Character Crux

I've been reading a lovely biography on Amelia Earhart (if you're interested, it's called East to the Dawn, by Susan Butler), and with every chapter I'm amazed at the way she's able to carry herself through difficult times. I wasn't aware of how strenuous her childhood was, and I truly admire how well she could mask her problems in order to keep her friends and relations at ease. I often find myself at a crux when it comes to dealing with tight or strenuous situations: I feel as though I need people's help and advice at times when I feel alone, but at the same time I'm concerned that I'm burdening them with news of the blues. I've found often throughout my life that I get along very well with mental blocks - with these in tow, I'm able to face a lot more. A tendency I have is to go into overdrive with sunshine and sugar when I speak or correspond with people. In this way, I keep them at ease and attempt to pour sunshine on my situation. In short, I turn things into a Pollyanna kind of world in attempt to bandage the situation. I've heard various stances on the way I handle this: some say that mental blocks are unhealthy, while others encourage me to keep my emotions to myself, never allowing them to spill onto my sleeve. Which is more healthy, I'd like to know? I believe that to a certain extent, everyone uses mental blocks - the way Amelia utilizes hers is quite ingenious, and I think, shows great strength of character. Proverbs mentions that the person who controls his spirit is better than he who takes a city (v. 16:32). So are we to keep our feelings to ourselves and allow time and concentration to aid our problems, or should we take our cares to others? Does it depend on the situation or the extremity? Unfortunately, life isn't as easy as the steps in a cook-book, but we also have a Roadmap and a Guide to help us through the difficulties. And in Amelia's case, we have planes. ;^)

Fiddlin' Around

Have you ever come across a song or a genre of song that calls for foot-tapping and dancing? Celtic music never fails to inspire such reactions on my part - I just can't keep still. I found this song recently and enjoyed it so much after the first line that I've decided to learn it. Lots of listening to come, since I don't have the sheet music for it: I'll have to learn it by ear instead. At least it will be ready for my family come November. I see lots of tiny tapping feet in the future!

What's Real

So I'm breaking the 9-3-9-3-9 pattern of posting I've had so far. It wasn't planned, and I wanted to keep it after I noticed (I like patterns and stability), but that would mean no posting till August. Anyways, I didn't just log on to post about something as insignificant as number patterns, so I'll move on...

God never passes up an opportunity to teach us something - even if we feel like we know it because we've read it hundreds of times in His Word. That really struck home this weekend in preparation for an uprooting. You see, there happens to be a weight limit when it comes to moving, and if that limit is exceeded, well, you pay a shiny penny for it. So this time around, we've had to let go of furniture that goes way back... to the time I was around two years old. Seeing these things given away to strangers was... harder than I had anticipated. Those weren't merely pieces of furniture, they were links to memories and special moments throughout my life so far. God was teaching me an important lesson through mom, who reminded me that we're not to rely on earthly treasures, but heavenly ones. Spend your emotion and care on human beings, not things. I'd heard that verse so many times during devotional and sermons that I could say it in my sleep. But I hadn't really lived it yet. And believe me, I lived it and learned it this weekend. It's hard when God decides to teach us lessons, but we come out of it stronger. Another scab is peeled away, even though it smarts. He's right, though - in the end, what's real in life? What will really matter tomorrow if it's there for you: the people who care about you or the object that collects dust elegantly?

A Little Weekend Humor...

Here's some fun for your Saturday morning, folks. Have a good weekend!

A Bit from The Sea-Bell

Another small bit of poetry - from Tolkien - that is too lovely not to share. Unfortunately the poem is so lengthy I didn't want to post it in full, so I'm putting my favorite part of it down. Do look up the rest of it if you can, reader. You will not be disappointed.

The Sea-Bell

I walked by the sea, and there came to me,

as a star-beam on the wet sand,

a white shell like a sea-bell;

trembling it lay in my wet hand.

In my fingers shaken I heard waken

a ding within, by a harbour bar

a buoy swinging, a call ringing

over endless seas, faint now and far.

Then I saw a boat silently float

on the night-tide, empty and grey.

'It is later than late! Why do we wait?'

I leapt in and cried: 'Bear me away!'

It bore me away, wetted with spray,

wrapped in a mist, wound in a sleep,

to a forgotten strand in a strange land.

In the twilight beyond the deep

I heard a sea-bell swing in the swell,

dinging, dinging, and the breakers roar

on the hidden teeth of a perilous reef;

and at last I cam to a long shore.

White it glimmered, and the sea simmered

with star-mirrors in a sliver net;

cliffs of stone pale as ruel-bone

in the moon-foam were gleaming wet.

Glittering sand slid through my hand,

dust of pearl and jewel-grist,

trumpets of opal, roses of coral,

flutes of green and amethyst.

.... to be continued at readers' requests or in poem-hunting.

Cookie-Cutter World

Do you ever wonder why society no longer produces geniuses? Inventors such as Thomas Edison, musicians such as Bach and Mozart, leaders like the Founding Fathers? I often wonder about this lack of brilliance... where has it gone? Although I'm far from an answer, I do have a thought or two about it.
Our society encourages uniqueness and independence -- at a surface level. Little children are encouraged to "be themselves" and "follow their dreams," but when it comes down to this sort of action, they are beaten into the same mold as everyone else. Soon we see young adults who look just like every one of their peers, in that cliche attempt to be "different." It's almost painful observing the cookie-cutter children: everyone of them the same as their gingerbread neighbor. When a child has a little more energy than the rest of his peers, he's branded with ADHD or some other unsettling disorder. When the child grows older and begins to ask questions about a concept he doesn't understand, he's moved to a class for those aren't as "bright" but are made to feel just as special... almost. Meanwhile, the book-ish, inquisitive child is branded as a "nerd" for not being like everyone else. When both of these children grow up and disagree with their cookie-cut society, they're made to feel like "haters" for being "intolerant." This is a world where being yourself ultimately means being whatever personality the authorities have destined for you. And they wonder why we have no more geniuses... only young people who are constant need of medicine for depression, electronics for amusement, and peers exactly their own age for comfort. Poor shattered human beings with a standardized system to raise them.

---------
I'd like to meet a few of these students diagnosed with ADHD, ask them what activities they're interested in and give them some home education and a basement packed with potential (like Edison's), and watch the results. Just remember that ADHD is fairly recent, compared to the unique characteristics of each individual.