Hello loves!
I am thankful for an adorable little room I can now call my own. I am so blessed to be able to have this.
Natural light pours through it's two windows, so that in the daytime, I hardly need the light on. It also has two large mirrors which gloriously reflect the light from the windows. I happened to glance out and see the cotton-candy pink sunset. Subsequently I just finished watching, feet propped on the window ledge. Room darkened, comforter over my shoulders and cup of tea in hand. This is better than the movies.
My lovely friends dropped by today for a study party and games of dutch blitz.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Thankfulness
Hello loves!
I've decided to do a self-challenge where I focus more on what I'm thankful for via anecdotes. :)
1. I got mail! Real mail! Not only did I recieve several packages of school books but also a lovely letter from my friend Lydia. Letters are such a blessing. As my sister says, as long as I'm alive no post office is going out of business.
2. Speaking of letters...I had the pleasure of meeting a delightful 90 year old man today. He had spent many years in Africa serving in medical missions...and had heard of Mercy ships. He asked me to deliver a letter to a student who he met there. It was such a delight to chat with him. I am so inspired....(and I could tell by the envelope lettering that it was types with an old type-writer :)
3. I was honored to be invited to lunch with a potential Education faculty member. It was lovely. There are times when it is just so glorious to be able to relate to professionals. Not just professionals, but friendly open and VERY knowledgeable professionals...people with various acronyms behind their names. Glorious.
4. It's sunny AND (dare I commit the profanity) no snow!!!!!!
5. Not to mention my AMAZING family...
6. AND THE BIOGRAPHY OF COCO CHANEL!!!!
7. Those friends that invite you over for cups of coffee at the drop of a hat.
I've decided to do a self-challenge where I focus more on what I'm thankful for via anecdotes. :)
1. I got mail! Real mail! Not only did I recieve several packages of school books but also a lovely letter from my friend Lydia. Letters are such a blessing. As my sister says, as long as I'm alive no post office is going out of business.
2. Speaking of letters...I had the pleasure of meeting a delightful 90 year old man today. He had spent many years in Africa serving in medical missions...and had heard of Mercy ships. He asked me to deliver a letter to a student who he met there. It was such a delight to chat with him. I am so inspired....(and I could tell by the envelope lettering that it was types with an old type-writer :)
3. I was honored to be invited to lunch with a potential Education faculty member. It was lovely. There are times when it is just so glorious to be able to relate to professionals. Not just professionals, but friendly open and VERY knowledgeable professionals...people with various acronyms behind their names. Glorious.
4. It's sunny AND (dare I commit the profanity) no snow!!!!!!
5. Not to mention my AMAZING family...
6. AND THE BIOGRAPHY OF COCO CHANEL!!!!
7. Those friends that invite you over for cups of coffee at the drop of a hat.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Inspiration
It hit me just today how absolutely incredible humanity's built-in-capacity for the immaterial is. Grace, love, ect can't be quantified or measured. And what about the need for purpose? Where is that in our nicely diagramed graphs and numbers? Perhaps that's why it has distressed philosophers for ages. We can't control what we can't touch taste see, hear or smell. And yet some have built greatness on this mere "inspiration."
I swear that's how the Taj Mahall was made. Did you know that a king made it in memory of his deceased wife? And later his own grave was built into it. He probably never guessed it would one day be one of the eight wonders of the world and thousands of people would travel to see the monument he made to their love.
Whenever I get too skeptical I try remember that. The human spirit is indeed capable of Sidney's "mimesis" and the subsequent reflection of grace.
Romans 8:38
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Monjour Mon Ami!
It is New Years Eve, and as with every new year, I too, am filled with the excitement of possibilities and good intentions. I am reveling in trying out new recipes, randomly dressing up in 1940s outfits, singing jazz Christmas songs, and gaining great satisfaction from properly annoying fellow siblings. One could say I have reached that state of perfect satisfaction that Buddhists seek, but I don't think that is supposed to stem from expectancy. In any case my dear little sister keeps me grounded: "Now you know, people are going to comment on how I am almost as tall as you, so you will need to prepare a gracious response." Hmph :
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Well, if I could be anyone I suppose.....
On either side the river lie
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.
By the margin, willow-veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?
Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to tower'd Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers ''Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott.'
PART II
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
And moving thro' a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.
Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,
Goes by to tower'd Camelot;
And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights,
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
'I am half sick of shadows,' said
The Lady of Shalott.
PART III
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.
The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazon'd baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.
All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burn'd like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often thro' the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.
His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flash'd into the crystal mirror,
'Tirra lirra,' by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
'The curse is come upon me!' cried
The Lady of Shalott.
PART IV
In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower'd Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.
And down the river's dim expanse—
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance—
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.
Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right—
The leaves upon her falling light—
Thro' the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.
Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darken'd wholly,
Turn'd to tower'd Camelot;
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.
Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.
Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they cross'd themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, 'She has a lovely face;
God in His mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott.'
Long fields of barley and of rye,
That clothe the wold and meet the sky;
And thro' the field the road runs by
To many-tower'd Camelot;
And up and down the people go,
Gazing where the lilies blow
Round an island there below,
The island of Shalott.
Willows whiten, aspens quiver,
Little breezes dusk and shiver
Thro' the wave that runs for ever
By the island in the river
Flowing down to Camelot.
Four gray walls, and four gray towers,
Overlook a space of flowers,
And the silent isle imbowers
The Lady of Shalott.
By the margin, willow-veil'd,
Slide the heavy barges trail'd
By slow horses; and unhail'd
The shallop flitteth silken-sail'd
Skimming down to Camelot:
But who hath seen her wave her hand?
Or at the casement seen her stand?
Or is she known in all the land,
The Lady of Shalott?
Only reapers, reaping early
In among the bearded barley,
Hear a song that echoes cheerly
From the river winding clearly,
Down to tower'd Camelot:
And by the moon the reaper weary,
Piling sheaves in uplands airy,
Listening, whispers ''Tis the fairy
Lady of Shalott.'
PART II
There she weaves by night and day
A magic web with colours gay.
She has heard a whisper say,
A curse is on her if she stay
To look down to Camelot.
She knows not what the curse may be,
And so she weaveth steadily,
And little other care hath she,
The Lady of Shalott.
And moving thro' a mirror clear
That hangs before her all the year,
Shadows of the world appear.
There she sees the highway near
Winding down to Camelot:
There the river eddy whirls,
And there the surly village-churls,
And the red cloaks of market girls,
Pass onward from Shalott.
Sometimes a troop of damsels glad,
An abbot on an ambling pad,
Sometimes a curly shepherd-lad,
Or long-hair'd page in crimson clad,
Goes by to tower'd Camelot;
And sometimes thro' the mirror blue
The knights come riding two and two:
She hath no loyal knight and true,
The Lady of Shalott.
But in her web she still delights
To weave the mirror's magic sights,
For often thro' the silent nights
A funeral, with plumes and lights,
And music, went to Camelot:
Or when the moon was overhead,
Came two young lovers lately wed;
'I am half sick of shadows,' said
The Lady of Shalott.
PART III
A bow-shot from her bower-eaves,
He rode between the barley-sheaves,
The sun came dazzling thro' the leaves,
And flamed upon the brazen greaves
Of bold Sir Lancelot.
A red-cross knight for ever kneel'd
To a lady in his shield,
That sparkled on the yellow field,
Beside remote Shalott.
The gemmy bridle glitter'd free,
Like to some branch of stars we see
Hung in the golden Galaxy.
The bridle bells rang merrily
As he rode down to Camelot:
And from his blazon'd baldric slung
A mighty silver bugle hung,
And as he rode his armour rung,
Beside remote Shalott.
All in the blue unclouded weather
Thick-jewell'd shone the saddle-leather,
The helmet and the helmet-feather
Burn'd like one burning flame together,
As he rode down to Camelot.
As often thro' the purple night,
Below the starry clusters bright,
Some bearded meteor, trailing light,
Moves over still Shalott.
His broad clear brow in sunlight glow'd;
On burnish'd hooves his war-horse trode;
From underneath his helmet flow'd
His coal-black curls as on he rode,
As he rode down to Camelot.
From the bank and from the river
He flash'd into the crystal mirror,
'Tirra lirra,' by the river
Sang Sir Lancelot.
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces thro' the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
'The curse is come upon me!' cried
The Lady of Shalott.
PART IV
In the stormy east-wind straining,
The pale yellow woods were waning,
The broad stream in his banks complaining,
Heavily the low sky raining
Over tower'd Camelot;
Down she came and found a boat
Beneath a willow left afloat,
And round about the prow she wrote
The Lady of Shalott.
