Of Sisters, Sun, and Blueberries

My beautiful and crazy-but-so-lovable sister with me at my graduation last year.  Now she'll be graduating in just a few weeks!!!

"Let us approach Him with songs and thanksgiving and sing joyful songs to the Lord" (Psalm 95:2).

This morning, I am thankful for:

1. The sun!!
2. Oatmeal with blueberries
3. My wonderful sister who simultaneously makes me laugh and keeps me sane. She has finished her final semester of college and will be graduating in just a few short weeks!

What is making you smile this morning?

Tuesday Teatime: Dazzlingly Clever

Happy Tuesday, friends! A bit of a lighter video today. Question: Would you rather be divinely beautiful, dazzlingly clever, or angelically good?

Snippets of an Age Gone By

I was charmed by this little cottage in Kensington Gardens while walking the other day. I have no idea what it is, but my guess is that it at one time housed the gardener. It really has nothing to do with this post except that it's a cottage...though considerably nicer than the ones mentioned in the book I'm about to share with you...

I finally finished reading Lark Rise to Candleford, which I picked up after watching two seasons of the television adaptation (wrong way around, I know). To call it well-written or a pleasant read wouldn't do it justice. I really did have the sense that I was getting a privileged look back through the looking-glass of time and peering in the window of a cottage in the English countryside of the 1880s and 1890s. Before I return the book to the library today (because it is long overdue) I want to share some passages with you that particularly struck me.

"These tea-drinkings were never premeditated. One neighbor would drop in, then another, and another would be beckoned to from the doorway or fetched in to settle some disputed point....As they settled around the room to enjoy their cup of tea, some would have babies at the breast or toddlers playing 'bo-peep' with their aprons, and others would have sewing or knitting in their hands....This tea-drinking time was the women's hour" (108-9).

"And all the time boys were being born or growing up in the parish, expecting to follow the plough all their lives, or, at most, to do a little mild soldiering or go to work in a town. Gallipoli? Kut? Vimy Ridge? Ypres? What did they know of such places? But they were to know them, and when the time came they did not flinch. Eleven out of that tiny community never came back again" (247).

"She liked her cousins' house, too. It was old, with little flights of steps going up or down in unexpected places. Aunt Ann's parlour had a piano across one corner and a a soft green carpet the colour of faded moss. The windows were wide open and there was a delicious scent of wallflowers and tea and cake and cobbler's wax" (316).

"Nearer at hand were the trees and bushes and wild-flower patches beside the path she had trodden daily. The pond where the yellow brandyball waterlillies grew, the little birch thicket where the long-tailed [birds] had congregated, the boathouse where she had sheltered from the thunderstorm and seend the rain plash like leaden bullets into the leaden water, and the hillock beyond from which she had seen the perfect rainbow. She was never to see any of these again, but she was to carry a mental picture of them, to be recalled at will, through the changing scenes of a lifetime" (537).

Thompson, Flora. Lark Rise to Candleford: A Trilogy. 1945. Penguin Books: London, 1973.

Nighttime

Sunset over the Thames

Protect us, Lord, as we stay awake;

Watch over us as we sleep,

That awake, we may keep watch with Christ

And asleep, rest in His peace.

Liebster Award

I was so surprised and honored when Gabrielle at a dabbler's journal told me last Tuesday that she had nominated me to participate in the Liebster Award! It is awarded to bloggers with fewer than 200 followers to give smaller blogs a better chance of being discovered and read. Liebster Award nominations on other blogs have introduced me to some of my now favorite blogs, so I was already a huge fan of the scheme. Then add in the fact that, according to Gabrielle's research, 'liebster' means 'dearest' in German, and I think this award scheme is one of the cutest ideas around.

THE RULES

• Link back to the blogger who nominated you (Gabrielle at a dabbler's journal).
• Answer the eleven questions the blogger gave you.
• Nominate other bloggers (of an undefined amount--as many or as few as you'd like).
• Create eleven new questions for them to answer.
• Notify the new nominees of their award.

GABRIELLE'S QUESTIONS

What book do you wish you had written?
Oh, that's tough.  I should probably say something about one of the great literary classics I love.  But instead, I think I'm going with Little House on the Prairie.  It was my absolute favorite book (and series) growing up, and as a child, I always fervently wished I could travel back in time and get to live like Laura Ingalls Wilder did.  If I had written the book...I guess that would mean I was Laura...and would have lived through the experiences.  I also toy around with the idea of writing a children's book someday, and I would love to be able to write with such childlike simplicity.

