A Pocket Peridot

How Green Was My Valley: A Book Review

2011-11-21T16:11:00.000-08:00

The other day I finished reading a really wonderful book - How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn. It's a fictional memoir about a family living in a Welsh coal mining town during the turn of the century. The story is told from the perspective of Huw Morgan, (the youngest boy in the family of six sons and three daughters) as an old man, looking back upon his childhood and coming of age. The book has a very heavy strain of melancholy throughout it, which, surprisingly, seems to add a charm to the narrative, rather than a cloud.

Despite the fact that it is a fictional memoir, the characters, place, and experiences feel so real that I can't help but think that the author really did experience the greater part of what he wrote of.

The book is incredibly enjoyable because of the relationships of the people. It's easy to fall in love with the family, the community, and the way they live. It certainly awakens within you a deep desire to go back to their simplicity of living (at least in some ways).

The Morgan family is very religious, for the most part. The deep faith of the father pervades his wife and children so entirely, that you are not sure they would be as steadfast church-goers as they are but for him. The children know their Bible back-to-front, yet they disobey such basic Christian rules, seemingly without any remorse, that you wonder what the writer was thinking when he wrote it. The breaking of the rules in and of itself is not shocking (for these characters), but the fact that they never feel any discomfort at all is peculiar in light of their foundational Christian upbringing.

There are also some views on Christianity that the main boy holds, which are very out of place. But, to tell the truth, they didn't bother me because they're so out of place that I marked it up to the author pinning his own beliefs upon the main character. In real life, living in his family, he would have never believed what he did.

One thing that Llewellyn highly succeeds in is painting a picture of the beauty and wonder of God's creation in Man and Woman, the peace and glory of Family, and the building of and branching out of life that the love between the two brings forth. He paints a glorious picture of Creation and our place in it - the simple truths and beauties of humanity. You really have to read the book to get the full picture.

But the main point of the book that I want to address is the over-arching sense of "you can't go home again". Llewellyn weaves such a capturing picture of the goodness, hardships, joys, and failures of the character's lives, that it's very touching by the end, and leaves you with a very deep understanding of the reality that days go by, and you can't have them back, no matter how hard you try. I think we've all experienced this truth in different ways - growing up and realizing that some of the most beautiful days of your life are gone, going through the death of a loved one and looking back upon the days you had with them - realizing that they are gone. I could go on. It's very easy to become so entangled in the sadness of these realities that your life becomes one great sorrow.

But in thinking about these things, I've come to realize something that is very freeing.

God has laid out the natural course of our lives to be filled with joy - in every stage. Now mind, this joy is only realized for those who follow His laws. You are an infant, toddler, and child, growing up in innocence and beauty, surrounded by people who love you and will protect you, raising you up in the truth of the Lord. You are an adolescent and a young adult, looking forward to many exciting changes that await you within the next ten years of your life, waiting expectantly for what God has in store for you. You are an adult with a spouse and young children, glorying in the beauty of your little ones, enjoying once again the laughter that you yourself remember as a child. You are middle-aged, watching your children grow to adulthood in the fear of God, and waiting with expectation to see what He has planned for them. Now you're old, your children have children, and once again you bask in the warmth of those little ones and the love that the growing generations have for you.

Life is Beautiful.

What was brought home to me reading How Green Was My Valley is this - that without the fear, peace, and love of God, there is no joy. Life is too hard, filled with too many sadnesses, to get through without Him. By the end of it you will only have joy in the memory of what life was when He was there, blessing you, as Huw Morgan does in reminiscing of his childhood.

I've gone on for a long time now, so I shall cease. In a word, 'How Green Was My Valley' is very much worth the read. I found it enchanting. And if you read it with the knowledge that God is always with you, no matter what changes in life come and what beautiful times are gone forever, it will be all the sweeter.

Gretchen

Good Gifts

2011-11-10T14:50:00.000-08:00

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17

I had never considered until now that it is a discipline to bear in mind that every good gift comes from God. It's a beautiful putting forth of faith. I got up this morning, walked into a kitchen overflowing with people whom I love and who love me, and we ate together delicious food that only a few people in the entire world get to enjoy - and I thought, "All of these things come from God. Every good gift comes from God."

And all of a sudden I realized that, if you look at the world around you in the light of this truth (the truth of the God who does not change with the shifting shadows) everything about you comes to vivid life; it's like God is right there beside you, handing you one gift upon another, until your mind is overloaded by the greatness of His love for you.

It's a discipline to think this way, for our natural inclination is to look at life skeptically, or through a self-centered lens - but if God is truly the giver of all good gifts, than everything good in our lives is from Him, and is only there because He was kind and merciful enough to give it to us. If I am sitting amongst my family of an evening having a quiet conversation, that is a good gift. If I am fixing a meal that few others in the world are able to eat, that is a good gift. If sunshine streams upon the earth to feed all creation, that is a good gift. If rain falls to feed the earth, that is a good gift. If I am able to wash clothes in an hour and a half instead of a whole day, that is a very good gift.

Suddenly God is all around you, handing you beautiful, unasked for, and unlooked for gifts. Beautiful gifts that bless you more than you could ever know. And all to often we are totally unaware of them, and most importantly, unaware of the Giver of them all.

Gretchen

Repentance & Power

2011-10-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

"Those who fear the Lord bear repentance in their hearts." - Proverbs

At first glance, I think most of us would get the wrong idea about this scripture. Somehow, for some reason, when I first think of a person who ''bears repentance in their heart", I get a mental image of a morose, "repentant" individual who is dogged by the awareness of his own failures - despite the fact that that is not how I would otherwise describe a "repentant" person.

What usually doesn't pop into my mind is the word power.

To 'repent' literally means to 'change your mind,' which causes you to change direction - to stop, turn, and retrace your steps. It's an easy thing to repent in words, and it's a grueling thing to repent in deed; in fact, I would go so far as to say that it is practically impossible to repent in deed - to repent for being cross and snappy towards your brother, and then never to do it again.

It would be impossible... were it not for the power of God. The Holy Spirit lives within those who accept the Lord, and He works to do the things that we can't, the things that we desperately need and desperately want (and desperately want to want). If we are living our lives mindful of the things of God, then we live in a continual mindset of repentance, "taking every thought captive to obey Christ." To do this, we must call upon and claim the Power of Yahweh for our help and salvation.

Yet, to my shame, I seldom find that I wake up in the morning and consciously say, "Today, I claim for myself the Power of Christ. I will not live in fear of Sin or the Devil, but I will walk in steadfastness of purpose and spirit, cleaving to the One who can do all things, and the Power that he gave to me when I received His Holy Spirit." And seldom, when I earnestly repent of a sin, do I call this same Power to mind, turn around and walk the opposite way with the Joy that the knowledge of this Power ought to bring.

George Macdonald said it best, "We are and remain such creeping Christians, because we look at ourselves and not at Christ; because we gaze at the marks of our own soiled feet, and the trail of our own defiled garments … having committed a petty fault, I mean a fault such as only a petty creature could commit, we mourn over the defilement to ourselves, and the shame of it before our friends, children, or servants, instead of hastening to make the due confession and amends to our fellow, and then, forgetting our own paltry self with its well-earned disgrace, lift our eyes up to the glory which alone will quicken the true man in us, and kill the peddling creature we so wrongly call our self."

I want to live every day in the Power of God, not the weakness of me. This is the only way to obey the Word and be steadfast in the Faith. For if we remain focused on our own base weaknesses and faults, the despairing knowledge of our frailty will swallow us alive. The Holiness of God is all-consuming. Keeping our eyes unwaveringly fixed upon His Power is the only way to be bearers of that Power ourselves, and to have the Joy that enables us to remain Steadfast.

"May the God of hope bring you such joy and peace in your faith that the power of the Holy Spirit will remove all bounds to hope." - Romans 15:13

Gretchen

Sewing Sunshine

2011-03-14T17:01:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been sewing a great deal. It's such a fun, comforting thing. After searching the internet for information on some questions I had, I decided that I should start my own blog about sewing. And thus was born my new blog, Sewing Sunshine. It's just a place where I'll put up things I learn, links, patterns, and all sorts of things. Check it out! http://www.sewingsunshine.blogspot.com

Gretchen

A Peacemaker

2011-03-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

When I was little, I always used to think of a Peacemaker as one of two people: first, as a soldier, bringing justice and peace to a country during war, or second, as someone who stops a quarrel. Thus when I read, "Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God," I got this vision in my head of an American soldier standing to attention at the throne of God.

But reading through the book of James, the Holy Spirit has brought to my mind a new picture of a true Peacemaker.

No one who has given their life to God and accepted his Authority and Redemption can doubt that they need Him to give them His Wisdom. So much of the time we try so hard to have it by our own strength, and it takes many, many hard knocks to make us realize that we cannot sum up Wisdom on our own. We must pray, as James says, and ask God to give us that Wisdom which is so priceless, so beautiful, and so rare, that only He has the power to bestow.

"If there is any one of you who lacks wisdom, he must ask God, who gives to all freely and ungrudgingly; it will be given him." (James 1:5)

It is very hard for our small minds to fully believe and trust that God will give Wisdom to us, or that we are even capable of receiving that Wisdom, and yet we must. For James goes on to say these chilling words, "But he must ask with faith, and no trace of doubt, because a person who has doubts is like the waves thrown up in the sea when the wind drives. That sort of person, in two minds, wavering between going different ways, must not expect that the Lord will give him anything." (1:6-8) The wonderful thing is that the beginning of this Wisdom is truly believing, without a hint of doubt, that God will give it to us.

There are many things that the Bible says about the Wisdom that comes from above, but I think that one of the most beautiful passages is James 3:16-17: "Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony, and wicked things of every kind being done; whereas the wisdom that comes down from above is essentially something pure; it also makes for peace, and is kindly and considerate; it is full of compassion and shows itself by doing good, nor is there any trace of partiality or hypocrisy in it."

The Wisdom from Above makes Peace. We, being children of God who are to be filled with His Wisdom, are to be Peacemakers.

When I began to think of a Peacemaker in this way, my first thoughts went back to the Peace that I drew as a little child from my Mama and Daddy. Was not there a deep peace that surpassed your understanding when you climbed into their lap and either cried and were comforted over a trouble, or simply rested in the warmth of their loving embrace? The picture of a Peacemaker is just like this. Someone in whom the peace of God is overflowing, flooding and blessing the lives of those around them.

By the Wisdom that flows to us from our Heavenly Father, we spread Peace everywhere we go, and to everyone we meet. And this Peace leads others to God. Our siblings, parents, children, spouses, and friends all see the Peace that flows from us to everything around us, and that that Peace comes to us from the Lord. They have witnessed first-hand the truth that "Yahweh gives strength to his people, Yahweh blesses his people with peace."