And down the river's dim expanse—
Like some bold seer in a trance,
Seeing all his own mischance—
With a glassy countenance
Did she look to Camelot.
And at the closing of the day
She loosed the chain, and down she lay;
The broad stream bore her far away,
The Lady of Shalott.
Lying, robed in snowy white
That loosely flew to left and right—
The leaves upon her falling light—
Thro' the noises of the night
She floated down to Camelot:
And as the boat-head wound along
The willowy hills and fields among,
They heard her singing her last song,
The Lady of Shalott.
Heard a carol, mournful, holy,
Chanted loudly, chanted lowly,
Till her blood was frozen slowly,
And her eyes were darken'd wholly,
Turn'd to tower'd Camelot;
For ere she reach'd upon the tide
The first house by the water-side,
Singing in her song she died,
The Lady of Shalott.
Under tower and balcony,
By garden-wall and gallery,
A gleaming shape she floated by,
Dead-pale between the houses high,
Silent into Camelot.
Out upon the wharfs they came,
Knight and burgher, lord and dame,
And round the prow they read her name,
The Lady of Shalott.
Who is this? and what is here?
And in the lighted palace near
Died the sound of royal cheer;
And they cross'd themselves for fear,
All the knights at Camelot:
But Lancelot mused a little space;
He said, 'She has a lovely face;
God in His mercy lend her grace,
The Lady of Shalott.'
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Haaappy Neeeew Yeeeaaars!
Hello my lovelies!
New years was positively glorious. Our family stayed in my Aunt and Uncles house so as not to inconvenience G and G. In retrospect this clarified all the past years madness-it remains impossible not to be an imposition when you consider the sheer effect of having 6 people living in your house). We discovered my grandparent's phonograph and played some good old Christmas records on it. And then of course there was the excessive television watching and eating and by the time we got home we were all practically waddling. :)
In (the dreaded horrible, awe-inspiring, tremble-inducing) attempt to prepare for next semester I stumbled across a financial miracle. I have been blessed to not have to take out any loans so far, but was pretty sure I would have to for this next semester. As it turns out, when both accounts were added up I had the exact monetary value necessary-down to the dollar-I believe I haver 30 cents left over. This was far to much of a "coincidence" to pass up the obvious confirmation. so I'm going to close an account-pay it all and then trust that my campus job will provide timely dough for books and personal needs. I guess you could say I'm monetarily walking on thin ice-no, dancing. :)
It's actually provided great opportunities to get creative, share books, and find sites that let me read novels online free. To be honest, I'm trembling with dread and anticipation for next semester-but mostly anticipation. 17 credits here I come!
Yesterday was glorious. Catching up with A, a 7 mile walk, hot cocoa, making cards, doing nails, and watching one of those Christmas movies that leaves you feeling delightfully sentimental.
Farewell my loves! I shall most likely write next when at school.
Yourstrully butterfly girl
New years was positively glorious. Our family stayed in my Aunt and Uncles house so as not to inconvenience G and G. In retrospect this clarified all the past years madness-it remains impossible not to be an imposition when you consider the sheer effect of having 6 people living in your house). We discovered my grandparent's phonograph and played some good old Christmas records on it. And then of course there was the excessive television watching and eating and by the time we got home we were all practically waddling. :)
In (the dreaded horrible, awe-inspiring, tremble-inducing) attempt to prepare for next semester I stumbled across a financial miracle. I have been blessed to not have to take out any loans so far, but was pretty sure I would have to for this next semester. As it turns out, when both accounts were added up I had the exact monetary value necessary-down to the dollar-I believe I haver 30 cents left over. This was far to much of a "coincidence" to pass up the obvious confirmation. so I'm going to close an account-pay it all and then trust that my campus job will provide timely dough for books and personal needs. I guess you could say I'm monetarily walking on thin ice-no, dancing. :)
It's actually provided great opportunities to get creative, share books, and find sites that let me read novels online free. To be honest, I'm trembling with dread and anticipation for next semester-but mostly anticipation. 17 credits here I come!
Yesterday was glorious. Catching up with A, a 7 mile walk, hot cocoa, making cards, doing nails, and watching one of those Christmas movies that leaves you feeling delightfully sentimental.
Farewell my loves! I shall most likely write next when at school.
Yourstrully butterfly girl
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