What's your opinion of Pinterest?
What a good question!  So I actually really like Pinterest.  I don't pin all that often, but I've gotten some really good ideas there for new recipes and ways to do my hair (as it has gotten really long and I haven't been able to have it cut!).  I also use it sort of as a pick-me-up or re-inspiration place.  So most of my boards are full of images of beauty and quotations resounding in truth that I turn to when I'm feeling a bit low.  All that said, I think it's really important to remember that Pinterest is not an accurate representation of real life.  I read a fantastic article a few months ago on one of my favorite websites reminding us to keep Pinterest in perspective.  You can find it here.

What three words would describe you?
This one has taken me the longest to answer. I guess I would have to say hardworking (because I'd really rather be working than relaxing, as unhealthy as that probably is), anxious (because I do tend to worry about everything, especially in an attempt to avoid offending or upsetting others), and cheerful (because I think I do view the world and life in a more upbeat way than some others do).

How did you name your blog?
I named it after St. Therese of Lisieux's "Little Way" in the hopes that I might follow her footsteps to heaven. I've loved and really identified with everything she wrote and said about the "Little Way" ever since I first read about it.  You can read more about what she means to me and why I named my blog what I did on the "About the Blog" page above.

Do you like brussel sprouts?

I try really hard to, and I eat them even though I'm not the biggest fan of them.  The only time I've ever had brussel sprouts and genuinely enjoyed them is when my mother roasted them in olive oil with onions and a bunch of other vegetables.  But regular old boiled brussel sprouts?  Not exactly at the top of my list.

What is the quality or virtue you most admire in your best friend?
My best friend has so, so many good qualities that it's hard to choose.  I think, though, that I would have to say her laugh. She has a great laugh that makes me want to join along and also helps me see the humor in everyday situations. It's a great encouragement to remember not to take life too seriously all the time.

What myers-briggs temperament are you?
To be honest, I didn't have a chance to take the quiz again, and I just took it a year ago.  (I have a very vivid memory of sitting around our common room late one Friday night and marveling with my roommates at how creepily accurate the test and our descriptions were.)  If I'm remembering correctly, I think I'm an INFJ.

Which book in the Bible is your favorite?

Another hard question!  But I would probably have to say the Gospel of John.  It's written so poetically, which means a lot to this literature teacher.

If you could learn to speak any language, what would it be?

Definitely French.  First of all, it's such a beautiful language, and second, it would be so helpful when traveling.  I had the option to take French in high school but opted for Spanish instead because I thought it would be more practical, especially as a future teacher. I don't regret taking it, but I do wish I had taken French as well...

What was the last book you read?
The last book I finished was Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens, but it took me an embarrassingly long time. I started and finished a couple of other novels between the time I started and finished Nicholas Nickleby including Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte) and Summer (Edith Wharton). Just because it took me six months (yes...six months...) to read Nicholas Nickleby doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it, though! I thought the characters were hilarious, and the plot was entertaining.  The nice thing about Dickens is that since he wrote in serial form anyway, it is actually possible to put it down for a week and pick it back up without forgetting anything.

Do you like or dislike meeting new people?
Well, it completely depends on the situation.  I like meeting new people in very small groups of one or two. So meeting a friend of a friend for tea? Yes. Meeting all my new co-workers at once? NO.

MY QUESTIONS

1. If you could have been born in a different era, what year/decade/era would you choose?
2. What is your favorite fruit?
3. What is your favorite way to pray?
4. Do you prefer routine or spontaneity? 
5. What is your biggest pet peeve?
6. If you could spend the afternoon with one fictional character, who would it be, and why?
7. Are you a cat person or a dog person? (Or neither??)
8. What was your favorite subject in school?
9. Do you play any instruments?
10. Do you prefer mountain scenery or the ocean?
11. Do you always sit in the same part of the church for mass?

NOMINEES

Elizabeth at Christi Crux Est Mea Lux

Niki at A Catholic Heart for Home

Elizabeth at Sincere Simplicity

 

Tuesday Teatime: Gratitude

Significantly less polished and more personal/emotional than the previous two, but I hope it makes some sense. (Also, does anyone else have trouble finding good thumbnails?  My thumbnail options for videos are always awful.  I make too many weird expressions when I talk!)

Happy Tuesday, everyone :)

Hearts and Minds

My church in the early morning

So it's back to work today, and I am very excited.  (Embarrassing confession: I actually had trouble sleeping last night because I was so eager to get back. There is really nothing I'd rather be doing than teaching and talking about literature all day.)

