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!!!

Circle B Reserve

Once again, I was not planning to enjoy the trip as much as I did. I guess I need to start trusting that the planned events and activities that we do are going to be fun because I have enjoyed every single of them. I have actually gotten a lot of ideas that I want to implement into my classroom when I began teaching. I really enjoyed the Circle B Reserve and actually want to go back another time. It was nice to just take some time out of my hectic schedule to stop and enjoy God’s creation. As I sat on the trolley, I was just amazed at the creativity that God has, not only with the look of everything, but also with the way that everything works together. I was unaware of the importance of marshes and their function until this trip. I also really enjoyed hearing the poem read aloud in the reserve as well. The poem seemed to come alive and became easier to understand, as well as visualize what the author was portraying. It especially came alive when the poem talked about marshes and we had just talked about them. I also enjoyed having time alone. It was nice to walk around and explore a little bit. I was amazed at all the different kinds of birds that were there and the amount of gators that I saw. I have lived in Florida my whole life and saw more gators in one day than I have my whole life. There were a lot of birds as well, and different at that. Usually in one reserve, you see just a couple types of birds, but not at Circle B. They were all so unique and beautifully colored. My favorite was the red winged black birds. I definitely wish I would have had my Bible because I would have loved to read scripture in that setting. This trip has encouraged me to start spending more of my devotion time outside.

State of the Planet!

I am typically not a fan of poetry and enjoy short stories and novels much better. Although I really enjoy the metaphors and figurative language used in poetry, I tend to be confused about the meaning and tone the author is trying to portray. I have never heard of Robert Haas prior to this blog post but I really enjoy his style of writing. A couple of his lines that really stood out to me are stated below.

“Poetry should be able to comprehend the earth.”
When I first read this, I had to go back a second time and reread it because I couldn't make any connections. Once I reread it, I was able to make the connections and read more into the phrase. Poetry is so complex and can have different meanings for different people. Although the author may have a centralized meaning, readers can take different things from it. For instance, a person who loves nature would definitely have a deeper connection with State of the Planet than someone who enjoys the city life. People also can have different views on earth and the life should be lived. Many people dedicate their lives to taking care of the earth while others chose not to and consider the side of the road to be there trash can. Also, many people dedicate their whole lives to the study the earth and its components while some doesn’t even know the difference between a tsunami and a hurricane. Both poetry and the earth are similar in their complexity.

“ Because the earth needs a dream of restoration.”
I feel as if the author is stating the whole purpose in this line. I feel as if he wants his readers to be concerned about the Earth and the damage that the human population is doing to it. He wants us to take action and use the resources that are available to us to save the planet.

AFI

Before going to AFI I was a little hesitant. Although I have worked with students with disabilities for the past couple of years, I have never worked with adults with disabilities or even been around them. I was especially apprehensive whenever we pulled in since the location is in a random,weird place. The fact that it’s so old also made me feel weird. I thought it would get better as we started the tour but it definitely did not. Nothing really changed until we did the one on one conversations. I did not feel uncomfortable at all and felt like I had known some of them for a long time. They were so nice and just wanted to talk to someone. One guy in particular was so fascinated with Southeastern University and described certain things about it that he was familiar with. He was also fascinated with the fact that I was in college.

Being around some of the men reminded me of Arnold, Norman, Barry and Lucien. It most definitely made the characters come alive to be around a person with the same characteristics. One man particularly reminded me of Norman because they had similar physical features. I could also understand why Jack would get so frustrated at times. I sometimes was bothered at the fact that they would repeat themselves about 10 times in five minutes, and I was only with them for such a short amount of time.

The financial struggles that AFI is going through made me think of the struggles that the Fetke family had had to deal with. Sometimes I forget about the struggles that come along with supporting adults with disabilities. I can’t not believe that they have gone through the budget cuts that they have. It is sad that it is continuing to drop because the clients are the ones that have to suffer, especially since they need the services so desperately.

Experiencing different aspects that relate to adults with disabilities has definitely opened my eyes and has helped me understand them more and allowed me to become more sensitive to their struggles.

What's Normal?

