Love, NYC

...each embraces New York with the intense excitement of first love, each absorbs New York with the fresh eyes of an adventurer, each generates heat and light to dwarf the Consolidated Edison Company.
-Here is New York, E.B. White

If I were to send a letter to Manhattan, it would be full of admiration of it's unique beauty (can you say a city of buildings is its own version of beautiful?) and it's ability to excite any traveler. The notion of 1.9 million people living on this 23 square mile island is really amazing, in the true sense of the word. Every street corner you stand at, you can look left, right, forward, and behind and see skyscrapers as far as your eye can see. It is a wonder everyone should experience at some point in their life. The beat of the city is infectious. Once you are there, you almost feel like you are a New Yorker. You walk with them in the subway tunnels. You pass them in Grand Central Terminal and stand with them on a crowded subway.

And although the hustle and bustle of the city can become tiring and  maybe overwhelming to some, there is a politeness about the locals that I found to be so welcoming. The only rudeness I found came from a few tourists. New Yorkers mind their business and keep to themselves, but will take a second to hold a door for you. Every building you pass has a history, and a story of beginnings. There is a pride for the city evident everywhere you go. Somehow the lack of space in such a large city draws people together in ways that never occur in regular-size cities.

If NYC were to write a letter to me, it would remind me to enjoy the greatest city in the U.S. To relish in the speed and vibrancy of certain sections of town like Times Square, and to slow down and take a rest in other areas like Central Park, the New York Public Library, or a quiet cafe. The letter would also tell me how it snowed on that morning just for me, since I wished for snow. And it would sign "Love, NYC".

I will be back with more posts on my trip. I need time to collect my thoughts and review my photographs more. So many wonderful things to share!

Sleep at last

Sleep at last this morning
and with sleep along came dream.
With waking I ponder with light
what the dream could possibly mean.

My mind delves into places-
people, settings, a myriad of spaces
where something occurred I cannot recall:
Only woken with a sensation of a fall.

The strangeness of dreams I do ponder
and for awhile it fills me with wonder.
Oftentimes I begin to take a lesson, I see
something subtle the dream is telling me.


I have these crazy dreams sometimes. Full of realistic situations and people that I know. When I wake up from them, sometimes it's in the middle of a dream where scenes are going on as I wake up, so I remember everything as I wake. Do you ever have dreams like that? How do you act in your dreams? Are you adventurous? I tend to be calm, brave, and more adventurous than I am in real life.
And sometimes, I fall in my dream and I wake up to the sensation that I am falling. I don't like that. Maybe that is why I do not like the sensation of falling in real life. Or maybe that is why I have dreams about falling, because I don't like it. That's why I could never sky dive, or bungee jump. But take me up in a hot air balloon. I want to do that!
Well I suppose that is enough weird information about me today.

Travel Spot: Oxford

I have had the privilege and opportunity to go on some amazing travel adventures over the last several years, and I thought I would share a few things from some of my favourite cities. I will spotlight each city in a post and the challenge is to share my favourites as follows:
1. The Eatery 2. The Touristy 3. The Non-touristy


Here we go to Oxford, England!

The Eatery- The Eagle and Child Pub
Where else would you want to eat but the pub where C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and their friends gathered regularly? How would I not want to experience a piece of literary history, and a piece of the delicious beef pastry stew? This place is locked in history, especially in the front section of the pub (the back section is a newer installment, which Lewis and Tolkien did not approve of). Wood paneled walls, wood floors, rich atmosphere. I walked in for the first time and could immediately visualize the literary group lingering late into the evening with pints of beer on the table and deep conversation in the air.

