laughing out loud

I'm listening to Rainbow Valley and this made me laugh out loud:

"As for Norman Douglas, he is a perfect heathen. When the last minister asked him why he never went to church he said, 'Too many ugly women there parson, too many ugly women.' I should like to go to such a man, Mrs. Doctor dear, and say to him solemnly, 'There is a hell.'" - Susan Baker.

from Brighton Rock

"He said, 'You can't conceive, my child, nor can I or anyone else the ... appalling ... strangeness of the mercy of God.'"

just bolstering myself a little

"You won't have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watch GOD's saving work for you take shape. Don't be afraid. Don't waver. March out boldly tomorrow - GOD is with you."

"No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."

"Does God speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?"

"You of little faith, why did you doubt?"

unreasonable lengths

I've had a lot of people comment on "how good" I am with children. I've been told I "have a gift." I usually pass these comments off with an awkward smile and a shrug of the shoulders. In my mind it was simple; I've been taking care of children since I was a child, it's fun (way more fun than a sales position), I'm taking care of someone else's children (which is a huge responsibility), and I'm being paid good money. Most of all, it's something that comes naturally to me, yes I'm always learning and growing and getting better at it, but I've never had to work hard or really struggled with it. But I guess I'm coming to realise that doesn't mean that being "good with children" is an easy thing or something to take for granted or pass off as not a big deal. And at the risk of sounding like I'm tooting my own horn, the more I'm studying the more I'm realising, I am good with children. I'm reading "Child Development a First Course" by Kathy Sylva and Ingrid Lunt which is an introduction to the psychology of child development and a lot of the observations and recommendations they're making are things that I've always done, intuitively I guess. Maybe this is it, maybe I've realised what my "thing" is. How exciting!

Anyway I really just wanted to share this quote because I love it! It's from the chapter on substitute mothers, i.e. foster/adoptive parents, childminders, day nurseries (those are all British words, think nannies and daycare centres):

"It has been suggested that the crucial characteristic of the parental role is its partiality for the individual child; the child needs to know that to someone he matters more than other children, and that someone will go to unreasonable lengths, not just reasonable ones, for his sake."

How great is that?

too funny!

"I know that Chinese restaurateurs like to adapt their cuisine to local tastes and ingredients, but occasionally I get the feeling that something far more disturbing is going on."

"A tough looking young man has stepped out in front of us, brandishing a huge lump of cannabis on the palm of his hand. 'Hash? You like? Speak English? American?' Or perhaps he's selling henna. Or Oxo. 'Ta faitios orm nach geaitheann muid tobac,' says Conor. 'Ta se go dona don tslainte,' adds Tommy. The man narrows his eyes, then disappears back into the shadows. 'Whenever things get heavy, we just speak Irish,' says Conor. 'Confuses the f*** out of them,' explains Tommy."

from The Road to McCarthy by Pete McCarthy... Bill Bryson has met his match!

quotes

While I was making this todayI found some great quotes in my collage folder... and I (of course) find it necessary to share here.

"Joan: I hear voices telling me what to do. They come from God.

Robert: They come from your imagination.

Joan: Of course. That is how the messages of God come to us."

~ George Bernard Shaw - Saint Joan

"There’s no vocabulary

For love within a family, love that’s lived in

But not looked at, love within the light of which

All else is seen, the love within which

All other love finds speech.

This love is silent."

~ T.S. Eliot

"Home is a place not only of strong affections, but of entire unreserve; it is life’s undress rehearsal, its backroom, its dressing room, from which we go forth to more careful and guarded intercourse.” ~ Harriet Beecher Stowe

forty four

You know how people have lucky numbers? Well, I have two, of a sort, 11 and 44. Sometimes it's 444, but most of the time it's 44. They're not so much lucky numbers as numbers that have special meaning to me. Sometimes they're just an encouragement, they say, "Keep going you're on the right path." Or they'll say, "Pay attention to this." They've even been used to help me make some course corrections. Anyway, 44 popped up in countless ways this summer. Here are three of them from a few of the books I read:

'"Go, dogs. Go! The light is green now."' - Go, Dog. Go! pg 44

'"I am sure," she said, "that every one of us here will be gratified to learn that after four weeks of unremitting effort and patience on the part of our friend the goose, she now has something to show for it. The goslings have arrived. May I offer my sincere congratulations!"' - Charlotte's Web pg 44

"She glanced back. For a few seconds they look silently into each other's eyes, and the distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible, and inevitable. . . . . . . ." - War and Peace pg 1144

On August 4th, I received an email from the British Consulate letting me know that my visa had been issued. It arrived the next day. I'm leaving for Belfast on August 23rd (Monday!) and I know that I have two years there...

All that seemed distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible, and inevitable.

I can hardly stand it (and I can't wait to be done with the packing, although I wish I didn't have to say goodbye to so many wonderful people) and waking up in a plane over Irish fields on Tuesday morning cannot come soon enough!

the big kahuna

I did it.

I finished War and Peace.

Every last word.

Even the 36 page philosophical treatise on war and peace and what makes greatness and the free will of man (or as described in the summary: "Reflections on history and historian, greatness and power, freedom and necessity) which made up the second half of the Epilogue. Although, I must confess most of this was read out loud, in a funny accent, to keep my attention.

I have very little patience for circular philosophy in the best times and after 1178 pages I.D.G.A.R.A. (really). This quote did make me laugh out loud though;

"What is the cause of historical events? Power. What is power? Power is the sum total of wills transferred to one person. On what condition are the wills of the masses transferred to one person? On condition that the person express the will of the whole people. That is, power is power. That is, power is a word the meaning of which we do not understand."

I do love Tolstoy, despite his longwinded-ness. This is the third of his books that I've read, and it was simply beautiful.

"When she smiled, there could no longer be any doubt: it was Natasha, and he loved her."

"'Princess, wait, for God's sake!' he cried, trying to stop her. 'Princess!' She glanced back. For a few seconds they looked silently into each other's eyes, and the distant and impossible suddenly became near, possible, and inevitable. ........."

I laughed, I cried, it moved me. I was bored, I was riveted. It was like life, well worth the effort.

from in europe

"You people with your money. We're expected to accept whatever you people in the West say about us, but don't you ever wonder what we might have to offer? The assertiveness of the Poles, the circumspection of the Czechs, the perseverance of the Hungarian dissidents, the dilemmas the East Germans have been faced with? Isn't that exactly what the West needs? Things like that? Courage, principles, experience?" -Jaroslaw Krawczyk

"While the American Dream emphasizes unrestrained economic growth, personal wealth, and the pursuit of individual self-interest, the European Dream focuses more on sustainable development, quality of life, and the nurturing of community." - Geert Mak

studying europe

"From Kosovo and Ruthenia to the Basque Country, everywhere Europeans have been driven mad by the longing for a fatherland that no one ever knew, that in many ways never even existed."

- Geert Mak

"Peace, solidarity, and cooperation are only conceivable among people and nations who know who they are."

-Vaclav Havel

an european lent

(That is technically correct, but it sounds so awkward on my tongue I would probably always say "a European" and just be okay with being incorrect.)

Anyway, this Lenten season instead of giving something up I've been taking something on. I've been praying my way through the countries of Europe. Slightly haphazardly I read a bit about at least one country every morning and then pray for it during the day. I say haphazardly because there are more countries in Europe then days in Lent. Also, I realized several days in that the list I was going by hasn't been updated since 2003 and there have been new countries born since then. But all the technical difficulties aside I have been enjoying this!

Coincidentally (and by that I really mean providentially) I've just happened to be reading Neither Here nor There (travels in Europe) by Bill Bryson. So not only have I had a bit of history and prayer points for each country, I've also had a personal account of travels through a lot of them. (And of course it doesn't hurt that Bill is just so darn funny!) Now his journey was in the early 90s so the list of countries is even more outdated than the list I was going from. For instance I'm currently reading the chapter on Yugoslavia.

