kathrynzj hosts this week's quick pick Friday 5; here's her quick how-to:
"five quick picks of things that are good in your life. And as a bonus, 1 pick for a thing you could do without.
If you want to describe them? Great.
If not? That's fine too."
Not surprisingly, [originally] I'm blogging in rose for Laetare...
1. the liturgical year remains constant, healing and familiar, yet frequently surprising;
2. alongside the liturgical seasons, the rhythms of the astronomical and meteorological seasons;
3. food! burritos, sandwiches, nachos, pasta, tacos, ice cream... you know about cognitive behavioral therapy? Another way anyone can help make almost everything more tolerable and, of course, that includes:
4. music on radio, iPod and CD... and I'd love to start performing again, too, and leading music in church. Is that such an extreme request and desire?
5. my Facebook design page! Although I'd like to find time to add more of my art as well as more pages and galleries from fans and more design- nature- and environment-related links, it's fulfilling my hope and its description of "...bringing a vision of the New Creation and creating community for people in the visual arts and their friends... " and has almost 500 fans! As insanely frustrated and perplexed as I am about lack of music and theology opps, I'm still delighted I got back to art and design, which were my very first passions (before kindergarten, actually)...
bonus. for sure I could do without the too long a time of attempting to reach out and find reasonable opportunities for participation in church and world. For sure southern California and the 21st century don't exactly enhance the situation, but... I'll leave this one at that. Thanks, Kathryn!
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
poetry party: jubilee edition
Abbey of the Arts poetry party 50
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
Isaiah 35:1-2
Christine says, "I invite you to write a poem this week about this dual call of the desert and springtime. How do you experience the invitation to simplicity? How do you embrace the new life springing forth in your heart?"
I've illustrated this text from 1st Isaiah several times, but today I'm including Christine's sunny photograph of crocuses—something else I've been known to draw and paint on occasion.
This is the 50th poetry party, so it's the Jubilee edition! In the biblical Jubilee Year, debts are forgiven, land lays fallow and rests, and all creation rejoices in a new reality of freedom. Luke 4 records Jesus' fulfillment of Isaiah 61: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives ... To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
this time
simplicity needs to seek me out
new life needs first to embrace me
weariness overwhelms me
my head, heart, spirit and will
remain far too broken
and winter has been too long
yet we know the story—
when winter’s gone
the ground springs to life
love surprises us again
creation is healed
all creation is free to be
it is easter!
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
Isaiah 35:1-2
Christine says, "I invite you to write a poem this week about this dual call of the desert and springtime. How do you experience the invitation to simplicity? How do you embrace the new life springing forth in your heart?"
I've illustrated this text from 1st Isaiah several times, but today I'm including Christine's sunny photograph of crocuses—something else I've been known to draw and paint on occasion.
This is the 50th poetry party, so it's the Jubilee edition! In the biblical Jubilee Year, debts are forgiven, land lays fallow and rests, and all creation rejoices in a new reality of freedom. Luke 4 records Jesus' fulfillment of Isaiah 61: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me … to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives ... To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
this timesimplicity needs to seek me out
new life needs first to embrace me
weariness overwhelms me
my head, heart, spirit and will
remain far too broken
and winter has been too long
yet we know the story—
when winter’s gone
the ground springs to life
love surprises us again
creation is healed
all creation is free to be
it is easter!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Adelaide Joy
Sara, my former next-door neighbor, recently had a daughter after four wonderful boys; here's her blog about the amazing news: …A Girl!
Last August Sara blogged:
It's exciting that Adelaide Joy arrived on earth at the start of the second decade of the 21st century. Those of us who anticipated a new millennium also had some anxieties about computers rolling over without reverting to pre-historic or antediluvian dates, which never happened, anyway. The 1990s had been a little retro and a lot of light, bright, clean, green and natural; 2000 - 2010 continued the trend, adding a marked multicultural, international sensibility. That first decade is over, and Adelaide starts her new life at the beginning of the 2nd, and in such a great setting! Derek, her dad teaches at BYU-Idaho, a university with a familiar, world-renowned reputation but the Idaho campus is trying new, non-traditional learning models, just as a brand-new 21st century baby will be exploring life in ways people who experienced the 20th century might not imagine.