The Touristy- Touring the Bodleian Library

When I say touristy here, I mean the small group who buys tickets to tour the Bodleian Library. That includes me, a book worm who dreams about places such as the "Bod" (as the locals affectionately call it). Others than my Mom and me, there were a handful of other foreign tourists. This library houses every book published, and has several buildings to house them, including across the street underground, and the famous round building called the Radcliffe Camera, which has a classical style architecture different from the main building in this photo, complete with dreaming spires and columns. The tour goes through the oldest and most beautiful rooms of books, including the Duke Humphrey's Library, which is the oldest section dating from 1488. Read more about the "Bod" here.

The Non-touristy- Taking a one-day class on Jane Austen 
It was here in this building that my Mom and I took a class on Jane Austen. This was a pre-meditated planned class we participated in, so it's definitely not touristy. My Mom and I were the only Americans in the class, and it was full of scholarly people who were interested in great literature. I loved every minute of sitting in the seminar room, listening to Oxford professors (who had all published works about Jane Austen), taking notes and reading the professors' handouts, enjoying the several coffee breaks, and chatting with some Brits during those breaks. Read more about this class in my post here.

To visit San Francisco, click here.
To visit London, click here.

Oxford Studies

Studies ahead.
Oxford studies.

I am just starting my Oxford class online and I am excited and kind of nervous in a good way. Like the first day of school when you don't know anyone and you know it will be a challenge, but that's what you love because that is when you learn a lot and pay close attention and take good notes and say hello to everyone to be friendly. You sit up straight in those uncomfortable hard desk chairs and pull out that fresh notebook with your hand poised over the page eager to start off right by taking exceptional notes, and you show up early to class because being late immediately draws attention to you as a slacker, and you listen to every word of the professor because he/she is so full of knowledge, and then you read ahead that first night because you want to stay on track.

Perhaps it is futile to mention the run-on sentences that go on and on (you have probably noticed), which I tend to do on occasion, mostly when I am excited about something. I forgo the punctuation (other than the friendly comma) and let the words just flow out of my mind without restraint. I guess those tiny periods and semi-colons need a place to go sometimes. They are feeling neglected. So I will try; I will include those little punctuations that feel left out.
Watch out for streaming sentences!!

A Little Older...

...A little wiser? Isn't that how it is supposed to be when you get older?
Perhaps in my increasing age (haha) I muse too much, or maybe I will muse more now that I am a year older. I am thinking the latter to be the case here. Wait. What am I thinking? I have always mused. You should see my shelves of journals....it's ingrained in me.

My birthday was yesterday and I celebrated with my Mum in Venice. We shopped, watched Pride and Prejudice (the 90s BBC version, which is the best, of course) and several episodes of Gilmore Girls, and ate my favourite dessert- black tie mousse cake. I got this lovely necklace from her. And I got this cozy, caramel sweater from my brother Jason. Then I had dinner with my brother and sister-in-law when I got back into town and received some gifts from them (books, Eisley CD, and another lovely necklace). I feel warm and fuzzy inside from all the love.

So much is going on this week, and it is all good. My online Oxford University class starts today (click here for more information on that) and I fly to NYC this Thursday! I am so excited to be entering the cold and the city. To spend time with some friends and see some amazing sites. I've got the list of things I want to do. I cannot wait!

Hope perches in the soul

Hope can be a small thing that latches onto your soul and holds a glimmer of light over you, taking you through the darkness that covers the land. With too many things so completely uncertain, unresolved, unanswered, unclear, I draw such hope from God's promises that I read about every day in Scripture. These words offer comfort and sometimes the kick me into gear that I need to take a leap, or to listen, or to grasp onto that hope which lies in Him.

Emily Dickinson's poem about hope rings in my ears as I think about clinging to hope. She calls it a thing with feathers...that makes a storm tire from trying to tear down the little bird. It won't be brought down. That is hope. Against a big opponent it can stand firm, because it is in Christ that our hope flies.