I have always wondered why certain people are born with disabilities and why most aren’t, especially since I have worked with students with disabilities heavily for the last two years. It is definitely hard not to ask God why he made certain people with disabilities. Not only are the people hindered from living a functional life, but their families are as well. Parents that have a child with disabilities not only have to care for their child till adulthood, but during adulthood as well.
My view on the creation of people with disability definitely shifted after reading Mr. Fetkes article, “ The Spirit of God Hovered.” I before did not view them the way God did and did not relate their creation to imago dei. Now, my question to God is not why did you allow this to happen to people, but instead, God, what can I do to help these people.
In this article, one thing that stood out to me was the part where he discusses people being “normal,” and “abnormal.” He states that , “ In identifying “normal,” people some might refer to the regular activities of humans in “ normal,” relationships and communication with other humans and with all creation. However, for the disabled, especially the mentally disabled, this communication and relationship with other humans might be deemed “abnormal,” because of the disability." This is most definitely true and how the majority of society views disable: sadly, including the church. Before I started working with the disabled, I considered them to be “abnormal,” instead of considering them to be equal to everyone else. Who’s to say what’s normal and abnormal anyways? We are all a little crazy and corky in our own way. Just because the disabled cannot communicate or function as effectively as the nondisabled, that doesn’t mean they are abnormal.

The Boys, Take 2

It is definitely a challenge for me to read plays by myself. It’s so much better to have other people to read with. The activity that we did in class made it so much easier for me to get into the play. I am definitely going to implement this strategy when I become a teacher. This scene also reminds me of what I’m going to have to deal with when it comes to parents. Barry’s dad most definitely is a good example of some of the parents that I am going to have to deal with. During this act I was able to connect with Jack again because he was the mediator like I will soon be. It just breaks my heart to see how Barry’s dad treated him. I could not imagine what my life would be like if my parents treated me in such a way. Unfortunately, this sort of behavior is very common for parents that have students with disabilities. Most parents do not know how to properly handle their child and the proper behavior modifications that need to be implemented. They tend to easily get frustrated and take their frustrations out on their child. This is so disheartening because if they parents can not develop the special patience that comes along with working with these students, the student will not be able to reach their full potential. When I start teaching, I am going to do my best at providing my parents with the proper information that will help them effectively deal with their child. Also, the majority of these parents are low educated, which is also a set back. It is not necessarily the educator’s job to flow over into parenthood, but when the child’s future is at hand, it is definitely a legitimate reason. I was overall very pleased with the play and thought that Griffin did a great job at portraying the life of individuals with disabilities.

The Boys Next Door

When I read the title of this play, I did not think that it would be about adults with disabilities. I thought it was going to be some twisted love story. Once I found out that the main characters had disabilities, I was instantly connected with the play. I definitely love plays and am studying special education, so it is a great combination. I found it very interesting that a play would involve people with disabilities. I can imagine that it would be hard to write a play that incorporates humor when dealing with the disabled. Some would consider it to be disrespectful. I on the other hand think it’s amazing and feel like a lot people will benefit from it. More people need to be exposed to the disabled and some of the struggles they deal with. They also need to be exposed with the struggles that other people deal with that work and live with them. I never really enjoyed working with disabled people until I got to Southeastern. In fact, I actually felt really uncomfortable around them and never imagined that I would be majoring in Special Education. God definitely had a different plan that I expected and has led me down this path. I have been working with these students for the past year and a half and have had such an amazing time. I definitely have been stretched to my limits and can completely understand how Jack feels. There are so many times that I get frustrated like him and feel inadequate to be in the position that I am. Jack has his hands full and has every right to get overwhelmed. Norman, Barry, Arnold and Lucien are a hand full and require a lot of assistance. Some of the things that they do are funny to read about but not too fun for Jack to deal with.