As Peacemakers, we have the chance to plant the seeds that will lead to others' salvation through our deep inner joy and Wisdom. We are indeed sons of God, for we are vessels in which God can dwell in a mighty way. "Peacemakers, when they work for peace, sow the seeds which will bear fruit in holiness." (James 3:18)

"The mind fixed on the Spirit is life and peace."

Gretchen

The Integrity of America

2011-02-27T15:14:00.000-08:00

Alright, dear readers, your very, very long wait for a new blog is to be rewarded. I'm sorry it's taken me this long to get something up! This is an essay that I wrote back in the Autumn of last year for a national essay contest put on by The Bill of Rights Institute. Unfortunately, I didn't win the competition, but it was very fun and incredibly educational. The question I had to answer was "What civic value do you believe is most essential to being an American?" After thinking about it a great deal, I decided that undoubtedly the most important civic value to the institution of our country is Integrity. So below is the essay that I composed and submitted to the contest. I hope you enjoy it! Tell me what you think!

Gretchen

The Integrity of America
by Gretchen Wolaver

Integrity is the pivotal value of America. Without it the structure of our society
crumbles. The Founding Fathers desired to design a system replete with liberty,
empowering citizens to pursue happiness without the intrusion of an oppressive
government. They knew that this idea could only be realized if the morality of each
individual was self-imposed, negating the need for excessive government regulations
to maintain justice. A person with strong morals, they believed, would find the will
from within themselves to do what was right.

The Bill of Rights is a potent example of this expectation. Consider the 1st Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or
prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the
press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances.” Yet the Founding Fathers knew that without
the exercise of personal integrity these freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly
and petition would be abused.

Modern times have shown them to be right. I have been dismayed at how my generation exhibits an increasing lack of integrity, especially in light of technological
empowerment. The internet has given my peers the power to broadcast lies about
others, often ruining their lives. Now our courts are attempting to decipher how to
bring justice to this new world of defamation. But how can they regulate something
as gigantic as the worldwide web without marring the First Amendment? This
modern crisis has underscored the importance of personal integrity to me, and has
deepened my resolve to speak out against such slanderous bullying.

Today’s political scene is riddled with slander and deceit as well. I cringe as the mud flies. The restoration of integrity must begin at the top, with the leaders of
our government, who would do well to look to the Founding Fathers for inspiration.

Consider John Adams, for example, an honest and principled man who played
a momentous role in the founding of our nation. Esteemed for his undaunted pursuit
of integrity, his strength of character and conviction was fully displayed when he
took on the job of defending the British soldiers in the court hearings after the Boston
Massacre. The British sentries had shot and killed five civilians in self defense, but
no lawyer would take their case—none except Adams.

At the time, he was a leading Patriot about to run for public office. Even though he needed the Patriot vote, he knew that defending the soldiers was the right
thing to do. Adams chose to side with justice and truth over the frenzy of popular
opinion. He not only took on their case, he saved their lives. On the third anniversary
of the Massacre, Adams wrote in his diary that defending the soldiers was “...one of
the most gallant, generous, manly and disinterested Actions of my whole Life, and
one of the best Pieces of Service I ever rendered my Country.” It’s in this same
disinterestedness for his own image that we see Adams’ sense of duty to his nation
over self. He exhibited a self-driven morality that helped to secure a just government
for his posterity, regardless of personal cost or gain.

Some might say that our country’s crucial value is not integrity, but freedom, or justice. They may say that the Founders built our society upon these values to
secure a country where the tyranny and injustice from which they had suffered would
never happen again. This is a reasonable observation, but I would argue that integrity
must come first. Freedom and justice are rooted in love and respect for mankind.
When a nation’s robes of leadership are worn by hateful and irreverent people,
freedom and justice will increasingly be overcome by litigation, bureaucracy, and
regulation.

When asked what kind of government he and the other Founders had established, Benjamin Franklin replied, “You have a republic, if you can keep it.” To
sustain this Democratic Republic, we must preserve the same moral standards and
convictions, the same integrity that the Founding Fathers expected of themselves and
of us. It is a constant battle, but one that’s worth fighting. Integrity is vital to the
pursuit of the American dream, to the realization of a nation founded upon truth,
justice, and freedom. As John Adams said, “Our Constitution was made only for a
moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”

Pastries & Pilgrims

2010-10-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

Since Monday, we have been staying in a small apartment in the midst of downtown Plymouth, MA. It's quite a quaint, pretty little New England town, and we were all thrilled when we arrived at the location of our week long stay.

The first day was enjoyable, though rather drizzly and wet, with overcast iron gray skies. In the morning we went out running about the park and beach, (I need not bore you with the details of that delightful huffing experience) and spent the rest of the day reading and lazing, at least in my case, others actually worked. Later that evening we went out again because everyone was filled with a severe case of cabin-fever. Thus, walking a few blocks down the road, we found ourselves in my favorite kind of town scenery.

Downtown Plymouth is very pretty. There are stores and bakeries and shops on either side of the brick walkways that bring cheery delight to the onlooker. We perused and window-shopped our way down the sidewalk until we came to a health food store. We being who we are (and Camille being who she is) we made an immediate detour into the comfy interior of the store. While Camille, Alex, and Berklee oohed and aahed over the old-fashioned ginger beer and carab chip bars, I went through the stand of hand-made soaps and smelled the delicious fragrances that wafted up from them. The lavender one especially caught my eye.

I love lavender.

I adore lavender. The smell brings such peace and stillness; it's just lovely.

Alright, back to my story....

For a few days proceeding this walk, I had been in a delicious need for a beautiful used bookstore. Benjamin, my supremely kindred-hearted brother shared my desire. Thus, while the others were taking their time in the health food store, we decided to go on ahead and scout out a bookstore. Surely downtown Plymouth, Massachusetts would have something to curb our literary appetite?

It did. Farther down the brick sidewalk we came upon it. The shelves of dusty old hardback editions filled our hearts with warm happiness. We perused quietly for many minutes before we heard the door open, and the rest of the troop came in.

To cut a long story short, I came out with a beautiful little hard-backed edition of one of my favorite children's books (complete with full-color illustrations. Lucky me!). Alex came out beaming, with a five volume set of John Ruskin's Modern Painters in his arms, which he got for a steal. Benjamin, thanks to my watchful eye, came out with a small, hard-backed edition of a collection of short, out-of-print essays by G.K. Chesterton. Aren't I a good sister?

The joys of our purchases lasted for a few days. But no joys, however blissful, can stand against three long, consecutive days of iron gray clouds, rain, and a small house with nine people squashed into it. And so, yesterday we found ourselves walking listlessly about the house, yearning for a day of sunshine, an escape, an adventure.... ANYTHING to break up the monotonous boredom of cabin-fever mixed with persistent rain.

So after dinner that evening, we all decided to go to a lovely little local bakery, Blue Blinds Bakery, to enjoy some scrumptious treats and live music. Mama, Daddy, and I were the first to leave. We took a stroll down to the ocean to see Plymouth Rock, then wound our way back up to the main street and to the bakery. Taking our coffees and giant cranberry biscotti to a corner table, we experienced the happy comfort of quiet familial conversation. I love my Mama and Daddy.

Soon the rest arrived, and I got to make the rounds of ordered sweets and pick off of everyone else's. Oh the joys of family! The cinnamon rolls were, hands down, the best. There are few things in this beautiful world so scrumptious as an excellent, hot cinnamon roll. Loverly!

We enjoyed a wonderful evening of fellowship with all the kind, generous folks at the bakery. It was a pleasure that I was not expecting, but very thankful for. God is very, very good. We went home that night with our former boredom and cabin fever gone, good memories to take with us, and a giant bag of bakery yummies in our arms.

Gretchen

The Children's Hour

2010-09-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

The Children's Hour

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Between the dark and the daylight,
When the night is beginning to lower,
Comes a pause in the day's occupations,
That is known as the Children's Hour.

I hear in the chamber above me
The patter of little feet,
The sound of a door that is opened,
And voices soft and sweet.

From my study I see in the lamplight,
Descending the broad hall stair,
Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra,
And Edith with golden hair.

A whisper, and then a silence:
Yet I know by their merry eyes
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.

A sudden rush from the stairway,
A sudden raid from the hall!
By three doors left unguarded
They enter my castle wall!

They climb up into my turret
O'er the arms and back of my chair;
If I try to escape, they surround me;
They seem to be everywhere.

They almost devour me with kisses,
Their arms about me entwine,
Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen
In his Mouse-Tower on the Rhine!

Do you think, o blue-eyed banditti,
Because you have scaled the wall,
Such an old mustache as I am
Is not a match for you all!

I have you fast in my fortress,
And will not let you depart,
But put you down into the dungeon
In the round-tower of my heart.

And there will I keep you forever,
Yes, forever and a day,
Till the walls shall crumble to ruin,
And moulder in dust away!

Perfectly Painful Pilates

2010-08-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Unlike my beautiful, slender sister Camille, I have a hard time fitting exercise into my daily routine. It's not that I don't think it's important.... it's not that I don't think I need it. (HA!) It's just that it slips my mind..... constantly. I will awake, have my morning devotions, jump in the shower, and it's only by the time that I have suds in my hair and am through the second verse of "Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'!" that I suddenly think, "Wait! I didn't exercise! Oh, darn!" My conscience squirms like a dying fish for a few painful moments, then I wipe the thought from my mind and go on. Because honestly, who in their right mind wants to exercise by the time they're half-way through their shower? Thus, day after day departs, and no physical exertion is achieved.

Camille, on the other hand, treadmills and does exercise videos quite faithfully. But I have another problem here. Through the years of trial and error, I have come to discover that I abhor exercise videos. You memorize them, know them back and front, they enter your mind, you walk around humming the background music until your brain is ready to explode with it, visions of people's face expressions haunt you in your dreams! Plus, you have no one to correct you when you are doing something wrong. Now if you have a mirror you can do better.... but who wants to exercise in front of a mirror? (Dear God, save us from such horror!) So, I have firmly (though subconsciously of course) exneéd videos from my options.

What about treadmills you may ask? Well, they particularly are most definitely out of the question. The name ''treadmill'' is code for ''Slow Death of Aching Boredom". No matter how hard you try to ease the crushing weight of tedious monotony with some music, or a book, the reality of that wicked, cackling clock before your eyes is always there, just calling for you to glance at it one more time and realize that you are only a few seconds farther along than you were the last time you glanced. In a word the treading mill is - Impossible!

Now, what most people do not know, is that Camille feels the same way I do. But she, unlike me, does not allow her personal vendetta against treadmills and exercise videos to get in the way of her journey along the very painful climb to fitness.