"Hope" is the thing with feathers-
That perches in the soul-
And sings the tune without the words-
And never stops - at all-

And sweetest- in the Gale- is heard-
And sore must be the storm-
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm-

I've heard it in the chillest land-
And on the strangest Sea-
Yet- never- in Extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

-Emily Dickinson

Travel Spot: London

I have had the privilege and opportunity to go on some amazing travel adventures over the last several years, and I thought I would share a few things from some of my favourite cities. I will spotlight each city in a post and the challenge is to share my favourites as follows:
1. The Eatery 2. The Touristy 3. The Non-touristy

Please mind the gap, we are off to London!

The Eatery: St. Martin's in the Fields Church, Cafe in the Crypt
I have been to London many times, but I always seems to end up at Trafalgar Square hungry for lunch. Perfectly placed is a Cafe in the Crypt of the St. Martin's in the Fields Church, which is a beautiful church as well. The cafe is literally in the crypt, below the church. They serve up delicious food, cafeteria-style, made with fresh, local ingredients. This chicken vegetable roast was eaten with delight, and this plate was clean soon after this photo was taken.

The Touristy: Westminster Abbey
When my Mom came to London with me, Westminster Abbey was high on her priority list. The royal wedding had occurred here, only a few months before. I wanted to visit the abbey as well, and so did every other tourist. What I loved about this visit is how astonished my Mom was here. This was the first full day of her first overseas adventure, so she could not believe how old the church was, and that the royal wedding was just there, and she was giddy like a little kid! I loved seeing her so delighted as she stared with wide eyes at such history and beauty.

The Non-touristy: Climb the steps to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral Dome
Now, while you could argue that this should be classified as touristy, I will counter that argument with saying that there are not many people who climb all the 528 steps inside the dome and through the narrow passages, and the round iron staircases to the very top. Trust me, it takes some effort to get up there, but boy is it worth it. This was high on my priority list, and my brother Jason climbed it with me on our second trip to London. It was one of my favourite things I did in London. This is a view looking down from the top of the dome, which you can see I am standing right on top of!

For more travel adventures:
Click here for San Francisco

Small Strength

I am reading The Fellowship of the Ring (by J.R.R. Tolkien) again and enjoying it more than I ever have. I think with each reading it is better and better (something to which C.S. Lewis would agree). One thing I have always loved about this story is how the smallest person can change everything. I like the idea that we don't have to be strong or powerful to make a difference in this world. The evil forces are relying on strength and power and dominion to make everything fall into its hand, but no power, no matter how wide-spread it might be can thwart the love in the tiniest soul.

It's a theme that grows and grows with the story and there are oftentimes moments where, in the darkest of circumstances, when all hope seems lost and there is no way out, an ounce of hope arrives in something unexpected like a glittering star, a beautiful sight in nature, or a word spoken in comfort. With the gentle reminder that there is good worth fighting for, and even if should claim your life, it will be done for that good to be restored.

I believe this to be true in real life as well. We may not spend our days trekking across Middle-earth being hunted by evil black riders with long swords and a thirst for your destruction, but we are pursued by evil every day.

The dark thoughts that seemingly come out of nowhere in your mind actually do come from somewhere. Letting grief, despair, fear, jealousy, or anger overcome us and consume us is not a fluke. It is orchestrated by Satan, as he loves to see us fall. His only enjoyment is to watch others suffer and falter in faith. But if we call him out and recognize his schemes, it disjoints his plan. Satan cannot stand to be mocked.

"Is there no escape then?" said Frodo, looking round wildly. "If I move shall I be seen and hunted! If I stay, I shall draw them to me!"
Strider laid his hand on his shoulder. "There is still hope," he said. "You are not alone."
The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien

Captured

A devil is creeping in.
He's sitting on your shoulder now.
He whispers things that sound right
but suddenly you doubt somehow
that anything you've known is true.
He speaks his logic and what he calls reason,
but that devil is trying to capture you.

A devil is in the shadow
that you've backed yourself into.
You keep saying it just takes time
yet you still don't have a clue.
He's mixing all your beliefs like a cocktail
and troubling your soul
with the doubt, fear, worry and worse:
the self-sufficiency; which is his goal.