In the spirit of a return to academics, I thought I'd share with you all a question I had when reading yesterday's Gospel reading, and perhaps those of you with more knowledge (or just a questioning mind like mine!) would like to share your thoughts?

This line struck me in particular while meditating on the passage: "Then He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts?'" (Luke 24:38).  In other versions, it is translated as: "But He said, 'Why are you agitated, and why are these doubts stirring in your hearts?'" It was the word 'heart' that struck me as interesting. I don't know about you, but when I have questions and doubts, I associate them with my mind, not my heart. I figured that perhaps it was a loose translation, and 'heart' stood in for mind as well here...until I kept reading.  Just a few lines later, we come to: "Then He opened their minds to understand the scriptures" (Luke 24:45). Hmm. So why hearts in the first case and minds in the second?

My Latin is not fantastic (and my Greek is nonexistent, so I was unable to trace it all the way back), but the distinction certainly exists at least in the Latin version. Jesus specifically mentions their hearts first, and their minds/senses second:

"Et dixit eis: 'Quid turbati estis, et quare cogitationes ascendunt in corda vestra?'"

"Tunc aperuit illis sensum, ut intellegerent Scripturas."

I don't pretend to be an expert on these matters by any means, but I saw a distinction here between the part of us that feels (heart) and the part of us that thinks (mind). And I then took from it the message that we must not let ourselves get upset when we do not understand something. We are not meant to know everything and indeed cannot, and that is a message that this perfectionist sorely needed to hear. We can strive for knowledge, but knowledge of the Truth comes from and through God, and I will try to remain peaceful and content even amidst confusion. 

That does not mean we should avoid thinking and questioning and struggling with pursuits of the mind.  No, actually quite the opposite. We should question and ponder, but we must not be discouraged when we stumble upon questions we cannot answer. 

I guess this post is a perfect example of what I am trying (and, I think, failing) to express. God is too great for me to fully comprehend, and I will never know exactly why Christ made a distinction between hearts and minds in the passage cited. But I can ponder and discuss with others and think, and I can remain peaceful even with the knowledge that I can never perfectly comprehend. 

So what do you think?  Do you agree? Disagree? Why the distinction between hearts and minds in this passage? Or do you think it doesn't matter, and I am making much out of little? I am so curious, and while I am content in the fact that I will probably never know for sure, I am eager to discuss and learn and grow with you all. 

Have a blessed Monday, everyone.

Good Morning!

Regent's Park, London

At dawn let me hear of Your kindness,

for in You I trust.

Show me the path I should walk,

for to You I entrust my life.

Psalm 143:8

Simple Pleasures

I. Strawberries
Yes. I know it is not yet strawberry season. But please don't burst my bubble, and let me just pretend for a moment that they're coming into season right now...

II. Open windows
I am such a huge fan of natural light (As my college roommates will know...I annoyed one endlessly our freshman year because I consistently slept with the shade open to let sunlight into the room in the morning. But that sunlight shone right in her face and woke her up at dawn many a morning. Oops. I'm still apologizing for that one.) But when natural light and fresh air and natural warmth can all be combined? There is nothing better. Friends, there is nothing better than an open window in the spring.

III. Stationary
I've grown tired of tearing pages out of my notebooks to write letters on. So with a gift card I forgot I had (yay for cleaning; it's like going on a treasure hunt!) I bought some cream paper and envelopes for letter writing this week.

IV. Picnics in parks with friends
A fleece blanket on warm grass. Salad and ham sandwiches and mango. Overlooking the Thames, a nearby bridge, a British flag blowing majestically. Reading and chatting and laughing. (Sunburns.) SUCH a pleasant afternoon.

V. Colorful dresses and cardigans again
Greens, and pinks, and blues--oh my!

VI. Good books
I'm reading Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson right now, and it is making me so happy. Its descriptions of days-gone-by inspire me to live a simpler life. And I can't get past the impression that it is simply a British version of my beloved Little House on the Prairie series...

VII. Good music
See yesterday's post...

VIII. Travel plans
One month from today, I'll be flying home for my sister's graduation, and I am SO EXCITED.

IX. Lesson planning
Yes, this is a pleasure haha. After dreaming of being a teacher for so long, I really enjoy even the things others who have been at it longer than I have find mundane. Give me some lessons to plan, papers to mark, or reports to write. I'll be smiling!! Plus, it's especially fun at the moment because I am planning the upcoming term and thinking about how the next couple of months as a whole will go.

X. Time
I have never been particularly good at taking vacation time. I used to drive my mother crazy during the summer because I wanted to go back to school so badly. (I know; I was an odd child.) And to be entirely honest, this Easter break has been a bit of a struggle. I'm not used to having such long breaks in the middle of the school year! But when I started feeling lazy and guilty for not doing more work, it occurred to me that I shouldn't be unhappy with a lack of work to do. God has given me time to take a break from everything and just enjoy life. It is unlikely that I will find myself with so much spare time again anytime soon, and instead of wishing it away, I realized that God probably wanted me to enjoy the season of life in which I find myself.

After that realization, the break has gotten much better. I've taken the time to walk around London, read, sleep, write, and yes--blog. I've never blogged so frequently before, and I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't have this time off right now. It has been incredibly fulfilling and will be something I try to keep up (though not quite as frequently) when I go back to work next week.

Tuesday Teatime: Favorite Music

Round two!  Question: What is some of your favorite music?  (See below for links to some of the pieces I mention in the video!)

Watch / LISTEN and enjoy!! :)

"As You stretch forth Your hand to heal"

"And now, Lord...enable Your servants to speak Your word with all boldness, as You stretch forth Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are done through the name of Your holy servant Jesus" (Acts 4:29-30).

Days that begin with scripture are always better days for me, and I hope they are for you too. No matter where you are or what you're doing this Monday morning, remember that God is there to support you when you triumph and to heal you when you break. He is there working wonders in your everyday life. Now go look for them, and I will too! :)

The Week in Pictures

I've been doing so much walking this week and snapping random photos along the way that I have quite the bank of pictures stored up. If I don't share them now, I'm afraid I'll forget they exist!

The amount of tea I've had this week is a bit ridiculous.  And the amount of cake with that tea? Bordering on (no, definitely) unhealthy. But exploring London's glorious vintage tea rooms has been one of the best parts of this holiday. And I'm happy to say that I did make time for letter writing as I hoped to the other day.

 

Please look at that tea cozy. And at that chocolate orange cake...

I finally made it to Westminster Cathedral like I've been meaning to all year. I went for Good Friday mass, and I am so happy I did. Not only was the atmosphere of solemn beauty especially appropriate for Good Friday, but the people there were of the friendliest sort. As I waited in line for the Reverence of the Cross after mass, the older woman ahead of me noticed I was alone. So she and I struck up a very hushed conversation. It turns out she is from Ireland and was feeling rather alone too. God is good in even the smallest of ways, isn't He?

Kensington Palace on Easter Sunday

The many, many blooming daffodils outside Kensington Palace on Easter. Walking up Kensington High Street, through Kensington Gardens, and then through Knightsbridge to Gloucester Road was a lovely way to spend the afternoon. Statues of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, as well as Royal Albert Hall, pictured below.

I spent Tuesday walking through Belgravia and happened upon 65 Eaton Place, which after doing a little research, I confirmed was the model for 165 Eaton Place on the tv series "Upstairs Downstairs." So that was exciting haha.

Apple blossoms in Belgravia, near Sloane Square. So, so lovely.

Harrods, which is one of the scarier stores I've ever been in. While the food hall and the Egyptian rooms are incredible, I did feel rather as if I was going to break something by accident and be made to pay 700 pounds. I'm glad I've been in, but I'll probably never do it again!

The trees beginning to blossom on a street near home :)

Old Friends

Birthday party when we were about six.  I'm second from the left.  Old Friend (though they're all old friends really but I'm protecting her anonymity) is second from the right.

Make new friends

But keep the old

One is silver

And the other gold

I remember singing the song above as a young child in Girl Scouts. And its meaning has never been as clear as it is now, far from home with a few new friends and lots of old ones.  

In college, I had my new college friends and my old childhood friends. Now I have a few new London friends and old college friends as well as old childhood friends. I'm learning that as I enter each new stage of life, my circle of old friends grows larger, and it seems to become more and more difficult to stay in touch.  

I have to admit that I have a bad tendency to focus so much on my life here in London that I neglect messages from old friends. Especially if the email or letter is particularly long and detailed, I push it off until I "can give it more attention." And then suddenly, it's been two months and I have never responded to a message or a letter from a dear old friend.  

But one of my best friends from childhood, whom I've known since age five and actually was in that Girl Scout troop with me, has just decided she is going to come visit me next month!! I don't deserve the generous gift of her visit; as our lives have moved in different directions, I have been particularly bad about keeping up with her. But she is happily willing to put aside her own life for a week, pay for an expensive and long journey, and make the trip out here to visit with me, and I could not be more grateful or more excited.  