One day at about supper time a few weeks ago, she came down the stairs in her exercise clothes. I was standing over the stove, and, looking up briefly, took a quick double take. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"Oh, to a Pilates class."

This was news! I dug further -

"Where?"

"At a place called Simply Pilates. I looked it up, and they have a class tonight at 5:30."

Sneaky, sneaky, sneaky!

And so, that evening Camille skipped out on dinner and went to exercise instead. (Inconceivable!) And while she was inevitably pouring sweat and building muscle, I was pouring myself a glass of apple cider and eating muffins. Oh, how ironic life is! For Camille, you see, actually did something about her monotonous exercise life. I had never even considered taking classes somewhere! She came home a few hours later, drenched in sweat. I looked up from my book. "How was it?"

"Oh! Excruciating!" she panted.

"What? Pilates excruciating?" I asked with an incredulous eyebrow.

She laughed. "Oh, please don't make me laugh!" she said pathetically. "It hurts too much!"

Thus for several days to come I was to hear moans whenever Camille lifted her arms, got up from a chair, walked anywhere, and especially when she laughed for any reason whatever. "Oh, I'm so sore!" was a very frequent comment heard from her lips.

Now, as someone who has only experienced Pilates from a TV screen, I had a hard time believing that it could be that painful. I was used to Pilates videos done by women who were not all that more fit than I, and who spoke in very calm, somewhat annoying baby voices. I was intrigued, to say the least, and my curiosity would allow for only one solution - I must go and experience this Excruciating Pilates Class for myself.

And thus, exactly one week since Camille's first venture, she and I found ourselves on the opposite sidewalk from where the Simply Pilates building stood. We had a few minutes to kill since our brothers had dropped us off early, so we spent our time milling through some cute shops. Italian music drifted to us from an open courtyard pizzeria as we walked and talked. Our conversation consisted mainly of my trying to explain the complex road system of Nashville to her (that is another blog entirely!), but both of our minds were really focused upon the exercise to come. We were excited. It's not every day that you get to experience an Excruciating Pilates Class!

The time finally came, and we crossed the street and entered the blue building. It was everything a Pilates place should be - clean, quiet, small, quaint, with honey-colored wooden floors and slow fans. We sat down on the bench in the front after signing in and waited for our turn to come. The class that was currently going concluded within a few moments, and we went behind some soft vanilla partition hangers to where the machines were. The sight filled me with apprehension.

Who's ever heard of Pilates on machines?

Camille walked confidently up to one and took her place. I, unsure of what I was supposed to be doing, wondered which end of the thing I was supposed to be at. Camille looked at me with a bursting smile on her face; it was obvious that she was trying to conceal her laughter at my confused state.

"You sit there, Gretchen." she said, practically choking.

I gave her a look, and took my place. The class ensued. There were only three of us students and the instructor. He asked us what we especially wanted to work on. I said arms, Camille said back, and the other woman said abs. Between all of our requests we pretty much covered everything anyone could possibly want to work on.

We started out with some wonderful, enjoyable stretches. I thought, "Psh! This isn't all that bad!" And then the instructor said something about moving the tension springs for arm exercises.

"One red and one yellow is easy, one red and one blue is medium, and two reds is hard."

So, what did you think I did? I confidently (and without much thought, really) put my tension bands on two reds. I could feel Camille's eyes on me. I looked over at her, and she, with a still bursting smile on her face, put hers on the same thing. Of course I could not suffer alone! The instructor quite deservedly chuckled at our naivety, and we laid down and began the exercise. I didn't think it was all that bad for the first two or three reps, but when I began to sweat like crazy by the sixth rep, I knew something was wrong. I had never sweat that fast before in any exercise, ever. But I wasn't going to give up yet. By the second exercise I was grunting and was sure that my face looked like a sunburned tomato. Finally, when my distress was at its height, the very wise instructor put both mine and Camille's resistance springs on easy.

And, what do you think? We still couldn't do the exercise. Let's just say that I have no muscle in my triceps whatsoever.

That was the beginning of a very fun, and very eye-opening Pilates workout. We had a great time, and both enjoyed ourselves immensely. It's amazing what a difference exercising with live people, in a quiet, clean environment can do to your opinion on the enjoyability of it!

My abs have never been sorer in my life. I now follow sneezes with the word "Ow!", which is something I'm sure Solomon never considered when he wrote the famous words, "There is nothing new under the sun." But, though sore, I am greatly looking forward to my next Pilates class!

Gretchen

An Old Sweetheart of Mine

2010-08-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

An Old Sweetheart of Mine

by James Whitcomb Riley

As one who cons at evening o'er an album all alone,
And muses on the faces of the friends that he has known,
So I turn the leaves of fancy till, in shadowy design,
I find the smiling features of an old sweetheart of mine.

The lamplight seems to glimmer with a flicker of surprise,
As I turn it low to rest me of the dazzle in my eyes,
And light my pipe in silence, save a sigh that seems to yoke
Its fate with my tobacco and to vanish with the smoke.

'Tis a fragrant retrospection -- for the loving thoughts that start
Into being are like perfume from the blossom of the heart;
And to dream the old dreams over is a luxury divine --
When my truant fancy wanders with that old sweetheart of mine.

Though I hear, beneath my study, like a fluttering of wings,
The voices of my children, and the mother as she sings,
I feel no twinge of conscience to deny me any theme
When Care has cast her anchor in the harbor of a dream.

In fact, to speak in earnest, I believe it adds a charm
To spice the good a trifle with a little dust of harm --
For I find an extra flavor in Memory's mellow wine
That makes me drink the deeper to that old sweetheart of mine.

A face of lily-beauty, with a form of airy grace,
Floats out of my tobacco as the genii from the vase;
And I thrill beneath the glances of a pair of azure eyes
As glowing as the summer and as tender as the skies.

I can see the pink sunbonnet and the little checkered dress
She wore when first I kissed her and she answered the caress
With the written declaration that, as surely as the vine
Grew round the stump, she loved me -- that old sweet heart of mine.

And again I feel the pressure of her slender little hand,
As we used to talk together of the future we had planned --
When I should be a poet, and with nothing else to do
But write the tender verses that she set the music to:

When we should live together in a cozy little cot
Hid in a nest of roses, with a fairy garden-spot,
Where the vines were ever fruited, and the weather ever fine,
And the birds were ever singing for that old sweetheart of mine:

When I should be her lover forever and a day,
And she my faithful sweetheart till the golden hair was gray;
And we should be so happy that when either's lips were dumb
They would not smile in Heaven till the other's kiss had come.

But, ah! my dream is broken by a step upon the stair,
And the door is softly opened, and -- my wife is standing there;
Yet with eagerness and rapture all my visions I resign

To greet the living presence of that old sweetheart of mine.

Yummy Comforts

2010-06-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

When my sister and her husband traveled back from their honeymoon, they came bearing gifts (to our great joy). They gave me and Camille two handy, cute little cookbooks that they had found in one of the gift shops at the Biltmore Mansion. Mine is a book of bread pudding and dessert recipes (they know me so well!). Camille's book contains recipes that are sweetened solely with honey, maple syrup, or sorghum - definitely the perfect cookbook for her.

The recipe below is from the 'Honey' section of her book. I made it the other day when I was feeling domestic.... and hungry. It was amazing! So, if you have time, and feel inclined, try out this yummy honey loaf.

Gretchen

Honey-Nut Loaf Bread
(Quick Bread)

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup honey
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 Tbs. butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped nuts

In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl beat egg and honey with milk and vanilla. Stir in melted butter. Gradually stir liquid mixture into flour mixture. Fold in nuts. Place dough in a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. Bake in 350 F. oven 35-40 minutes.

A Problem of Salad

2010-06-18T11:54:00.000-07:00

I close the laptop screen and inwardly scream, "Gretchen, you lazy bum, get up and do something productive!" (I have found that such thoughts are the fruit of Summer drowsiness)

I look at the clock, and my horizons suddenly brighten. It is 11:15 - the perfect time to eat lunch! I get up from my chair and practically skip into the kitchen. "Camille! Come fix lunch with me and eat!" I shout with my head in the refrigerator.

Camille, with her head in the computer screen (doing something very productive, like writing her new blog) calls back, "I'll be there in a minute. I want to finish this first!"

"Oh," I think to myself, "Camille doesn't know what really matters in life. Poor girl. Poor, poor girl."

Despite myself, I had been affected by Camille's daily afternoon salad routine, and thus the spinach leaves are out in a jiffy. The following five to ten minutes are filled by a discussion like the following -

Gretchen - "Do we have any avocados?"

Camille - "Yeah. They should be in the bowl on the counter."

Gretchen - "Oh, I see them now."

A moment passes -

Gretchen - "Do you want avocado on yours?"

Camille - "Yes."

Gretchen - "Do you want me to make yours?"

Camille - "No."

Gretchen - "Why not?"

Camille - "I want it to be small."

........ WELL!!

Gretchen - "Alright. I'm leaving the stuff out for you."

Camille (very tranquil) - "Okay."

A few moments pass -

Gretchen - "The boiled egg is kind of blue, but it's still good. Do you want some?"

Camille - "Yeah, that's fine."

.......

Gretchen - "Do you want cranberries and almonds on yours?"

Camille - "Uh-huh."

As I continue my preparations, sounds of typing float from the Den. Poor Camille. I sprinkle feta cheese crumbles on the top of my salad. It looks amazing! I inwardly pat myself on the back - "Good job, Gretchen! You can make yourself a salad with no help! This is a great day!"

I poke my head into the refrigerator and proceed to knock jugs and cartons around, searching.

My muffled voice comes to Camille from the kitchen.

"Camille?"

"Yes?"

"Are we out of Briana's Bleu Cheese Dressing?"

"Yes."

The bomb has fallen. My hopes are dashed..... Without the dressing my salad is NOTHING!! MEANS NOTHING!! IS NOTHING!!! WHY!!!!!!

I shut the refrigerator - my heart in my shoes. "Camille?" I call plaintively... weakly, "What am I going to do?"

"There are other dressings in there."

No! She doesn't understand! What are Ranch, Thousand Island, or Italian to Briana's Bleu Cheese Dressing? What?

Camille calls again, "There is a recipe for Bleu Cheese Dressing in the Healthy Cookbook in the cabinet."

....It's not Briana's, but maybe I am saved.

Ten minutes later, I have a small bowl of ''salad dressing'' before me. It consists of - 1 C. plain yogurt, 1/2 C. buttermilk, 1/2 C. bleu cheese crumbles. I whisk, taste, and wrinkle my nose in disgust. I take it to Camille.

"Does this taste anything like bleu cheese dressing to you?" I ask her.

She tastes, and grimaces. "No! Not a bit!"