Speaking of which I wanted to share this hilarious excerpt from the beginning of that chapter, one of many that has made me laugh out loud:

"The lady led me down a complicated series of steps and sunny alleyways, full of scrawny cats. It was the sort of route you would follow if you were trying to give someone the slip. It wouldn't have altogether surprised me if she had asked me to put on a blindfold. Eventually, we crossed a plank over a narrow ditch, made out way across a grassless yard, and entered a four-story building that looked only half-finished. A cement mixer was standing by the stairwell. I was beginning to have my doubts. This was just the place for an ambush. 'Come,' she said and I followed her up the stairs to the top floor and into her apartment. It was small and plainly furnished, but spotless and airy. Two men in their twenties, both vaguely thuggish-looking, dressed in t-shirts were sitting at the table in the kitchen/living room. 'Uh-oh,' I thought, casually sliding my hand into my pocket and fingering my Swiss army knife, but knowing that even in ideal circumstances it takes me twenty minutes to identify a blade and prize it out. If these guys came at me, I would end up defending myself with a toothpick and tweezers."

"On Quiso, the Tuginda used to teach us that real and actual trust in God was the whole life of a priestess. 'God can afford to wait,' she used to say. 'Whether to convert the unbelieving, to reward the just or to punish the wicked - God can afford to wait. With Him, everything comes home in the end. Our work is not only to believe that, but to show that we believe it by everything that we say and do.'"

- Richard Adams in "Shardik"

psalm 25

Turn to me and be gracious to me,

for I am lonely and afflicted.

The troubles of my heart are enlarged;

bring me out of my distresses.

Consider my affliction and my trouble,

and forgive all my sins.

Consider how many are my foes,

and with what violent hatred they hate me.

Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!

Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.

May integrity and uprightness preserve me,

for I wait for you.

culture stress

"You feel tired, anxious, discouraged, isolated, angry, and homesick but cannot think of any reason why you should feel that way."

"Culture stress is the stress that occurs when you change to a different way of living in a new culture. It is what you experience as you move beyond understanding the culture to making it your own so that you accept the customs, becoming comfortable and at home with them. If you are trying to become a real part of the culture, to become bicultural, you are likely to experience culture stress as you assimilate some of the conventions to the point that they feel natural to you."

"Culture stress is the adjustment stage in which people accept the new environment, adopting new ways of thinking and doing things so that they feel like they belong to the new culture. This takes years, and some missionaries never complete it."

~from What Missionaries Ought to Know about Culture Stress by Ronald Koteskey

This is why I've been feeling so out of whack the last few weeks...

from ella minnow pea

In the sanctuary of my thoughts, I am a fearless renegade.

my favorite things...

Anthropologie is my favorite store in the whole, wide world. I took this from their facebook page. It's just one of the reasons why.

"When’s the last time you handwrote a note or a letter to a loved one? No form of instant communication can truly replace such a warm, intimate gesture – essentially, it’s confirming to someone that he or she is worth your time.

This is one of the reasons why we adore the “Message in a Bottle." It’s the perfect little something for a friend or loved one who is celebrating a milestone, throwing a dinner party or just special in your life. The best part about it is that it’s 100% interactive – think of it as an old-fashioned form of texting!

To whom do you envision giving Message in a Bottle? And what type of sentiment would you write? Is it your sister? Your spouse? Your children? Would you be inclined to write a riddle? A reminder? Or perhaps a simple “I love you”? You tell us."

PS, you should see their catalogs... things of beauty!

i just can't help it...

Ok, I know it's kinda boring to read quotes other people loved from books. And I know that I share quotes that I've enjoyed way too much. But I can't help it... This is another bit from "Notes From a Small Island" which I loved all the way through. When a book consistently makes you laugh out loud at almost every page it's something worth sharing. But I promise this will be the last that I share from it.