Sonny's Blues

James Baldwin is an extraordinary writer in that he is able to display so many hidden, deeper meanings in such a simplistic manner. The text was a fairly easy read that gained the reader’s attention immediately from the beginning. The opening pages drives the reader to guess what the plot is going to be about as Sonny’s brother talks about how his students remind him of Sonny. I could really relate to the narrator when he talked about the concerns he has about his brother doing drugs because my brother went through a time period in his life where he was addicted to drugs. I did not know for a while, but when I found out, I was devastated and couldn’t believe he could do such a thing. I was immediately hooked in the story because I was so intrigued to see how the narrator dealt with his brother and the addition and I was also intrigued to see if Sonny was going to overcome his addiction like my brother did, or if he was going to be trapped in it forever. Although Sonny had some hard circumstances he had to face, it does not give him an excuse to depend on drugs. His brother grew up in Harlem just as he did and did not turn to drugs as a coping mechanism.

I loved how Baldwin ended the story and referred it to the Bible. When I initially read the last line, I did not know that the cup of trembling was used to describe the suffering that have plagued people in the bible. It represents the suffering and bondage that Sonny went through during his lifetime. Drinking from the cup represents that there is a chance for redemption and peace at the end of his suffering. Baldwin does a great job at keeping the reader questioning at the end because we do not know if Sonny really experienced redemption or if he continued to suffer in his addiction.

Joel Reflection

"I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,
Blood, fire and columns of smoke.
"The sun will be turned into darkness
And the moon into blood"

A Cemetery Observed

In my opinion the last two chapters are a little more joyful than the first two. It represented more on how to overcome grief than the suffering that comes along with it. Time began to take its course and Lewis started to live his life again.
Lewis made a choice to stay true to his priorities which in turn helped him began the process of overcoming the grief he was suffering. People typically choose to wallow in their sorrows and spend too much time mourning instead of moving on. This is extremely helpful for readers that are dealing with the loss of a loved one because it will encourage them to be active in the recovery process. Lewis does such a great job saying the things that most Christians think but are not bold enough to talk about. Many people can be reached and encouraged by these topics, especially Non-Christians.

I went to the cemetery with Sianna and Jean and actually enjoyed it. I’m not going to lie when I read that we had to go, I was pretty freaked out because I do not like visiting cemeteries whatsoever. I choose to be optimistic about the situation which turned out really well and allowed me to realize some things that I never thought I would. The last time I was at a cemetery, my friend Megan that was only 21 years old was being buried. She died in a tragic car accident and it was really hard to not think back to that moment. It was really helpful to have Sianna and Jean there too take my mind off it. It was crazy to see that some of the tombstones represented people that were born in the 1800s. How crazy is that?? It’s really fascinating to think about the life that they lived and how different it is the how we live now. Even the way that the tombstones were designed and presented was a lot different than some of the modern ones. The older tombstones are more simpler than some of the modern ones which represents how simple life used to be. Another thing I noticed during the trip was the fact that someone’s life is represented by the year in which they were born and the year that they died. Some of them don’t even say the date. It’s just so insane that some people’s life is only represented by numbers. We had no idea if they had any kind of impact on the world or not. Also, some people had encouraging quotes while others had nothing more than what was needed. I just couldn’t believe how simple and similar the tombstones looked and how they did not represent the diversity that lies within people. This field trip most definitely opened my eyes and made me think twice about my life and the choices that I am making. It makes me think about what I’m doing with my life and how I’m impacting people. It also makes me think about the things I want people to remember me for when my life is over.

A Grief Observed

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“No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid , but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same relentless, the yawning. “
Losing a relative or a close friend is one of my biggest fears and can not imagine what it would be like. I suppose I would respond as Lewis did with relating it to the same feelings of fear. I really enjoy the style of this book and how it represents exactly how he felt after losing his wife. Two weeks ago, I almost lost my father so I can somewhat relate to what Lewis is dealing with. It is interesting to read about how he deals with the situation and how he views God’s involvement. It’s quiet typical for Christians to wonder where God is during certain situations, but it isn’t as typical for them to voice that. Some think it is out of line to question why certain things happen or why “God allowed certain things to happen,” as some would say. There is no way that the human mind can comprehend the way God works and why he allows or doesn’t allow things to happen. This is when instead of asking “God, why did this to happen,” one should think “although I do not understand why this happened, I will do my best to figure out what I can learn from this, or what is God trying to show me. “
I relate this reading to the short story The Blessed House we read because the main characters are a couple. It seems as though Jack and H have a better relationship than Twinkie and Sanjeev. The only problem is, we are reading from Jacks view instead of H’s. Although Jack may love her so much, H may not love him the same exact way. In both stories we are reading from the guy side of the relationship which can be completely different than the way the girl views the relationship. Which is true in most relationships One difference I did notice is the way the men viewed their significant others. Sanjeev most definitely did not love Twinkie the way that Jack loved H. If Twinkie passed away, Sanjeev would probably not grieve as much as Jack did since he is not madly in love with Twinkie.

