Showing posts with label Pleasurable Exerpts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pleasurable Exerpts. Show all posts

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Worship

"The tower on the hill," 
she replied, 
"is the home of Truth, 
and He would have you learn to obey His word. 
For He is the Father of Faith, 
who created you all, 
giving you a body and five senses 
with which to worship Him 
while you dwell below." 

-Piers the Plowman, William Langland
(emphasis added)

Monday, January 30, 2012

... He will not lie; the man is far too wise. ...

The Odyssey

Monday, August 22, 2011

Loving God with Our Minds

God made our minds to love Him. We do this by first coming to the cross of Christ for salvation, where, as the hymn says, "sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains." We love God with our minds by being renewed through His Word and thinking about excellent, lovely, wholesome things. Did you know that when you study birds (ornithology), bugs (entomology), words (etymology), the human body (anatomy), and just about any "-ology" you can think of, you are loving Him? "The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them," wrote the psalmist. We love God with our mind when we admire smoothness, strangeness, structure, inticacy, fragrance, complexion, motion. "Glory be to God for dappled things," exclaimed the poet-priest Gerard Manley Hopkins. - Suzanne U. Rhodes, The Roar on the Other Side

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Austen

"The real circumstances of this pathetic piece of family history were that the Musgroves had had the ill fortune of a very troublesome, hopeless son; and the good fortune to lose him before he reached his twentieth year; that he had been sent to sea because he was stupid and unmanageable on shore; that he had been very little cared for at any time by his family, though quite as much as he deserved; seldom heard of, and scarcely at all regretted, when the intelligence of his death abroad had worked its way to Uppercross, two years before.
"He had, in fact, though his sisters were now doing all they could for him, by calling him 'poor Richard,' been nothing better than a thickheaded, unfeeling, unprofitable Dick Musgrove, who had never done anything to entitle himself to more than the abbreviation of his name, living or dead."
- Jane Austen, Persuasion

Sparkling. Witty. Sarcastic. Hysterical. Austen.

How can one not love her?

Sunday, March 20, 2011

First Day


"There is nothing inorganic. These foliaceous heaps lie along the bank like the slag of a furnace, showing that Nature is "in full blast" within. The earth is not a mere fragment of dead history, stratum upon stratum like the leaves of a book, to be studied by geologists and antiquaries chiefly, but living poetry like the leaves of a tree." ~ Henry David Thoreau

It's here -- the first day of spring. Someday, I want to celebrate these "first days" as holidays. I want to nurture in my child a love of nature as strong as my own!





(Charles Haigh-Wood, Picking Flowers for a Posy)

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Happy and Contented

(Ernest Walbourn, Feeding the Doves)

" 'I want my daughters to be beautiful, accomplished, and good; to be admired, loved, and respected; to have a happy youth, to be well and wisely married, and to lead useful, pleasant lives, with as little care and sorrow to try them as God sees fit to send. To be loved and chosen by a good man is the best and sweetest thing which can happen to a woman; and I sincerely hope my girls may know this beautiful experience. It is natural to think of it, Meg; right to hope and wait for it, and wise to prepare for it; so that, when the happy time comes, you may feel ready for the duties and worthy of the joy. My dear girls, I am ambitious for you, but not to have you make a dash in the world, -- marry rich men merely because they are rich, or have splendid houses, which are not homes because love is wanting. Money is a needful and precious thing, - and, when well used, a noble thing, -- but I never want you to think it is the first or only prize to strive for. I'd rather see you poor men's wives, if you were happy, beloved, contented, than queens on thrones, without self-respect and peace.'

" 'Poor girls don't stand any chance, Belle says, unless they put themselves forward,' sighed Meg.

" 'Then we'll be old maids,' said Jo stoutly.

" 'Right, Jo; better be happy old maids than unhappy wives, or unmaidenly girls, running about to find husbands,' said Mrs. March decidedly. 'Don't be troubled, Meg; poverty seldom daunts a sincere lover. Some of the best and most honored women I know were poor girls, but so love-worthy that they were not allowed to be old maids. Leave these things to time; make this home happy, so that you may be fit for homes of your own, if they are offered you, and contented here if they are not. One thing remember, my girls: mother is always ready to be your confidant, father to be your friend; and both of us trust and hope that our daughters, whether married or single, will be the pride and comfort of our lives.' "
- Lousia May Alcott's Little Women

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Liberty


"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. . . .

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. . . .

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated . . .

"nor [shall any person] be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. . . .

