywhere.

Miracles is also a story about growing up. Marly literally leaves her childhood behind as she moves with her family into the country. She feels a "push-feeling" as she surrounds herself with growing things, and she knows that she is meant to grow into something greater. Instead of lamenting the loss of the past and the passage of time, Marly looks forward to each season of life. One might say that she has an eternal perspective and a sense of her divine nature.

Miracles won the Newbery Medal in 1957: besides having a pleasant pastoral narrative, Miracles is full of lyrical, even poetic, lines. Here are just a few that I have dog-eared:

"If she stopped in the middle of all the thousands of things growing in every direction, she got what she called the 'push-feeling.' Everything was pushing up into the sun, trying to grow taller and bigger...When she told Mr. Chris about the 'push-feeling,' he looked very serious about it. 'Everything has its own sap, I guess,' he said. 'It's got to rise, that's all. Nobody knows why'" (78).

"It was like looking at long ago" (120).

"In August Marly found the oddest berry she had ever seen. Mr. Chris had warned her 'never to eat strangers,' so she carried a big spray of these to ask him about" (134).

"All the twigs had turned to lace, and the trees were stooped with snow. Suddenly a bright red bird flew into the bush by the window and looked at her. A cardinal!...It was, just that moment, the best miracle of all. 'I choose now!' she said" (167).

"The syrup is spring. It's the heart and blood of the maple trees; it has the gold of the leaves in it and the brown of the bark. It's the sun shining. It's snow melting. It's the bright new air and the earth as it starts pushing--pushing--pushing" (190).

Lamppost

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Poem: A Limerick

This limerick is of my own invention. It was written for my friend, Spencer. Enjoy!

Spencer was out on the ledge.
He would not step back from the edge.
So I gave him a push!
Darn, he fell on a bush.
That’s the last time I order a hedge.

Music: Yo-Yo Ma and Bach

Color of Awesome

There are so many colors! Enjoy the colors of your life!

Here is a painting from Deviantart.

Yay crayons!

Delicious, bright berries! (sounds like an exclamation, doesn't it?)

Bird!

Symbols on Sunday

Shadows

They are literal symbols. They represent the real thing, the thing that creates them, but shadows in themselves have no form. You cannot touch them. You can only feel them when they concur with an absence of heat.

In all reality, shadows are simply the absence of light. So, why do they mean so much to us?

I like my shadow because it keeps me company. It justifies my existence by constantly repeating--even emulating--my actions.

Why do you like your shadow?

Silly Socks Saturday

Massage socks. Oh yes, please!

Book Review: A Dance for Three

Fifteen-year-old Hannah is pregnant. Her father is dead, her mother is mentally unstable, and her (ex)boyfriend just beat her up. When the nosy next-door neighbor puts her into the psych ward, Hannah rebels. However, with the help of the counselor and a few others who won't give up on her, Hannah begins to realize that she can be wrong about people.

By developing these important relationships, she figures out how to make the most of the circumstances that have been given to her.

By far, the grandest themes I saw in this book were judgment and repentance. Hannah misjudges everyone: she thinks Milo loves her, she thinks her mom hates her, she thinks her bishop wants to condemn her, etc, etc. As she comes to terms with her father's death, she changes the way she thinks about other people and learns to forgive them. Her mother doesn't hate her; she has severe depression that is going untreated. Her neighbor didn't hurt her by placing her in the psych ward; she got her badly needed help. Her best friend isn't judging her for being pregnant; she wants her to make an informed decision about the baby. By changing the way she thinks, Hannah is able to forgive herself for her mistakes.

Lamppost

Poem: O'Grady's Goat

This Irish poem is by Will S. Hays. It's kind of a long one, but it's totally worth it. It also deserves to be read out loud. Just sayin.

O'Grady lived in Shanty row,
The neighbors often said
They wished that Tim would move away
Or that his goat was dead.
He kept the neighborhood in fear,
And the children always vexed;
They couldn't tell jist whin or where
The goat would pop up next.