Images of Joel

The book of Joel is full of different images that strike as vivid and some that be moving as well. The beginning chapter begins with a vivid description of locuts and what they have destroyed. Although it is easy to picture a swarm of grasshoppers that invade an area, it is not necessarily the most appealing image to view. It is interesting that this book starts off with an image such as this, instead of something that is more appealing to the eye. Using these kind of images to begin the story definitely is a good way to catch the reader's attentions. After the description of the locusts, starvation and drought is described. One phrase that stuck out to me in this section : "The herds of cattle wander aimlessly
Because there is no pasture for them; Even the flocks of sheep suffer." This not only paints a picture of cattle wandering around, it also brings reference to anther spiritual parallel as well. The herds of cattle just remind me of the lost people in this world that do not have a relationship with God. They search and search to find “their pasture,” but always end up lost, or running in circles.

The next phrase that is extremely vivid is :
"The mountains will drip with sweet wine,
And the hills will flow with milk,
And all the brooks of Judah will flow with water;
And a spring will go out from the house of the LORD
To water the valley of Shittim."
If this doesn’t bring images to your mind, I don’t know what would. This descriptive is much more appealing than locusts as well as more promising. These descriptions allow the reader to use their imagination and think about images that they do not see on an everyday basis.

Joel

Joel is not a book that I typically spend much time in but now that I have read through it, I have found some verses that have I have really been inspired me and that I plan on referring to in the future. There are many scriptures that sounded beautiful as I read aloud.

“The Lord will answer and say to His people,
“ Behold, I am going to send you grain,
new wine and oil,
Any you will be satisfied in full with them;
And I will never again make you a reproach among the nations.

This verse brings me so much comfort as I read them. I am encouraged to trust that God is going to satisfy all my needs. Not only is he going to supply me with what I need but he is also going to provide above and beyond the things I need. We do not deserve half the things that the Lord has blessed us with , but that represents the beauty of his nature. Another verse that stuck out to me was:

“Do not fear, O land, rejoice and be glad,
For the LORD has done great things.”

It is so important to rejoice in the Lord no matter what the circumstance is and remembers all the great things that he has done in our personal lives as well as what he has done for everyone else as well. Sometimes it’s easy to be joyful when things are going good, but what about when things are not going well. What are we going to do then? It is in those times when we have to choose to be joyful even when the circumstances that aren’t so promising. Doing this is definitely not easy, but will become easier the more you do it. Not only will you benefit from it, others will pick up on it as well.

A Story About the Body

This story makes me angry. It reminds me of how shallow and selfish some men can be. Not all men are like this, but a lot of them most definitely have these characteristics. How can this young composer be so shallow? First of all, his only attractions to her are physical and he does not say much about the type of person she is. The only thing other than her physical traits he mentions is how he valued her art work, but he relates that to her body, so that doesn’t count. At first, his physical descriptions did not bother me because it is typical for a man to talk about that. What really put me over the edge was when he said he could not be with her after she told him that she has had a double mastectomy. What a tool for saying that. Having your breast removed is a big deal; I know I would feel like part of my womenhood was taken away from me if that happened. She more than likely has insecurity issues and probably has a hard time having someone love her despite her deformities. Why couldn’t he just look past the issue and try and get to know her more? Maybe after he got to know her more, he would be able to look past her deformities. The reality of this story is what is disturbs me because it happens on a daily basis. Sadly, I sometimes catch myself falling into it. I have many guys friends that will not even talk to some girls because they do not look a certain way.
I wonder if it is like this in other cultures that aren’t exposed to as much media as we are. The media sends this message that men and women have to look a certain way and dress a certain way in order to be desired. Apparently the young composer is influenced by the media.
The bowl that was left for the man is a perfect representation of the kind of person he is. The roses on top represent that he appears to be a sweet genuine guy, and the dead bees underneath represent how shallow he is.

The Last Dress

“Mom, can you please hurry, everybody’s waiting on us. ” Macy screamed.
“I’m coming, I’m coming, just trying to find where your father put the camera!” I screamed.
I had the camera in my hand but instead was grabbing the gift I wanted to give Macy before she left for her senior prom. I could not believe this night was here. It seems like just yesterday I was dropping Macy off for her first day of Kindergarten.
I remember it like it was yesterday. My mother spent the majority of the summer before her first day making her a “first day of school,” dress. Macy picked out pink and blue paisley fabric for the dress but was not allowed to see it until it was completely finished. The anticipation killed her all summer and she would sneak around and try to get a peak of the dress. The finished product was incredible and fit Macy so perfectly; the colors of the dress made her electric blue eyes glow. Her curly red head bounced up and down as she walked herself to her class room. Macy insisted on walking herself to her classroom and did not want me to walk her because she said it makes her feel more grown up. It was so hard to just let her go since she had been glued to my hip for the past five years.
“Mom, what the heck are you doing? If we miss the limo, you’re going to have to buy us our own.” Macy screamed again. Wow, I didn’t realize that I had been standing there for a few minutes lost in the memories that I cherished so much. Since Macy started her senior year, I found myself reminiscing a lot more than normal. Sometimes when Macy was out with her friends, I would just sit in her room and think about all the fashion shows she made me sit through, and tea parties we had with all her stuffed animals. Where in the world has the time gone and why is my little girl growing up so fast?
As I walked around the corner, and saw her for the first time since she was ready, I was speechless. Her beauty captivated all my attention and brought a tear to my eye. Her soft long, honey almond colored hair was done in loose curls that were curled away from her face. Her makeup was done flawlessly and made her look a lot older than eighteen. She had dramatically smokey eyes and long luscious eyelashes that made her blue eyes radiate. Her lips were shimmering with a champagne pink lip-gloss and her cheeks were coated with a sheer, golden bronze dust. Her dress was white which contrasted so well against her olive brown skin. The dress was without a question made for her, it was an elegant full length satin gown that had a mermaid shape and corset bodice: fitting tightly around her waist which accentuated her curvy hips and flowed out around her knees. The neckline was an off the shoulder sweetheart shape which brought attention to her colorbones and nicely toned shoulders. It was streamed with a thin layer of Swarovski crystals that wrapped around to the back of her dress which formed a V and exposed a little of her back. The middle of the dress had a gathering towards her right side and was detailed with a large sparkling silver brooch that resembled a daisy. She had a thin silver necklace that lay delicately on her neck and long teardrop shaped diamond earrings that dangled right above her shoulders. She had the hardest time finding a bracelet to match and did not feel like her accessories were complete. Little did she know, I had the perfect piece that would complete her outfit. My mother had given me a diamond bracelet to wear on the day of my wedding. This bracelet was passed down from my great grandmother and was vintage style with silver diamonds that were imported from Germany. I debated for weeks on whether I should wait until her wedding day to give it to her but something inside me kept telling me that this is the right time. At the time, I did not realize that there was much more to that strong feeling that led me to the decision.

“Macy, you look absolutely stunning, you are definitely going to be the prettiest girl there!” I claimed. Ok, let me get a couple pictures of you and Caden by the staircase and another one outside the gazebo.” I said.

“Alright mom, just as long as we hurry, I was supposed to be there ten minutes ago,” Macy said.

I was so distracted my Macy that I did not even notice my husband standing to the side of her with a tear rolling down his cheek. Matt never cried so I knew this was a big moment for him and that he as well was remembering Macy as a free spirited little girl.

“Before we take the pictures, Macy I want to give you something, can we step in the other room for a second.”