Whether we think about it or not, we are surrounded by evil forces every day. Satan is trying to win us to him by provoking our downward spiral. A kind of darkness that overshadows our soul. He loves when we listen to him and begin to doubt what we know about God's love. And I recently read this passage while engrossed in The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton (a spectacular book, by the way), which just goes along with these thoughts. Hope always remains because we have Jesus.

He knew that the evil figure, his shadow, was creeping quickly or slowly behind him, and he did not care. It seemed a symbol of human faith and valor that while the skies were darkening that high place of the earth was bright. The devils might have captured heaven, but they had not yet captured the cross.

-The Man Who Was Thursday, G.K. Chesterton

Travel Spot: San Francisco

I have had the privilege and opportunity to go on some amazing travel adventures over the last several years, and I thought I would share a few things from some of my favourite cities over the next few weeks. I will spotlight each city in a post and the challenge is to share my favourites as follows:
1. The Eatery 2. The Touristy 3. The Non-touristy

Here we go to San Francisco!

The Eatery: Mijita Cocina Mexicana
Inside the historic Ferry Building Marketplace located on the Embarcadero with fabulous views of the Bay Bridge out back is a small eatery of Mexican delight.

The Touristy: Driving over the Golden Gate Bridge

This was such fun. We picked up a Zip Car (Jason has the membership), a new 3-series BMW, and drove over the bridge and up to a park so we could admire these amazing views of the bridge and San Francisco. We watched the huge boats come in from the Pacific, and we watched the weather change every few minutes. Then I got to drive back over the Golden Gate and into San Francisco as we drove to some other well-known spots. I am not sure how I managed to get to drive, but it was quite fun!

The Non-touristy: Drive along the coast with a random stop at a hostel to steal their views
This spot was fabulous. You've got rough Pacific waters, fog, cliffs, and rocks. Since we refused to pay anything to park at the beaches, we parked at a cliffside hostel and admired the view for free. The wind and waves were the only sounds, and it was perfect.

Book Worm

This is me, in every way. No joke. Going on a trip? What do I take the most of? Books! No room for books, then leave behind the toothpaste. Best smell? Books! Book sales  = lots of searching for $1 and $.75 treasures.
Thanks to the person who put this little video together somewhere out there in youtube land. I started watching Gilmore Girls in college when my roomie and closest friend, Jen, introduced me to it.
And now the bookish delights are here for your viewing pleasure as well.

Happy Weekend!

Future of Forestry

I love sharing music.  I am generally drawn to music that is not wildly popular or steeped in shallow lyrics. The more thoughtful lyrics, the better. The more creative sounds and arrangments, the better. So to share musica (as my little brother and I always call it) is part of the enjoyment of discovering deeply talented artists.

Part of my joy in music is watching the musicians play their instruments. I am fascinated by how fingers can fly over keys or strings or how much emotion can be heard by a stringed instrument. Since I don't have much musical talent (I sang in youth choir and I play a little piano, and I think deep down I long to learn how to play a stringed instrument like violin or cello) I cannot fathom how a musician knows how to find the right chords without looking or can play so many songs by memory and sing at the same time.

I had heard this group, Future of Forestry, years ago, and liked the few songs I knew, but for some reason I never explored their music until recently. Now I am hooked. Their name drew the curiosity out of me so I dug a little bit (okay, I Googled them) and discovered that their name comes from a C.S. Lewis poem called "Future of Forestry". Of course!!!
Click on the titles, below, for live studio performances of these songs by Future of Forestry. 
Song #1 Close your eyes
Song #2 Slow your breath down

I have a book of C.S. Lewis poems that I happened to read last year, so I course I had read "Future of Forestry", but I re-read it a few times. C.S. Lewis was concerned with the way the world was heading, both with modern thoughts and with modern methods of destroying the land he loved. He frequently took long walks around Oxford, and had walking adventures through the countryside with friends. He obviously loved the land and being out in nature, and he was concerned with concrete taking over where beauty of nature should be. And what if some of our nature was lost and our children's children never saw a tree? Here is the poem "Future of Forestry" below so you can read it:

How will the legend of the age of trees
Feel, when the last tree falls in England?
When the concrete spreads and the town conquers
The country’s heart; when contraceptive
Tarmac’s laid where farm has faded,
Tramline flows where slept a hamlet,
And shop-fronts, blazing without a stop from
Dover to Wrath, have glazed us over?
Simplest tales will then bewilder
The questioning children, “What was a chestnut?
Say what it means to climb a Beanstalk,
Tell me, grandfather, what an elm is.
What was Autumn? They never taught us.”
Then, told by teachers how once from mould
Came growing creatures of lower nature
Able to live and die, though neither
Beast nor man, and around them wreathing
Excellent clothing, breathing sunlight –
Half understanding, their ill-acquainted
Fancy will tint their wonder-paintings
Trees as men walking, wood-romances
Of goblins stalking in silky green,
Of milk-sheen froth upon the lace of hawthorn’s
Collar, pallor in the face of birchgirl.
So shall a homeless time, though dimly
Catch from afar (for soul is watchfull)
A sight of tree-delighted Eden.

By Grace

But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.
-Romans 11.6

In my mind lately has been that gentle reminder of how selfish I am. I choose to ignore it oftentimes, to remedy my thoughts into believing I am not selfish, but I always come back to knowing that I am selfish. We all are. We think about circumstances from the perspective of how it can be best for me, regardless of how it might affect or hurt others. Not intentionally, mind you. But we carry a sense of entitlement in our hearts, and it is hard to make room for God in there when you are filled with yourself.

I am indeed a privileged, white American. Even though by society's standards I am not rich, I really am rich and well-off. I have some big dreams that would cost money that I don't have, but I want for nothing. These thoughts came about when reading this section of Romans when I began to ponder what it might be like to live in that time when Paul was trying to make everyone believe that grace is possible, but they have to make room in their hearts. When I read these verses it lit a torch over the differences in the Old Testament way and the New Testament way Paul is talking about whereby grace is what saves us, and it is no longer by works.

The people at this time only knew of the Old Testament methods of performing sacrifices and doing certain acts required of them to please the Lord. Paul is explaining that this thing that Jesus did, dying for us and raising from the dead took care of all that. It's no longer needed, so stop focusing on it. What is given to us is grace, by which we only must accept it and believe it in our hearts. We don't have to buy our way in, or it would not be grace. They are having a hard time believing Paul and letting grace into their hearts. They keep dividing everyone. Paul is saying that:

The same Lord is Lord of all.
-Romans 10.12

And there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. We are all the same. Yes, even those who live in Iran, Oman, China, and Australia. The Lord of ALL. God gives us a gift of grace, and the simplest thing to do. To accept the gift. No works involved. And if that belief is in your heart you will be changed, and you will want to do good works for the glory of God, and not yourself.
But why do we have such a hard time with this when we so easily accept things our society tells us?

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
-Romans 11.36

Recently, January Edition

Recently:

-I have been wearing tights and scarves more often. This week is warmer, much to my dismay, but I am really thankful I have already been able to wear some of my favourite Winter wear. Call me strange, but I love wearing layers, scarves, and tights!

-I have been studying German and doing lessons online almost everyday. I found a tiny German travel book for a$1 at a used bookstore, for on the go training. Learning a language is tough, but I love that I am taking steps to knowing more and more.

-I have made a few crocheted gifts over the last month, which is really enjoyable to do. The homemade items are pretty special and I love when it turns into something beautiful. I have also tried a few new stitches that I am still unsure about. Maybe I need more practice....

