tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-68602841511522360542024-02-19T12:55:34.878-05:00A Year of Reading RegularlyJulia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-67836538646408240182011-10-13T21:26:00.000-04:002011-10-13T21:26:23.208-04:00the white city<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymkeUVSiTqSGejf91Lej_2oOvZmWMc_dkc8zNVJ0byb1_QK_mj8RaNfogLUc_2EPwWx3M4pxTbMqjykn2ESSOVkHu566MdEWuWpwfl4kzIFOMMiwUA0kbj_DzRNd82wcZPClyDNeMUhw/s1600/devil+in+the+white+city.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgymkeUVSiTqSGejf91Lej_2oOvZmWMc_dkc8zNVJ0byb1_QK_mj8RaNfogLUc_2EPwWx3M4pxTbMqjykn2ESSOVkHu566MdEWuWpwfl4kzIFOMMiwUA0kbj_DzRNd82wcZPClyDNeMUhw/s200/devil+in+the+white+city.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s high time for an update!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I recently read the book </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Devil in the White City</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Erik Larson, a book deep with history and detail, but also rich with imagination and incredibly compelling. The author tells the story of the World’s Fair of 1893, which the City of Chicago hosted in celebration of the bicentennial of the Columbian exploration of the New World. But right alongside this story, Larson tells the fascinating tale of H.H. Holmes, a mass-murderer who ran a hotel during the time of the Fair and committed innumerable crimes during the span of two years. Sometimes the book really creeped me out, and I even had a dream about a murder while I was reading it (!), but mainly I was sucked into the story and the way the author intertwined the two tales. If you haven’t read it yet, I’d recommend it!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’ve wanted to read this book for years now - ever since it topped the bestseller list - but somehow reading it happened to coincide perfectly with my time in Chicago. It was amazing to read all about the city’s great architects as I rode and walked past buildings they built, places they visited, or scenery that inspired them. What’s more, during the time I spent reading this book, I also signed a lease on an apartment in Chicago! Yay :) I moved over the past weekend, and am so thrilled to be here and really look forward to spending more time exploring Chicago and all it has to offer. But right now, work has got me pretty occupied, as our annual meeting is in a week or so and I’m preparing for my first business trip! </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRn_N_2CFmUeCd6FAP2kIn2JnQL6IfZG1EGergRzm9MdrDRcLu1r852S69J57ilqF0eM9BSLvnq4FtLF-Ptlbl9iOP5PlXgEZZmSBv0h1BE7bTFDjC59E37jxUt08LhVx60ONu3A-0lA/s1600/have+a+little+faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRn_N_2CFmUeCd6FAP2kIn2JnQL6IfZG1EGergRzm9MdrDRcLu1r852S69J57ilqF0eM9BSLvnq4FtLF-Ptlbl9iOP5PlXgEZZmSBv0h1BE7bTFDjC59E37jxUt08LhVx60ONu3A-0lA/s200/have+a+little+faith.jpg" width="138" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In other reading news, I also read this little book by Mitch Albom called </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Have a Little Faith</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. I’ve never read anything by him, never got pulled into the whole </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Tuesdays with Morrie</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> thing, but now I’m rethinking it, because I really enjoyed this book. Just like </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Devil in the White City</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, this book is one great story made of two intertwining tales, one of a aging rabbi, one an inner-city Detroit pastor and missions director. This story reminded me yet again that we’re more similar than different, in the end, and that no matter what faith we have or what religion we stand behind that when we have a little faith the world is a better place. And as with most books I’ve read, I recommend this one, especially since it’s a quick yet powerful read. Now I’ve got to add some more Mitch Albom to my list..... But right now I’m reading </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Widow Cliquot</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the story of the woman behind Veuve Clicquot champagne. Earlier this year I read about Clicquot Inc.’s most recent <a href="http://1bookoneweek.blogspot.com/2011/04/finding-balance.html">female entrepreneur</a>, so I’ve been enjoying reading about it’s first. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-23321907220307836732011-09-10T18:23:00.000-04:002011-09-10T18:23:04.686-04:00what we've been given<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’ve got two great books to report on! Here goes:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjq7mewJrUzxlc-OCIxvOsXlLdN9CDEFI6BT113A6uJq4GrnbEUWs7aNmzQOVT3kNN-ok5adIepvlbjIPN9gHdqqwwO-aFpRMKs_nr_Z29FHN5LCL1eli6YMDwwRyqhgRyteajKCQ6EA/s1600/peony+in+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjq7mewJrUzxlc-OCIxvOsXlLdN9CDEFI6BT113A6uJq4GrnbEUWs7aNmzQOVT3kNN-ok5adIepvlbjIPN9gHdqqwwO-aFpRMKs_nr_Z29FHN5LCL1eli6YMDwwRyqhgRyteajKCQ6EA/s200/peony+in+love.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">In my last post, I wrote a bit about the book I was reading, <i>Peony in Love</i> by Lisa See. I finished it a few days later and really enjoyed it! I had been reading quite a bit of heavy memoirs, and so the clearly fictional story was a welcome change of pace. The story was compelling and told a lot about China and the lives of young Chinese women, and I found out while reading the epilogue that the story was based on historical events and people. The story revolves around a famous play, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Peony Pavilion</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, originally performed in 1598, and you can read the wiki about the play <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Peony_Pavilion">here</a>. The play inspired the main character in the book, and real women in China in the 17th century, to write poetry of their own, and some of them became quite popular and were published. I was amazed to find out that such women existed, especially in a time and place where women didn’t have anywhere near the same liberties and opportunities as we women do today. This book, though fictional, taught me a lot about another culture in another time, and showed me the power and intellect women held centuries ago. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6pJez9TuvRTYQK2e_Y-3oqwNBjjDD3oa0WcugcH44DhExb6HKxLKx1UDqKLPZh0tH8aDPpn7rMtiEo7XyLupa1b8nEKRXD6o6AL9mqVDISDhdZ8ZmjQJNeyV-cluivx2K57PVrxomD4/s1600/look-me-in-the-eye.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ6pJez9TuvRTYQK2e_Y-3oqwNBjjDD3oa0WcugcH44DhExb6HKxLKx1UDqKLPZh0tH8aDPpn7rMtiEo7XyLupa1b8nEKRXD6o6AL9mqVDISDhdZ8ZmjQJNeyV-cluivx2K57PVrxomD4/s200/look-me-in-the-eye.gif" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I also just finished a fabulous memoir,<i> Look Me in the Eye</i> by John Elder Robinson, which tells the story of the author’s life with Asperger’s, a syndrome on the autistic spectrum. This is one of the best books I've read so far, and I'd encourage you to check it out. I really loved this book because of how straightforward the author was in telling his story. He doesn’t ask for pity and doesn’t become too self-centered, but tells the story of his life as he sees it. I’ve known a few people with Asperger’s, and this gave me some great insight into how those people think and act, which is often noticeably different than how ‘normal’, non-Aspergian people act. Robinson’s story is fascinating because of how well he has done both in spite of and because of his Asperger’s. While the syndrome does affect social interaction in significant ways, people with Asperger’s also have an intense focus that often translates to great intelligence, sometimes categorized as savant. As a result of his laser-like focus, Robinson’s fascination with trains, motors, and mechanics led him to amazing opportunities like designing rocket guitars for KISS or building the first electronic games for Milton Bradley. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What I loved most about this story is that the author recognizes that he could never have lived the wonderful life or achieved the success that he has without his Asperger’s. I appreciated that the author’s honesty and introspection resulted in an affirmation of his gifts, not in a ‘what if’ or ‘woe is me’ sort of ending. We all have things in our lives that make things difficult, but we wouldn’t be who we are without them. Those same things that we may view as burdens are often the same things that make life beautiful. We're much better off embracing what we've been given and making the most of it, instead of wishing away those challenges. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-2743739430219460702011-08-30T22:50:00.000-04:002011-08-30T22:50:33.352-04:00changes<br />
<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I started reading and blogging, I thought it would be a way to keep my life consistent, even when things all around me were changing. I thought that having some regular activity / task / goal would mean that things weren’t really so different, after all. But what I’m discovering is that things really do change, and that life calls for a lot more adaptation and compromise than we originally planned. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it’s been hard for me to blog because my life is so different from when I began this challenge. When I started back in January, life was filled to the brim with assignments and classes, activities and friends. Life was busy and scheduled in fifty or eighty-minute increments, and dictated by what was due or what was planned. Today, the rhythm of my life feels nothing like that. My days have their busyness, to be sure (especially for someone with such chronic lateness as me), but they are far less defined by a running, mental to do list than when I was in school. In school, reading and blogging was another thing I could add to my weekly list of tasks, and was certainly one of the more enjoyable and fulfilling ones. But today, while I love reading on the train or elsewhere, sitting in front of my computer at 9:30pm to write after a long day at work and commuting sounds far from relaxing. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">While the act of writing and reflecting on reading has become more burdensome than I had imagined, reading has become much more of a pleasure than it was while I was in school. I’m never without a book, simply out of necessity: I spend two hours a day on the train, and so all of this great reading time is built right in. Because of this, I’ve kept up with my reading fairly easily, and my book-a-week goal hasn’t been hanging over my head. I’ve gotten to visit the library more frequently and choose books that I may never have heard of or aren’t genres I’d typically choose. Since I last posted, I’ve read two very different books and am nearly finished with a third. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGQTeK0VgpElELMJX9BowZRI9vyPsFTzbx1a8-bmVddeqES2pSeKnVHsP5V8r4ysQLYZNaygMM9WGjqkVcbkZXsb1XwSm5yYBtzU-g3wKsej73rHxyw5wspFROLSUU_hP4YBxPdGtox4/s1600/the_red_tent.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrGQTeK0VgpElELMJX9BowZRI9vyPsFTzbx1a8-bmVddeqES2pSeKnVHsP5V8r4ysQLYZNaygMM9WGjqkVcbkZXsb1XwSm5yYBtzU-g3wKsej73rHxyw5wspFROLSUU_hP4YBxPdGtox4/s200/the_red_tent.jpg" width="130" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The first, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Red Tent</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Anita Diamant, was a fabulously written fictional account of Dinah, Jacob’s daughter in the Bible. It’s not a new book, and even though it had been on my shelf for a while, I’d always put off reading it because it looked far to big to read in a week. Instead, I was sucked in by the story and the culture and the scriptural connections of this book that I ate it up: it was the first book in a while I hadn’t wanted to put down and that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole while. I was reminded yet again while reading this story of the power of fiction, because I can now see the stories and the lives of Jacob, his family, and their relationship to their God more clearly than I ever could imagine from reading Bible stories. Instead of hearing simply a genealogy of names or a set of stories I’ve heard since I was a little kid, I felt like I could hear the voices of these characters and share in their story. Highly recommend it!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-i3ysKZZBn2jT9Kw1Ea3QIkKqcfHy_0gquW4Vct-9J_OCMQ-b5owJGbErhLD8lTu7HyFWv7qb5cl6jvxcXSj64d7Om8wUPdwYs24-FPrLk_ThfVneQ8HHM7gZfdFpJtuW32uPYHuDQA/s1600/book+of+days.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5-i3ysKZZBn2jT9Kw1Ea3QIkKqcfHy_0gquW4Vct-9J_OCMQ-b5owJGbErhLD8lTu7HyFWv7qb5cl6jvxcXSj64d7Om8wUPdwYs24-FPrLk_ThfVneQ8HHM7gZfdFpJtuW32uPYHuDQA/s200/book+of+days.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The second book I read was a pick from the new books section of the library and is a collection of personal essays by Emily Fox Gordon entitled </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Book of Days</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. I’ve not spent much time reading essays, so it was a new experience to read a whole book of them. I’m so used to stories that have a clear beginning, middle, and end, but this book didn’t have that at all. Instead, the essays jumped around to specific points in Gordon’s life, picking specific moments or encounters and focusing in on their intricacies, bringing out the kernel of truth that lay there. After reading the book, I have a great amount of respect for the author, because it takes a great writer to fully develop so many different ideas. However, I don’t know if it’s a genre I would pick again right away. I guess I like to draw conclusions or connections, to end with a moral or point or take-away, and this book didn’t do that at all. But then again, I’m a story person, even if its a true story, and it’s hard for me to hear a number of discrete scenarios without stringing them all together and tying up the loose ends. And even though it wasn’t my favorite, I’m still glad I stretched myself and tried something new.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Right now I’m reading this awesome fiction book called <i>Peony in Love</i> by Lisa See, and it’s not at all what I expected. It’s like a history lesson and a ghost story and a fairy tale, all rolled into one. I’ll be sure to report back with a final verdict :)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-7910232099329453782011-08-03T21:56:00.000-04:002011-08-03T21:56:16.903-04:00making connections<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So I’m coming to the conclusion that the more we read, the more we can connect to what we read, and the more we get out of it. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Have you ever felt like the moment you learn about something, the moment you engage with some new information, you start to see it, hear it, and sense it all around you? Both of the books I read these past two weeks have stayed so close to my mind, to other things I’ve read, and to other conversations I’ve had, and as a result I always feel as though their subject matter is at the tip of my tongue. This is </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">exactly</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> why I love reading. It keeps me intellectually engaged with something that is paradoxically apart from me, because it’s someone else’s story and someone else’s words, and yet always with me, in that I can always draw personal connections with the material, the characters and the emotions conveyed within the writing. The books I’ve read these past two weeks have reminded me why I’m doing all this reading, and how beneficial it is to engage great ideas and great stories via the written word. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrJkYjrvfKnFkburbJu5VHDE2N05XSByl6fkHydmYnGFPvI6LzF0eelIqIQ_iPLgnYQMCaSsAtYUP02RLxF84lHgicHs5RTWHXeGX2TFSqYPrd4EnaSMBi6AJCjwPiVqp2eVkFDSxNQQ/s1600/the+m+factor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrJkYjrvfKnFkburbJu5VHDE2N05XSByl6fkHydmYnGFPvI6LzF0eelIqIQ_iPLgnYQMCaSsAtYUP02RLxF84lHgicHs5RTWHXeGX2TFSqYPrd4EnaSMBi6AJCjwPiVqp2eVkFDSxNQQ/s200/the+m+factor.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The first book I read, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The M-Factor</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, is all about how my generation, the millennials, are changing the workplace. Clearly, this is a timely topic and especially relevant for my life as a millennial new to the workforce and still navigating the terrain of a new job and life. I could go into hours of detail about this book. The authors, Lynne C. Lancaster and David Stillman, are generational theorists who’ve spent their lives researching and writing about the different generations at play in the workplace. I found their analysis of the millenials to be spot-on, not that everything they said I already knew, but that they were able to shine a light on qualities or tendencies I knowingly possess, displaying not only similarities between millennials’ experiences, but also explaining why we act the way we do. Without going into the minute detail of the book, here are the seven main trends/traits/what have you that we millenials display. We’re close to our parents, closer than most generations. We act entitled. We are very concerned with finding meaning in our lives and work. We have high expectations. We need everything fast. We’re obsessed with social networking. We love to collaborate. Sound like you? Well, it hit the nail on the head for me, and I was able to see the ways that I tend to act and deal with situations that were extremely positive and those that weren’t. It doesn’t mean that I won’t ever get frustrated when someone is working slower than I’d like, or that I won’t occasionally overuse my social network and connections or forget the importance of hierarchy in my organization, but at least I’ll be aware of where I stand in relation to the other generations seated in the cubicles and offices around me. Since I started reading this book, I have had countless discussions with my family, friends, and coworkers about generational differences, and it’s been both enlightening and humorous. I can simultaneously respect older generations when they tell about the past and laugh when they talk about how the last movie theatre in their town went out of business not that long ago, when VCRs became popular and people started watching movies at home!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanZn5ARH6vzonDwv_LfdQJZ4xhofcM55KNTINz6HL2BvIkYPKAT27bFo4_VM3nbHiDjv_1T4aV6ADmMjOWwuAaen_tjw6_nG0fGr9MLs3C0nLLBC-55CkmyStwuqpeaGa4FusxVQaKos/s1600/sellers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhanZn5ARH6vzonDwv_LfdQJZ4xhofcM55KNTINz6HL2BvIkYPKAT27bFo4_VM3nbHiDjv_1T4aV6ADmMjOWwuAaen_tjw6_nG0fGr9MLs3C0nLLBC-55CkmyStwuqpeaGa4FusxVQaKos/s200/sellers.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The second book,</span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You Don’t Look Like Anyone I Know</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Heather Sellers, is an amazing book by none other than a Hope professor! I’ve wanted to read this book for a while now, and I happened to see it in the new books section of the Wheaton Public Library, and I was thrilled! It is a truly compelling story of her family and her discovery her own prosopagnosia, a condition in which one cannot reliable recognize faces of people they know and love. Her story is riddled through with mental illness, with family and marital instability, as well as the slow recognition of a condition that has plagued her her whole life. The way she tells about her life fascinates me, because she doesn’t try to make everything into one fluid, seamless story of self discovery. Things take time. We can feel entirely opposing emotions at the same time. We often can’t put a name on things we know or feel for certain, and often this doesn’t happen until much after the fact. Everything is complex, from the family to the mind to simple daily interactions. I found the way that she told her story to be particularly compelling and undeniably true - it didn’t hold back or shy away from the hard stuff. And just as with other books I’ve read these past weeks and months, it’s been on my mind every day, and I’ve gotten the chance to tell Heather’s story to a number of people. I strongly encourage you to check it out!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, to summarize a long-winded post, I’m just as glad as ever I’m reading regularly, even if I don’t always have the time or energy to blog about it. I realized the other day that I’m over half way done with my challenge, and I’m both amazed at how quickly the time has gone and how eager I am to see what books I’ll read in this second half of the year and what they’ll mean to me. Any suggestions??</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-77116132604795161122011-07-17T23:41:00.000-04:002011-07-17T23:41:10.590-04:00the known world<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A big pro of spending 2+ hours commuting to and from work is that I have a very scheduled time for reading each day, something that up until this point I’ve wanted but haven’t made happen. On my morning Metra ride, I have about an hour built in to wake up slowly: listening to music, drinking my morning coffee and reading a book. And on the way home, I get the same amount of time to regroup and re-energize. What I have much less time to do is blog :) But on the whole, I’m really happy for the structure. Because my days are full, I need to be much more intentional about how I spend my time, making the most of my non-work hours to refresh, spending quality time with people and with myself. Here’s what I’ve been reading and thinking about in those downtimes:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGqs8pHEIM2CT_XIywzKcq6P8S0WSrh5Tcjkp7qD1ofKqJDuejrSCIKfAkEwlLAZ73O8-9Wq6MCmj6nrt7zG5j07mJvIHmHdC9wKEyu9PoSe1ZlZiQrnn9mHkZDq3CzmptahL9ezNb8M/s1600/KnownWorld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoGqs8pHEIM2CT_XIywzKcq6P8S0WSrh5Tcjkp7qD1ofKqJDuejrSCIKfAkEwlLAZ73O8-9Wq6MCmj6nrt7zG5j07mJvIHmHdC9wKEyu9PoSe1ZlZiQrnn9mHkZDq3CzmptahL9ezNb8M/s200/KnownWorld.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In the past two weeks I read two great books, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Known World</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Edward P. Jones and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Icy Sparks</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Gwyn Hyman Rubio. Both of these books are set in a very different time period; </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Known World</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is set in the early 1800s and </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Icy Sparks</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is set in the 1950s, and both books, although they were fictional, taught me a lot about people’s experiences in that day and age. In </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Known World</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, the author tells the story of a Virginia plantation community during the time when both blacks and whites owned slaves. The story is told in bits and pieces, often skipping from generation to generation and telling little snippets of life for these plantation owners and slaves. These stories, however seemingly disjointed, eventually portray what was ‘the known world’ in that day. Although it was sometimes hard to follow and I got easily distracted, the writing was beautiful and in the end I was happy I'd followed the flashbacks and flashforwards of the story through to the end.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7ojsHl9PUc9dRM_9XkJsPtqce0zAR69GWmQFL9Q2XlPyfOfshSsz8SCj-JEJrOkG8sEv-kziI0prIvEPgkQAbln81hBjeVVshKB7EK85SoXH4rjdjH3uMHb0CPFEIwVpMRH_L7BLX44/s1600/icy+sparks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk7ojsHl9PUc9dRM_9XkJsPtqce0zAR69GWmQFL9Q2XlPyfOfshSsz8SCj-JEJrOkG8sEv-kziI0prIvEPgkQAbln81hBjeVVshKB7EK85SoXH4rjdjH3uMHb0CPFEIwVpMRH_L7BLX44/s200/icy+sparks.jpg" width="158" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">In </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Icy Sparks</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, Hyman Rubio tells the story of the title character, Icy, who grows up in rural Kentucky with a mental condition, eventually diagnosed as Tourrette’s later in life. This character didn’t grow up in a place or a time when therapy was easily accessible, and instead of being properly diagnosed, treated, and understood, she was deemed ‘crazy’ by her closest friends and her teachers, kicked out of school, and sent to a mental hospital. Her story, though fictional, is I’m sure true of a lot of people who grew up with challenges like hers in settings were they were misunderstood and unwelcome. It’s beautiful, poignant and compelling not in spite of her situation, but because of it.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What I’ve taken from reading both of these stories, and from certain conversations I’ve had in the past few weeks with my family, friends, and coworkers, is that where we come from has a whole lot to do with who we become. Reading these two stories gave me such a better picture of life in each respective situation, and I can better understand the complexities of someone’s life who might come from that generation. I’ve had some great conversations living with my aunts about growing up, and how our heritage, how our hometown, and how our generation plays a big role in who we are and what we believe today. I’m starting to realize as I’m getting settled in my job and with my coworkers how differently I see things and act based on my generation, and sometimes these are really great differences, and sometime they are harder to reconcile. What makes up my 'known world', so to speak, is entirely different that that of other people around me, and I'm reminded each day how important and beautiful those differences are. I just need to be conscious of the fact that each experiences is equally valid, and take the time and energy to understand that person in light of their life experiences, experiences I'll never have the opportunity to live out.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’ve been really fascinated by generational studies for a while now, and I found a book yesterday in the new books section of the Wheaton Public Library on the Millennial Generation, mine, and how we are “rocking” the workplace, so naturally I checked it out to learn more. While I’m not so sure about the “rocking the workplace” part, I’m really interested to see what people who study generations see as general trends for us Millennials, what we do right, and what we need to work on. So that’s my new read for this week, I’ll keep you posted on what I discover about myself and my work style along the way!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-8220386676081308122011-06-26T11:36:00.000-04:002011-06-26T11:36:01.620-04:00a much needed life/reading update!<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well folks, I know it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog, and I’m sure you’ve all been waiting with bated breath to see what I’ve read...not! But still, I feel I owe you all a bit of an explanation for my temporary hiatus. As you know, I’ve been living at home and job searching for the past month or so, using the reading just as I had intended it to be: something consistent and constant that I knew to do, even when everything around me was changing. It was actually working out just as I had hoped back in January, giving me some sort of goal and task that had existed while I was in school and still existed elsewhere. However, things really started to pick up in my job search, and within a matter of days I had three serious contenders for my immediate future! I ended up getting two fabulous offers and ended up choosing a job downtown Chicago working with the American College of Surgeons. I moved to Illinois last Monday, moved in with my generous aunts Joni and Jan in Wheaton, and started my new job on Tuesday! Needless to say, things in life have been an unpredictable whirlwind, full of new and exciting opportunities. However, as you can imagine, my weekly reading got put on the back burner for a while. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WnoLIhgHEL9vD1CnZds_2mv4HkxcgBC2YT_NxBljdN5xk-R4bQH3ugeanfsQpd_ATnA9DTWWnetdyaDFoKiHc-pJArhezA02podLQHXyh8MwFmZqvLDBWK57diUsV8tnO5ZrAM2TYlQ/s1600/what+now.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1WnoLIhgHEL9vD1CnZds_2mv4HkxcgBC2YT_NxBljdN5xk-R4bQH3ugeanfsQpd_ATnA9DTWWnetdyaDFoKiHc-pJArhezA02podLQHXyh8MwFmZqvLDBWK57diUsV8tnO5ZrAM2TYlQ/s200/what+now.jpg" width="137" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">But now that I’m getting a little more settled in my new routine, I’ve been able to read quite a bit! My commute from Wheaton to work takes about an hour and ten minutes, and since I take the train and bus I have a bunch of extra time built into my day to read. I’ve already started and finished </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Blue Water</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by A. Manette Ansay, and read this little essay put into book form entitled </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What now?</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> By Ann Patchett. Now normally, I wouldn’t call this a book, but as I’ve been a bit behind, I’m willing to let my standards slide :) Anyways, the essay is actually a graduation address the author (see: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Patron Saint of Liars, Bel Canto, Truth and Beaut</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">y) gave at her alma mater, Sarah Lawrence. Her address talks about her experience with the question every graduate hears time and again: what now? Here’s a little excerpt from the end of her speech, as she talks about being a waitress with a master’s degree:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Just because things hadn’t gone the way I had planned didn’t necessarily mean they had gone wrong. It took me a long time of pulling racks of scorching hot glasses out of the dishwasher, the clouds of steam smoothing everything around me into a perfect field of gray, to understand that writing a novel and living a life are very much the same thing. The secret is finding the balance between going out to get what you want and being open to the thing that actually winds up coming your way. What now is not just a panic-stricken question tossed out into a dark unknown. What now can also be our joy. It is a declaration of possibility, of promise, of chance. It acknowledges that our future is open, that we may well do more than anyone expected of us, that at every point in our development we are still striving to grow. There’s a time in our lives when we all crave the answers. It seems terrifying not to know what’s coming next. But there is another time, a better time, when we see our lives as a series of choices, and What now represents our excitement and our future, the very vitality of live. It’s up to you to choose a life that will keep expanding.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I definitely resonate with her about the terrifying nature of that what now question. And even though today I have an answer to the What now? question and have in fact started along that path, it doesn’t mean that I’m done figuring life out. I love the idea of “a life that will keep expanding,” because life is something we can never predict, never plan, never believe we’ve got handled. And that’s why it’s beautiful! My life these past few weeks is Exhibit A for an expanding life: three weeks ago if you’d told me I had a job downtown Chicago and I’d be sitting right now at my aunt’s kitchen table, I wouldn’t have believed you. But that is, in fact, where I am, and it’s the beauty of an expanding life. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Much love, everyone, have a beautiful Sunday!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-3098153770292172802011-06-07T11:01:00.000-04:002011-06-07T11:01:31.393-04:00eucharisteo<div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Joy is the realest reality, the fullest life, and joy is always </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">given</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, never grasped. God </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">gives</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> gifts and I </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">give</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> thanks and I unwrap the gift given: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">joy</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.” -Ann Voskamp</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When I visited Greece last year over spring break, my friends and I arrived with little to no knowledge of the greek language. We’d looked up a few choice phrases to study on the plane, but we were essentially going in blind. Now, we didn’t leave the country feeling like we’d mastered the language, because we were still trying to figure out the latin equivalent to all the greek letters on our last days in Athens and Santorini. But we did leave with a few words and phrases in our back pockets, words and phrases that had helped us form relationships with people we encountered, even if neither of us spoke the same language, and one of the most important phrases was ‘thank you’, in Greek ‘Efharistó’ (Ευχαριστώ). </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Why am I telling you all of this? Because the book I read this week, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One Thousand Gifts</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Ann Voskamp, put a totally new spin on that word for me. This mother, farmer, and poet from Ontario begins a journey of giving thanks, the biblical Greek word for which is ‘eucharisteo’ (εὐχαριστέω), of the same root as the modern ‘efcharisto’ my friends and I learned during our trip. She discovers that at the root of this word are two other important words: ‘charis’, grace, and ‘chara’, joy. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyN3dseVCWNn7VFgyZUkGkhF4ogvyXqRDouK56CuWoyPF1xh21TqjT74ca4HlT5an_NywcYpMOGKtZpoWeiszs6Nqoaq1I5wI35QIiBqFEHvTD4ehDy3VIEpzEcA4bSuCWjmtEm2TUr9I/s1600/one-thousand-gifts-206x300.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyN3dseVCWNn7VFgyZUkGkhF4ogvyXqRDouK56CuWoyPF1xh21TqjT74ca4HlT5an_NywcYpMOGKtZpoWeiszs6Nqoaq1I5wI35QIiBqFEHvTD4ehDy3VIEpzEcA4bSuCWjmtEm2TUr9I/s200/one-thousand-gifts-206x300.jpg" width="137" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Dared by a friend to make a list of a thousand gifts from God, Voskamp begins to unpack what it means to live a life of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">eucharisteo</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. She starts numbering the gifts she sees around her: jam piled high on the toast, suds...all color in sun, boys humming hymns, laundry flapping, laughter. As she does this, even in the hard times, she comes to discover that giving thanks precedes the miracle, that giving thanks creates joy and creates grace, and that in order to live fully, we must see fully all those little things of our lives that are in fact gifts. I’ve always been a person who strives to be joyful, and so I enjoyed wrestling with the whole concept as I read along with Ann. She doesn’t have this blind, Pollyanna-ish joy that can’t see the hard, difficult, or bad things in life, yet she realizes that because of all of those things, she can still be joyful. Hear what she has to say:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Holding my head in my hands, I ask it honest before God and children and my daily mess: </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">‘Can we really expect joy all the time?’</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I know it well after a day smattered with rowdiness and worn a bit ragged with bickering, that I may feel disappointment and the despair may flood high, but to give thanks is an action and rejoice is a verb and these are not mere pulsing emotions. While I may not always feel joy, God asks me to give thanks in all things, because He knows that the feeling of joy begins in the action of thanksgiving. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">True saints know that the place where all the joy comes from is far deeper than that of feelings; joy comes from the place of the very presence of God. </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Joy is God and God is joy and joy doesn’t negate all other emotions -- joy transcends all other emotions.”</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This week, I had many things to give thanks for and be joyful about: sunlight streaming through bright green leaves, wind whipping hair on the boat, sending friends off on fabulous adventures, a job offer and the promise of one or two more, the chance to decide, hosting parties to celebrate, and the marriage of two best friends. It’s easy to be joyful this week, easy to give thanks. But on those weeks where it’s harder, those weeks where I can’t seem to see the good in things, I’d do well to remember what Ann discovered, that joy is God and God is joy, and that joy comes from the very presence of God. So because I believe that God is always right where I am, and right where you are, so I believe that we can be joyful in all things, and at all times, and in all places. It is in seeing clearly the gifts given us and practicing the discipline of thanksgiving that we begin to live lives of true joy and celebration.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Sorry if this got a bit preachy, but those of you who know me well know that I’m all about the joy, so this book just gave me more things to think (and write!) about. If this idea is at all interesting to you, I’d encourage you to pick up the book and even to visit Ann Voskamp’s blog (</span></span><a href="http://www.aholyexperience.com/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #1919a7; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">http://www.aholyexperience.com</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">/). She is a poet and a wonderful photographer, and it’s great to see the world through her eyes.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Much love to you all, and may you be full of joy today! Julia</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-36447615049761725322011-05-31T10:49:00.000-04:002011-05-31T10:49:20.332-04:00it's summer reading time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7274ajsBmWx0D4Mn784H0LUR2YJgQ7-sjzGxS2fguM5xX8LZtSWcIOyblqiaHJQRCVxxU45Jy7sn6e8pBXW5pc3oPxNbnIyuI7zdXNR35Z3FOAG_IM0AKazyRF7RWXhfJOyGh_g7q_qc/s1600/guernsey+literary+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7274ajsBmWx0D4Mn784H0LUR2YJgQ7-sjzGxS2fguM5xX8LZtSWcIOyblqiaHJQRCVxxU45Jy7sn6e8pBXW5pc3oPxNbnIyuI7zdXNR35Z3FOAG_IM0AKazyRF7RWXhfJOyGh_g7q_qc/s200/guernsey+literary+.jpg" width="126" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This week I got the chance to read a summer novel under the sun! I forgot how fabulous Michigan summers can be, as I’ve spent my last three summers away from home. My family just loves being near the water, so we spent the better part of Memorial Day weekend up in Ludington at my parents’ condo and then at my grandparents’ cottage on Big Whitefish Lake with my whole extended family. This week finally felt like it was summer -- full of evening kayak rides, tubing and skiing on the lake, and reading under a sunbeam.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My book for this past week was called </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (quite the mouthful), and is a pretty quick read about the habitants of Guernsey Island in the English Channel during and after WWII. The book is comprised entirely of letters, and these letters tell the story of the Guernsey Literary Society and their experiences in the war. I won’t go on too long about the book, but I enjoyed reading it and felt myself getting sucked into these people’s lives. That’s the beauty of fiction -- that you can escape your own world, not in some desperate attempt to be free of your own troubles, but in the desire to know more about the world around you. So even though this book was fictional, it was still based on a real place and a real historical period, and so by reading this I learned a lot about the Occupation and how everyday people must have felt about it and dealt with it. This book reminded me, yet again, how important people’s stories are, and how worthy they are of being told. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I wanted to leave you with a lovely little poem I encountered while reading this book. One of the characters used to quote this poem at the meetings of the literary society, and I just fell in love with it: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Is it so small a thing, To have enjoyed the sun,</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To have lived light in the Spring,</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To have thought, to have done;</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To have advanced true friends, and beat down baffling foes –</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That we must feign a bliss Of doubtful future date,</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And while we dream on this, Lose all our present state,</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">And relegate to worlds . . . yet distant our repose?</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Matthew Arnold (1852)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This next week, I’ll be reading </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One Thousand Gifts</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Ann Voskamp, a book about daring to live fully, right where you are. That is, in essence, what I’m all about these days and why I love this poem by Matthew Arnold. Life isn’t about waiting around, “that we must feign a bliss of doubtful future date,” but that we can celebrate and enjoy today. So that’s what I’m doing, and so far I’m loving spending time with my family and finally living in the same city as my very best friends. What a blessing it is, to just </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">be</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> for a moment, instead of rushing off to the next thing. I’m excited to read Ann Voskamp’s book, because I’ve heard wonderful things about it, and because I think her words will show me more ways to live fully today. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-23585974362242959052011-05-24T13:55:00.000-04:002011-05-24T13:55:58.717-04:00traveling mercies<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmqVXvBBbgDLBt8Nb0SuM-HqPl0neFfFXbzMBJbNPB3pkix9FbJYz198-444hN6LYYTPhDM3cD7o2iwboT8Piixo_1UdIzykbs1J1Hib1iCbGwxqZjifGCuhkO6GZaCeujdhJvbcoOfE/s1600/traveling+mercies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmqVXvBBbgDLBt8Nb0SuM-HqPl0neFfFXbzMBJbNPB3pkix9FbJYz198-444hN6LYYTPhDM3cD7o2iwboT8Piixo_1UdIzykbs1J1Hib1iCbGwxqZjifGCuhkO6GZaCeujdhJvbcoOfE/s200/traveling+mercies.jpg" width="127" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Traveling Mercies</i> by Anne Lamott is another one of those stories that I love to hear. Lamott tells the story of her life in bits and pieces, and tells how she came in and out of faith. She talks about her bouts with alcoholism and drug abuse, about the moments she felt closest to God and the moments she felt farthest away. She tells of the people who became her family, and the ways that their unwavering love changed her. She tells stories as I believe we should all tell stories, with a brutal honesty that comes from years of challenge and introspection. Lamott is a woman who knows herself and is so at peace with that identity that she can share it freely with her readers without any fear of what they might think or say. Most of all, I appreciate how she acknowledges that she is still learning and growing, even as a middle-aged mother.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It seems to me that we are always striving for that moment when we’ve got everything figured out. We tend to go through life waiting to arrive, feeling that someday, soon we hope, we’ll have figured out how to live life, and we’ll be done learning. Our parents will have imparted all of their wisdom, our teachers have taught us their lesson, and we will finally be ready to live life with ease. But that sort of arrival only happens in Disney fairytales - and the rest of us normal folk are left with the realization that we will continue to learn, grow, and change all throughout our lifetime. Part of the way through her story, Anne Lamott says something I really resonated with, and it’s this: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“It’s funny: I always imagined when I was a kid that adults had some kind of inner toolbox, full of shiny tools: the saw of discernment, the hammer of wisdom, the sandpaper of patience. But then when I grew up I found that life handed you these rusty bent old tools--friendships, prayer, conscience, honesty--and said, Do the best you can with these, they will have to do. An mostly, against all odds, they’re enough.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I totally get what she’s saying. As kids, we see the adults in our lives: our parents, teachers, and grandparents, and we can’t possibly imagine being so old or so wise. We liken those adults to superheroes, what with all of their wisdom, strength, and authority. Yet we realize, as we get older, that those superhero-adults are nothing more than other people like us, using what they’ve been given and moving accordingly. I’m at this weird crossroads right now between youth and adulthood, and sometimes it’s hard to navigate. But it helps to hear a story like Lamott’s, full of promise that, as we travel along, we will receive mercy upon mercy, grace upon grace. These traveling mercies come in all sorts of forms, and sometimes we may not even see those mercies as mercy until much farther down the road. But I believe that it is in small and seemingly insignificant moments that we come to understand who we are and how to best live life in this world. So what I’m asking God for in these next weeks as I figure out my next step is not the perfect job or connection, but for traveling mercies that will guide me along the way. And traveling mercies to you, friends, for wherever life finds you today and in the days to come.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-42168759795591516132011-05-17T12:48:00.000-04:002011-05-17T12:48:03.356-04:00the search<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The critically acclaimed book </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Moviegoer</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Walker Percy is a novel about a man named Binx who, about to turn 30, is fascinated with the idea of </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">the search</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4bfkw8RbFxSxKBFKHQNV-BG0fv5KO7UerqmEMi61zx1vQqddAupd7UdZZhB5IkZJUfc_Uz9GcBJfSZuWxa3i__q9PxTFS20oXdVb1w3YDOVNq6gtL5EKjIpULRwZBPodghbXUvG3AK0/s1600/The_Moviegoer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq4bfkw8RbFxSxKBFKHQNV-BG0fv5KO7UerqmEMi61zx1vQqddAupd7UdZZhB5IkZJUfc_Uz9GcBJfSZuWxa3i__q9PxTFS20oXdVb1w3YDOVNq6gtL5EKjIpULRwZBPodghbXUvG3AK0/s200/The_Moviegoer.jpg" width="129" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“What is the nature of the search? you ask.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Really, it is very simple, at least for a fellow like me, so simple that it is easily overlooked.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The search is what anyone would undertake if he were not sunk in the everydayness of his own life. This morning, for example, I felt as if I had come to myself on a strange island. And what does such a castaway do? Why, he pokes around the neighborhood and he doesn’t miss a trick.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">To become aware of the possibility of the search is to be onto something. Not to be onto something is to be in despair.”</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Essentially, Binx’s idea of the search makes a lot of sense to me. I think we get so wrapped up in the minutiae of our lives that we miss the bigger picture, we miss what is authentic or worthwhile. However, I’m not entirely sold on the part of the search that says that the everydayness is despair, or as Binx calls it, the malaise. I believe, instead, that the everyday is evidence of something bigger going on, and that in their own way all of the little everyday encounters of our lives work to teach us who we are and why we’re here. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Even though </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Moviegoer</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> is clearly fictional, reading about Binx’s search has helped to remind me this week that it’s okay not to have everything figured out. Binx is 30 years old and still has no idea what life means or what he wants to be, so I guess it’s okay that at 21 years old, a week out of college, I don’t have a perfect, foolproof plan for my life. Sure, it’s hard, and sometimes I doubt what I’m doing or should be doing, but I keep reminding myself, and friends and family help to remind me, that no one really has it all figured out. All we can do is continue the search, and rely on what the world, what people, and, at least for me, what God are telling us and keep living and keep searching.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-36443604692845568822011-05-11T13:28:00.017-04:002011-05-13T13:34:08.944-04:00telling good stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaGmRBMOYyGhAQ-ED4AZ7mv6R3J7lKTKgFn54MGqEGLcOkiHHiftFRucwRBMJNEgluyV8wGo2N5liZwn6NoR_ODhOp2h-nqboMY3mLGUxyantaH6xrnh1OO4QFIWz6M4rKaDqAlfmrwo/s1600/david+sedaris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXaGmRBMOYyGhAQ-ED4AZ7mv6R3J7lKTKgFn54MGqEGLcOkiHHiftFRucwRBMJNEgluyV8wGo2N5liZwn6NoR_ODhOp2h-nqboMY3mLGUxyantaH6xrnh1OO4QFIWz6M4rKaDqAlfmrwo/s200/david+sedaris.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This week I read one of David Sedaris’ books of short stories, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When You are Engulfed in Flames</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. I’ve read and listened to some of his stuff before, but I just loved taking the time at the end of this week (and the beginning of the next, if I’m being honest) to read some hilariously well-written stories. For those of you who know me well, you know I love telling stories, and have a couple great ones I’ve perfected and like to keep in my back pocket for the perfect occasion (i.e. Seventh grade basketball or the chipmunk incident of Summer 2008, and if you haven’t heard these, ask me sometime!). But David Sedaris, well, he’s got quite a few back pocket stories. The things that happen to him are absolutely ridiculous, but he also tells them in such a way that makes you feel like you were there, or that you’ve met a person just exactly like that someone he’s describing. I love reading his stories because they remind me why we tell stories in the first place. Stories are a way of sharing our view of the world with the people we care about. The way we see the world shows through in how we tell the stories of our lives, in what we decide to observe, in the stories we choose to tell and those we keep to ourselves or even forget about all together. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">When it was my turn to present my life view for my senior seminar class, I decided to sit around and tell stories for my classmates. I told funny stories and more serious ones, all the sorts of stories that have shaped my life and my view of the world. It’s the little stories, the seemingly insignificant experiences of life that end up making up who a person is, I think. We’ve all got those little moments that have become pivotal ones, and I think that those stories are worth telling. In short, that’s what I love about what David Sedaris does - that he can take a bunch of funny little stories and string them together to tell a bigger story about his life and who he is as an individual. And on top of that, to make you bust out laughing over and over again!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think it’s about time this week to dig into a good novel, as I’m taking a few days of much-needed relaxation post-graduation (yeah. craziness.) My friend Anne gifted me her copy of Walker Percy’s </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Moviegoer</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, so I think I’m gonna give that a go for the rest of this week! Looking forward to coffee and an American classic on the deck these next few mornings!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-17228917353708243692011-05-04T21:18:00.000-04:002011-05-04T21:18:58.114-04:00reading and re-reading: cold tangerines<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx_8Q4fpA7JSRXjsxGSqL9rKIODt7BuFys-TqJlaKkPz66UofIPKeI3IsVH2XJPgB4IvBnw6hrw5snlCpv-w9fPxJmT27hWCfvfrLSc_vU5BZBIp0KOL-2OztOmpprBXimb5GkOaP330/s1600/cold+tangerines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBx_8Q4fpA7JSRXjsxGSqL9rKIODt7BuFys-TqJlaKkPz66UofIPKeI3IsVH2XJPgB4IvBnw6hrw5snlCpv-w9fPxJmT27hWCfvfrLSc_vU5BZBIp0KOL-2OztOmpprBXimb5GkOaP330/s200/cold+tangerines.jpg" width="120" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So when I set out on this challenge, the one rule I made for myself was that I wasn’t going to read anything I’d already read. The reason was simple: keep myself reading as many new books as possible, while avoiding the temptation of reading all of the Harry Potter books </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">yet again</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, I didn’t quite keep up with that rule, but I’m actually more than okay with it. These past few weeks, I’ve turned to one of my most beloved books, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Cold Tangerines</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Shauna Niequist, as a sort of devotional and a way to wake up to God each day. The first time I read this book, it was summertime and Shauna’s words were as new and as beautiful as spending a morning sunning in front of Fried Cottage, but re-reading it these past weeks has meant something even more. Chapters that were so very important to me last year mean something different looking back, while new chapters, stories, and phrases stick out to me today in ways they never did last time I read the book. Today, I particularly love the chapter Writing in Pencil, because it’s all about planning lightly, or writing our plans in pencil instead of ink. This means so much more to me today, four days from college graduation, than it did last summer when I didn’t have much of a care in the world. I’m encouraged, reading this chapter, that if God’s got control, it’s okay that I don’t, and that I don’t know what’s next. Here’s a little excerpt that keeps sticking with me:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">This is my new thing: I’m going to write in pencil.</span></i></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Life with God at its core is about giving your life up to something bigger and more powerful. It’s about saying at every turn that God knows better than we know, and that his Spirit will lead us in ways that we couldn’t have predicted. I have known that, but I haven’t really lived that.</span></i></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">There is a loosey-goosey feeling to the future now, both a slight edge of anxiety, like anything can happen, and a slight bubble of hope and freedom that, well, anything can happen.</span></i></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I feel loosey-goosey today, in a really good way. Writing my life view paper these past weeks helped me realize how much I’ve grown and learned through these past four years, both at Hope and beyond in places like Colorado and Paris, and how blessed I’ve been to have the college experience I’ve had. I feel that I did college well, that I didn’t leave any cards on the table, so to speak, or things I wish I’d done but never did. So, because of all this, I feel at peace about the future, and I’ve got that slight bubble of hope and freedom bubbling up inside of me because I know that, since God is with me, anything can happen.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">One other thing Cold Tangerines keeps reminding me to do is celebrate. It's a time of big celebration in my life, what with graduation and moving on to the next stage of life, but for some of you out there, it may not really feel like celebrating-time. But I believe that life is a cause for celebration, and I encourage you to take a second look at each day and see the beauty in it, because life is so very extraordinary! </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">When what you see in front of you is so far outside of what you dreamed, but you have the belief, the boldness, the courage to call it beautiful instead of calling it wrong, that's celebration.</span></i></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-50658243709792934552011-04-25T20:42:00.000-04:002011-04-25T20:42:24.171-04:00finding balance<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGegk7Ww3n2fvqYhJCAfK4PH4PSjEQRr6caXmNrxG1MEPNd0L-qIsJrJ9c3KkwRVYxgRUofSptUddtxHVSj1w1fQzkSsnK2HHXQxfZ95PUfXNlEmq9jJpPogkzproZ1gnqA0DPMIlo6I/s1600/Women-work-and-the-art-of-Savoir-Faire-cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIGegk7Ww3n2fvqYhJCAfK4PH4PSjEQRr6caXmNrxG1MEPNd0L-qIsJrJ9c3KkwRVYxgRUofSptUddtxHVSj1w1fQzkSsnK2HHXQxfZ95PUfXNlEmq9jJpPogkzproZ1gnqA0DPMIlo6I/s200/Women-work-and-the-art-of-Savoir-Faire-cover.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This week I decided to go with a really practical read, </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Women, Work, and the Art of Savoir Faire</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Mireille Guiliano, a book written by an extremely successful French/American businesswoman about business sense and sensibility. The author is the former CEO of Clicquot, Inc., the American division of Veuve Clicquot Champagne, a brand she basically defined and grew from something like 1 percent to 25 percent of the market share (don’t quote me on that). </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What I loved about the book was that it mixes business advice with life advice, providing helpful stories and anecdotes along the way. Her writing is so feminine, and so French, so naturally I loved it! She touches on everything, from interview etiquette to what not to wear, gendered differences in communication to networking, to recipes for dinner parties and how to define success. While most books about business or leadership tend to focus solely on the business world, Guiliano seems to recognize, in true French fashion, that work is not everything, and that there are a countless number of things that all play in to leading a balanced and successful life. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’ve probably talked about this before, but one of the greatest things I learned during my semester in Paris was work-life balance. The French language consists of all sorts of beautiful words, but one that I particularly fell in love with living in Paris was the verb </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">profiter</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. It literally means to take advantage of, but the French use it much more loosely, mainly meaning to make the most of each opportunity. Make the most of a beautiful sunny day, of a park full of people, of the chance to travel, of a great work venture, of a relationship, of whatever. There’s a reason the French work a 35-hour work week and take 6 weeks of vacation a year, and it’s not because they’re lazy. Instead, it’s because they want to make the most of the most beautiful months of the year, because they want to spend time with their families, and because they want to go to work rejuvenated and ready to start the day. During the months I spent abroad, I learned that a good life is not made up solely of work or of play, but a healthy combination of the two. If one side gets off balance, the other really suffers. For example, if I don’t take a night off during the week or weekend I’ll be much less productive overall. This is one of those things I have to remind myself of time and again, because it’s easy (especially in college) to get in the mindset that work and accomplishments and good grades and promotions are the only things that matter, but that’s not at all the case.</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What the author of this book stresses is having anchors. She tells the story of going to an outdoor market, where each vendor has a tend with four support legs that all need to be evenly tied down and anchored, because if one leg is off balance the whole tent can collapse on top of customers, goods and produce strewn everywhere. These tents in mind, she names four support legs that it takes to find a good work-life balance: </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 1) Good health.</span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 2) A functional network of friends and family.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 3) A solid employment situation.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> 4) Time, space, principles, and policies for yourself.</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Sometimes, we don’t have all four of these together, and the beauty of having anchors is that some of the stronger ones can compensate for weaker ones. It doesn’t mean those times won’t be stressful, but having other anchors in tact can lighten the load, so to speak. For me, I’m blessed to have #1,2, and 4 covered, so even as #3 is not so certain, I can still feel quite balanced and under control! During this week, I’m going to remember how important those anchors are, and how important it is to </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">profiter</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, especially during my last ‘real’ week of college!</span></span></div><div><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><br />
</span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-43581186407397322742011-04-17T15:57:00.002-04:002011-04-21T09:04:42.233-04:00now what?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gKFvFj6HCty8FHr09e3YRf_hNkDfKbjeT6extK3yF4nv85LBRjVR5GjxdWsqHxgNKxJmg5OAZ99oQ7tC3xvmc2FoKloP_yDpTO7yZM7DApd9Pi8RyRJAFItL4etXnbvycgsW8dJdgpM/s1600/now+what%253F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gKFvFj6HCty8FHr09e3YRf_hNkDfKbjeT6extK3yF4nv85LBRjVR5GjxdWsqHxgNKxJmg5OAZ99oQ7tC3xvmc2FoKloP_yDpTO7yZM7DApd9Pi8RyRJAFItL4etXnbvycgsW8dJdgpM/s200/now+what%253F.jpg" width="142" /></a></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Over the past two weeks I’ve been mulling over a book I received four years ago upon my graduation from High School. The book, <i>Now What? </i>by John Ortberg, is full of little tidbits of wisdom and guidance for graduates. I hadn’t looked at the book in years, but spotted its small spine on my shelf, and when it was made clear that I wouldn’t be finishing <i>Wuthering Heights</i> anytime soon, I pulled it down and started to flip through its pages. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What I found was that even though I read this book four years ago, I stand today at an even larger crossroads in life, and I needed to hear the words of this book now more than ever before. As I read, certain thoughts, feelings, hopes, dreams, and questions came back to me from high school, but mostly I was flooded by all these new questions. Things that stuck out to me four years ago were not necessarily the same words jumping off the page at me today. In short, I’m the same, but I’m different, too, and these last four years have provided me with new things to think of and care about as I try to make my way in the world. I may still be asking the same 'now what?' question, but the place where I stand is very different. Here are a few of the points made in the book that particularly stuck out to me:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">1) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: small;">Start each day with God.</span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“For Christians, the beginning of the day should not be haunted by the various kinds of concerns they face during the day. The Lord stands above the new day, for God has made it. All restlessness, all impurity, all worry and anxiety flee before him. Therefore, in the early morning hours of the day, may our many thoughts and our many idle words be silent, and may the first word and the first thought belong to the one whom our whole life belongs.” -Dietrich Bonhoeffer</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’ve been trying to do this lately, to wake up and think of God, and to take five or ten minutes together with God and my morning coffee to reflect and pray towards the day. This is just another reminder how important that really is, and how, if our whole life belongs to God, starting with God is so fitting and right it can change the outcome of our day.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">2) </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: small;">Pray for people and cultivate friendships.</span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“People who give themselves to relational greatness - people who have deep friends whom they laugh with and cry with, with whom they learn together, with whom they fight and forgive, with whom they dance and grow and live and die - these are the human beings who lead magnificent lives, whether or not they are ever noted in society. And when they die, not one of them regrets having devoted themselves to people - to their friends, to their children, to their family - not one.” - John Ortberg</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, so important for me to remember right now. Lately I’ve been letting the stress of life get me down, and in those moments I spend with friends and family I’ve been forgetting to put my stress aside and have instead been ranting and unloading at them. I realized on Friday night, as I thought back on the week and towards the weekend, how negative I’d been and how little I’d shown care, concern, and love for the people around me. Ortberg reminds me that people who live magnificent lives don’t just fill life with to-do lists, meetings, and assignments, but with beautiful people. I’m so blessed by the people in my life, blessed beyond words, but now I need to remember, even when things get busy and stressful, to be a blessing to them as well. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">3)</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif; font-size: small;"> Practice joy actively.</span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Be joyful always.” 1 Thess. 5:16</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Joy used to be my thing. Back in the dreary January of my freshman year at Hope, I realized acutely that I wasn’t being joyful, and this verse from Thessalonians became my bread and butter. I resolved to practice joy actively, and it worked. It changed who I was, and who I would become. Sometimes, though, I forget to be a joy-bringer, and I was reminded once again how important it is to be joyful in all things. Even though this is a tough time of life, it is also one chock-full of joy: springtime green, daffodils blooming, Easter on its way, the accumulation of four beautiful years, the celebration of friendships and achievements, and a new stage of life just ready to take flight. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">4) </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Think excellent thoughts. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“Research has shown that one’s thought life influences one’s being. Kind people are simply the type of people who habitually tend to think kind thoughts. Angry people are simply the kind of people who habitually tend to think thoughts that breed resentment and hostility.” Archibald D. Hart</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnA8hvWY81lpCL17dd0di8eyJkDHNUpdNB1JqtLfCDzxjNFQUxpCqiFkxamCaBGZxe5Q3UwUtcvmCiNGjEkdq0Tq50pUHAgXk6fyvLuGuvyTLwFAPL2uKmJAvn8gfRvvJO08o6LXZF1Q/s1600/tumblr_ky7h91r2601qzpe8uo1_500+-+Version+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmnA8hvWY81lpCL17dd0di8eyJkDHNUpdNB1JqtLfCDzxjNFQUxpCqiFkxamCaBGZxe5Q3UwUtcvmCiNGjEkdq0Tq50pUHAgXk6fyvLuGuvyTLwFAPL2uKmJAvn8gfRvvJO08o6LXZF1Q/s200/tumblr_ky7h91r2601qzpe8uo1_500+-+Version+2.jpg" width="159" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This is so true! What we think, we eventually become, and we take our thoughts into our words, our actions, and our interactions. I came across this great little design on a blog I follow, </span></span><a href="http://www.positivelypresent.com/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">www.positivelypresent.com</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, a little while back, and saved it to my computer. I pulled it back out today when I was thinking about thinking excellent thoughts, and thought I’d share it with you. The blog is great, you should check it out!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12px Helvetica; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Well, that’s more than enough from me today! Be full of joy, my friends! We have so much to celebrate.</span></span></span><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-87174962445600938912011-04-03T22:44:00.001-04:002011-04-03T22:57:49.659-04:00scouting the divine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bi6GtqG9-VuO68kafuYXwAoz5vz9lgbvcp2jhYPxeXfSf4axXaSSzMlBlchTTRVlO2-Y5AwRhhw_5uVQQy65Jy0aP-6ft1hkTZbD7odWyGq5kgpq09Eo7vW5cf_hiy79Tay7QtdhOFM/s1600/ScoutingTheDivine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2Bi6GtqG9-VuO68kafuYXwAoz5vz9lgbvcp2jhYPxeXfSf4axXaSSzMlBlchTTRVlO2-Y5AwRhhw_5uVQQy65Jy0aP-6ft1hkTZbD7odWyGq5kgpq09Eo7vW5cf_hiy79Tay7QtdhOFM/s200/ScoutingTheDivine.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So as I mentioned last week, this week’s read, <i>Scouting the Divine</i> by Margaret Feinberg, is about a woman who decides to look more closely at the agrarian themes of the Bible. She visits a shepherdess, a farmer, a beekeeper, and a vintner to better understand some of the most common references to the earth in the bible: sheep, wheat, honey, and wine. Key to so many conversations about the Bible is this idea that the book was written in a specific historical and political context, yet this author realizes too the importance of the agrarian context of the Bible. Feinberg decides that the best way for her to truly understand the hundreds of passages that talk about agriculture and food in the Bible is to talk with people whose daily realities center around a particular crop, prompting the visits that inspire this book. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It’s a really quick read, but well worth it. Feinberg digs deep into God’s promise of a land of milk and honey, into Jesus’ call that he is the vine, and we are the branches, into the meaning of first-fruits and gleaning, and into the devoted heart of a shepherd for his sheep. But in addition to these important scriptural insights, Feinberg’s musings also got me thinking about God’s role in my life from a completely different angle. I often think of the ever-discussed “Will of God” as something far out there, that generally guides what I say, do, and believe, but not as something that is not necessarily involved in the minutiae of the everyday. But what the author points out in her time spent with the sheep, hives, and rows of corn and vines, is that God is a God who pays attention to the minutest of details. She points out: “Some people excel at seeing the big picture and identifying overarching themes and goals. Others specialize in the particulars--the fine-tuning of systems and functions. But God is not like us. He specializes in everything from pollen patters to distant galaxies. God knows when a bee doesn’t make it back to its hive. He numbers the wing beats it takes to create a single drop of honey.”</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I believe in a God with the power and omnipotence to measure the wing beats of a honey bee, but sometimes I forget that this is the same God that watches over my life. God watches over every little step I take as well as encourages me to take giant leaps. God is a God who pays attention to the big and small parts of my life. So when my life is so crazy that I can barely keep up with the little things like making it to class, going to the grocery store, washing my clothes or sending a few emails, I’m so reassured to know that God is there, in the big and the small, whether I see God’s presence or not. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I was reminded again tonight, sitting at one of the last Gatherings of my college career, what a crux I’m at in my life: I’ve got one month left. Everything I know to be true tonight won’t be the same in a few weeks and months, and that’s scary. Part of me wants to only think about the big picture: jobs, living arrangements, money, goals, dreams, and vocation, while another part of me wants to only think about really living out the last few weeks of college: going to every concert, coffee date, night out, class, and event in lieu of sleeping and homework. It’s hard to find balance in the midst of all of that, but I’m reminded that God is with me in all things, the big and the small, and I can take comfort in that. Hopefully wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, whatever you believe in, you take comfort in the fact that God is with you, too. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A few weeks ago, I came across a used copy of Emily Bronte’s </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Wuthering Heights</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> in one of my favorite bookstores, Schulers. I’ve been meaning to read more classics, and this one doesn’t look too intimidating, so I think that I’ll take a break from some of the heavier stuff I’ve been reading lately and dive into what’s sure to be a great, classic tale! </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-76640303890408574022011-03-28T00:22:00.000-04:002011-03-28T00:22:00.467-04:00the patron saint of liars<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQf-2u_PPmrdrPcJuzjFD4rFo1QG5WX6tqmVxaJv5YIhQsPQRvMgvUZAwEXpDbb1EmBrS0D343WW4vIsLTB4JB8hz-PZJCDnGKu97tbHYy0Sfq2Fuc0ey78ulcBq0Eex4qYHUluTkcmoQ/s1600/patron+saint+of+liars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQf-2u_PPmrdrPcJuzjFD4rFo1QG5WX6tqmVxaJv5YIhQsPQRvMgvUZAwEXpDbb1EmBrS0D343WW4vIsLTB4JB8hz-PZJCDnGKu97tbHYy0Sfq2Fuc0ey78ulcBq0Eex4qYHUluTkcmoQ/s200/patron+saint+of+liars.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was bound to happen some time or another during this year of reading regularly: I read a book that I didn’t love. This is not to say I hated the book; on the contrary, I was more than happy to read it and intrigued by the plot. Plus I had the leisure to work through it pool and beachside, which can never hurt! But when everything was said and done, I wasn’t happy with the decisions the characters made and the ways they lived out their lives. They did everything in a way that seemed that everything was already pre-prescribed, like their moves had already been made. Instead of making active decisions, each decision seemed the inevitable result of their personality and character flaws. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I guess what bothered me so much about this - why I was so unhappy with the characters and unenthused at the end of the book - was that they didn’t live like they were meant to live. And nothing irks me more than living without passion, without reason and without a desire to do better and to be better. I could go on for hours about the importance of living actively and presently, but I’ll leave it at that and save my rant for another day! Anyways, nothing wrong with the book or author, because she’s written some awesome stuff (check out </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Bel Canto </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">or </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Truth and Beauty</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, also by Ann Patchett), but </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Patron Saint of Liars </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">was just not my cup of tea. And that’s okay, not every story is for everyone. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This next week I’ll be reading </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Scouting the Divine: My Search for God in Wine, Wool, and Honey</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Margaret Feinberg, which sounds awesome. Here’s an excerpt from the back cover to give you an idea what it’s about: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“What does it mean to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd when the only places I’ve encountered sheep are at petting zoos? How can I understand the promise of a land overflowing with honey when I buy mine in a bear-shaped bottle? Is it possible to grasp the urgency of Jesus’ invitation to abide in the vine when I shop for grapes at a local grocery store?”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’m intrigued, and I’ll be excited to tell you all wh</span>at she discovered. I’m hoping, too, that it will give me a bit of perspective in a week destined for quite a lot of craziness!</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-52711495570890583652011-03-21T11:32:00.000-04:002011-03-21T11:32:46.494-04:00love wins.<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpzEV6UXQAmTjXzIGhpz6TStJSXIDfNvqu_dZ8Rm0ImWi7FQs4PavIZNFlQ6VCVj8sM-CE4ocQECWBXgYio-B3gtoN55EtdP-QUQYgLHbyGbzJeeQ1QmkRGQiSc1EVzwxNSFZlgGDa9E/s1600/rob-bell-love-wins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpzEV6UXQAmTjXzIGhpz6TStJSXIDfNvqu_dZ8Rm0ImWi7FQs4PavIZNFlQ6VCVj8sM-CE4ocQECWBXgYio-B3gtoN55EtdP-QUQYgLHbyGbzJeeQ1QmkRGQiSc1EVzwxNSFZlgGDa9E/s200/rob-bell-love-wins.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’m not quite so sure what all the fuss is all about. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I think that if you’re interested in engaging the discussion of heaven, hell, grace, and free will, then you should definitely read this book. I read it yesterday and had a great talk with my Spring Break girls what we believe about the whole matter. In no way do any of us need to take Rob Bell’s word as gold, because I think that taking any one person’s opinion as our own is inherently wrong. Instead, we should take what Rob is saying as one voice speaking one opinion (which has been said before and will be said again), which one possible explanation to a question we will never know the answer to. There are other opinions out there which are equally valid, based in both scripture and everyday life, that tout very different theological truths that we should also be engaging. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Personally, I felt that </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Love Wins</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> raised a lot of important questions that no one, including Rob Bell, has the answers to. They are, however, questions that exist within each and every one of us and that we wrestle with in our daily lives and interactions, which makes them even more valid and worth discussing theologically. In no way have I made up my mind about these questions. What I believe today, based on the sum of all my experiences, is that God’s love means the freedom to choose what reality we want, and in that reality we make our own heaven or hell on earth. I do firmly believe in heaven and hell on earth: that we have the power to redeem this world through our words and our actions, as well as the power to make it more like hell each and every day. I believe that God’s love does ‘conquer all’ in the way that it extends to all, but that within God’s love is the choice to reject or accept the salvation given us.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’ll just give you a short segment of Rob’s book to ponder, coming from the chapter entitled “Does God get what God wants?”:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If we want isolation, despair, and the right to be our own god, God graciously grants us that option. If we insist on using our God-given power and strength to make the world in our image, God allows us that freedom; we have the kind of license to that. If we want nothing to do with light, hope, love, grace, and peace, God respects that desire on our part, and we are given a life free from any of those realities. The more we want nothing to do with all God is, the more distance and space are created. If we want nothing to do with love, we are given a reality free from love.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If, however, we crave light, we’re drawn to truth, we’re desperate for grace, we’ve come to the end of our plots and schemes and we want someone else’s path, God gives us what we want.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If we have this sense that we’ve wandered far from home, and we want to return, God is there, standing in the driveway, arms open, ready to invite us in.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If we thirst for shalom, and we long for the peace that transcends all understanding, God doesn’t just give, they’re poured out on us, lavished, heaped, until we’re overwhelmed. It’s like a feast where the food and wine do not run out.</span></span></i></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i></i></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This, I firmly believe. God will always be standing at the end of the driveway, gazing towards the horizon, watching for the first motion we make towards home, ready to extend wide God’s arms and welcome us home. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If these questions intrigue you, you should take two hours and read this book (really, that’s all it’s gonna take). And read it before you believe everything the media has to say, because not everyone who is tweeting #love wins really knows what they’re talking about, or has even read the book. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Thanks for listening to my theological ramblings. Now it’s back to the sun, surf, and this week’s book, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Patron Saint of Liars</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Ann Patchett, one of my all time favorite authors.</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-72953526041337162112011-03-18T09:42:00.001-04:002011-03-18T12:28:11.982-04:00it's beach reading time!!<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Just a quick update: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I survived the last four days of pre-Spring Break craziness, which is a miracle in and of itself, so I’m ready to think about reading for this week! Some of you have probably heard of all the controversy surrounding Rob Bell’s newest book, </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Love Wins</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, which apparently takes quite a pluralistic view on religion. As My last two books have dealt in different ways with pluralism, I might as well keep going and read <i>Love Wins</i>! Fairly intentionally, I haven’t read any of the blogs or commentary on Bell’s new book, because I’d like to read it myself first before hearing what everyone and their mother has to say. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">As I mentioned, I’m leaving today for Florida and could NOT be more ready. I guess this is my last college break. Wow, strange. After that it’s one month of wildness and I’ll be a full-fledged adult! </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, I’m going to spend the next week reveling in this: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-yqRhEh3Wlhn48acAaOzQjJcjT-5Dsg1UayH1cpjqkBK_Mem5xUMvQpWX612AAz8CIBeNRFjmS4_SJAgwLKovB4nru4RomvKc8-Ddl-BJYNTKUCkffvx9BC8YZqkaLGYYex6PGcL5n8/s1600/beach_reading-thumb-300x227-151885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-yqRhEh3Wlhn48acAaOzQjJcjT-5Dsg1UayH1cpjqkBK_Mem5xUMvQpWX612AAz8CIBeNRFjmS4_SJAgwLKovB4nru4RomvKc8-Ddl-BJYNTKUCkffvx9BC8YZqkaLGYYex6PGcL5n8/s1600/beach_reading-thumb-300x227-151885.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">...before going back to this:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUULmNiLpxWpdy30UqKnFDBHlrYLqCBEF0Jd9u2oZ_khzIoza-LcEGw7RX7WyMUXsWkfA4Da5wme4ePUEM11YtaZGlhOSlWVi9OmyF7kwpSTfUx9Oj3fjtbQCS6WYxxwrk7czGCTjbM0/s1600/college-student-studying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiUULmNiLpxWpdy30UqKnFDBHlrYLqCBEF0Jd9u2oZ_khzIoza-LcEGw7RX7WyMUXsWkfA4Da5wme4ePUEM11YtaZGlhOSlWVi9OmyF7kwpSTfUx9Oj3fjtbQCS6WYxxwrk7czGCTjbM0/s1600/college-student-studying.jpg" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Much love, Happy Spring break everyone! Read good books for me!!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-72453684855522295212011-03-14T23:45:00.002-04:002011-03-15T01:27:41.208-04:00Life of Pi on Pi Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJWGclpbPlFy76cP49_rQ5FNuLRYVPsxE5p5dV66aMI6cDcHiAHeS6T_6O1K78VMX1RxHYJfm_Pf7O0yEXhTejCw70iiJk3dUHwHv7RxlMN7GrX3c7dW6XKvIuTdtXeF7uraMiYVFRfc/s1600/life+of+pi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJWGclpbPlFy76cP49_rQ5FNuLRYVPsxE5p5dV66aMI6cDcHiAHeS6T_6O1K78VMX1RxHYJfm_Pf7O0yEXhTejCw70iiJk3dUHwHv7RxlMN7GrX3c7dW6XKvIuTdtXeF7uraMiYVFRfc/s200/life+of+pi.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What a coincidence! I didn’t even plan that...</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, I do a lot of reading (this year more than most:), and I often take reading for granted. I forget the luxury of learning, of hearing and telling stories, of moving physically, page by page, through a book. In </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Life of Pi</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, young Pi is stranded on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific for months on end, and the better part of the novel tells the story of his survival. But aside from meeting his basic needs, such as getting fresh water and rationing or catching food to sustain his life, Pi found himself wishing for a book. The first part of this story tells how Pi became a follower of many religions, mainly Hindu, Muslim, and Christian, and how important these religious practices became in his daily life. This short excerpt, tells, I think, a unique tale about religious pluralism. Take a look:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“My greatest wish--other than salvation--was to have a book. A long book with a never-ending story. One I could read again and again, with new eyes and a fresh understanding each time. Alas, there was no scripture in the lifeboat. I was a disconsolate Arjuna in a battered chariot without the benefit of Krishna’s words. The first time I came upon a Bible in the bedside table of a hotel room in Canada, I burst into tears. I sent a contribution to the Gideons the very next day, with a note urging them to spread the range of their activity to places where worn and weary travelers might lay down their heads, not just to hotel rooms, and that they should leave not only Bibles, but other sacred writings as well. I cannot think of a better way to spread the faith. No thundering from a pulpit, no condemnation from bad churches, no peer pressure, just a book of scripture quietly waiting to say hello, as gentle and powerful as a little girl’s kiss on your cheek.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Last week, I thought about religious pluralism from the perspective of Eboo Patel, who has lived his life as a witness to the beauty of interfaith dialogue, and this week I thought about it from the perspective of young Pi Patel, fictional though he is, exploring the meaning of life from a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific. I think that both of these perspectives are perfectly legitimate. Those factual, historical accounts are extremely helpful because they really happened, while fictional accounts, in their own, way seem to tell some of the most poignant truths of life and humanity. I feel that, in order to understand as best we can this crazy beautiful world we live in, we must hear both the facts, history, and reason, as well as listen to others’ stories as we live and tell our own.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I haven’t decided on a book for this week yet...any suggestions? It’s going to be a busy week (heck, it already has been, and it’s only Monday night), what with finishing up projects, papers, and work before heading to Florida for Spring Break! So hopefully something short-ish. I’ve been wanting to read a book of poetry, maybe I’ll browse the library tomorrow during all my free time!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-10472583277523683782011-03-05T13:52:00.000-05:002011-03-05T13:52:30.746-05:00acts of faith<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXZihdu_pER_IkBRwWCgnbAxWuJWi8lYolai1kKefcxkJwe8Jy5OCZzJtRNetpTyhJK1oH7i_CPiZ3H71OnX6P0abcjdXw2hcUywfAWu0b_zM-F1lQbV30VU5gnuaXkJBn58tVVqJVpY/s1600/acts+of+faith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkXZihdu_pER_IkBRwWCgnbAxWuJWi8lYolai1kKefcxkJwe8Jy5OCZzJtRNetpTyhJK1oH7i_CPiZ3H71OnX6P0abcjdXw2hcUywfAWu0b_zM-F1lQbV30VU5gnuaXkJBn58tVVqJVpY/s200/acts+of+faith.jpg" width="145" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So I’ve been plugging away at </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Life of Pi</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, but I read another book this week that I’d rather tell you about, so I’ll save Yann Martel for next week. This past week for my senior seminar class we’ve been reading the book </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Acts of Faith</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Eboo Patel, who is an American-Indian Muslim who is striving for religious pluralism in America. I was captivated by his story and wanted to share it with you. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Patel’s mission is to make this world a place in which people with strong convictions in different religions can work together towards common goals. There are a lot of wonderful people out there today and in history that have done profoundly beautiful things for the world because of their religious convictions, wherever they may lie. But because of the way that our society is structured and the barriers we have built up around ourselves, we eagerly search for the ways in which two religions are different, instead of the ways in which the overlap and intersect. Patel believed, as I do, that learning about other religions and developing relationships with people who don’t share the same beliefs as you do can only strengthen your faith. We see, through the actions and practices of others, the strength of their convictions and are inspired to strengthen our own. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I live and participate in a community that isn’t all that religiously diverse, and don’t often have the opportunity to engage with people that hold radically different beliefs than my own. I’m not trying to discount the Hope community, because the majority of my experiences here have strengthened my faith and taught me how to be a Christian in every aspect of my life, not just on Sunday mornings. But I wish that I also had the opportunity to engage more fully with people of other faiths because I think they could teach me through their own practices how to live and act with integrity as a person of faith.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What I took from the book, and what I hope you take from this post or if you happen to read the book (which you should!), is that there is a possibility for things to be better. We may, in a society whose access to information is radically affected by media bias, believe that all Muslims are radical jihadists who are hell-bent on destroying America and democracy. We may believe, in the same vein, that all Christians are homophobes or that all Mormons are polygamists. But it is absolutely vital that we look beyond those stereotypes and see the people that practice these faiths as just that, people. I believe, after reading this book, that there is hope for a more accepting and understanding society where differences in religion does not mean bombs or hate mail but love and partnership. And I believe that it’s our generation, who is growing up more culturally literate and generally accepting of differences, that will make this change. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Think about this:</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Someone who doesn’t make flowers makes thorns. If you’re not building rooms where wisdom can be spoken, you’re building a prison.” -Shams of Tabriz</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’m resolving to make flowers instead of thorns, to build rooms where wisdom can be spoken instead of building a prison. I want to be a person of faith that sees the face of God in other faces around me, whatever their faith may be. And I want to be a person of faith who encourages and engages in discussion instead of shrinking back in fear. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For more info on the Interfaith Youth Core, Eboo Patel’s nonprofit, check out the website: </span></span><a href="http://www.ifyc.org/"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px color: #1919a7; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">http://www.ifyc.org</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">/ and this video: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/TJ2yYS2jVes?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-76393569717008496322011-02-28T21:49:00.000-05:002011-02-28T21:49:49.920-05:00practice, practice, practice.<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don’t think I’ve savored a book more than I have </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">An Altar in the World</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Barbara Brown Taylor. Barbara Brown Taylor is a critically acclaimed pastor, writer, and teacher, and this book is a memoir of sorts all about spiritual practices. She begins her first chapter by describing how one gains wisdom: not by simply knowing what to do, but by practicing and living life fully enough to see the consequences, both good and bad. Here’s one quote I loved that explains the whole idea: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEO9NhNL3Xn9qfeo9KG3RdDiCz2A-_n4_CQgsEl_vC1kGO-w8pPtFkGUeOAlRA5EvRL2ODxqPv1Cfc-k-quf7aCzIFdNAlYd5yCTG64qIzV7V2HIcXfYS1fRFYRQzzvanlC0E119KxCK4/s1600/altar+in+the+world.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEO9NhNL3Xn9qfeo9KG3RdDiCz2A-_n4_CQgsEl_vC1kGO-w8pPtFkGUeOAlRA5EvRL2ODxqPv1Cfc-k-quf7aCzIFdNAlYd5yCTG64qIzV7V2HIcXfYS1fRFYRQzzvanlC0E119KxCK4/s200/altar+in+the+world.jpg" width="131" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">“Wisdom is not gained by </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">knowing</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> what is right. Wisdom is gained by </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">practicing</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> what is right, and noticing what happens when that practice succeeds and when it fails. Wise people do not have to be certain what they believe before they act. They are free to act, trusting that the practice itself will teach them what they need to know...Such wisdom is far more than information. To gain it, you need more than a brain. You need a body that gets hungry, feels pain, thrills to pleasure, craves rest. This is your physical pass into the accumulated of all who have preceded you on this earth. To gain wisdom, you need flesh and blood, because wisdom involved bodies--and not just human bodies, but bird bodies, tree bodies, water bodies, and celestial bodies. According to the Talmud, every blade of grass has its own angel bending over it, whispering, ‘Grow, grow.’ How does one learn to see and hear such angels?”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That’s beautiful, isn’t it? This idea that we learn by doing and by practicing has been a recurring theme in my life in the past couple of weeks. It was especially on my mind a few weeks ago, when I went to the prayer room every day that week. Even though those moments in the prayer room weren’t always the most profound, being intentional about prayer kept my mind on God. Since that week, I’ve found it easier to just stop during the day and say a prayer or a praise. It doesn’t have to be thirty minutes or even ten, but allowing myself to stop the craziness of life and focus on something outside of myself is something beautiful I’m learning to appreciate more and more everyday. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">We’ve been talking a lot about practices in my Communication class this semester, too. Cultural Communications scholars see the everyday practices we carry out as extremely significant ones. Everyone wakes up, gets ready for the day, eats or gets hungry, goes from place to place, and communicates with others, and the basic fact that we all do these things shows that there is some primary connection between all human beings. But the way that we live out these realities is very different. Even the simple things I do every day, like drinking my morning coffee, checking my email, making a call on my cell phone, going to class, reading, giving a hug, brushing my teeth, whatever it may be, these practices make up a life, my life. Even though they may be similar to my friends, family members, or someone on the other side of the world, the sum of these practices is entirely unique to my life, and therefore incredibly significant. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Barbara Brown Taylor talks about a ton of practices that can become spiritually significant, and they aren’t all about doing daily devotions or fasting. I particularly loved The Practice of Paying Attention, which talks about seeing God working in everyday life; The Practice of Getting Lost, where one learns how to be a stranger and how to trust; and one I really need to hear, The Practice of Saying No, which is just what it sounds like. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Whether you believe in God, whether you’re spiritual, or whether you’re still figuring out what you believe at all, I encourage you to pick up this book. I firmly believe that we grow wiser and learn how life is lived in this world by doing just that--living it. This book teaches you how to live life intentionally, filling it with exactly what will make that life beautiful. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">This week's read: <i>The Life of P</i>i by Yann Martel. You've been on my list for years, Pi. This week's the week!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Blessings,</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Julia</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-18737557665398763582011-02-22T01:30:00.000-05:002011-02-22T01:30:16.558-05:00Her Fearful Symmetry<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxkPNqIY6p62qlHqlfqk2Cbv6TI4jYtXr0xFBbtWDM7vDOQvW37UoWCWrcts2ZViECgqg4eQplvdrxvExMWEGuVWUszr_avQMQ1q21q6enud5ezsNhddMgj0OxVwgTYGI6mMQw_0r4uM/s1600/her+fearful+symmetry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxkPNqIY6p62qlHqlfqk2Cbv6TI4jYtXr0xFBbtWDM7vDOQvW37UoWCWrcts2ZViECgqg4eQplvdrxvExMWEGuVWUszr_avQMQ1q21q6enud5ezsNhddMgj0OxVwgTYGI6mMQw_0r4uM/s200/her+fearful+symmetry.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Her Fearful Symmetry</i> is one crazy book. I’m not even going to </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">try</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> to describe it for you, because that would just ruin it. It’s just spooky, wild, beautiful, true, dark, and thought-provoking. If you’ve got some time or are looking for a good travel, vacation, or spring break book, this is a great one you won’t want to put down. But in all honesty, it was a bit overkill for a school week (especially when you don’t start until Thursday). Thus, the late and short post, but I’m sure you forgive me :)</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This book made me think a lot about secrets and truths. I can’t really go into too much detail about the book or about my own life, but it really made me realize the importance of honesty. I think it’s pretty easy to get wrapped up in our own thoughts and emotions that we feel like we can’t talk about the things that bother/frighten/scare us. Maybe this isn’t true for everyone, but I often feel like society’s telling me that I need to put on my game face and head out into the world this bubbly, cheery person with no cares in the world. But in reality, we’ve all got stuff going on underneath the surface that we’re not letting on about. I’ll be there first to admit that I get my thoughts, worries, and emotions all bottled up and don’t talk about them until they seem to explode. And I bet I’m not the only one. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I’m going to try to be more open and honest with people. Whether I’m frustrated or sad, giddy or gleeful, I’m going to try to talk about it. In the book, a lot of problems could have been avoided or solved if people bothered to share what they were feeling. Yes, I know it’s fiction, but fiction has a way of getting at those things we all know deep down to be true. And this honesty, this openness, this need to speak and have our fears and desires heard and acknowledged, is something that I know to be true.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Next week I’ll be reading </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">An Altar in the World</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Barbara Brown Taylor, which teaches all about spiritual disciplines in a really holistic way, with chapters on waking up with God, paying attention, getting lost and more. I started reading it for a class about a month back, but only got a few chapters in. So I’m going to go back to the beginning and read a few chapters a day as my daily time with God, because I just feel like I need that this week. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-29603711819496874412011-02-14T12:04:00.001-05:002011-02-14T12:04:28.894-05:00our ever-changing language<div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOzhwwqgyWSWx7CVjPKS_ETmMzE-nW1J-BO_YiRV5k1jvlTvnXHbKtOmPXgOQ16-OX2uEZ348O8riFgrxdM6HQpYk70IasD79EFYwKjVI6hv7nwmSUB285mJLuC8LNZEVrQRMf2Nt3Ck/s1600/the+mother+tongue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkOzhwwqgyWSWx7CVjPKS_ETmMzE-nW1J-BO_YiRV5k1jvlTvnXHbKtOmPXgOQ16-OX2uEZ348O8riFgrxdM6HQpYk70IasD79EFYwKjVI6hv7nwmSUB285mJLuC8LNZEVrQRMf2Nt3Ck/s200/the+mother+tongue.jpg" width="131" /></span></a><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I’ve spent the last week reading </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Mother Tongue</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Bill Bryson, which is an humorously detailed account of the English language and how it got that way. The first thing that fascinated me about the book was how early in time he needed to start in order to properly explain how English came to be; first by explaining the descent of the larynx into the throat, which is why we can talk but other animals cant, and then starting about 30,000 years ago when the Neanderthal man was replaced by the Homo sapien, who not only produced astonishing artistic and cultural advancement, but whose lifestyle indicates some sort of linguistic progression that allowed man to communicate differently with others. 30,000 years ago! Crazy. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">What’s ironic is that even though the story of the English language takes requires a 30,000 year span to tell, because the book was written some 20 years ago (1990) it can be, in some ways, dreadfully out of date. Certain words the author used carry very different, often derogatory meanings for us today, and much of the geographical and political landscape has changed since the time the book was written. What surprised me most is how very little Bryson dealt with the idea of globalization and the spread of English worldwide. Sure, he talks about how many students are required to study English to compete in the world economy and the embarrassingly small number of Americans who bother to learn another language other than their own. But what I’m most curious about is how technology is changing the landscape of language, something Bryson barely touches on. Rightly so, since he was writing at a time when the World Wide Web as we know it was just being invented. Words like blog, Facebook, IP address, e-book, and countless more we use every day hadn’t even been invented at the time this book was written. What’s so fascinating is how rapidly the words we speak, the syntax with which we employ them, and the amount of people worldwide using the same words are changing. There have been a number of times in history that language has gone through a rapid shift or upheaval: the invasion of three Germanic tribes into Britain in the 400s, the arrival of the French during the time of Chaucer, Shakespeare’s some 1,685 newly invented words, Gutenberg’s printing press, and the spread of English to the New World. But I have a feeling that we’re living in a time of upheaval as well. The way we communicate with each other, the speed at which information is transmitted, the far reaches to which our language extends, and the increasing global presence of American language and industry all has the possibility to change our language in ways we never thought possible. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Chaucer, Shakespeare, or Gutenberg would have never thought it possible that I could write down words as I’m doing now and that, seconds later when published, anyone in the world could see them even comment on or ‘like’ what I’ve written. I’m just so fascinated by languages and the ways that we communicate, and I can’t wait to see how our language continues to change in our lifetime! </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Next week I’ll be reading </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Her Fearful Symmetry</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> by Audrey Niffenegger. Some of you have probably read </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The Time Travelers Wife</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> (wonderful book, horrible movie) by the same author. I’m excited for what I’m sure will be another page turner! Also, I think I might abandon my fiction/non-fiction rule, at least for the time being while I’m still in school. I’ve got great profs who are assigning some interesting non-fiction reads, but I end up getting overwhelmed at the end of a night of homework and just about the last thing I want to do is pick up a book that feels like it could be for school. Hopefully this change will help me get more excited about doing my reading every week instead of waiting until the weekend. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really glad to be doing this challenge, because there is something beautiful about deciding you’re going to do something and actually following through. I always feel so accomplished at the end of the week, have learned and thought about so much, and am excited to share it with all of you, both online and in person! </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Monday everyone!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
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</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-43300289256991924952011-02-06T12:47:00.000-05:002011-02-06T12:47:05.305-05:00living intentionally, racing without fear.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzglhe0aIhHf12QjeltnOCNW986ni6Uxdsu-8LUvqYAUJgz-oQ8STHy7V3ac9RVOCKYeSfrAJg1RIf_zxEUtD8z781ngB2NYt3S7EFO3qSagqTcBgm_ZxRLoLLqgxXHSp_pG-b1Tc1Fo/s1600/art-of-racing-in-the-rain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwzglhe0aIhHf12QjeltnOCNW986ni6Uxdsu-8LUvqYAUJgz-oQ8STHy7V3ac9RVOCKYeSfrAJg1RIf_zxEUtD8z781ngB2NYt3S7EFO3qSagqTcBgm_ZxRLoLLqgxXHSp_pG-b1Tc1Fo/s200/art-of-racing-in-the-rain.jpg" width="131" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you’ve been looking for the perfect book to get you back into reading, this is it. It’s the type of book you can’t bear to put down, but you’ve got to pace yourself in order to savor each and every page. It’s the type of book that makes you want to hunker down under the covers with a cup of tea and never come out (well, over two feet of snow can do that too, but having this book is a bonus!). And if you’ve got a book but no tea, try Honey Vanilla Chamomile by Celestial Seasonings. I promise you won’t be sorry. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Art of Racing in the Rain </span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">by Garth Stein is a fabulous read that reminds you how to fight for something you care about deeply. I don’t want to go into too much detail about the plot because I really want you to read the book, but the story is told by a dog named Enzo whose owner Denny must fight tooth and nail to keep his family together. Now, for those of you who know me well, I am NOT an animal person, so the thought of reading a story narrated by a dog was a bit of a strange concept for me. Except that this dog is the most loyal, the kindest, and the wisest of all animals I’ve ever ‘met’. At one point, Enzo speaks about Denny’s character and strength, and when he spoke, I had to immediately jot down what he had said: </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">“There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.”</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What a beautiful thing to say. In our culture of winners and losers, of gold-medalists and benchwarmers, of those who get promoted and those who are left behind, it’s good to remember that there is no dishonor in losing the race, but that dishonor only comes when we are afraid to race at all. Whatever it is that you’re going through, whatever you’re fighting for, whatever you’re considering but haven’t yet committed to, remember not to be afraid to lose. If it’s something you are passionate about, the race is worth running, no matter the outcome. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For me, the race right now is getting out there and finding a job. I’m scared of the race because for the first time in my life, I don’t know what the next step is. I’m scared because I’m still learning how to go out there and start searching, and I’m scared that I won’t love my job, live up to my potential, or find anything at all. But the race is out there, ready to be run, and it’s time. I’ve watched some wonderful friends put themselves out there in big ways in the job market in order to find their dream job, and now it’s time to emulate what they’re doing. What’s your race? What in your life is so worth it that you’re willing to race, even if you fail? Let’s get out there.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A couple more thoughts...A big part of why I'm doing this reading challenge is because I want to live my life intentionally. That surely means planning my time so that I can accomplish my reading goals, but I want it to be so much more than that. My good friend Casey is one of those people who lives life intentionally, and right now she's dedicated to spending time each day in the prayer room on campus. This week, I'm going to be in the prayer room with her, supporting her challenge and learning from her how to be more deliberate in my prayer life. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends who are passionate about living an intentional life, like Liz who's reading with me this month (were going to give <i>The Mother Tongue</i> by Bill Bryson another try this week). If you've got something you're doing in 2011 to live intentionally, I'd love to hear about it and be a part of it! </span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6860284151152236054.post-67687645095927314472011-01-30T23:17:00.000-05:002011-01-30T23:17:41.071-05:00Looking to the future, savoring the present<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4nqg1HVsil5YD-hqzAkpRtO_ui358qlInyXZ2Dhrf7IYoTsElgSDwuVcspYlIcBbu2-yQLfkY4YZ4OSBsdUWL4VDXwXmfjxvFKWW64aDTvtVOv8td4UlfhmY55SYztUMF-WyZHxhwk0/s1600/Feed+cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl4nqg1HVsil5YD-hqzAkpRtO_ui358qlInyXZ2Dhrf7IYoTsElgSDwuVcspYlIcBbu2-yQLfkY4YZ4OSBsdUWL4VDXwXmfjxvFKWW64aDTvtVOv8td4UlfhmY55SYztUMF-WyZHxhwk0/s200/Feed+cover.jpg" width="120" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What a blast it’s been reading </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Feed</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by M.T. Anderson this week! </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Feed</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is a critically acclaimed Young Adult novel that describes the life of a teen named Titus in a time where almost every aspect of life is controlled by the feed, a transmitter implanted directly into his brain. Had I known the book was Young Adult, I might have thought otherwise about reading it, and I would have really missed out. Instead, I got Anderson’s take on what the future might look like when we don’t just carry our laptops or smart-phones around with us, but when computers and brains are one in the same. Imagine a world in which what closely resembles Facebook advertising and personality profiling is taken to such extremes that the feed advertises not just to online actions, but to spoken words and emotions. The scary part is, it’s not such a far cry from reality. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Even though </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Feed</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is written for younger readers, the author looks critically at the power that advertising and PR firms, global corporations like Nike, Coca-Cola, and Toyota, and major news conglomerates have in defining our reality. And as a communications nerd, I’m glad the author is encouraging his readers to see the possibly disastrous outcomes of a world in which speaking aloud is a chore, where buying something is as easy as clicking with your mind, and where writing with paper and pen is a lost art. There are certainly positive aspects to the technological revolution of the past 30 years, but this revolution has so entirely changed the landscape of communication and reality that I don’t believe we truly understand its effects yet. </span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What I took away from this week was this: savor those aspects of life that may seem timeless. Jot down notes to yourself on a sticky note by your bedside table or on your desk. Write a letter to a friend who lives far away. Take a picture or draw what you see around you. Talk to people older than you and listen to their stories, because those stories will blow your mind. Look, I mean really look, at some artwork. Hold an old book in your hands and smell the pages. Do whatever it is that keeps you rock-solidly in the present. These things are a beautiful part of life that I’m afraid are slipping away. </span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">For the month of February, I’ll be reading alongside my best friend in the world, Elizabeth Feenstra. In 2011, Liz is taking on a new challenge each month. Last month, she took a photo a day, and this month she’ll be reading a book a week with me! (What great encouragement!) This week we’ll be reading </span></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Art of Racing in the Rain</span></span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> by Garth Stein. It’s fiction, so I’m heading a bit off track from the every-other fiction/non-fiction plan, but this books been recommended to me at least four times this week, so what better way to kick off February than with a highly-recommended read!</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span></span></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Thanks to everyone for your encouragement and support! I love hearing your suggestions, keep ‘em coming!</span></span></span></div>Julia Petersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16883776491728058381noreply@blogger.com0