Ould Missis Casey stood wan day
The dirty clothes to rub
Upon the washboard, when she dived
Headforemosht o'er the tub;
She lit upon her back an' yelled,
As she was lying flat:
"Go git your goon an' kill the bashte."
O'Grady's goat doon that.

Pat Doolan's woife hung out the wash
Upon the line to dry.
She wint to take it in at night,
But stopped to have a cry.
The sleeves av two red flannel shirts,
That once were worn by Pat,
Were chewed off almost to the neck.
O'Grady's goat doon that.

They had a party at McCune's,
An' they wor having foon,
Whin suddinly there was a crash
An' ivrybody roon.
The iseter soup fell on the floor
An' nearly drowned the cat;
The stove was knocked to smithereens.
O'Grady's goat doon that.

Moike Dyle was coortin' Biddy Shea,
Both standin' at the gate,
An' they wor just about to kiss
Aich oother sly and shwate.
They coom togither loike two rams.
An' mashed their noses flat.
They niver shpake whin they goes by.
O'Grady's goat doon that.

O'Hoolerhan brought home a keg
Av dannymite wan day
To blow a cistern in his yard
An' hid the stuff away.
But suddinly an airthquake coom,
O'Hoolerhan, house an' hat,
An' ivrything in sight wint up.
O'Grady's goat doon that.

An' there was Dooley's Savhin's Bank,
That held the byes' sphare cash.
One day the news came doon the sthreet
The bank had gone to smash.
An' ivrybody 'round was dum
Wid anger and wid fear,
Fer on the dhoor they red the whords,
"O'Grady's goat sthruck here."

The folks in Grady's naborhood
All live in fear and fright;
They think it's certain death to go
Around there after night.
An' in their shlape they see a ghost
Upon the air afloat,
An' wake thimselves by shoutin' out:
"Luck out for Grady's goat."

Music: King of Pride Rock

Listen as Simba decides to become who he was meant to be: the King of Pride Rock.

Girls of Awesome

Girls in books are awesome! They inspire me, they keep me going, and they help me realize that I am awesome, too. I wish I could talk about all of them, but here are two of my favorite awesome girls from books.

1. Miri from Princess Academy
Miri is strong and kicks butt...in her own way. She reads so that she can learn how to help her people, she reaches out to others (even the girls who are mean to her), and she is smart enough to fight off the bandits that raid her school. She isn't perfect, but she makes a series of good choices that lead her to happiness.

And she finds love at the end, too, but it isn't the only thing going for her. It's more like a side effect to her adventures and growing experiences.

Oh yeah, and did I mention that she can talk through stone? Awesome!

2. Lucy from The Chronicles of Narnia

Lucy is gentle and kind. She is the peacemaker in her family. She helps the sick and the injured. In fact, her gift from Father Christmas is a vial of fireflower juice, which can heal any injury. She is a healer. She cries when other people are sad, and she rejoices when other people are happy. When I need an example of a Christ-like woman, I turn to Lucy.

Lucy also has great faith in herself and in others, particularly in Aslan. Though she experiences doubts, she learns how to move past them and truly succeed. She hates leaving Narnia, but she obeys, trusting that Aslan will find her again.

This girl makes friends everywhere she goes. Awesome!

Symbols on Sunday

Rain

To me, rain represents renewal. Listen to a few minutes of this rain video and think fresh, new thoughts. Think of new possibilities, new opportunities. Let the rain wash away your worries and your pains. The earth is getting nourished, the water cycle is continuing.

Let it rain.

Silly Socks Saturday

I found this amazing blog called "The Tao of Silly Socks." You should check it out!

Book Review: Les Miserables

In the beginning of the novel, Jean Valjean has just finished serving time in the French prison system for stealing food to feed his family. After wandering the streets, he meets a bishop who offers him a place to stay. The next morning, the bishop catches him stealing candles but lets him go. Inspired by the bishop's love, Valjean promises to himself that he will become a better man, a force for good in pre-revolutionary France. Years later, Valjean has worked his way into a respectable position both economically and socially, and he has kept his promise to do good. A dying, homeless prostitute asks him to look after her child, Cosette, and Valjean agrees. However, it soon comes to light that Valjean is an unregistered convict, and a manhunt ensues, led by Valjean's former friend, Javert. As Valjean and Cosette try to stay one step ahead of Javert, they settle down in an out-of-the-way town, where Cosette falls in love with Marius, a revolutionary. With the revolution and Javert at his doorstep, Valjean faces the most difficult decisions of his life. Read more about the story here.

Through all of this story's incarnations (movies, musicals, abridged versions, etc), the message stays the same: men can change, and we must allow them to. Valjean makes many mistakes in the course of the book, but he is treated with grace and mercy, and he consequently treats others with grace and mercy. Essentially, he lives the prayer, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors."

I love the concept of forgiveness and how it is inextricably related to love. Love is really the answer to most of life's problems. We all just need a little more love, both to give and to receive. Les Miserables presents this love in a compelling, exciting way.

Lamppost

Poem: Where the sidewalk ends

by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

Music: The Land Before Time

Enjoy the music that inspired me (when I was little, I assure you) to keep going even when things got hard. Long live Littlefoot!

Dinosaurs of Awesome

Dinosaurs are awesome.
Finding their bones is like stepping into another time, another world. But it is our world, and they are part of its history. A ferocious history, according to these velociraptors.

And there is an exciting mystery enshrouding our understanding of dinosaurs: where did they all go? What happened to them? That's one of the first things I'm going to ask when I die.

What I love most about dinosaurs (besides the fact that they can be the cutest characters in adored children's movies [see below]) is that they show possible insight into the creation of the world as we know it. Many Christians see evolution as absolutely incompatible with religion. But I don't see why God could not have created the creatures we recognize as reptiles and birds today by first making dinosaurs. It doesn't lessen the miracle of creation at all. For me, in fact, it enhances the miracle.

And, of course, it also provides for thousands of wonderful childhood memories.

Symbols on Sunday

Clouds
Symbols of heaven and, in turn, paradise. Think of it: cloud nine. The cloud with the silver lining. Head in the clouds.

Clouds float about above us, drawing our eyes to the sky. Like heaven, they rain blessings down upon us in the form of shade and, well, actual rain.

In a way, they even act as the veil that protects us from the overwhelming glory of the sun. What waits for us beyond the clouds?

Silly Socks Saturday

Because why not knit your own awesome aqua-purple-cerulean socks?

Book Review: For Freedom

In this historical novel by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, a young French girl becomes a secret courier. Suzanne is training to become an opera singer during World War II, but as the war progresses, she finds a way to secretly fight the occupying Nazis. Her story is one of courage and integrity. The most memorable moment of this book for me was the ending, which coincides with the Allied landing at Normandy. The readers know that the war will end soon, but Suzanne wrestles with the pain and fear even as the Allies are breaking down the door.

For Freedom, like many other novels that take place in World War II, inspires hope and provides models of morality under stress. I love stories like this for the very reason that Samwise Gamgee liked the old tales:

"Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?... Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going."

Suzanne David kept going. Despite all the evil and danger, she fought. She fought for her neighbors, for her family, for France, and in doing so, she fought for freedom.

Lamppost

Today's lamppost is brought to you by Outdoor Webshots and the season of summer! Because summer likes to tease us with thoughts of green things in February.

Poem: Stars

by Robert Frost

How countlessly they congregate
O'er our tumultuous snow,
Which flows in shapes as tall as trees
When wintry winds do blow!--

As if with keeness for our fate,
Our faltering few steps on
To white rest, and a place of rest
Invisible at dawn,--

And yet with neither love nor hate,
Those starts like somw snow-white
Minerva's snow-white marble eyes
Without the gift of sight.

Music: Baba Yetu

This song, which recently won a Grammy, was written for the video game Civilization IV. The lyrics are a Swahili translation of the Lord's Prayer, and the accompanying video is delightful. Enjoy! And beware: it just might get stuck in your head.

Kitties of Awesome

If I could be any animal, I would be a cat. Probably a big kitty, like a tiger, but a kitty nonetheless. I love cats. My true love was a cat. His name was Whiskers, and he was my best bud from the first grade to the day I left for college.

He was a dear friend and member of the family.

And he was so handsome!

But he got old and died a few days before I left home for college. So our family adopted a baby-brother-kitty. Meet Samwise.

He likes baskets apparently.

Kitties have been an important part of my life. They meow and they purr and they sleep on your bed at night (and during the day, too) and they sit on the piano bench with you while you practice and they play in the snow and they lick the tears off your face and they are just all-around awesome!

Symbols on Sunday

Circles
They go on forever and ever. Thus, they are often used as symbols of eternity.



If people were standing in a circle, you could say that "many that are first shall be last, and the last first" (Mark 10:31). There is no beginning and no end, so all people in the circle are equal.

This is also the reasoning behind King Arthur's legendary Round Table. No one can sit at the head of a round table, so all the knights have an equal position in the group.

As it should be in eternity. Existence goes on and on, and God is no respecter of persons. We are all equal in the eternal perspective, so why not now, here?

Silly Socks Saturday

Smile!

Movie Review: Lady in the Water

Instead of a book review today, I thought I would post a movie review. Lady in the Water is based on a bedtime story that director M. Night Shyamalan made up for his children. Cleveland Heep, the lonely superintendent of an apartment complex, is surprised when Story, a young woman, miraculously appears in the swimming pool. She claims to have come from a faraway watery world. With the help of Young-Soon, one of the many bizarre tenants, Cleveland discovers an ancient legend of water-angels who are sent to Earth to help and inspire mankind. But the water-angel Story is in danger. Dark forces are trying to destroy her. Cleveland must gather the strange talents of the complex's tenants in order to send Story back home in safety.

Lady in the Water is not your typical movie. It is rich with symbolism and hope! First, I love that the name of the salvation figure is Story. Story saves mankind. As an English major, I promise this is true. The other thing that I love love love about this movie is the resolution. Each individual at the apartment complex is very strange. One man only works out one half of his body as an experiment. Another man is always in the bathroom while his wife shares his secrets on the other side of the door. One child reads cereal boxes in order to work through his feelings. They are a bizarre bunch of folk, all somewhat outcasts of normal society. However, in order to save Story, everyone is needed exactly as they are. In short, you are the way you are for a reason. As a strange person myself, I love this concept!

Overall, Lady is a movie about people, and if you love people, you will enjoy learning to appreciate what everyone has to offer.

Lamppost

Today's lamppost is brought to you by darkness. And the number pi, which sponsored the beautiful concentric circles of light.

Poem: So nigh is grandeur

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

So nigh is grandeur to our dust,
So near is God to man,
When Duty whispers low, Thou must,
The youth replies, I can!

Music: Nessun Dorma

Stories of Awesome

On a planet with 6 billion human inhabitants and trillions of other life-forms, we are a lonesome people. We notice our differences more than we notice our similarities, and we tend to think that no one can understand us.

And so, in our loneliness, we started telling stories. Stories allow us to recognize that we are not alone after all. There are some universal things about the human experience that come across in stories. It does not matter what form they take: book, song, TV show, movie, etc.

There are stories about family and figuring out what's right.

There are stories about imagination and doing hard things.

There are stories about being a leader even when you're the little guy.

There are stories about confronting temptation and changing your attitude.

There are stories about friends and adventure.

What stories do you identify with?

Symbols on Sunday

Doors

They come in all shapes and sizes. They keep stuff in. They keep other stuff out. In one respect, doors are barriers.

However, doors are not permanent barriers. They can be opened. Sometimes you have to use a key. Other times, all you have to do is knock.

There are barriers in life that keep us from doing the things we need or want to do. If we do nothing about them, we let these barriers stunt our potential! What we should do is find the key that fits the keyhole or work up the courage to knock.

Jesus Christ said, "Knock, and it shall be opened unto you" (Matthew 7:7). What barriers are keeping you from Christ and His love? What barriers are stunting your eternal growth? How can you, personally, find the strength to reach out and knock? We cannot imagine the wonders that await us on the other side of that door. It would be like stepping into a whole new world...