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

~ Excerpts from the Bill of Rights ~

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Wishes


Wishes
Kate Greenaway

Oh, if you were a little boy,
And I was little girl --
Why you would have some whiskers grow
And then my hair would curl.

Ah! if I could have whiskers grow,
I'd let you have my curls;
But what's the use of wishing it --
Boys never can be girls.

One can't help loving the whimsy of Kate Greenaway's sketches -- so breezy and bright! And to top it all off, we can relish in this charming little nursery rhyme. Are there any other non-toddlers as in love with nursery rhymes as I?

Monday, September 27, 2010

Thoroughly Alive

For an insight into my heart, I recommend to you Sarah Clarkson's blog, Thoroughly Alive. Every time I read a post, I come away encouraged in my walk with the Lord, my desires as a woman, and my love for beauty. Though I reach high above myself, with all humility and respect, I claim her as a kindred spirit.

Enjoy!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

An Image of Sovereignty


Then Iluvatar spoke, and he said: 'Mighty are the Ainur, and mightiest among them is Melkor; but that he may know, and all the Ainur, that I am Iluvatar, those things that ye have sung, I will show them forth, that ye may see what ye have done. And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music in my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined. . . . Behold your Music! This is your minstrelsy; and each of you shall find contained herein, amid the design that I set before you, all those things which it may seem that he himself devised or added. And thou, Melkor, wilt discover all the secret thoughts of thy mind, and wilt perceive that they are but a part of the whole and tributary to its glory.'
- J.R.R. Tolkien, The Silmarillion

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Trust

"I have been called to pass through the deep waters of affliction, but all has been satisfied. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. It is his will that my Dearest wife & child should no longer abide with me, and as it is his holy will, I am perfectly reconciled to the sad bereavement, though I deeply mourn my loss. Oh! The consolations of religion! I can willingly submit to anything if God strengthens me. I have joy in knowing that God withholds no good things from them that love and keep his commandments. And he will overrule this Sad, Sad bereavement for good." - Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson, qtd. in Beloved Bride

What a beautiful testimony is this excerpt from a letter of General Jackson's! Trust in God's sovereignty has comforted His children for hundreds of years. I hope, pray, and trust that it will never cease to do so!

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Currently I Am

loving this and this,
beautiful, inspiring videos featuring some of my favorite
ladies and gentlemen,
practicing this song,
All the Better for Her from the Sense and Sensibility soundtrack,
and rejoicing in this:
"Tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it." -Anne Shirley

Oh, the rich, rich joys of period dramas!

Thursday, March 11, 2010

A Paradox

(Leonardo Da Vinci, Sketch of a Square Church with Central Dome and Minaret)

"The more extensive your acquaintance is with the works of those who have excelled, the more extensive will be your powers of invention. . . . -- and what may appear still more like a paradox, the more original will be your conceptions."
-Sir Joshua Reynolds,
quoted in The Practice of Writing

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

On Poetry

(Henri Silberman, Poet's Walk, Central Park, New York City)

"Between such very broad and such very narrow definitions lies a central core that most people, if they were feeling reasonable about the matter, would admit was poetry. If we tried to state precisely what the central core consisted in, we would probably get into trouble, and so we will not try. Nevertheless, we are certain that you know what we mean. We are certain that nine times out of ten, or perhaps even ninety-nine times out of a hundred, you would agree with us that X was a poem and Y was not."
-Mortimer J. Adler & Charles Van Doren

Isn't that interesting? It's so true too. We can't really define poetry without someone along the lines arguing that such and such isn't correct. And yet, when you really get down to it, we all know what poetry is, and we all agree.

Monday, November 16, 2009

A Living Gospel

"Everything went on so sociably, so quietly, so harmoniously, in the great kitchen, -- it seemed so pleasant to every one to do just what they were doing, there was such an atmosphere of mutual confidence and good fellowship everywhere, -- even the knives and forks had a social clatter as they went on to the table; and the chicken and ham had a cheerful and joyous fizzle in the pan as if they rather enjoyed being cooked than otherwise; -- and when George and Eliza and little Harry came out, they met such a hearty rejoicing welcome, no wonder it seemed to them like a dream....

"This, indeed was a home, -- home, -- a word that George had never yet known a meaning for; and a belief in God, and trust in His providence, began to encircle his heart, as, with a golden cloud of protection and confidence, dark, misanthropic, pining, atheistic doubts, and fierce despair, melted away before the light of a living Gospel, breathed in living faces, preached by a thousand unconscious acts of love and good-will, which, like the cup of cold water given in the name of a disciple, shall never lose their reward."
-Uncle Tom's Cabin, ch. 13

Sadly, this little selection does no justice to it's chapter from Uncle Tom's Cabin. As I read, a great desire filled me to be a fly on the wall of this snug cottage. The interactions of it's inhabitants are so kind, gentle and grace-filled. And the last paragraph simply says it all -- a living Gospel! How many of us know unbelieving people and family members? How imperative is it, then, that when we relate with them, our actions are filled with Christ's love. Just as George was converted by merely beholding the workings of a godly family, so will others be witnessed to by a such a godly lifestyle.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Beauty

Eleanor on the Hilltop, Frank Benson

"The rarest beauty often lies
In things so common that the eyes
Of those who pass, unseeing, miss
The very thing they seek, I wis."
-Thornton Burgess

"A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;
Its loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness; but still will keep
A bower quiet for us, and a sleep
Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing."
-John Keats

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

To Look At

The Artist's Garden at Argenteuil, Claude Monet

"Isn't this Daisy beautiful, Johnny?"

"I suppose it is if you say so," replied Johnny Chuck carelessly. "It would look a lot more beautiful to me if it were good eating. Even Farmer Brown's cows don't like it and won't eat it. If things are not good to eat what are they good for?"

"To look at," Peter replied promptly. "I guess the Great World needs beautiful things to look at just as much as it does things to eat."

Yes, this came from a children's botany book, but that gives us no right to neglect the simple truth found within it. Do you agree with Peter? I do.

Friday, September 25, 2009

The Cloud

"I bring fresh showers for the thirsty flowers,
From the seas and the streams;
I bear light shades for the leaves when laid
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet buds every one,
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,
As she dances about the sun.
I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder...

"I am the daughter of earth and water,
And the nursling of the sky:
I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores,
I change, but I cannot die.
For after the rain, when with never a stain,
The pavilion o f heaven is bare,
And the winds and sunbeams with their convex gleams,
Build up the blue dome of air,
I silently laugh at my own cenotaph,
And out of the caverns of rain,
Like a child from the womb, like a ghost form the tomb,
I arise and unbuild it again."
-Shelley
One of the most cheerful, carefree of Shelley's poems, I felt like the cloud reflected well the weather here recently. The sky will let loose it's flood gates for a few days and then we'll have blue skies, only to have the clouds appear from nowhere! Ah well! I think Shelley's description of a cloud makes the heat, humidity and precipitation a bit more pleasant to bear!
Note: I promise this blog isn't going to become a weekly weather forecast, but as I come across things, I find it so difficult not to post immediately for fear of forgetting something!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Aileen Keegan

"Aileen sat with me all day, our eyes fixed on the land we loved. Knowing, as it swept past us, it was the last time we would ever gaze upon it, our hearts were too full for speech."

"Aileen has made our cabin snug and convenient beyond belief. Her happy disposition causes her to make the best of everything."

"Aileen coaxed the steward to let her have some discarded biscuit bags. These she is fashioning into a sort of gown to cover the nakedness of several girls who could not come on deck. The first she finished this afternoon, and no aristocratic miss could have been prouder of her first silk dress than was the poor child of the transformed canvas bag, which was her only garment."

Oh, what a wonderful woman Aileen sounds to have been! She and her husband Gerald left Ireland in 1847, because of a famine. As immigrants on a ship (where they were not liked), life was very hard. But, Aileen, as her husband says in his journal, had a happy disposition that brought joy to herself and all around her. The sad part of the story is that Aileen and Gerald were never able to settle in Canada. Their enemies on board deceived them and, after suffering for days of wetness, cold and hunger, the couple died at a quarantine camp. Nevertheless, Aileen's optimistic, hopeful spirit is still inspiring others...well, it inspires me, at any rate.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

An Ideal Place

"The best treasures of the country are kept in the fairest of its buildings, in its churches, which are always open, so that people may go in and out many times a day to talk with God, and He comes and speaks with them. But, indeed, He walks about everywhere in the land, in the workshops, in the picture-galleries, and in the fields; people consult Him about everything, little things and great, and He advises about them all."
-Charlotte Mason, Ourselves
Wouldn't this be wonderful? Can you imagine a place where people were constantly desiring the presence and voice of God? What if we all went to God with all our problems and questions and He was the one we always consulted? What if we kept our "best treasures" to present to Him and to adorn the place we worship Him? Wouldn't it be wonderful?