The dressing goes down the garbage disposal. The fruit flies are beginning to gather.... I am running out of time.... my salad is waiting.... WHAT AM I GOING TO DO??? If i was Camille I would put some hummus, or cream cheese spread on top to make the salad palatable, or just go with nothing at all. But am I Camille? NO! I will not stoop to such tactics! What is my last resort?

I sigh and open the fridge. It meets my eye................ Ranch. It calls to me in an eerie voice of salad dressing, "I am your last resort... do you want crunchy, dressing-less salad? Of course not! HA!" A wicked laugh drifts from the bottle, but there is no other choice........ I drizzle the creamy white stuff over my once beautiful, fresh salad, and sit down at the kitchen table to eat my previous glory.

Camille walks into the kitchen, "Will you read my new blog after lun...." She stops, staring at the filthy, attacked, mangled counter. "You didn't make mine?"

Gretchen

Happy Days At Home

2010-01-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

I'm finding it slightly difficult to find subjects for my blogs. I really have nothing too spectacular to write about at the moment, but the poor Pocket Peridot is so empty and forlorn that I am determined to freshen its front page with something.... anything new. So, to whom it may concern, I'm going to write about................ well, actually, I don't know what I'm going to write about!

We've been at home for just a bit less than a week now, and, believe it or not, I've actually worked out a rhythm of day to day life. I do try and practice all the time that I need to on my violin and guitar - plus get my bookwork done; however, I usually end up getting the latter finished, and not the two former - and that's not even mentioning writing and drawing. Bleh! Between the lack of hours in the day, and my lack of self-discipline, I don't know how I can succeed in getting everything done. Ach! I'm hoping that there are at least a few people who feel the same way.

My little brother Jeremiah and I have been doing all our bookwork together of late. It is so much more enjoyable to work at something alongside another person . To his chagrin, he has still not achieved finishing a math lesson before me. Ha! Now just wait, because I said that, I'll eat his dust on Monday, and my lesson will be so hair-pullingly frustrating that I'll end it in tears. But wait! No tears can be shed over math while my cousin 'David Riley - Math Genius' is under the roof!

End of 'David Riley - Math Genius' Commercial -

Scene #1 - Pretty blonde girl drives away from high-school in sporty car - voice-over begins as she pulls out of parking lot - "Thanks 'David Riley - Math Genius', for giving me the math education I've always dreamed of!

Scene #2 - Young man in graduation cap and gown smiles into camera - "Thanks 'David Riley - Math Genius', for helping me through my darkest hours!"

Scene #3 - Show rich business man talking to employees and making important life decisions - voice-over begins as he stops for a moment, smiles, and picks up a picturesque family photo of his wife and children - "Thanks 'David Riley - Math Genius', for showing me what really matters in life!"

Enough of my rambling! I bet I will get absolutely NO comment on this post. Thus I shall feel completely forlorn, and think, "Why do I keep up this stupid blog anyway? No one (except Camille - good, faithful Camille) even cares that its floating in cyberspace!"

Ha! Now, if you're reading this, you'll feel an inner tug to write something interesting in my comment box. Haha!!!! I have caught you!!!!!

Well, I'm going to bed. Goodnight!

Gretchen Emily

My Top Ten Books of 2009

2009-12-30T06:12:00.000-08:00

Despite my efforts to read 30 books this year, I have only achieved 26. Maybe next year I will reach my goal. Anyway, below is my list of the top ten books I've read this past year:

#1 - Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

This is, without a doubt, the best theological book I have ever read. Chesterton dives into pools of miraculous thought that had never even crossed my mind. You'll feel like you should read every chapter about ten times if you want to fully grasp the meaning of what he's writing. It is an amazing book, and a must read for everyone.

#2 - The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

I have no doubt that The Silmarillion is one of the most beautiful books ever written. It goes through the history of Middle Earth in gorgeous depth and detail. Most people complain that it is slow, and that they had a hard time not losing interest. I couldn't disagree more. The beautiful descriptions and stories that make up this historical fiction are profound and breathtaking. The book is studded throughout with gems of melancholy beauty and cool, pure grief. It is stunning, and worth many hours of your time.

#3 - Bleak House by Charles Dickens

The mood, feeling, and underlying current of suspense in this book is perfectly wound up in it's name, Bleak House. I believe that Dickens was at his height when he wrote this one. It is every bit as good as David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and Great Expectations. If you don't read it you are missing out on a rare, thrilling treat. And don't see the movie before you read the book!

#4 - Knowing Christ Today by Dallas Willard

This book is brilliant. Willard argues against the current day trend of disregarding knowledge, and writes about how our relationship with God has to be thoroughly based in it. It is very much worth reading.

#5 - Four Faultless Felons by G.K. Chesterton

This is the most fun, fast-paced book I've read this year. It makes me thirst for more Chesterton. He winsome light and laughter has won my book-worm heart, and thus he is by far my favorite author. The wonderful thing is that I have only read four books by him thus far, and have an entire Chestertonian world just waiting for me.

#6 - Watership Down by Richard Adams

This is not the first time I've read Watership Down, and it just gets better and better. Richard Adams is a masterful writer, and this book has one of the best climaxes of all time. Who would have thought that one of the greatest books ever written would be about rabbits? That is just a tribute to Adams' incredible ability to bring vague worlds to vivid life.

#7 - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I had known the story of Jane Eyre for a long time before reading the book. I tend to dislike reading books that I've already seen a movie adaptation of, but do not let your knowledge of the book's twist keep you from reading it. Jane Eyre is wonderfully thrilling, and the romance is second to none. The movie versions have not done it justice. It is Bronte's best book. (Do not read Villette)

#8 - Middlemarch by George Elliot

Middlemarch is a wonderful read. The love story is masterful, the characters are original; it is altogether brilliant.

#9 - The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

This book is amazing and beautiful. It is about a man in Hell who takes a train ride to Heaven, and other than that I will not try and tell you what it's about. Lewis has a soft touch in his books that sets you longing for paradise. But this one puts your longing a bit deeper, and closer to the heart.

#10 - The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

This book is just fabulous. The movie doesn't do it justice by half. It turned everything around to where there was not a tenth of the depth and underlying feeling and moral that make the book so moving and wonderful. It's an excellent work of classic literature, and every bit worth your time.

Here is the full list of the books I've read in 2009 -

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Christus Victor by Gustaf Aulen

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton

Four Faultless Felons by G.K. Chesterton

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Middlemarch by George Elliot

Adam Bede by George Elliot

Howards' End by E.M. Forster

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Tess of the D'Uberveilles by Thomas Hardy

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

The Wise Woman by George Macdonald

The Golden Key by George Macdonald

The Quest of the Fair Unknown by Gerald Morris

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini

The Land by Mildred D. Taylor

Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor

The Road to Memphis by Mildred D. Taylor

Leaf By Niggle by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

Knowing Christ Today by Dallas Willard

The Calling of Dan Matthews by Harold Bell Wright

'A Woodland Scene With Deer' by Carl Fredrik Aagard

2009-10-14T17:57:00.000-07:00

'Interior' by George Nicolaj Achen

2009-10-06T05:26:00.000-07:00

Victory!

2009-10-03T16:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that the contest that began only about a week ago, has now ended. On the day that I wrote and posted my last blog, 'The Nazarene From Bethlehem', Benjamin failed to post his own. And thus, I have won the vicious, bloody cyber-space duel that started with so much gusto.

It's too bad that there is no reward for the winner of this mind tasking contest. A gift card to Barnes and Noble, or a Snickers bar, or an apple........... or a pencil........ or some fabric softener.......... Oh well, the very joy of beating my sibling in writing endurance is enough!

Gretchen

The Nazarene From Bethlehem

2009-09-30T10:32:00.000-07:00

While reading through the passages in John chapter 7 where the people question how the Messiah could come from Galilee, and not from Bethlehem as the Prophets said he would, a thought struck me - why did Jesus not clarify the whole question by telling the people plainly the story of his birth? Was it because they wouldn't believe him? That very well could be the reason. We know from the Gospels that the Disciples knew the story, but whether Jesus himself told them, or whether it was Mary, His Mother, after the Son's Ascent, is a mystery. My own guess would be that Mary told them, since the narratives in the Gospels are very much from her perspective. But the question still stands: Why did Jesus let a great number of the people's unbelief continue, when the simple understanding that he was actually born in Bethlehem might have been enough to clear their minds, and cause some of them to believe?

I pondered the question after I read this -

John 7:25-27 - Meanwhile some of the people of Jerusalem were saying, "Isn't this the man they want to kill? And here he is, speaking freely, and they have nothing to say to him! Can it be true that the authorities have made up their minds that he is the Christ? Yet we all know where he comes from, but when the Christ appears no one will know where he comes from."

But, as I read on, the matter began to clarify.

John 7:28-29 - Then, as Jesus taught in the Temple, he cried out: "Yes, you know me and you know where I came from. Yet I have not come of myself: no, there is one who sent me and I really come from him, and you do not know him, but I know him because I have come from him and it was he who sent me."

It's amazing how some of the most mind-boggling questions that Jesus posed had answers that made complete sense, but were totally surprising. In the answer to the question concerning his birthplace, Jesus doesn't say, "Oh no, you've got it all wrong. I was actually conceived of the Holy Spirit, and born of a virgin in a stable in the town of Bethlehem! You see, it all makes sense when you know the facts." Instead he replies by revealing that the Prophet was not speaking of his birthplace or town when he said that no one would know where the Messiah came from, but of where he came from, namely, the Father - making it clear that they didn't know the Father anymore than they knew the story of his birth.

Over and over again in the Scriptures you find questions that have answers like this. The people didn't have enough faith to simply believe that even though they didn't know the ins and outs of the answers to the questions, they would trust that God knew, and that he would reveal it in his good time. This thought first came to me when I was reading the passage where Jesus states that unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood we have no life in us. A great many of his disciples left him when he said that because they didn't have enough faith to trust that Jesus wasn't telling them that to have eternal life they must become cannibals, but that there was an entire mysterious spiritual meaning behind his words, which he would reveal to them in time. The Twelve stayed because they did have that faith. (I should probably say the Eleven, since Judas most likely stayed just because he had his hands in the money bag.)

I think that is why Jesus didn't clarify some of his most confusing statements to the people. He wanted the type of follower that would look beyond the confusion that some of his words would create, to the knowledge they had of him, and to the trust and love that his deeds and words had built in their souls.