Sara and Derek are outstanding parents to their four boys. They're bright, intelligent, well-educated and mature (but definitely lots of fun). Adelaide has been born into a large, faithful family and as Latter-day Saints often describe it, she has been "born in the covenant," providing her a healthy and nurturing setting. She'll learn the scriptures, attend church and Sunday school; she'll be baptized and take the sacrament every Sunday. Sara wondered "Will she want to hold fast to her testimony?" Gradually Adelaide will step outside of her first space of family and church, into schools and other organizations where she'll meet strangers, choose her own friends and be friended by others. Eventually and necessarily she'll begin defining her unique identity that will grow, change and expand throughout her life as she becomes a citizen of the world and take her place amidst the rest of creation. Adelaide Joy eventually may go to school and live outside the state of Idaho. Will she hold fast to her testimony? She'll meet people who are members of other Christian denominations, people of other major faith traditions and people with no religion or spirituality at all. She may have major doubts.
On one of my blogs Sara commented she'd heard that to remember is to live the gospel in one word—how excellent, how straightforward is that? Throughout scripture we hear a refrain of remember, remember, remember... Adelaide will remember God's charge to trust and obey; she'll carry and treasure memories of family, friends, and the narratives of scripture. All those will help guide her journey as part of the people of God in every time and every place. Will Adelaide hold fast to her testimony? Throughout the ages, the Church throughout the ages has testified most of all of the grace and faithfulness of God, the God who first remembers us...
Welcome to the world, Adelaide Joy!
Last August Sara blogged:
...I am thrilled to think that there will be a little girl coming into our lives and a little nervous; will I know what to do with her after all this boy training?Adelaide Joy was Madison County's New Year's Baby!...will I be the kind of role model she needs me to be? Will she say someday as I say so often "I learned it by watching my Mom". ... Will she want to hold fast to her testimony because she knew that her mother held fast to hers? Will she want to know the Savior because her mother sought to know Him? I can only do my best, take things one day at a time and pray that I can be all those things I think a little girl deserves in a mother.
It's exciting that Adelaide Joy arrived on earth at the start of the second decade of the 21st century. Those of us who anticipated a new millennium also had some anxieties about computers rolling over without reverting to pre-historic or antediluvian dates, which never happened, anyway. The 1990s had been a little retro and a lot of light, bright, clean, green and natural; 2000 - 2010 continued the trend, adding a marked multicultural, international sensibility. That first decade is over, and Adelaide starts her new life at the beginning of the 2nd, and in such a great setting! Derek, her dad teaches at BYU-Idaho, a university with a familiar, world-renowned reputation but the Idaho campus is trying new, non-traditional learning models, just as a brand-new 21st century baby will be exploring life in ways people who experienced the 20th century might not imagine.
Sara and Derek are outstanding parents to their four boys. They're bright, intelligent, well-educated and mature (but definitely lots of fun). Adelaide has been born into a large, faithful family and as Latter-day Saints often describe it, she has been "born in the covenant," providing her a healthy and nurturing setting. She'll learn the scriptures, attend church and Sunday school; she'll be baptized and take the sacrament every Sunday. Sara wondered "Will she want to hold fast to her testimony?" Gradually Adelaide will step outside of her first space of family and church, into schools and other organizations where she'll meet strangers, choose her own friends and be friended by others. Eventually and necessarily she'll begin defining her unique identity that will grow, change and expand throughout her life as she becomes a citizen of the world and take her place amidst the rest of creation. Adelaide Joy eventually may go to school and live outside the state of Idaho. Will she hold fast to her testimony? She'll meet people who are members of other Christian denominations, people of other major faith traditions and people with no religion or spirituality at all. She may have major doubts.
On one of my blogs Sara commented she'd heard that to remember is to live the gospel in one word—how excellent, how straightforward is that? Throughout scripture we hear a refrain of remember, remember, remember... Adelaide will remember God's charge to trust and obey; she'll carry and treasure memories of family, friends, and the narratives of scripture. All those will help guide her journey as part of the people of God in every time and every place. Will Adelaide hold fast to her testimony? Throughout the ages, the Church throughout the ages has testified most of all of the grace and faithfulness of God, the God who first remembers us...
Welcome to the world, Adelaide Joy!
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