back to the old year

reflections on Christmas:
I must say this Christmas for me ranks in the top ones in my memory. Maybe because the food was so good and plentiful. Maybe because of giving and receiving gifts. But not really. I think it really had more to do with the fact with the people I spent the holiday with, and the people that cared about the meaning of Christmas. We read some excerpts from the OT and NT which were good and put the focus in the right place. And we all - it seemed, for perhaps one of the first times- all cared to put the focus on the right place. On top of that, I got to visit with two of my cousins on my Mom's side - Kevin and Kenneth, who are tres fun people to be around, and I am only sad that we see so little of each other, but hopefully email will keep us better in touch (I also promised Kevin to make mention of him on my blog, props to him for actually reading my blog ;)
... AND I got to see my dad's brother Rod, and my cousins Jon and Sara, who in all honesty, I may not have seen in close to a decade. Pretty crazy. They are very cool, huge VT fans, so we'll have to see who triumphs in the sugar bowl - Tech or Auburn. This is a close one for me. Mom is for Auburn, Dad is for Tech... so I'm in the middle. Since I'm actually from the state of Alabama, and I've never lived in the state of Virginia, I lean towards Auburn on this one... I just try not to mention that to my Dad too much or he might disown me ( j/k ;)

so you could say I'm back in the swing of things. Except I'm not really. This week is pretty abnormal (3 days of work), not to mention, this is the end of the year, and supposedly in about 4 days everything begins "anew." New Years are not particularly significant to me. It is fun to have a party and hang out with people, to have an excuse to celebrate [trip down memory lane: one of the best New Year's was when I was in high school, we had a "progressive new year's party" where we hopped between 3 houses during the celebration that night... in the end, we crashed on my basement floor under the pool table, ha], but nothing really changes for me. I used to make resolutions. Except I don't always stick to them. (But if I decide to make any, I'll let you know ;) Sometimes I look forward to the "new year" because of some pending event that I approach with great anticipation. Perhaps it used to be a vacation with family, high school graduation, going to college, going back to college, going to Europe, college graduation, going to Alaska... but as I look at 2005, there is only one thing to look forward to (in the sense of actual events) - and that would be: weddings. I have 3 weddings already scheduled to attend (one each in April, May, June) (and in 3 different states nonetheless: Kentucky, Florida, New York). So I can look forward to those. But as for my personal life, well, just me and Alyosha and an apartment and anticipation only of what God may have in store, because I have nothing myself in store. (if that makes sense)

other notes: just finished reading Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton. He actually talks a lot about Christianity as an adventure. I will have to put some quotes up to reflect on, so stay tuned.

another survey!
I previously asked about favorite poets/poems
How about: favorite artists/pieces of art/genre of art/museums of art
and as for the converse: least favorite genre (which usually boils down, for me, to the genre I lease understand.... which would be modern art. I like some of it, but other times... I just want to laugh because it is absurd. and maybe that is the point....)
and for favorites? well... one of my favorite museums is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, it is huge and amazing. I also loved the Musee d' Orsay in Paris. Of course, when it comes to art, I love Ansel Adams' photography. In Washington, D.C. I loved the Cole paintings about the River of Life at the National Gallery. I also loved at the Vatican the School of Athens painting (haha, classic, eh?) by Raphael along with the other 3 paintings in that room (names eluding me right now, I'll look it up) I remember journaling about specific pieces of artwork when I was in Europe, so I'll have to revisit my journals and update this post. But on with the survey! ;)

merry Christmas

(that's all, really... be merry, celebrate Christ, and you can't go wrong :)

another road trip.

and so I found myself in Annapolis once again. It was a tiring weekend, but worth it to celebrate at Rhonda's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony. I appreciated the focus on God as opposed to simply the bride and groom. Not to mention, they had swing dancing at the reception ;)

My car is pretty disgusting looking. I had to drive 4 hours or more with constant snowfall. It was a long drive home... and now I have to hang in here for 4 days before getting a 4 day Christmas vacation. ... ... ... which also means: more updates on my blog! yeehaw. I think I would become a college professor just so I could have the college schedule: breaks between classes during the day, long Christmas vacation, spring breaks, not to mention summer... ... ...

talked about the sense of futility one can have towards life with friends in Annapolis. I think it is important for me to remember Solomon's words- that everything is actually meaningless under the sun, but to remember all the more that "everything under the sun" is not everything in existence... for everything beyond and above and greater than this sun and this earth and this world would be God Himself, the Divine plan and Heavenly hope, and this is not meaningless. I have been feeling a sense of meaninglessness lately at my job. That feeling that your soul is being pounded to numbness, feeling lost and without hope. This is not a good place to remain long. It is good to remember that though things seem futile or meaningless, God can redeem all this and change these feelings to those of hope. hmm. Makes me think about the first time I held a gun in my hand and learned to fire it. Terror: the feeling that I could take someone's life, or someone could take mine, but someone who would have no right to do so. Only laws and "conscience" restrains such. But along with this terror, the thought that no one has a right to take my life, whereas, what if one had the right? What if there was no veil of "conscience" or law to stay one's hand? That being shot was merited by another? A heightened fear, and awe that if this were the case, why am I alive? It would have to be due to sheer mercy if I deserved to die and yet lived on, as I do now. Then the thought: God has every right to take my life. I do deserve to die. So does God point a gun at me perpetually? Threatening me with death at every second? No... instead, I feel His mercy all the more, His mercy that fills me with awe, for though I deserve to die, His mercy triumphs over His judgment. I have been given grace! Grace is not meaningless, and living to share this Grace is not meaningless either...

(Rhonda's marriage would be without hope without God. But God gives her and Jared meaning for their life together, and hope in Him. His Grace will be with them. What great meaning!)