Gretchen

The 116 Sonnet of Shakespeare

2009-09-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

Oh no! It is an ever fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

May God Bring Peace to Jerusalem

2009-09-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thank God that someone is willing to speak truth! If only we had a Netanyahu for our President. Everyone should watch this -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5mmCshkaN0&feature=PlayList&p=D9AA68DFC9B7E26E&index=0

Zaharako's Ice Cream Parlor and Museum - Since 1990

2009-09-27T10:59:00.000-07:00

We are in Indiana today for a concert. It's been refreshing to be out here where the weather isn't continually overcast. I don't remember if we've actually had a sunny day in Nashville all through September. It's been awful.
After Church this morning we were taken to 'the spot' in Columbus, IN - Zaharako's Ice Cream Parlor and Museum. I'm telling you, I don't think I've been anywhere more idealistic. The Parlor opened in 1900, and they've kept all of the original decorations in tact. I was totally unprepared for the marble counters and authentic soda and ice cream dispensers, the high gilded ceiling, and the lights that lined the edges of the ceiling. In the back of the parlor there was an organ that held several different instruments, among them a drum and violin. The machine plays all of these instruments at one time to create a one of a kind sound.
On the other side of the parlor there is a gift shop and museum. In the gift shop there are replica toys and old newspaper articles. My brother Jeremiah bought a wooden yo-yo - we still have to see whether or not it will end up in the floor of the car with the twine tangled into an unmanageable knot. Next to the toys there stood several antique ice cream and soda dispensers. It's hard to describe just how ornate and beautiful they were. One in particular was shaped into a marble two story house, with golden handles at the bottom, and a great big glass globe at the top of it. I'm still trying to figure out how that was made.
The whole experience was quite wonderful. It made me wish that our stores and restaurants today cherished beauty and uniqueness as much as they did back then. I hope you get to go to Zaharako's someday, because last, but not least - their ice cream was amazing!

Gretchen

Italian Girl by William Bouguereau

2009-09-26T17:29:00.000-07:00

The Beginning of the End

2009-09-25T18:31:00.000-07:00

Earlier today (it was actually yesterday) my brother Benjamin challenged me to a cyber-space duel. The weapons are a computer keyboard, and our imaginations. We are to see who can write a blog a day, and for how long. I will lay down in writing his exact rules, so that he can't spontaneously change his mind concerning them: "You can post poems, quotes, thoughts, or even pictures that you like. We just have to see who can keep it up the longest." And so, I will be posting a blog a day for...................

hi 'asa

2009-09-24T13:55:00.001-07:00

Earlier today I started to think about why I don't do the things that I really want to do. That might sound weird, but I find that it's true (at least with me). When I know that what I really want to do is draw - I dispose of the thought and get on the computer. Sometimes I feel lazy and don't want to do my math, and even though I know that my math isn't very hard, and I can be finished with it in less than an hour if I set my mind to it, I just don't. I know that I really want to do my math, because finishing it will make me happy, but there's a little voice in my head that says, "That will take forever!" and, "You can skip out on math one day and get by. Anyway, you're exhausted."
Now, why is it that, more often than not, I listen to that little voice rather than my own reason? When my conscience pops up and says, "You should draw, Gretchen! You haven't in an age, and whenever you actually do it you re-realize that you love it. So go be creative and use your mind you lazy bum!" this little voice blocks it out and says, "Drawing is tedious, and it takes mental energy. Don't do that today." And why do I listen to one over the other? especially when I know that the first is the more truthful of the two? It's ridiculous. I've noticed that this usually happens when I'm trying to get myself to do something artistic. Now why is that? I love being artistic and creating things!
So, guess what? I'm going to rebel against that little voice.

Gretchen

Horatius

2009-06-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

Since I can't seem to make myself keep a consistent blog going, I've decided to make it fresh by posting a poem a month. I suppose you could say that this one is the poem for June - war poems and bright summer sunshine go so well together, don't you think? Unfortunately these poems will not be written by me, they're just some of my very favorites. This one is especially brilliant. Enjoy!

Horatius

By Thomas Babbington Macaulay

Lars Porsena of Closium
By the Nine Gods he swore
That the great house of Tarquin
Should suffer wrong no more.
By the Nine Gods he swore it,
And named a trysting day,
And bade his messengers ride forth,
East and west and south and north,
To summon his array.

East and west and south and north
The messengers ride fast,
And tower and town and cottage
Have heard the trumpet's blast.
The horsemen and the footmen

Are pouring in amain

From many a stately market place,

From many a fruitful plain;

And now hath every city
Sent up her tale of men;
The foot are fourscore thousand,
The horse are thousands ten.
Before the gates of Sutrium
Is met the great array.
A proud man was Lars Porsena
Upon the trysting day.

But by the yellow Tiber
Was tumult and affright:
From all the spacious champaign
To Rome men took their flight.
A mile around the city,
The throng stopped up the ways;
A fearful sight it was to see
Through two long nights and days.

Then outspake brave Horatius.

The captain of the gate:

"To every man upon this earth

Death cometh soon or late.

And how can man die better

Than facing fearful odds?

For the ashes of his fathers

And the temples of his gods?

"Hew down the bridge, Sir Consul,
With all the speed ye may;
I, with two more to help me,
Will hold the foe in play.
In yon strait path a thousand
May well be stopped by three.
Now who will stand on either hand,
And keep the bridge with me?"

Then out spake Spurius Lartius;
A Ramnian proud was he:
"Lo, I will stand at thy right hand,
And keep the bridge with thee."
And out spake strong Herminius;
Of Titian blood was he:
"I will abide on thy left side,
And keep the bridge with thee."

"Horatius," quoth the Consul,
"As thou sayest, so let it be."
And straight against that great array
Forth went the dauntless Three.
Now, while the Three were tightening

Their harness on their backs,

The Consul was the foremost one

To take in hand an axe;

And Fathers mixed with Commons

Seized hatchet, bar, and crow,

And smote upon the planks above,

And loosed the props below.

Meanwhile the Tuscan army,
Right glorious to behold,
Come flashing back the noonday light,
Rank behind rank, like surges bright
Of a broad sea of gold.
Four hundred trumpets sounded
A peal of warlike glee,
As that great host, with measured tread,
And spears advanced, and ensigns spread,
Rolled slowly towards the bridge's head,
Where stood the dauntless Three.

The Three stood calm and silent,
And looked upon the foes,
And a great shout of laughter
From all the vanguard rose:
And forth three chiefs came spurring
Before that mighty mass;
To earth they sprang, their swords they drew,
And lifted high their shields, and flew
To win the narrow pass;

Aunus from green Tifernum,
Lord of the Hill of Vines;
And Seius, whose eight hundred slaves
Sicken in Ilva's mines;
And Picus, long to Clusium
Vassal in peace and war,
Who led to fight his Umbrian powers
From that gray crag where, girt with towers,
The fortress of Nequinum lowers
O'er the pale waves of Nar.

Stout Lartius hurled down Aunus
Into the stream beneath;
Herminius struck at Seius,
And clove him to the teeth;
At Picus brave Horatius
Darted one fiery thrust;
And the proud Umbrian's gilded arms
Clashed in the bloody dust.

But now no sound of laughter
Was heard among the foes.
A wild and wrathful clamor
From all the vanguard rose.
Six spears' lengths from the entrance
Halted that mighty mass,
And for a space no man came forth
To win the narrow pass.

But hark! the cry is Astur:
And lo! the ranks divide;
And the great Lord of Luna
Comes with his stately stride.
Upon his ample shoulders
Clangs loud the fourfold shield,
And in his hand he shakes the brand
Which none but he can wield.

He smiled on those bold Romans
A smile serene and high;
He eyed the flinching Tuscans,
And scorn was in his eye.
Quoth he, "The she-wolf's litter
Stand savagely at bay:
But will ye dare to follow,
If Astur clears the way?"

Then, whirling up his broadsword
With both hands to the height,
He rushed against Horatius,
And smote with all his might.
With shield and blade Horatius
Right deftly turned the blow.
The blow, though turned, came yet too nigh;
It missed his helm, but gashed his thigh:
The Tuscans raised a joyful cry
To see the red blood flow.

He reeled, and on Herminius
He leaned one breathing-space;
Then, like a wild cat mad with wounds,
Sprang right at Astur's face.
Through teeth, and skull, and helmet
So fierce a thrust he sped,
The good sword stood a hand-breadth out
Behind the Tuscan's head.

And the great Lord of Luna
Fell at that deadly stroke,
As falls on Mount Avernus
A thunder smitten oak:
Far o'er the crashing forest
The giant arms lie spread;
And the pale augurs, muttering low,
Gaze on the blasted head.

On Astur's throat Horatius
Right firmly pressed his heel,
And thrice and four times tugged amain,
Ere he wrenched out the steel.
"And see," he cried, "the welcome,
Fair guests, that waits you here!
What noble Lucomo comes next
To taste our Roman cheer?"

But meanwhile axe and lever
Have manfully been plied;
And now the bridge hangs tottering
Above the boiling tide.
"Come back, come back, Horatius!"
Loud cried the Fathers all.
"Back, Lartius! back, Herminius!
Back, ere the ruin fall!"

Back darted Spurius Lartius;
Herminius darted back:
And, as they passed, beneath their feet
They felt the timbers crack.
But when they turned their faces,
And on the farther shore
Saw brave Horatius stand alone,
They would have crossed once more.

But with a crash like thunder
Fell every loosened beam,
And, like a dam, the mighty wreck
Lay right athwart the stream:
And a long shout of triumph
Rose from the walls of Rome,
As to the highest turret-tops
Was splashed the yellow foam.

Alone stood brave Horatius,
But constant still in mind;
Thrice thirty thousand foes before,
And the broad flood behind.
"Down with him!" cried false Sextus,
With a smile on his pale face.
"Now yield thee," cried Lars Porsena,
"Now yield thee to our grace."

Round turned he, as not deigning
Those craven ranks to see;
Nought spake he to Lars Porsena,
To Sextus naught spake he;
But he saw on Palatinus
The white porch of his home;
And he spake to the noble river
That rolls by the towers of Rome.

"Oh, Tiber! Father Tiber!
To whom the Romans pray,
A Roman's life, a Roman's arms,
Take thou in charge this day!"
So he spake, and speaking sheathed
The good sword by his side,
And with his harness on his back,
Plunged headlong in the tide.

No sound of joy or sorrow
Was heard from either bank;
But friends and foes in dumb surprise,
With parted lips and straining eyes,
Stood gazing where he sank;
And when above the surges,
They saw his crest appear,
All Rome sent forth a rapturous cry,
And even the ranks of Tuscany
Could scarce forbear to cheer.

But fiercely ran the current,
Swollen high by months of rain:
And fast his blood was flowing;
And he was sore in pain,
And heavy with his armor,
And spent with changing blows:
And oft they thought him sinking,
But still again he rose.

And now he feels the bottom;
Now on dry earth he stands;
Now round him throng the Fathers;
To press his gory hands;
And now, with shouts and clapping,
And noise of weeping loud,
He enters through the River-Gate
Borne by the joyous crowd.