-It is the season of coffee and tea. In the Winter is when I drink more of it, simply because it's chillier, and I love that! It is no wonder the English are known for drinking so much tea. They need it year round to warm themselves up! Oh, how I should live there....

The Inklings

The Inklings by Humphrey Carpenter
This book was recommended to me by a fellow C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien admirer, so I added it to my Christmas list and received it! I have been reading this, the story of the literary group who met regularly in Oxford to read their works to one another, calling themselves The Inklings. I love how Tolkien describes the double-meaning of the name, "It was a pleasantly ingenious pun in its way, suggesting people with vague or half-formed intimations and ideas plus those who dabble in ink."

Reading this biography of the friends who met each Thursday night in C.S. Lewis' rooms in Magdalen College, Oxford provides a deeper look into each of their lives and stories I did not know. I knew the general details about the little group, who would read to each other the writings the were working on, but I didn't know how their lives at Oxford were outside of this literary circle. The book is more concerned with Lewis, as he seemed to be a sort of central figure, or the glue that held the group together. They all met in his sitting room located upstairs in the New Building (which isn't new, but built around 1733), in Magdalen College, located steps away from the river and the trail of Addison's Walk that he enjoyed frequently.

My favourite chapter is definitely the one where the author pieces together a meeting of the Inklings on a Thursday night from fragments of journals and letters (since no minutes were kept at any of their meetings). In this chapter, we are a fly on the wall, spying in on the friends who gather in Lewis' room, including J.R.R. Tolkien, and what they talked about. On their minds that night was the war (which they were in the midst of), Hitler, if they should forgive the Germans after the war, stories, tid-bits about their day in relation to a comment from someone, and Tolkien reads a chapter from The Lord of the Rings that he has just been working on and it still needed tweaking. Lewis offers a suggestion and Tolkien nods in agreement and jots down a note. Lewis serves tea, and his brother Warnie finds some rum in a cabinet; there had been a beer shortage since the start of the war (The Eagle and Child pub had a sign on their door saying they were out of beer).

It is interesting to read about how these friends influenced one another's writings and specifically how each person felt about their writings. Tolkien, for instance, was never a fan of the Narnia books. Lewis, though, was always enthusiastic about The Lord of the Rings. However, we learn about Tolkien's intense interest in the care he took in his books to be chronological and precise with maps and locations, and the created languages and the histories of all the beings of Middle-Earth. In contrast, Lewis' Narnia books are put together in a hasty manner, so the quality, to Tolkien, was not to his standard. But it was known that Lewis' encouragement to Tolkien is what sometimes urged him forward to completing all the books in The Lord of the Rings.

The Inklings were known as the Oxford Christians, and they all had common interests, but they were individually quite different. I think their differing views and opinions is what enriched their time together. For if they all agreed on every matter, there would be no deep discussions exploring those topics, and there may not be such classic and wonderful books for us to read today.

Muddy Pieces

Tired and weary my soul is covered
by a dark cumulus cloud
full and fat with water drops
of worry and fear.
Thunder rumbles, vibrating
doubt with low sounds.
I cannot see past my own skin
but God is right here.

Interesting, how I choose to ignore
all the links He sets.
By moving to connect many puzzle
pieces for me;
In good times when thing prosper
it is easy to forget.
He claims my muddy pieces, like worry,
to set me free.

Ten Books of 2012

These are some books I have read over this past year, and would gladly re-read all of them. Some of them I already have!

I made this list for Catapult Magazine's annual "Ten Things" publication, which was published today and can be seen in full right HERE. Be sure to check out the other lists of ten things!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
And what books did you read this year that you would gladly re-read?

1. Perelandra by C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis wrote a trilogy that was dubbed his space trilogy, and I have been reading them for the first time. In Perelandra, the second book, Dr. Ransom is brought to Venus, where he meets the young Lady.  He realizes that it is the dawn of a new world, and he has stumbled into a sort of “Garden of Eden” experience, with evil residing in the man called the Un-man. He is the tempter. But since nothing in God’s creation is repeated, this story doesn’t follow our earthly story. The debates between Ransom and the Un-man had me glued to the pages. Some parts were chilling.

2. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

This book is a classic most people read in high school that I had somehow never read. This book is so good on many levels: the writing, the story, the morality.  I was particularly captivated by how he wrote this in the 1950s predicting a future that takes place today, and the eerie accuracy of his predictions. It deals with government censorship and book burning. Books are banned because they create “confusion” when people read them and think for themselves.

3. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson 

As soon as I started reading this I was engrossed in its quirky, dark settings, which makes it quite interesting. The characters are strange and kept me curious throughout this murder mystery. There is a whimsicality to the story even though it is dark. Readers should expect the unexpected.

4. The Princess and the Goblin & The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald

MacDonald was writer from northern Scotland who lived from 1824-1905. These are children’s stories, but many aspects of the writing can be (and should be) appreciated by an adult. There is something so wonderful about children’s stories, and how truth about love is made evident through story and fantasy. We are all children at heart, with so much to learn. It is easy to see why C.S. Lewis and Madeleine L’Engle were so fond of his stories.

5. Rilke’s Book of Hours by Rainer Rilke

I think this has quickly become one my favorite books of poetry. They are love poems to God, but they are full of questions and musings that we all can relate to. Rilke writes in short phrases (though the German looks longer than the English translation), displaying in a few words a world of imagery and thought. His thoughts expand in my mind like a growing balloon reaching my imagination and my soul. He leaves so much unspoken and yet conveys something so specific. How is that possible?

6. The Spirit of Cities by Daniel A. Bell and Avnet de-Shalit

Spotlighting nine different cities, the authors discuss why cities and their individual spirit (ethos) is so important to maintain. I love learning about and visiting cities, and there are several in this book that I want to visit. I am learning about each city’s history, culture, the outlook of the people, buildings and other important structures, and the struggles each city has had to overcome before embracing its unique identity.

7. Leave it to Psmith by P.G. Wodehouse

British humor at its best. Written in 1924, it is that funny, silly, story with a man who calls himself Pmith (the P is silent, of course). Psmith puts an ad in the newspaper putting himself up for hire and, well, it’s the kind of book that makes me chuckle out loud at the silliness and enjoy every moment.

8. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

The hero of the story sets off to stop an anarchist cell in London, with a mysterious leader who is never seen. Published in 1908 when the World War I was not far down the road, this story that blends reality with something set apart from reality, bringing the reader into strange underground plots to overthrow order. Chesterton is so readable in his stories that you may not catch the undercurrents of his Christian beliefs right away.

9. Surprised By Oxford by Carolyn Weber

A memoir of a Canadian who goes to Oxford for her Masters degree in English thinking she doesn’t need God and doesn’t need help from any man, and how she simply cannot escape God while in Oxford. He shows up in new relationships, lectures and everyday conversations with new friends. It is at Oxford that she falls in love with her Savior. Through her relationships there, she learns how God has been wooing her, but would never force her to love Him. The choice is hers to make. The theme that keeps reverberating in me is how it’s okay to live the unanswered questions. Her writing is fresh and beautiful. I felt like I was standing alongside her through her journey at Oxford.

10. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Have you seen the movie yet? Read the book. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth is full of daring adventure and unexpected journeys. For me, it’s not just about the action and the events that take places that makes a good piece of writing, it’s very much about the descriptive, imaginative style, verbiage and imagery. And it’s about the heart of the story — the deep-down, underlying theme of the fall, morality and the machine.

The Sound of Winter

It is chilled.
The land is quiet. Sleeping.
Under a layer of frost
or snow, so still.
Cold and quiet
is the air all around
I relish the sound
of Winter.

It is a stillness.
A rest of the world.
A quiet, beautiful rest
and we can hear.

