Books...

(Thanks APN)

One book that changed my life: 'Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis

One book that I’ve read more than once: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

One book that I’d want on a desert island: can I say the Bible and mean it?

One book that made me laugh: The Happy Hockey Family by Lane Smith

One book that made me cry: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks

One book that scared the hell out of me: This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti

One book I wish had been written: Faith, Feminism, and the Future by anyone who will acknowledge feminists in the Church

One book I wish had never been written: Women are from Mars, Men are from Venus

Two books I’m currently reading: Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle and A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Ven Leuwen

One book I've been meaning to read: Offbeat Bride: Taffeta Free Alternatives for Independent Brides by Ariel Meadow Stallings

The Good Samaritan

Thanks to my friend JS for this allegorical reading:

"The man who was going down is Adam. Jerusalem is
paradise, and Jericho is the world. The robbers are
hostile powers. The priest is the Law, the Levite is
the prophets, and the Samaritan is Christ. The wounds
are disobedience, the beast is the Lord’s body, the
[inn], which accepts all who wish to enter, is the
Church. … The manager of the [inn] is the head of the
Church, to whom its care has been entrusted. And the
fact that the Samaritan promises he will return
represents the Savior’s second coming."

This interpretation, which might sound new to us, used
to be of common understanding:

"This allegorical reading was taught not only by
ancient followers of Jesus, but it was virtually
universal throughout early Christianity, being
advocated by Irenaeus, Clement, and Origen, and in the
fourth and fifth centuries by Chrysostom in
Constantinople, Ambrose in Milan, and Augustine in
North Africa. This interpretation is found most
completely in two other medieval stained-glass
windows, in the French cathedrals at Bourges and
Sens."

Dates at Taft

Best of Citysearch 2008 voted Taft Street Coffee #8 for "Budget Date Spot." That's better than a few years ago, when we were voted "Best Place to Have a Last Date"...

Be My (Saint) Valentine

I'll admit I had a phase in college when I dressed in black on Valentine's Day. One year, I even exchanged dead flowers and black paper hearts with a friend. A little morbid, I know, but I often took my resistance to absurd levels. Now I have a partner and participate in some of the rituals at which I balked, but I like to think we temper it.

The history of Valentine's Day is pretty fascinating, as it developed from so many different legends into a holiday that gives us cause to send one billion greeting cards annually. There are, of course, many origins of this fabricated holiday, but the one I attached to most when I learned of it a few years ago was that of the St. Valentine (apparently, there were three) who made his life about sharing Christian love. It made sense to celebrate that, more-so than glorifying the carnal aspects of romantic love with chocolate and flowers. The Roman priest Valentine is the patron of love, young people, and happy marriages. Those are certainly things I can support.

Simplify

I've been trying to simplify my life. It's an on-going process, and very difficult for someone like me who enjoys and is good at a lot of things.

The American work ethic is a strange one... We are socialized to want the American dream and to work hard for it, which really means we work a lot of hours not doing much at whatever will accrue the most money, so we can have lots of stuff and lots of leisure time. At least this is the message society gave me.

I just keep thinking about whose expectations I'm trying to meet, and to whom I think I'm answering. It's generally a resounding point back at myself--the reverse-people-pleaser. By that, I mean I do things that I think people would want me to do if they ever voiced them. That doesn't even make any sense, I know.

I am sure that the simpler my life is, and the more I recognize its cyclical, seasonal nature, the less stressed out I am. Cutting out the things that don't improve my quality of life allows me to focus on others and take care of myself.

Counter-intuitive, but true.