The Joy of the World

2009-02-13T05:25:00.001-08:00

I have always loved painting, drawing, and photography, and I was thrilled when I discovered the phenomenal photographer, Anne Geddes. She makes her living by doing portraits of babies. You might have heard of her (as I did) through Celine Dion's lullaby album, Miracle, that was released in (I think this is correct) '05. Geddes did all of the artwork for the album, as well as a coffee table book that went with it, which was filled with images of babies nestled in flowers. It's some of the most breathtakingly beautiful art I've ever seen, and that's saying the least.

Mama got a new coffee table book of Gedde's the other day. It's actually her autobiography, but there are pictures that she's taken during her career all throughout it. Reading and looking through the book has inspired me to post some of her pictures on my blog, just for all of you who have never seen any of her work. It perfectly represents the innocence and beauty of God's greatest creation.

These two are from Miracle. What beauty.

Flawlessly poetic.

There's so much peace and gentle strength in this picture.

It's so colorful.

These next three are so cute!

A little flower angel.

I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I do. What miracles of joy!

Gretchen

The Eternal Goodness

2009-02-10T12:05:00.000-08:00


O friends! with whom my feet have trod
The quiet aisles of prayer,
Glad witness to your zeal for God
And love of man I bear.

I trace your lines of argument;
Your logic linked and strong
I weigh as one who dreads dissent,
And fears a doubt as wrong.

But still my human hands are weak
To hold your iron creeds:
Against the words ye bid me speak
My heart within me pleads.

Who fathoms the Eternal Thought?
Who talks of scheme and plan?
The Lord is God! He needeth not
The poor device of man.

I walk with bare, hushed feet the ground
Ye tread with boldness shod;
I dare not fix with mete and bound
The love and power of God.

Ye praise His justice; even such
His pitying love I deem:
Ye seek a king; I fain would touch
The robe that hath no seam.

Ye see the curse which overbroods
A world of pain and loss;
I hear our Lord’s beatitudes
And prayer upon the cross.

More than your schoolmen teach, within
Myself, alas! I know:
Too dark ye cannot paint the sin,
Too small the merit show.

I bow my forehead to the dust,
I veil mine eyes for shame,
And urge, in trembling self-distrust,
A prayer without a claim.

I see the wrong that round me lies,
I feel the guilt within;
I hear, with groan and travail-cries,
The world confess its sin.

Yet, in the maddening maze of things,
And tossed by storm and flood,
To one fixed trust my spirit clings;
I know that God is good!

Not mine to look where cherubim
And seraphs may not see,
But nothing can be good in Him
Which evil is in me.

The wrong that pains my soul below
I dare not throne above,
I know not of His hate,—I know
His goodness and His love.

I dimly guess from blessings known
Of greater out of sight,
And, with the chastened Psalmist, own
His judgments too are right.

I long for household voices gone,
For vanished smiles I long,
But God hath led my dear ones on,
And He can do no wrong.

I know not what the future hath
Of marvel or surprise,
Assured alone that life and death
His mercy underlies.

And if my heart and flesh are weak
To bear an untried pain,
The bruisëd reed He will not break,
But strengthen and sustain.

No offering of my own I have,
Nor works my faith to prove;
I can but give the gifts He gave,
And plead His love for love.

And so beside the Silent Sea
I wait the muffled oar;
No harm from Him can come to me
On ocean or on shore.

I know not where His islands lift
Their fronded palms in air;
I only know I cannot drift
Beyond His love and care.

O brothers! if my faith is vain,
If hopes like these betray,
Pray for me that my feet may gain
The sure and safer way.

And Thou, O Lord! by whom are seen
Thy creatures as they be,
Forgive me if too close I lean
My human heart on Thee! by John Greenleaf Whittier

Staining in the Sunshine

2009-02-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

For the past several days we have had really wonderfully beautiful weather. It was bitingly cold for a few months, and then all of a sudden it feels like April. It's one of the reasons I love Nashville, the weather is never always cold, and never always hot in the seasons.

I have been extremely thankful for the weather, not only because it's just plain pleasant, but also because I've had cause to be outside a lot lately. My family is in the (very long) process of remaking two rooms of our house into a studio. It's been a month and a half or so project, full of sawdust and tearing out of ceilings - and other very pleasant things. My part in this whole affair can be summed up in two words, staining wood. I've never stained before in my whole life, but am now a pro (not really, i just like to think that, keeps my self esteem up =). I think I've stained around thirty to forty planks of wood within the last three days - and still have more to go. And so you see, there is great cause for rejoicing in the lovely weather.

My brother Benjamin informed me that Mr. Groundhog (I forgot the little fellow's name, it's really ugly and long) has predicted a four month long winter. I was very glad to scoff at the idea, considering the sunshine and mild breeze - but.... I was told not long after that we're expecting ice storms here in Nashville not long from now. Very pleasant prospect. Oh well, I suppose you have to take the bad along with the good. It's also supposed to rain tomorrow. And so saying, I'd better go hit the planks once again.

Gretchen

The Origin of Origins

2009-02-06T04:46:00.000-08:00

In studying the book of Genesis, and reading 'The Genesis Record' by Henry M. Morris as a study guide along with it, a new thought has been brought to my attention that fits like a puzzle piece with my earlier post, God and the gods. Morris talks on the subject below in his book, but since not everyone who reads this post will read the book, I thought I would put it down here.

The first sentence of the Bible, "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth." is undoubtedly the most read paragraph in all of history. The Bible is the oldest book that we have, and the most printed. Everyone who picks up the Bible reads at least that first line, whether or not they go any further. And so, we can safely say that that sentence has been read more than any other in any book. It never struck me until reading The Genesis Record that the Bible doesn't open with proving God, but opens with that simple phrase, taking it for granted that God exists. God was so close to the writer, (so close in fact that it could have been God Himself) that the he wrote the account of the Creation with an overwhelming sense of God and His, if you will, realness.

I believe that Genesis (besides the Gospels) is the richest book in the Bible. It lays down in stone (literally) the Creation and Beginning of the Universe; and in doing that completely disproves every other kind of disbelief: Atheism, Pantheism, Dualism, etc. And furthermore, it is the only book that has a believable answer for the question, "Where have we come from?" No Scientology nonsense about martians from outer space and the process of evolution, taken from a space novel. The very fact that Genesis is the oldest book that we have, and the fact that it is so plainspoken and records the Beginning without the least hesitation, should be enough for us to believe too. It's certainly easier to believe in than martians and spaceships, and an evolutionary cycle that we have no proof of. If we could just shed our chokingly skeptical mindset and worldview, and return to the child's simple trust and faith in things unseen, than maybe we could understand more fully the things of God, and what his purpose is for us.

Gretchen

A Lark Ascending

2009-02-03T18:15:00.001-08:00

If you've never heard of the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, I pity you. He lived from 1872 to 1958, making his living by writing symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores. He has written pieces such as, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis, and The Lark Ascending. For some reason every time I hear either of these pieces, I want to cry. There's a welling up of emotion in my soul that is so hard to describe, but it overflows my heart and makes me feel like I'm going to burst. Why does it make me feel like that? It could be the combination of a heart-wrenchingly gorgeous melody and performance, or it could just be that I'm a terribly romantic and emotional person (which I kind of am), or it could be both of those things - and something else. What is that something else? You tell me. But it's something that touches the very root of my soul, a something that reaches deep down and touches a place that no other art can. I believe that this feeling cannot be brought by any kind of music but Classical, and that is why I believe it is superior to all other genres. It evokes feelings that Popular music never can, and never will.

Gretchen

God and the gods

2009-01-20T08:39:00.001-08:00

In reading through the Old Testament it has struck me how everyone in that time period believed in God, or a god. They even believed in a god that they didn't serve. The Babylonians worshiped Baal and others, and yet when they talk about Israel they always speak of the God of Israel as a god just as real and worshipful as theirs. There is such a gigantic difference between their way of thinking, and todays way, where most people don't believe in any god, true or false.

In Bible times people were much more open to mysterious thoughts and ways of thinking than we are today. Take the Greeks for example, they had hundreds of gods and demigods, and didn't think twice about it; of course all of their gods were false, and it can be argued whether or not they were actually demons, but still they believed in them wholeheartedly. Today's world is so full of steel and metal and science that it has choked out most of the healthy amount of belief in things unseen. The more knowledgeable we become in the arts of science and architecture, the more we become illiterate and idiotic in the spiritual things - and then when someone thinks that they've found the answer to the spiritual questions it's always some babble about Buddha and finding the perfect spirit within yourself. Humanity has even become so spiritually blind and dumb as to think that this magnificent Creation was made by a fluke of a chemical reaction. Here's a question - where did those chemicals come from? Answer that for starters.

Every day I wake up and am overwhelmed by the splendor of God and the magnificence of what He's made. He is the Beginning and the End, and He has made all things.

Gretchen

Cardinals vs. Steelers - Cardinals Win

2009-01-19T08:24:00.000-08:00

It might come as a shock... prepare yourself... but despite the fact that I'm from Tennessee, and really truly love my state, I think the Titans stink! Now hold on... you may think that I'm unpatriotic, (that's what a few of my friends think) but I can testify whole-heartedly that that isn't so. They're like a racehorse who when he puts his mind to it can outrun every other horse in the race, but at the very end just starts to slow down for no explainable reason. I mean, they lost the game against the Ravens for no apparent reason! I think that they must have some psychological problem that doesn't allow them to win. Oh well, the Colts are my team, and always will be. For the Super Bowl I'm rooting for the Cardinals, partly because I like their quarterback, and mainly because I hate the Steelers. I mean, the Steelers are like the evil team in the football movie who are huge, ferocious, and unbeatable - that is until the underdog team comes and beats them in the last fifty seconds with a breathtaking touchdown!! And so, on February 1st I'm going to sit back with a bowl of chips and a soda, and cheer on the birds!!

Gretchen

A Room With A View

2009-01-15T09:31:00.000-08:00

Last year I read 'A Room With A View' by E.M. Forster and it immediately joined the list of my favorite books. Not only is it deep, romantic, well written, and over all just plain wonderful, but the characters themselves are so original and fresh that the combination of Forster's intriguing writing style and his creations make a book full of vitality and color. A few days ago me and Camille (my sister) came across a movie adaption of the book starring Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy Honeychurch, the heroine. I don't exactly remember what year the movie was made in, but Carter was very young, and it had a handful of famous actors in it that were all significantly younger than today, so it must have been made several years ago. I really loved the movie - the script is practically taken word for word from the book, which is always nice (it's one of the things I love about the ABC adaptions of Jane Austen's novels). I must confess that I was rather dismayed when I learned that Carter was playing Lucy Honeychurch, but when I watched the movie I was sweetly surprised by her wonderful portrayal of the character. The movie caught the nuance of character and story arc that is what's so endearing about the book, and for that I'll give it a definite five stars. But, take care that you know to read the book before watching the movie. I have yet to see a movie adaption of a book that is better than the book, and that rule certainly applies in this case.

