We all have yearnings, small or great. They always starts from somewhere outside. The younger sibling has the lollipop, and we have a small yearning for a lollipop. Watching the adventures in various movies, and reading about them in books, we yearn for those adventures. Yearnings, simple yearnings. Sometimes so trivial, it's the quick prick of a needle, at other times so deep, it's a heart-rending stab ... and we cry out in the night.
As a little girl, I remember reading (or listening to Mommy read aloud) Louisa May Alcott's books, The Little House on the Prairie Books, The Moffat Books, and The King's Daughter. And I always yearned for an older sister. Jo had Meg, Laura had Mary, Janey had Sylvie, and there were the countless examples in the short stories. Yet, I was the oldest of six children, with two younger sisters, and three brothers following, so and older sister couldn't really come. Years came, as well as a much-loved adopted older sister, and that dream of an older sister gave way to dreams of the "bosom friend", someone so close to oneself in hopes, values, and goals. And I'm very - what's the word? - let's say odd, so the dream of a kindred spirit remained one I never really believed could come true. But, through an amazing gift of God, it did. My first contact with kindred spirits came through the oh-so-wonderful Schola Great Books class, which in turn gave way to Latin, Greek, and Gibbon classes as the years passed. I met many of my dear friends and made some more at Schola gatherings, and I soon began to realize that I was not the only odd one.
And then last year, I was invited to visit one of my close friends for an entire week. We had met at the Schola Summer Academy of 2005 and kept in contact through letters, emails, and of course, being in classes with each other. She didn't live too far from my home, and so the cost of a plane ticket was significantly reduced from $300 to less than $100. So I went and came back from one of the best weeks in my entire life. I had found my bosom friend, my older sister.
Another year rolled on by, and last Wednesday, as my birthday gift from my parents, I was yet again on a plane to visit my dear friend and her family. And again, I simply cannot describe how fully beautiful it was. This is only one of a series of posts that are inspired by that visit (upcoming - Joys of the Original Languages, Dancing: Fire and Grace, and Richness).
Homer and bonfires (we read through the entire Catalogue of the Ships, much to the *coughs* dismay of some of our fellow readers), and swing dancing! Including an aerial and a dip that made Mr. and Mrs. W wonder what exactly to tell my Daddy when we were in the emergency room of the hospital... ;-) Then Friday came, and M and I stayed in our pajamas from 8 until 3, reading aloud from Sheldon Vanauken's A Severe Mercy, and ending the day with a wonderful German movie, Mostly Martha. Saturday was a debate tournament. 'Nuff said. Early morning awakenings (though we did sleep more than the boys and Mrs. W did), long drives in the car with Arkangel's Julius Caesar, and of course, watching debate rounds. Our time together ended on Sunday, after a most marvelous and encouraging visit to PBC (Peninsula Bible Church) and lunch with dear friends, then the long drive back, and finishing up with a Bible study never to be forgotten (I'll post on this very soon!). In retrospect, I find, that instead of an older sister - which is absolutely wonderful enough - I have a whole adopted family!
Thank you so much, dear friends, those five days were so, so wonderful, filled with a mixture of joyous happenings and quiet, memorable times together - and those shining, golden "moments made eternity".
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