A Time for Everything

Last Saturday, we went to a beautiful wedding. It was held outside, the sun shone brilliantly on the flowers and trees around us. And it glorified God.

Thursday, we heard the tragic news that our pastor's wife had died. We did not expect it, at all, and we mourned the loss. We grieved with our church family, with my dear pastor, and together we prepared for the funeral. There were - are- tears, many tears, but smiles when we thought of her glorious state now.

And today, I played the piano at her funeral service. We cried inside the church, the rain fell gently around us. And it glorified God.

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18

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Questions, Questions, and well, more Questions

Questions I have many, answers but a few
But we're here to learn... to know the greater truth

On Monday, my younger brother and I spent all day at the Cal State Fullerton library. My canvas bag was full of books, and a notebook. My two main goals were to revel in my philosophy book, which has been neglected of late, and also to submerge myself in literature. I forgot how much the two go hand in hand.

My stack of books included (among many) Shakespeare's Comedies, Plutarch's Lives, Annie Dillard's The Living, and an adorable hardcover edition of AA Milne's Winnie the Pooh. I started from the beginning of my philosophy book. Delved in with joy - how do we know what we know? how much objectivity can we place in music?

I finished up the first 3 chapters with lots of questions then moved on to Shakespeare's Measure By Measure. Pencilled questions filled up my notebook. Following the plot, analyzing the individual characters, etc. Then suddenly I realized how wonderful it is to simply ask questions. Every new book, every chapter I opened up to, brought along new questions. Some more important than others.

This is one of my favorite parts about studying philosophy. Finding a question, struggling and wrestling with it, then finding (or not finding!) different potential answers. Tracing the question through the characters in books, every day statements. And it just leads to more questions!

CS Lewis said, “As one’s eyes are more and more opened, one sees more and more in the [world], and it excites wonder” (Reflections on the Psalms). And that's what good questions do, they open our eyes to the world, and they give us wonder. :)

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Death Be Not Proud

DEATH be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better then thy stroake; why swell'st thou then;
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

John Donne

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Morning Bread

Eight loaves of fresh bread and morning sunshine ...

Mommy said it reminded her of France...

It was lovely.

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Sunshine and Flowers

After three days of gloomy clouds, it's nice to go and out and see the sun again. :)

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Finding Joy

I had a pile of homework. Math homework. No more literature classes, no more language classes, no science, just math. And lots of it. Smiles weren't all that abundant, and I sat on my bed rather drearily marking numbers.

Giggles and smiles entered the room, in the form of my two younger sisters. They talked so fast I could hardly understand them. Jasmine had earned four free tickets to American Idol for today, a live showing, and they were both super-excited. I smiled. I was happy for them. I helped them safety pin their pants, sweaters, dresses. We were all smiling now. I took a picture of them, with their sign (no idea how they plan to get that past security). Then, they left. The house was oddly quiet.

I sat down on my bed again, looked at the stack of homework. And I was happy. Not for my math, that's for sure, but for my sisters. Their joy had seeped in and overwhelmed my (silly) moodiness.

Sometimes, many times, we can find our joy simply by looking at the joys of others. It's so infectious, even if we don't realize it. God's blessings are simply so abundant, even when we think we're in a bad spot, just look around, and we'll see sunshine and smiles. We can find our joy in the joy of others. :)

Younger Sisters and their sign

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