But do we listen
or cover up the accolade
of quiet with noise
because we are afraid

To look deep,
to muse within ourselves
because we like to be distracted
and ignore the sound of Winter.


*Photo taken on my only visit to NYC so far, in 2003. Hopefully I will see this scene of snow when I visit this month!

Modern Thought

I always thought that when I got among Christians I'd have reached somewhere that was safe from that horrid thing modern thought. But did I? Oh no, not at all. I blundered straight into it. I thought I was an upholder of the old stern doctrines against modern quasi-Christian slush, but it's beginning to look as if what I call sternness is slush to most of them.
-C.S. Lewis

I love reading authors from previous centuries or from early in the 20th century. I agree with the old ways of living. I have written about my love of the old-fashioned many times. Most of my beloved authors would cringe at our modern thought and modern ways we are so accustomed to today. We have given way to all things technology and cultivate the attitude of "do whatever pleases you" so much that we have lost our roots in family, deep conversations, old-fashioned creativity. This is a general statement, of course, for there are many ways in which we are creative today (using technology and crafts). I am mainly talking in regards to the overall ways in which these roots have been lost.

We have lost patience in modern thought. From every aspect. Our computers are too slow (I might be guilty of saying this at work a whole lot). Traffic is too heavy. Your smartphone is freezing up. The line at the fast food place was too long (fast food wasn't fast enough?). Granted, we are all a part of this modern day. We all take part. I have a smart phone and I love some Chick-Fil-A. Indeed, I am not denouncing our modern lives, but all the modernness seems to complicate them rather than ease our stress. Shouldn't it be the other way around? (May I just point out that my book never freezes up, and my journal never stops working. Although my pens run out of ink and I may run out of paper in my journal, these are trivial issues and not expensive to remedy)

These things of our modern day are not what's important, but we tend to make them that. I see people whose entertainment is purely television, video games, or movies, which fills every moment of time at home that there is no real conversation among the people with whom they live. Where has deep thinking and good conversation gone? Or sharing stories around the table, or playing a game together?

We are keeping ourselves blinded when our willingness is to allow the media in our lives so much. When we watch all the rubbish that is on TV or at the cinema (I am ignoring the few exceptions that do exist) we are adapting the Hollywood mentality, accepting of its ways, and making it our moral center by which we approve others' behavior. You may think that is not true, but take yourself away from it for awhile and you will see more clearly. That is what I did, and I will not go back to the way I used to watch TV and movies. I am so glad C.S. Lewis backs me up on this. He did not enjoy reading the newspaper in his day and he was apprehensive about where the world was heading in its 'modern' ways.

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;
and give me life in Your ways.
-Psalm 119.37

Hallo New Year

O how strange it is to enter into a new number! 2013. And to say goodbye to an old year. But here is where we enter into my favourite month- January. It's usually the coldest month in Florida, which is much to my delight. It's my birthday month, so I get to celebrate and enjoy the company of family and friends. And it's a hopeful new beginning as we start a new year. January may be dreary to some, as that post-holiday attitude settles in, but I love January.

Do you have goals for 2013? I do. Mostly to do with following my passions and how I might be able to do that. I have my online class with the University of Oxford to look forward to, which starts in January. And a trip to NYC at the end of the month! Lots of good things going on in this first month of 2013.

It's time to start a new journal. So, here I go.....

Sometimes we are glad to be at the end of something, like 2012, for many reasons. Or maybe we are sad to see what we consider a good year go. No matter what, each year will bring us into good things along with various trials. And no matter what, as the following words by C.S. Lewis remind me, we were not made for this world, so it will never fully complete us or make us new. And it is indeed a comfort to know that when we come to steps that make us stumble.

At present we are on the outside world, the wrong side of the door. We discern the freshness and purity of morning, but they do not make us fresh and pure. We cannot mingle with the splendours we see. But all the leaves of the New Testament are rustling with the rumour that it will not always be so. Some day, God willing, we shall get in.
-The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis