Fear or Faith?

1. This Blessed House is a compelling story that represents more than just a newly married couple and their struggles to work through the first few months of their marriage. But more so, it represents a lifestyle that is commendable to follow. Twinkle and Sanjeev are a young Hindu couple that have just married and moved into their first house. This particular house seems to be previously owned by a Christian family, because there a numerous amount of Christian objects that have been left. These objects are hidden throughout the house and consist of a figure of Christ, a key chain with a wooden cross, a three wise men painting, a miniature Nativity scene, a tile trivet of sermon-delivering Jesus, a 3-D past card of St. Francis, plus many more. The two have totally different views on the objects and what to do with them. Sanjeev sticks true to his Hindu roots and gets annoyed with the entire Christian reminders. Not only does he stand firm, he also does what he can to remind Twinkle of their Hindu roots. Twinkle, on the other hand, is intrigued by all of the objects and sees it as a treasure hunt. Although she is a Hindu, she is obviously not satisfied with her religion since she is so interested in Christian symbols. She relates finding all the objects to a treasure hunt and is intrigued to find more. After the two get settled, they have a house warming party and invite all of Sanjeev’s friends and co workers over to show off their new place. Sanjeev is worried what his coworkers might think about the objects being displayed and tries to convince Twinkle to put them away. She gets extremely upset and they eventually compromise on what is going to be displayed. Although there is a compromise, the objects are not completely removed. During the party, Twinkle informs the guests of their treasure hunt and they are fascinated. Sanjeev is not pleased with the way the party is going since Twinkle is ¬ socializing with the guest, telling them about all the objects, and not helping him run the party. He is also displeased with the fact that everyone is so interested in the objects and doesn’t join them when they go into the attic. They even go on a treasure hunt themselves to find more treasures. They take an adventure to the attic and discover a large sized Jesus Christ. When Twinkle brings it down, Sanjeev initially doesn’t like it but then eventually “pressed the massive silver to his ribs, careful not to let the feather hat slip, and followed her.” This represents that he is starting to accept Twinkle’s interest in the objects and willing to be open minded about them.
This short story, in my opinion, has many different interpretations that the reader can receive, but the one that I received is from the character Twinkle. She is an incredible example of the faith that God wants us to have. Sanjeev on the other hand, has the complete opposite, he does not represent faith, but instead fear, which brings nothing but limitations to the life that God intends for us to enjoy.

2. This concept of faith represented through Twinkle needs to be interpreted because it can easily be received but easily overlooked at the same time. Since this story is lengthy, and represents quite a few different themes, one could easily be focused on just one theme and overlook the others. Sometimes a reader will get caught up in a theme according to what they are personally going through. For instance, a girl that just recently got married might focus on the relationship aspect and relate the troubles that Sanjeev and Twinkle struggle with to her own troubles. Or, if the reader is a Hindu, they might focus on the differences between Christianity and Hinduism.
I on the other hand, am currently in a state of my life where my faith is being tested in different areas. Although I long for the spontaneity that Twinkle and the ability to trust and have faith in the things that are unknown, I tend to be held back by fear similar to Sanjeev. The most impressive thing about Twinkle’s attitude is she doesn’t even realize that her actions display what faith should look like. My hope for this post would be for people to be inspired by the faith that is displayed through the life of Twinkle and not to be restrained by fear in their life, like Sanjeev did.

3. The central theme of most plays and short stories are typically displayed in the events or the story line, but in This Blessed House, the theme is represented through the characters. Twinkle has such a free, child like spirit from the beginning of the story and never changes throughout. She is also very cheerful and friendly, definitely someone that you would want to surround yourself with. Sanjeev on the other hand, is not as cheerful and optimistic. Instead, he is stuck in his Hindu religious traditions and does not care about anything else, especially Christianity. Not only is he close minded, he is negative and doesn’t accept his wife for who she is, and instead gets annoyed with her personality.
Although it does not inform us on Twinkle’s personal Christianity views, her actions display a faith that represents her desire to know more about Christ as well as a value for the sacraments that are represented. She has an optimistic mindset that is not affected by outside sources. Sanjeev on the other hand, is so consumed about what his coworkers would think that he cannot even appreciate the sacraments. The central message in the story displays the type of faith that we need to incorporate into our spiritual life and the ability to accept the unknown with open arms. Not only to accept it, but embrace it with a spirit of excitement and joy.

4. There are many pieces of evidence throughout the story that displays the faith that Twinkle exemplifies. The opening paragraphs display the first example when Twinkle replies to Sanjeev’e comment to throw away the white porcelain effigy of Christ. She responded with “But it could be worth something. Who knows?” Right off the bat, she represents that although she is not sure what it represents, she has hope that it is something worthwhile. Most, modern day Christians don’t view the unknown with this attitude, but more so with the attitude of disregard.
Her curiosity to know more about God is the next representation of good faith. She was so fascinated with the religious pieces, that she kept asking Sanjeev tons of questions about Christianity and what the other people must have been like. Many Christ followers today do not have curiosity or the desire to know more about God. They are completely content with what they may have learned as a child, or what other people say, and have not done much to decipher any meaning from their personal view points and interpretations of the word as well as the many things God is doing in the world today.
“They didn’t bother her, these scattered, unsettled matters,” Sanjeev stated as he referred Twinkle. Wow, what a powerful statement. Are we easily bothered by unsettled matters? Yes, many people are bombarded by these issues and forget to let them go and let God step in and take over. It takes a lot of faith to not worry about issues that we cannot figure out and trust God to make things happen. It is inspiring to see this attribute displayed in someone’s life. This is why Twinkle is so cheerful all the time, because she doesn’t focus on the things that she knows she can’t control. Isn’t that what God wants us to do? Isn’t that the faith that we are suppose to display for Christ?
“Each day is a treasure hunt, I’m serious,” Twinkle exclaimed to her friend about the sacraments. Treasure hunts are fun, exciting and represent the desire to search for something of value. She is exclaiming to her friends that these journeys to find things that have to do with the Christian religion are fascinating. Shouldn’t that be how we view our relationship with God? What if we compared our relationship with God to a treasure hunt and woke up every day trying to find more about him and the things he has for us, the unknown?
Another example that represents a good characteristic of Twinkles good faith, is when Sanjeev threatens to throw away a sacrament that Twinkle displayed in the yard. She immediately was outraged and claimed that she was displeased with Sanjeev. She threatened to leave, proclaimed that he could never do such a thing and even cried. Sometimes, people in this world, try to remove our “sacraments,” from our lives and take away the closest things we have to Christ. Do we get outraged and upset like Twinkle did, or do we just become silent and let our faith get taken away from us? Wouldn’t you think God wants us to kick and scream and do whatever it takes in order to keep the things in our lives that keep us close to him?
Lastly, Twinkle displays the faith we should have while she was at the party. She presents herself well and is admirable to the guests. She is also very welcoming and offers to give them a tour. On the tour she tells the guests about all her discoveries and the excitement they bring her. They too become intrigued and want to join in on the treasure hunt. She grants their request and takes them to the attic, which is a place she’s never been. This is where they find the bust of Jesus Christ, ultimately the most important. Isn’t this exactly what were suppose to do, tell people about the things God is revealing to us and share our excitement? Doesn’t this excitement typically lead them to Christ and open their eyes to a whole new world?

5. Why does this interpretation matter and why is it important to have a faith like Twinkles? Well, it simply depends on the life that you wish to live, do you want one full of joy, happiness and peace,or would you rather one full of worry, disappointment, misery and pain? Do you want to live a life that is pleasing to God, or displeasing to him? Tough choice, right? Hopefully not, hopefully you’re smart to realize that the life that God intended for us to live only comes through the kind of faith presented by Twinkle; one that brings true joy, and happiness like she experienced. Surely you don’t want to live a life of fear full of worry and wonder like Sanjeev did . As Usman B. Asif states, “Fear is a darkroom where negatives develop.” Is that the life you think God intended for you to live? I don’t think so. Fear got in the way for Sanjeev and deprived him from experiencing the joy that Twinkle did. It wasn’t till the end where he seemed to accept the sacraments when he held the piece close to his chest. Who knows if that really means he’s open to it, or he just wants to make Twinkle happy. He could never let go of his control and experience faith. As Mary Morrissey claims, “You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith.” What are you going to do, allow fear to control your destiny, or control your destiny by letting faith guide your path?

A Temple of the Holy Ghost

This story was definitely a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Originally, I thought it was going to be about some creepy ghosts, or some creepy church building. I didn’t imagine it to be about teenage girls. I especially enjoyed it because I have a passion for working with young girls specifically around 12-14. In my opinion, that is so a critical time period in a young girls life. It’s when “boys,” start to become a distraction and more importantly, when self esteem issues began. It was interesting to see how the main character developed in the story. I feel as if O’Connor expresses some of her own characteristics through the child. It seems as if the child is an introvert and was negative at times. Since O’Connor moved to a farm in Georgia at age 12, she more than likely spend a lot of time by herself. In her biography, it states that “an intellectual in a rural environment, she quickly began to see the world as sometimes annoying, but often amusing.” This is how the main character portrays her feelings. She seems to be very annoyed with her cousins, but at the same time, she is entertained by them and continues to be around them in the story.
She is very blunt and has no problem expressing how she feels. This makes it a lot easier to understand the character and her interactions with the other characters.

A part of the story that really sticks out to me is, “They came in the brown convent uniforms they has to wear at Mount St. Scholastica but as soon as they opened their suitcases, they took off the uniforms and put on red skirts and loud blouses.” As I read this, I was reminded of “Sunday Christians.” They put on their Sunday best and go to church, but as soon as Monday strolls along, the Sunday best is gone and the “life outfit,” comes on. People need to wear their Sunday best all the time and stand firm in who they are in Christ, no matter what the circumstance is.

The Wonders of Omelas

First of all, I did not know what an Omela was until I looked it up. I found out that it is an utopia which is an ideal community that possesses a perfect socio-politico-legal system. Then it made sense on why “one would walk away.” I kind of feel like sometimes Southeastern represents an Utopia. I feel like it’s hard for some people in this community to accept less than perfect.

When I began the short story and read the opening description of Omela, I wondered why anyone would want to walk away. The descriptions represented a great place to be with the clamor of bells, music playing in the streets and a faint sweetness of the air. I would absolutely love to live in Omela; a place of free will where there is no guilt and everyone does what they want. Wouldn’t that be idea? Do people actually think that this “perfect world,” could exist? Absolutely not. Without some kind of order, there will be complete chaos.

Now with this child suffering child. I just don’t understand why this child has to suffer and why he no one will do anything about it. What is represented when the people and where are they going? This quote at the end can provokes that question, “The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.” It’s as if this mysterious place is leading them to somewhere greater then Omelas. Obviously, the injustice of the young boy is prompting them to leave because Omelas is a “perfect place.” I feel like the people that walk away represent people that choose to follow God. They leave behind a life that seems so perfect and glamours and go to a place that they are not sure about, but instead have faith that it is much more satisfying than what the temporary fulfillment that Omelas offers.

Good or Bad Wings?

I really enjoyed this story and was engaged the whole time. When I usually read, I get so sidetracked and have to reread passages. Marquez has such an interesting writing style that sets him apart from others. In his biography, it stated that he traveled, which seems to be a common theme with good writers.

At first, I was confused on whether the angle represented light or darkness, but towards the end, I feel as if he represents darkness. Not in the way that he acted, but more so how the "curious," responded. They had no idea who this angel was and treated him like an idol. They did not have a clue whether or not he was of truth, but still sacrificed everything for him. I think it represents “earthly,” idols that come to distract us. He appears to be good because of his wings like an angel, but had a bad odor. He also left people confused, and our God is not a God of confusion.

The line, “ But the mail from Rome showed no sense of urgency,” reminds me of when I make requests to God and he doesn’t answer right away. There have been many instances where God has waited to give me conformation or guidance on certain things that I have prayed about. Instead of just giving me the answers, he has instead guided me to try and figure things out on my own. Similar to what the mail from Rome did; asking more questions about the man. It is so vital to discipline yourself to wait on God and his timing. Our society is so fast paced and it is a challenge to stick to this discipline.

So what does this short story mean? What does it matter? This all depends on how the reader views it and what the reader is going through at this time. If the reader has a sick child, they might see the angel as a healer. On the other hand, if the reader struggles with idolizing earthly things that may appear “holy,” might have a different view. Instead, they might view the angel as being an angel of disguise; portraying that is good but is really evil.

A Path Beyond Myself

Amidst the trees you stand,
Hidden by the world.

Quiet and understanding,
Just longing for some time.
Your path is very narrow, and sometimes hard to find.

In between us lie my fears,
That I run from all the time.
Scared of letting go,
of all my control.
A step of faith is all I need to get me where you are.
Though I may not understand,
The process still remains.
Towards the end I will find,
the healer of my pain.

All around you there is death,
But stable still you stand.
Your path brings me much joy, that’s rooted deep within.
A peace and understanding some will never understand.

Though death tries to distract me,
You keep me on the path,
focused and determined to never look back.

I keep seeking something better than the world can ever give,
A new life I have found much bigger than before.
Your path brings satisfaction, like none could compare.

The end is worth the struggle of facing all my fears.
The world is much more peaceful and easy to ignore.
Beyond death I stand, with stability and peace.
Comfort in my heart and a hope for all my dreams.

Lake Bonny

I went to Lake Bonny Park for this field trip, and I stayed there for 60 minutes.

Prior to this field trip, I have been to Lake Bonny Park, but had a different experience. The last time I was there, the athletic department was having a kickball tournament. It was such a more peaceful experience without fifty people running around: I enjoyed it so much better by myself. I love having picnics and brought a blanket, and some food along while I read the required readings. I have never heard of Mary Oliver before and really enjoyed her poems. I really enjoyed Corrigan’s essay as well. The following lines caught my attention and changed my perspective of poetry.

“For Mary Oliver, in addition to whatever else poetry might be, it is also, even primarily, a spiritual practice.”

I have never thought of poetry this way but definitely agree that it can be a spiritual practice. I relate it to journaling, just a little more structured. While I was writing my poem at the park, I felt as if I were having a conversation with God. It is just as much as an act of worship then singing a worship song.

“But such pretending, or ignoring, does not produce spiritual fruit. It is through the tension—or rather through practicing the tension—that spiritual fruits are produced. ”

Who likes tension? Not many people like dealing with tension, or working past it. Most people just avoid it at all costs and do whatever they can to survive without it. Sadly, that “tension,” that we face is what grows us closer to God. It is that tension that God uses to make us stronger and more like him. Our triumphs of “tension,” can also be used to help others deal with their troubles as well.


My favorite poem of Mary Olivers is Six Recognitions of the Lord. I especially like the first stanza.

“I know a lot of fancy words,
I tear them from my heart and my tongue.
Then I pray."

Sadly, this is how many people pray, myself included at times. Why is it so hard for people to pray honestly to God? As if he doesn’t already know what we're thinking. People need to start being honest with the Lord and praying exactly what they are feeling and what is on their heart.

Othello

I watched the production Thursday night and enjoyed it just a little bit. I enjoyed seeing people from school act but thought it was way too long. They also used Shakespeare's language, which was very hard to understand. The students acting did a great job though!!!