She and I talked on the phone for almost an hour last night, and it's not just a saying: we really did pick up right where we left off. She and I have grown into very different people, and we may not be friends if we met each other today. But old friends are so, so special in their own way. Because she has seen me at my lowest points, she knows how to comfort me. Because she has been with me as my dreams have come true--she was the first person outside of my family I called when I got into Harvard--she knows what is important to me and how to support me. She brings a different perspective to the troubles of today because she was there with me for all the troubles of yesterday.  

So I have recommitted myself to prioritizing friendship in my life. Last year, in a senior reflection group at college, one of my classmates remarked that friends and family are the bedrock of any happy life. When your relationships are in a good place, you will be in a good place. When they are struggling, you will struggle. I think there is a lot of truth to that.  

I want to be better about responding to email and letters and messages. I want to take the time out of my day to write letters and make phone calls. Old friends are too precious to lose, and I am so happy to have been reminded. Go ahead and reach out to an old friend today.  It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last spoke.  There will always be more than enough to say to each other.

Someone's 7th birthday party.  I have my hand under my chin, and Old Friend is next to me making a face.

High school graduation.  I'm on the left, and Old Friend is on the right.  Our other dear old friend is in the middle.

The three of us now!  Summer 2014.

'Please'

There is so much that God does and so much beauty He creates that pleases me.  Now how can I please Him?

'I try to act solely to please our Lord.'

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

While reading some more of St. Thérèse of Lisieux's thoughts last night, I was struck by the number of times she mentioned her wish to please God. Of course, I hope we all wish to please God on some level.  But St. Thérèse wrote of actively looking for ways to please God in daily life.  She walked around asking herself, 'What can I do, whom can I serve, what can I give in this moment that will please God?' (my paraphrase, not her words).

So as I prayed before bed, I asked God to help me be more mindful during the day.  I don't want to just think about how to please God in theory; I want it to be a real part of daily life.  I want to stop and ask myself, 'Will this choice please God?'

But in order to do that, I need to better understand what it means 'to please.'  So lover of language that I am, I puzzled over the meanings and etymology of 'please' as I laid awake trying to sleep. Hang in there with me--I promise that all the parsing of language coming up has a point.

As far as I can tell, there are two distinct but related definitions and usages of 'please':

1. Adverb used in polite requests or questions, as in 'Would you pass the salt, please?'
2. Verb meaning to cause happiness and pleasure, as in 'Music pleases me.'

Something I had never before considered but that makes complete sense now is that 'please' must be etymologically related to 'pleasure'.  Indeed, 'please' is a shortened version of the once-oft-used phrase 'if you please,' which uses the verb form of 'please.' Using that phrase instead of the adverb 'please,' we come up with this request: 'If you please, would you pass the salt?' Written this way, the request seems to open up to us a whole new meaning; the asker implies that there is some sort of pleasure involved in granting a request.  

Now, the way the above question is phrased makes the request conditional...the second person does not have to pass the salt if it will not give him pleasure to do so. But here is my point: I think helping and giving should always give pleasure.  And once I stumbled upon that truth, I realized that I can best please God by giving to others...by anticipating requests before they're made and filling them joyfully. I want to take pleasure in the filling of requests and needs, both spoken and unspoken. 

So today, I am asking myself whether I give joyfully, willingly, generously, happily. Can I challenge myself to take pleasure in giving my time, talent, and treasure even when I don't think I want to? Even when it would be awkward or uncomfortable or inconvenient to give the homeless man on the corner some spare change? Even when I really want to sleep, but a friend needs to talk? When someone annoys or offends me, can I joyfully give her the benefit of the doubt and try to see her good intention? When a colleague asks me to do more tedious proofreading because it is one of my strengths, can I take pleasure in the task, knowing that it will help her?  If you please, would you, reader, join me on this quest?? :)  

St. Thérèse quotation taken from The Little Way of St Thérèse of Lisieux: In her own words published by the Catholic Truth Society.

Tuesday Teatime: Springtime

Hello everyone!  So...here's something new.  Although it scares me a bit, I've recorded a video in response to Clare's (sweetwakings@blogspot.com) Tuesday Teatime question. I LOVE this idea, and I'm so glad Clare decided to do it again!! It's a little virtual community of likeminded women talking about a different subject each week.  The idea is that it'll be sort of like a group of friends gathered around a table and chatting over tea.  So, without further ado, my contribution: