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!