As she walked behind me to the other room, I pulled myself together as I was about to share on the most memorable moments with my daughter. I could tell she was confused and had no idea what was about to happen. She was just expecting a “mom talk,” that reminded her to make good choices. When I pulled out the mahogany wooden box that had a W engraved on the front, she was appalled.

“Oh my gosh, MOM are you serious? You’re giving this to me now and not on my wedding day?” She claimed as she clasped her hands around her mouth. A little tear started rolling down her face.

“Yes, Macy, today is not as important as your wedding day but is most definitely a special day. It matches your earring and necklace perfectly and I knew you were bummed you couldn’t find a bracelet to match. I love you more than you’ll every know Macy Grace and I hope that you have the best night of your life. Please be careful and make good choices.” I said.

“Awwww, I love you too Mom and I’ve been waiting since I was five years old to call this bracelet my own. I will cherish it forever and pass it onto my daughter one day. Thanks Mom, you just made this the best day of my life.”

We joined Matt and Macy’s date, took pictures and got them on their way. As soon as they left, I was exhausted and full of emotions and wanted to relax. My husband and I started dinner and put in a movie. We tried our best to occupy our minds with other things so we did not worry. Teenagers always do stupid things on prom night. We trusted Macy to be smart, but we did not trust all the other punks she went to school with.
I had fallen asleep on the couch in my husband’s arms and woke up to the phone ringing. Matt and I were immediately made eye contact then looked at the clock. It was about 12:30 a.m., which was the time shortly after the dance was over and when Macy would be heading to her friend’s house to spend the night. My stomach was in knots and I felt dizzy at the thought of what the phone call could be. My husband raced to the phone.

“Hello,” he said with fear. “Yes this is him.” I knew immediately things weren’t good.

“Matt, what is it?”

“Tanya, Macy has been in an accident.”

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star....

“Who you are is more than who you live as.” This statement really opened my eyes and prompted me to reflect on how I view others and how much I don’t know the people in my life that I feel like I know really well. It also prompts me to reflect on how well I know myself. During certain seasons of my life I feel as if I have a complete understanding of who I am. During other seasons, I experience certain insecurities that restrain me from having confidence in my identity. It is important to have a well rounded understanding of yourself so that you can live a free and confident life. Some people even look to others as an aid to help them find their identity. A great way to do this is to become familiar with characters in a different stories.
In This Blessed House, many women can use Twinkle as a women to mimic particular characteristics. In this story, Twinkle is a beautiful, optimistic and adventurous wife that enjoys her life. Although she does not claim she is a Christian, it appears that she is extremely fascinated with the symbolic Christian pieces that are found around the house. She also wants to display them in her house which shows that she values them. Not only was she adventurous, she was very smart as well since she completed a master’s thesis at Standford. She represents confidence in herself and that she is not perfect.
As we read about Twinkle and her characteristics in This Blessed House, is it possible to really know who is she is? Wouldn’t we see a different side of her if the story was told through her eyes, or if there was a little more information about her childhood and influences on her life that have shaped her ? Although we may feel as if we know who she is, we are only exposed to a little glimpse of her life. Is that enough to make a judgement? How would you feel if people classified you by one glimpse?

Does Artistic Literature Taste Good?

Fine foods required skilled preparation and are valued by many people. Not your average cook can pull together a dish of fine foods. It takes a special chef that has a great amount of artistic ability. They must be able to see food and it’s creation as a form of art and be able to creatively express their deas through their dishes. This can relate to artistic literature in that it requires the writer to have the ability to express their creativity through their work. Like fine foods, artistic literature can also be presented in many different forms. It is not suppressed by a certain criteria or standard. Also like fine food, artistic literature can have a different impact on different people. One person may experience one emotion while he or she reads while another person may experience a completely different feeling.
Artistic literature should be read actively with an open mind. The reader should allow themselves to enter into a state of vulnerability as they read the particular text. Most fine foods that we encounter are not something you would eat on an average day, or even care to at that. If there were a burger and quail in front of you, you would probably choose the burger just because you’re more familiar with the taste. Trying the quail would require you to step out of your comfort zone and take a risk to experience something new. Artistic literature is set apart from other forms of literature and should be read with a creative and risk taking approach.