"Among the city's many treasures, none shines brighter, in my view, than the incomparable Burrell Collection, and after checking into my hotel, I hastened there now by taxi, for it is a long way out. 'D'ye nae a lang roon?' said the driver as we sped along a motorway toward Pollock Park. 'I'm sorry,' I said for I don't speak Glaswegian. 'D'ye dack ma fanny?' I hate it when this happens - when a person from Glasgow speaks to me. 'I'm sorry,' I said and floundered for an excuse. 'My ears are very bad.' 'Aye, ye nae hae doon a lang roon,' he said, which I gathered meant, 'I'm going to take you a very long way around and look at you frequently in the mirror with these menacing eyes so that you'll begin to wonder if perhaps I'm taking you to a disused wharf where I will beat you up and take your money,' but he said nothing further and delivered me at the Burrell without incident."

I found this especially funny because I myself have been in a very similar situation, except it involved two jolly Glaswegian men searching my bags at the airport and not a menacing taxi driver. I usually have little problems understanding people who are from other countries. There are two notable exceptions for this, Jamaicans and Glaswegians.

laundry day

I've been reading "Notes from a Small Island" by Bill Bryson and laughing out loud with almost every page. Just had to share this:

"It has long seemed to me unfortunate - and I'm taking global view here - that such an important experiment in social organization was left to the Russians when the British clearly would have managed it so much better. All those things that are necessary to the successful implementation of a rigorous socialist system are, after all, second nature to the British. For a start, they like going without. They are good at pulling together, particularly in the face of adversity, for a perceived common good. They will queue patiently for indefinite periods and accept with rare fortitude the imposition of rationing, bland diets, and sudden inconvenient shortages of staple goods, as anyone who ever looked for bread at a supermarket on a Saturday afternoon will know. They are comfortable with faceless bureaucracies and, as Mrs. Thatcher proved, tolerant of dictatorships. They will wait uncomplainingly for years for an operation or the delivery of household appliance. They have a natural gift for making excellent, muttered jokes about authority without ever actually challenging it, and they derive universal satisfaction from the sight of the rich and powerful brought low. Most of those above the age of twenty-five already dress like East Germans. The conditions, in a word, are right."

having a laugh

So I realize that a true and proper update is very much needed around here. But I can't be bothered tonight. Thought I'd share a couple things that made me laugh this week.

This is from Rosie's blog:

"Why do we date? It's not in the Bible, and it makes everyone nervous...."

This is from Confessions of a Shopaholic (the book which I have read before, but not for a while and I found at The Book Rack for $2):

"I can do this, I tell myself firmly. I can be attracted to him. It's just a matter of self-control and possibly also getting very drunk. So I lift my glass and take several huge gulps. I can feel the bubbles surging into my head, singing happily "I'm going to be a millionaire's wife! I'm going to be a millionaire's wife!" And when I look back at Tarquin, he already seems a bit more attractive (in a stoaty kind of way). Alcohol is obviously going to be the key to our marital happiness."

Today, when we were playing Winnie-the-Pooh Uno, we decided to play a third round in the hopes that everyone would get to win a game. Sydney had won a round and I had won a round, Shelby was the only one left. Sydney said, "God made me win a round, and God made Miss Rebekah win a round, so God will make you win the next round Shelby."

(I did explain to her that we don't know if God made us win our rounds. I certainly hadn't asked him to get involved and so he may have just let the game go on as it was. But she was unconvinced and Shelby did win the third and final round. "See, I told you that's how it worked!" said Sydney.)

it breaks my heart

I was reading in Mark this morning when my heart was broken:

"They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. He told them, "I fell bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me." Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: "Papa, Father, you can - can't you? - get me out of this. Take this cup away from me."

It reminded me of what I read this summer in The Signature of Jesus by Brennan Manning:

"The cross is both the symbol of our salvation and the pattern of our lives. Everything that happened to Christ in some way happens to us. When darkness envelopes us and we are deaf to everything except the shriek of our own pain, it helps to know that the Father is tracing in us the image of his Son, that the signature of Jesus is being stamped on our souls."

When I read this and remember the times in my own life when I was so hurt that all I could do was scream out to God and think that Jesus went through the same, maybe even worse, experience I am overwhelmed by his love for me.