Summer Happenings.

It seems that every three months or so I go through an I-need-to-recommit-to-my-blog phase, which shows how effective this supposed "recommitment" is. The odd thing is that I am usually quite consistent about these sorts of things. Apparently not when it comes to the blogosphere. I mean, a quote every three months hardly justifies the existence of a blog at all. Even if they are really good quotes.

But all the same, with the arrival of summer, I have had the time to invest in some projects. Let's just say I've gotten rather artsy-craftsy. Well, kind of. I only have two finished products to boast in so far, but I'm still quite proud of myself. The first is lampshade that I covered in a delightful yellow geometric pattern for my room. The second is a white and black striped bolster pillow. I used to sew quite a bit when I was younger, but it had been years since I pulled out the machine. I was delighted with myself for remembering what little sewing knowledge I have retained over the years. All that to say, little projects have kept me feeling productive.

Not to mention the books that I feel that I have been living and breathing the past month, the most notable of which is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I was hesitant. Number one, I knew very little about Ayn Rand before I picked up her book, so I had no idea what I was in for. I imagined myself spending my whole summer poring over a book that contained scientific, mathematical jargon with a hint of the philosophical. Not to bash philosophy, of course. I find philosophy absolutely captivating. When I can understand it, that is. My second concern was perhaps more disheartening than the first. It had everything to do with the fact that this unassuming little book contained 1069 pages. Yeah, enough said. Though it might be worth noting that the font could not have been bigger than 8. Seriously, it was tiny. The combination of the unknown and the fact that this book was massive was slightly daunting. Let's just say I felt a serious sense of accomplishment when I finished that 1069-page brick after midnight two days ago. And just for the record, that book was excellent. There was definitely a lot that I didn't agree with, but I now have a deep-seated respect for Ayn Rand's brilliance. I tried to explain aspects of the book's plot to my family and just got confused looks. I guess you would just have to read it yourself.

"If I read a book that impresses me, I have to take myself firmly by the hand, before I mix with other people; otherwise they would think my mind rather queer."
Anne Frank

C.S. Lewis. Again.

"Do not waste time bothering whether you “love” your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the greatest secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him. If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking them more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself disliking him less."

C.S. Lewis

If

Over winter break, I've been trying to catch up on my reading. When I was in high school, I was always baffled by the college students who said that they were so busy that they didn't have time to read anymore. "Well, I'll make time!" I declared adamantly to myself. Well. Confession. Didn't happen. I, too, have been clumped into the category of busy college students whose best attempt at reading is completing homework assignments. Thankfully, this isn't all bad, as most of my college textbooks were quite enlightening and unquestionably beneficial. Still, it's not quite the same as sitting down with a small paperback book that doesn't take all the weight in your arms to keep positioned correctly. So, as I've been reading this past month - books both old and new - I've been reflecting on those books that have meant the most to be over the years.

So you, dear reader (I assume you exist, of course. Sometimes I wonder if I am the only one who reads this, after all. But I have quite decided that even if I am speaking to a blank void, this blogging business is still worthwhile.) will be hearing from me more frequently (hopefully) these next couple of weeks as I attempt to post some of my favorite books, or as happens to be the case today, one of my favorite books of poetry.

The first book, then, is not necessarily my favorite, but it was quick in coming to mind. Simply put, I love Amy Carmichael. If you're looking for a book that is both convicting and encouraging, pick up her collection of small poems titled If. It is a small book that has no more than seventy pages, yet it is not a quick read. I find the best way to absorb it is to read a poem a day in order give myself time to mull over the ideas that she expresses. Here's a poem to give you a little taste.

If there be any reserve in my giving to
Him who so loved that He gave
His Dearest for me;
If there be any secret "but" in my
prayer,
"Anything but that, Lord,"
then I know nothing of Calvary love.

(Amy Carmichael)

Ouch.

Choosing Joy

"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take away that away from us. Joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing - sickness, failure, emotional distress, opposition, war, or even death - can take that love away."

[Henri Nouwen]

Dépaysement

Beware. Gracie is starting to use obscure French words to title her blog posts. Bad sign.

But I do have a purpose. I ran across the word on an "untranslatable words" website (you know you're a nerd when these tidbits of information give you unparalleled delight). Dépaysement is a feeling that comes from not being in one's home country. At first, this word seems to imply location. That is, dépaysement occurs when one is not in the literal country in which one was born. But the more I have mulled this idea over in my head (yes, this is what English majors do), the more it seems to mean much more than location. And much more than earth.

After all, although we can feel "at home" in certain earthly locations, isn't there always some sort of homesickness for something else? It's something that we find difficult to name or pin point, because we don't know what exactly it is that we miss. In that regard, I think all humanity experiences some form of dépaysement.

Why is it, then, that even in our moments of greatest joy (perhaps, even more in these moments), we find ourselves longing for something greater? It's because we were created for something better. In short, we are homesick for our home country. I think C.S. Lewis is right when he says, "If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world." The idea of dépaysement, then, becomes something that, far from inspiring feelings of misery, provides us with glimpses of our future hope.

Quiet Weeks

"Some day, in years to come, you will be wrestling with the great temptation, or trembling under the great sorrow of your life. But the real struggle is here, now, in these quiet weeks. Now it is being decided whether, in the day of your supreme sorrow or temptation, you shall miserably fail or gloriously conquer. Character cannot be made except by a steady, long-continued process."

[Phillip Brooks]

Life

"If we do not die to ourselves, we cannot live to God, and he that does not live to God, is dead."

George MacDonald


P.S. Yes, I do know that it has been two months. I think I've overused the "college excuse" these past several weeks, but here it is again. In the meantime, I have lots of thoughts, but not the time to articulate them unless they relate to world civilization or sociology so it looks like you'll be stuck with some quotes for a while. The benefit is that they probably express the essence of what I would like to say better than I could anyway.