This Blessed House

This Blessed House
I was very intrigued by Jhumpa Lahiri’s biography and couldn’t wait to read her work. Her educational credentials are impressive and her traveling experiences make it even better. There is a lot of educational applications that come with traveling that people do not even realize. Students that have seen different parts of the world, having a better schemata which will help them achieve well academically. It is especially beneficial when traveling occurs on a regular basis, like it did for Lahiri. I was also intrigued by the fact that she likes to discuss the difficulties that love causes, problems within families and the communications between language and culture.
This Blessed House is a story that represents a description of characters that I have never experienced. Lahiri does such an extraordinary job at making her characters come alive. I feel as if I have known Twinkle and Sanjeev forever. Their relationship is very interesting and does not make much sense to me. Twinkle obviously has a hidden desire to know about God in the way she values all of the pieces that relate to him. Sanjeev on the other hand despises anything piece that reminds him of Christianity. It surprises me that even though he is disgusted by them, he seems to always compromise and allows them to stay around somehow. Little did he know that a little compromise throughout the “treasure hunt,” would eventually lead to complete surrender. In my opinion, when Sanjeev “pressed the massive silver face to his ribs, careful not to let the feather hat slip,” represents him completely surrendering himself to the "treasure hunt."

Sanjeev’s testimony can relate to many people in this world today. There are so many people that run from the truth and the signs that God try to show them. God reveals himself constantly to people just as the “Christian,” pieces in the story kept appearing. Even when they thought there were no more “treasures," that could appear, they kept coming. This represents that no matter how far we run or how long, God will continually chase no matter how long it takes.
Whether or not Lahiri meant to incorporate spiritual implications in her story, I most definitely discovered some. These insights helped me to make connections between the lives of Twinkles and Sanjeev and the lives of the many believers and non-believers I deal with on a daily basis, especially myself.

Darkness

The darkness in this world is the reason why many people don't believe in God. They feel like if there was a God, then he would save all the bad in the world. What they don't realize is their presupposing that God is good and able to save the world. Wouldn't this mean that they have some kind of belief in him? Also, what are they comparing bad to? Who determines the degreeof what's bad and what's good? They are basing their thoughts on a morality that does not exist. If morality begins with someone, it must logically end with that person. Morality has to come from an unchanging source in order for it to be logically consistent.
Unfortunately, like Professor Corrigan states, darkness often hides in our daily lives, espescially the lives of Christians. Which should be a complete oxymoron since our daily goal should be a to bring light into this dark word. How are we going to shine light whenever we're filled with darkness. What if we walked around with this illumated light that was a silhoutte of our body in which the brightness was determined by our spirtual walk and how "holy," we lived our lives. Wouldn't that make more Christians think twice about their actions and more importantly how they treated people? No wonder there are so many non believers in this world.They witness firsthand believers that say one thing but the light reflecting from them does not match up. Just because the body of Christ is supposed to reach out to people in rhw darkness and bring them to light, doesn't mean we have to live they way that they do. We can still relate to their experiences and not have to acually participate.
Darkness is going to be prevelant in this world no matter how many lights are accessible. The choices that are taken by humans on a daily basis bring out this darkness and pain that is prevalent. Why do people blame that on God, why can't they blame it on the people that cause the darkness and pain. Why don't they blame themselves?

What we Talk About When We Talk About Love

Raymond Carver is an interesting author that has been through many different trials which gives him s platform to reach different audiences. I find it interesting that he is talking about love since he went through a divorce. Usually, when individuals go through such a hardship, they do not like to discuss the topic of love. I really like his quote that states,” Everything we write is, in some way, autobiographical. An author may not mean to incorporate their personal lives in their stories, but it typically tends to happen.
I was initially intriqued when I saw the title, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love, because I was curious of what his views were going to be on the topic being that he experience a divorce.
In his case, the love of a marriage, which is suppose to form an unending bond between two people, did not last forever like I’m sure he hoped. Many people have to face divorce and deal with losing “the love of their life,” on a daily basis. why is this? Is it that people fall out of love, or is it that they do not fully understand what love is? People have different opinions on love. For instance, in the story, Mel describe love as being nothing less than spiritual love while Terri claimed that her ex loved her even though he physically abused her. I am sorry Terri, but that is most definitely not true love. Love is patient and kind and is not easily angered. Ed was controlling, selfish and had serious issues. It is extremely sad that Terri thinks that he truly loved her. If he really loved her he would not have treated her the way that he did. Just because he had mental issues does not give him the excuse to treat others the way he did.
People think that once they fall in love, life is going to be perfect from that point. What they don’t realize that people fall out of love all the time and that the initial feelings that come along with falling in love fade. Once that occurs, love then becomes a choice that two people must make in order for the relationship to last. In order for love to last, it must be thought of in the verb form instead of in the form of a noun. After love is established between two people, they must work in order to keep it ongoing.

1/20/11

Wow, it would have been so helpful to hear this reading advice about five years ago. I would have done so much better my college placement exams and would have retained so much more information during my first years of college. Before college, I was always a passive reader and never really read the way that I was supposed to. I only just started reading actively when I became a college student in which I was forced to comprehend and apply what I read. Along with reading actively, another really helpful reading strategy that is introduced in the text is activating prior knowledge. Making personal connections with previous experiences and knowledge helps the reader comprehend so much more. Activating prior knowledge does not require too much cognitive ability and can be done easily by a common reader. On the other hand, annotating text is a little more complex. Although it is helpful, many people see it as tedious and time consuming.

What you get out of what you read is definitely determined by how you read. If you read actively, you will obtain insightful knowledge from the text and will be able to comprehend more. On the other hand, if you read passively, you will not obtain as much information over a long period of time and you will not have a complete understanding of the text. I relate it to working out; if you just show up the gym and don’t work out, there will be no physical results. On the flip side, if you go the gym and lift weights, you will see physical results. Although good reading habits come naturally to the select few, they do not come some naturally for everybody. Many people have to work a little harder than others while they read to make sure they are obtaining full comprehension of the text.

Literacy Profile

As a child, literature and reading was not something that was valued in my household. Most children can remember their parents reading bedtime stories to them as a child, but not me. The only form of literature I received was at school and church. I cannot remember what it was like learning how to read or how long it took me. One of my earliest memories of literature was reading this Bible that was illustrated like a children’s book. I remember not knowing all the words, but do remember trying to make connections between the illustrations and the words. Fascinating how the mind teaches itself at times. Another childhood memory that is embedded in my mind was in first grade when my teacher did a thematic unit on the book called The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister. My teacher, Mrs. Dunbar, made literature come alive. She made the room look like an ocean and hung fish and other ocean creatures around the room. For a week, all of our readings and activities were centered around the oceanic lifestyle. It was one of my favorite childhood memories and I learned so much during that time. After that unit, I saw reading as something much more engaging than my previous encounters. From then on, I enjoyed reading and would always try to make as many personal connections with the particular text that I was reading. It wasn’t until middle school that I became "too cool," for reading and focused more on sports and my social life. These distractions put me a little behind in my vocabulary knowledge which required me to work a little harder to stay on track with school and my peers. As a look back, I realize how different I felt about myself when I was actively reading and engaging in literature and when I was not. I was definitely more optimistic, outgoing and energetic when I read and engaged in a novel.

My most recent encounter with literature have been with the material I am forced to engage in. I have been engaging in textbooks, articles and websites centered around Special Education. I try to find time to read other novels outside of my major but can rarely find the time. Other than reading for school, I just make time for the word and Christian living books. It is extremely challenging to choose one piece of literature as the most significant literacy text because I have been inspired by many pieces. If I have to choose though, I would go with Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. This novel represents a perfect example of obedience to God and what unconditional love is.

I have never had a professor provide an insightful and entertaining description of their course. I was planning on dropping it because of a time conflict, but after reading the essay, I decided that it was worth the sacrifice. I am intrigued by Mr. Corrigan’s views on literature and how confident he is in the fact that everyone can appreciate it. I never thought about literature being so connected to the way of life and also categorized it as a subject that was disconnected from life. I am anxious to see how this course can help me experience literature in a new way.