Gretchen

NYC, Twilight, and a Really Weird Mannikin

2009-01-15T05:38:00.000-08:00

Despite the fact that it's been at least two months since I last wrote a blog, many things have happened, and I've decided to forget whether or not I have something brilliant or clever to write and to just write something.

The past month has been an incredibly busy one for my family, full of traveling all over the country. There's been many beautiful and intriguing sights that we have passed, among them being the Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, and a lady mannikin sitting in a tub in a bathroom that seems to stare at you when you are doing your business. This last phenomenon was found in a small diner in the highlands of Montana, and we all had a good laugh to discover that she screamed and talked if you pushed a button on the outside wall. I've often wondered who thought that up.

Right now we're getting ready for a trip to Florida, where we're playing on a cruise that's going to Grand Turk Island in the Bahamas. It will be the first trip I've ever taken out of the States, and the whole thing is very exciting. It's especially good to know that we'll be away from the ice and snow throughout the rest of January. Terrible month!

Among other things that have happened since I last wrote, my family and I have made a trip up to NYC for a gig. I must say that I was rather looking forward to seeing the place again, since I haven't been there since I was nine. But I was sorely disappointed when I found that the whole place was a stink pit of metal, noise, dirty advertisements, and rude people. Nashville seemed like the most quiet, country city that you could possibly dream of compared to it. I came to the conclusion while I was there that I would always highly prefer the country to the city, quiet to noise, and peace to bustle. I mean, who wouldn't? I really can't fathom who could possibly stand to live there. It's like Mama said, "Just imagine what this country would be like if NYC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Francisco, and Sacramento weren't there?" I think I would like this country better if that were the case.

Well, that's about all I have to say for right now. The creative writing wheels have begun to turn around in my brain once again, and there might be some poem or short story that I'll post in a little while; but we'll see how that goes. In closing I'll say that I am looking for ten girls my age who can honestly say that they think this new Twilight craze is the stupidest thing that's come around the pike for a long time. But we'll see how that goes too.

Gretchen

Be Thou My Vision

2008-11-05T18:28:00.000-08:00

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;

Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.

Thou my best thought, by day or by night;

Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Thou my great Father, I Thy true Son;

Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle shield, sword for the fight;

Be Thou my dignity; Thou my delight;

Thou my soul's shelter, Thou my high tower:

Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;

Thou mine inheritance, now and always:

Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,

High King of Heaven, mine Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,

May I reach Heaven's joys, O bright Heaven's sun!

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Written by Eleanor H. Hull

Kiss America Goodbye

2008-11-05T12:48:00.000-08:00

I know I've taken a long time in writing a new blog. I have no excuse for myself, except for the fact that I feel emotionally, spiritually, physically, and creatively exhausted. But here I am, with a full blog telling of what is on my very burdened heart and mind.

Last night, Barack Obama became the next President of the United States to be. All during this day I have felt rotten sick, and praying to God that he would help us. The very fact that America has elected a socialist, pro-choice man who won't even salute his own flag to be their president blows my mind; I don't understand it, in fact I am appalled by it. The only thing it shows me is that our dear, dear America is no more. It is gone, and will never return to us. The slow decline of morals in the people has finally taken it's toll - or the beginning of it's toll - and I don't see how we can possibly recover from it. In one of Obama's memoir's he blatantly said that he would side with the Muslims if war broke out, and if he sticks to his word, he will not support Israel in a war with Iran. If that happens - and I pray that it does not - God will undoubtedly leave this country. He has blessed us because of our support of his chosen people, and when that support ends, so does his. Of course, he will never leave the remnant of his people, and that gives me comfort. Right now the passage in the Bible when God says that the sins of the fathers are passed down to the children makes a lot of sense to me. I wonder what kind of horrors will be passed to my children because of the decisions being made at this moment.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

The Sun Through the Leaves

2008-10-12T19:08:00.001-07:00

This morning I and my sister woke up earlier than everyone else. We decided that we would take a walk through our large backyard while the sun was still rising and the grass was still wet with the morning's dew. I put on my boots with my pajamas, while she put on her pretty robe with the red roses on it. Then we ventured out into the morning. It seems like every time I go outside our yard is more wild than it was before. At the bottom of the hill, by the creek, there was a large branch that touched the ground and made a wonderful green shield to hide behind, our apple tree was as big and blossoming as ever, and the creek bed had become a jungle of fallen tree branches and overgrown grass during my absence.

Our creek bed runs all the way behind our neighbor's yard. It's hidden behind a thick wall of tall cane like weeds which you can't see through; in this shaded place we have discovered a perfectly wonderful path through an archway of leaves and sunlight. Today however, my sister proved herself to be much more of an adventurous person than I. She was in nothing but her nightgown and robe, with no shoes or socks on. If I had been like her, instead of having my comfy boots on, than I would have completely refused to trek into the woodsy wilderness behind our neighbor's yard. But she wanted to go down it more than I. The journey was well worth it. Several changes had taken place since I had last been down the rugged path; a few thick branches of trees had fallen across the creek bed, and the leaves had begun to fall. It was truly glorious to see the sun come shining through the roof of leaves overhead, it certainly is the most beautiful thing I have seen in a long time. We made it through the muddy path and into the open air once more, where the pretty fluffy weeds had overgrown the path to make a soft cushion for one's feet. At this point we decided to turn back just in case we were caught by one of our neighbors in our pajamas. But my, it was a beautiful sight!

When we got back to our yard we picked some apples from the apple tree for breakfast, and weeded my sister's garden. She used the hoe, while I was gratified to use my bare hands. It's really amazing how the more weeds you pull up, the more there seems to be. My apple turned out to be quite delicious. And the day was set off with the glorious sunshine of early morning

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

Fight!

2008-10-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

I'm asking for a miracle, nothing less. McCain is playing honorable, but is it really honorable to leave your country to a socialist lier? What kind of honor is that? Why won't McCain stand up and fight! Weren't the last words of his acceptance speech at the RNC, "Fight with me! Fight for this country!" Well, why aren't you fighting now, John McCain? Why aren't you fighting tooth and nail to defend this country from Barack Hussein Obama? It's like by trying to be 'honorable' he's handing the country over to Obama on a silver platter! Why won't the man wake up to facts? Doesn't he hear the people who are coming to his rallies, pleading with him to fight? If God doesn't put his hand out to save us, then I don't believe that we will win this election. And that's why I'm asking for a miracle.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

The Book of Hosea: Part Three

2008-10-08T09:55:00.000-07:00

I finished the book of Hosea a good while ago, but haven't gotten around to writing my final blog on it until now. I'm now reading the book of Isaiah, which I will most likely be writing on as well, it's so magnificent! I've really enjoyed reading Hosea, it has some incredibly touching verses in it. There are some incredibly hard scriptures in there too; for instance:

9:11-12

Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird--- no birth, no pregnancy, no conception; if they bring up children, I will bereave till none is left. Woe to them when I depart from them.

and:

9:14

Give them, O Lord----- what will you give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts.

Those verses show in the clearest possible way why we fear God. Without his mercy and grace we are utterly and completely helpless. It's only through his mercy, love, and guidance that we can be anything but wretched. This next verse was really moving to me. God's wrath has cooled and all that remains is grief, you can almost hear the tears in his voice.

11:1-4

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. The more they were called, the more they went away; they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols. Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms, but they did not know that I healed them. I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love, and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws, and I bent down to them and fed them.

The most touching part in that verse is when he begins to talk about teaching his son how to walk. I got choked up when I read that. It's so amazing how God uses human examples to put across his feelings to us. It just heightens our knowledge of the fact that every good thing on this earth is just a shadow of what is in Heaven.

Through studying a bit deeper I finally figured out why Samaria and Assyria are mentioned so many times in the latter half of the book. Samaria took over Israel in the time of Ahaz; and the Israelites lived among them. Later on Assyria came down and fought with Samaria. Assyria won and they made Samaria pay them tribute. Through a sequence of events the King of Assyria grew to distrust the King of Samaria, and so he took over Samaria completely and the Israelites were scattered among the Samarians and Assyrians. I wonder if the Samarians of that time have any connection with the Samaritans of Jesus' time? or if they are two completely different peoples.

I only have three more verses that I want to write down here. The first is kind of a touching and interesting one:

13:14

Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion is hidden from my eyes.

These final two verses are from the last chapter of Hosea. In the first one the Israelites are speaking.

14:3

Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, "Our God," to the works of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy.

I think that this last verse could be a prophecy about Israel at the end of time. It's really beautiful.

14:5-8

I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain, they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

October Holiday!!

2008-10-01T02:42:00.000-07:00

It's the first day of October, my favorite month out of the entire year. I think there should be some sort of celebration for October. Perhaps everyone should dress up in giant leaves of varying colors. We'd just be going back to our grass roots in Adam and Eve! =D I've actually gotten my coat out to wear this morning, it's chilly. Hallelujah! the sweat and gnats are through!

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

What's Up With McCain?

2008-09-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

I wish that McCain would buck up! I'm thanking God every day that the House didn't pass the bailout bill, yet he seems disappointed with the whole thing. Why? Isn't it a GOOD thing that our country isn't going socialist? Isn't it a GOOD thing that Paulson isn't getting how many millions of bucks? I just don't get it. And another thing is this, why isn't he putting a ton of adds out there talking about all of the cronies that are apart of Obama's campaign team that were also a part of all of the scandal behind Freddy Mac and Fannie Mae. Franklin Raynes, for instance? I think he's being way too respectful with the whole thing. McCain needs to reveal all of the hidden facts about Obama that most Americans don't know! So why isn't he for pete's sake?

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

A Really Big Bummer

2008-09-23T19:08:00.000-07:00

Well.... earlier today I was looking at a layout of the Kings/Prophets of Judah and Israel, and realized that Hosea was not a prophet (or probably even alive) during the time of Jeroboam. My mistake was, Hosea lived and prophesied during the times of Jeroboam II, which lived quite a while after the first Jeroboam was dead. So.... I'll have to rethink the book a bit. It really is too bad, and it's really depressing considering that I can't really find any in depth information about the reign of Jeroboam II. Ah well, I guess the world will continue to go round.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

Greed and Money

2008-09-22T18:02:00.000-07:00

What's going on with the world? I kind of feel like we're in a whirlpool, new things popping up every day that should give us cause for uneasiness. I wonder what's going on in Washington, what words are being said about the economy behind closed doors? Where is Pesident Bush? What does he think? What does he plan to do? Give all the money to a man who will hopefully, "fix it,". I wish that Bush would stand up to the plate, I have a feeling that he's been checked out from the White House for a several months, and can't wait to get out. I mean, who could blame him? Don't get me wrong, I've always been a big supporter of the President, but I just want to see some action! God help us if Obama wins the election, he's an insecure man (it's written all over his frowning face) who never got the love and support that he desperately needed from his father. I wish I could vote so badly. If the American people put him into office, I really believe that it will be the end of this country as we know it. And what about this hideous skit that Saturday Night Live put on about Todd Palin and his daughters? Tell me this, since when was incest funny? It's sickening, I can't wait to watch that show go to pot. God help us.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

The Book of Hosea: Part Two

2008-09-20T05:32:00.000-07:00

In really studying the times of Hosea while reading the book, an entirely new picture of it has opened up before me. Yesterday I began to write a blog questioning why God made Jeroboam King of Israel even when He knew what kind of a man Jeroboam would turn into? I didn't finish the blog, but asked my brother what he thought on the matter. Why would God make a man who would later rebel against Him, King of Israel if He knew all things? Alex's answer was very moving to me.

Jeroboam had the potential to be a wonderful King for Israel, but he chose not to be. God knew that he would choose not to be, but he still gave Jeroboam the choice. Even though he knew that Jeroboam would turn away from Him, He still gave him the chance. I think that's really amazing, it just shows you how incredible God is. Jeroboam was going against God's plans, but God let him have a free choice.

I guess that some people would think, "Well, duh!" when they heard that, but it never occurred to me, at least not in this instance.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

Learning the Guitar

2008-09-18T18:01:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I began to learn the guitar. I already play the mandolin and violin so this is an incredibly new and fun experience for me, though very confusing because of the difference between the strings of the mandolin and guitar. My teacher (undoubtedly the best I have ever had on any instrument) just taught me how to finger pick. It is so hard! I was just practicing it today and my fingers are terribly sore. I am very very excited though, I never thought that the guitar could or would be this fun. My little brother also plays guitar, it'll be really fun when we can play duets together. I suppose that this little cherub isn't quite as excited as I.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

An Unfinished Letter

2008-09-16T16:59:00.001-07:00

The pen is still, the ink is black

The old man's hand and head are slack.

He's sitting at his desk of wood

The writing desk is rough and crude.

How long has he been sitting there?

With wrinkled face and uncombed hair?

Why don't his children come and call?

Looks like they haven't come at all.

He had a wife, or so it seems

The gold band on his finger gleams.

But if he had a wife and child,

They haven't come in quite a while.

Underneath his arms there lies

An old brown paper that was white

When snow fell down and trees were bare

Before the sun shone bright and glared

Upon the earth which soon forgot

This aged man whom God begot.

Upon the paper lay the words

That none but he have ever heard

When he murmured them so low

To himself so soft and slow.

Before he came to face his death

To breathe his very final breath.

"My dearest wife, my dearest child,

I've been away for quite a while.

Upon the ocean, sailing fast

To come back home to you at last.

To find you here so safe and sound!

But you, dear wife, I never found."

He'd formed the words with trembling tears

He'd been away so many years!

His hair once red had turned to gray

Why should she wait? Why should she stay?

She prob'ly thought him dead and gone

To that fair land where all is dawn.

"Oh my dear wife, I've loved you yet!

I've loved you under each sunset!

I've dreamt of you from first to last,

My dreams of you still holding fast!

Through every storm through every sigh!

I've watched the earth go rolling by. "

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

My Mistake

2008-09-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

After writing my last blog I decided to look up a layout of the Kings of Judah and Israel in Google... well, I found it, and it showed me what I was missing in Hosea's life time. It turns out that there were several kings of Israel in the lifetime of one king of Judah. Who would've thought it? I suppose I've got a lot more to learn yet.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

The Book of Hosea: Part One

2008-09-16T11:28:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been reading the book of Hosea. I never knew that the Prophets could be so interesting! I've been trying to make a layout of the Kings of Israel and Judah versus the Prophets, it can be so incredibly confusing. For instance, Hosea lived and prophesied in the the times of the Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, of Judah, as well as King Jeroboam of Israel. Now, you tell me how this works, Jeroboam reigned in Israel directly after the death of King Solomon, and in my studies I have discovered that there were a lot of kings (of Judah) between Jeroboam and Uzziah. So how long did Hosea live? I suppose he could have lived a very long time, considering he lived in the Old Testament.

Hosea was told by God to marry the whore Gomer (yes, like Gomer Pile in Andy Griffith, though I think that the spelling is a bit different). When i was younger I sometimes wondered why God would tell a prophet (of all people) to marry a whore, but as I've gotten older I've gron to realize that God wasn't punishing Hosea, He was having him marry Gomer to illustrate what His relationship with Israel was like. In Hosea chapter 2 God tells about his relationship to Israel in the language of a husband trying to woo back his wife from her many lovers.. It's rather harsh through the beginning of the chapter, but at the end it becomes absolutely beautiful.

Hosea had three children out of Gomer, Jezreel, No Mercy (for God would have no more mercy upon the house of Israel), and Not My People, "for you are not my people, and I am not your God."

At the end of chapter 2, after God has spoken of calling back His wife and redeeming her, He says:

"And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, "You are my people," and he shall say, "You are my God."

I think that that is a wonderfully beautiful picture. It really astounds me how even though the Israelites turned away from God over and over again, worshiping golden calves and false gods, He always wanted them back, He actually pleaded with them. If I were God (thank God I'm not) I would have abandoned them (and us) long ago. But he is faithful even when we are not.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

Les Miserables

2008-09-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

I read the unedited version of the book Les Miserables a couple of months ago. It's undoubtedly one of the best books I've ever read, the writing was phenomenal, and the character's were flawless. Well, not literally flawless, but the writing of them was. When I was little I saw the movie version of Les Miserables starring Leam Neeson. I remember liking the film, but looking back on the few moments that I actually remember, I realize that it really wasn't that great. Mama always said that it wasn't, she's always liked the older movie version starring Robert Jordan (I think that's his name) as Jean Valjean, and Anthony Perkins as Javert. I watched that film just a few days ago, and thought that it was a respectable portrayal of the book, though not a fifth as good. While reading the book I kept on thinking, "Why the heck does he have to go into fifty pages worth of that stupid Bishop?" But watching the movie, where they condensed sixty pages of the Bishop into five minutes worth of movie, I suddenly saw why Victor Hugo wrote so much on sideline characters. If I had not read the book before seeing the movie my knowledge of the characters would have been about a third of what it is. I wish so badly that someone would make movies of long books where they don't chop out three fourths of the book. I declare, I think that they probably cut two or three climaxes out of the story in the movie. If you haven't, you have to read Les Miserables, don't settle for watching the movie whatever you do. Now, in defense of the movie, I thought that their portrayal of Javert was absolutely perfect, he was the entire character and more, the Bishop was also very well cast. But, one problem more with the film, Marius was hideous! The poor guy who played him had this broad face, with incredibly close set eyes that made him look sort of pig-like. His and Cosette's romance was the worst thing of all. But Javert was incredible. If you liked the book than you should see the movie just for his sake.

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

The Peridot

2008-09-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

After Daddy saw my blog he said, "That's great Gretchen, but what's a Peridot?" So I thought I would explain it for anyone who doesn't know. A Peridot is the August birthstone. It's a bright green gem that looks exactly like the one in the picture. You pronounce the word pear-uh-doe. Just in case you didn't know!

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

Lady Rust

2008-09-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

This is another poem I wrote. The scene is Farmer Brown talking to the rust on his fence. A children's poem. Lady Rust and Farmer Brown take turns speaking.

Lady Rust

"Where have you come from, Lady Rust?

Making fun of all the dust?"

"The gate was old, the day was cold,

And I was in need of a home."

"No, that was not my question dear.

My question was, what brought you here?"

"The other farmer turned me out,

He washed me off with soap and towel."

"Then you came here. Now ain't that right?

You didn't have a home in sight?"

"Oh no, I did have quite a choice,

But your nice gate was far from noise."

"You don't like noise then, do you dear?

The sound is hateful to your ear?"

"Oh yes, I hate it quite a bit.

It makes me want to shout, "Now quit!"

"So if I made some noise for you,

Would you pack up and leave me too?"

"Oh no, my dearest Farmer Brown.

The nearest gates are cross the down!"

"What if I took you on my arm?

Carried you to another farm?"

"Well I shall have to think on that

This farm is nice, and there's no cats."

"You do not like cats either, aye?

You don't like paws to scratch by day?"

"Oh no, not day, and nor by night!

Just the sight gives me a fright!"

The farmer disappeared a spell,

Then reappeared with cat and bell.

"Oh, dear!" she cried, "I never saw

that cat before. Oh, those sharp claws!"

"Would you like for me to take

you cross the down to find a gate?"

"Oh yes sir, please. I'd like to see

the downs. They're quite unknown to me."

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

Dance of the Autumn Fay

2008-09-12T15:54:00.000-07:00

This is a poem I wrote just the other day. Enjoy!

Dance of the Autumn Fay

The air is still, the hush has fell

The wind moves softly through the dell

The sun is sinking in the sky

And fairies leave their beds to fly

They're little more than sparkles bright

Little more than dots of light

But if you can get close to touch

You'll find upon your soul a hush

As if, to breathe you'll break the spell

Of fairies dancing in the dell

They fly into a circle gay

Each with a leaf of autumn day

Of orange, red, and green, and gold

They light up all the colors so!

That lights upon the dell do play

Of golden colors bright as day!

Into the circle steps a pair

One with long golden flowing hair

As if all gold in all the world

Was put into her locks unfurled

Beside her dances sprite or man?

His face so young, yet old, like sand

They both are dressed in garments green

As if to say, "Here comes the Spring!"

He danced with her, and she with him

While all the rest looked on at them

Their flowing tresses gleaming fair

As if the sun had risen there

They lifted up into the clouds

And seemed to join the starry crowds.

The host of fay looked at the sky

Up to the stars to say goodbye

To fairies turned to stars up there

Where even night is day so fair

The angels gather in the dell

To say their final, last farewell.

Stars upon the earth do shine

When fairies meet and make a line

To dance beneath the stars of night

Entrancing beauty made of light!

Gretchen Emily Wolaver

Welcome

2008-09-10T09:32:00.001-07:00

For the past several months I have been considering the future that I want for myself. For a long time I've thought of my future as being a long way away, that I have a long time to consider what I want my life to be and a lot of time to prepare myself for it. But recently I've realized that I have only a few years before I need to be prepared to enter into the world as an adult. I've decided to start this blog to have a place where I can put down my thoughts and the things I write, but also to practice my literary skills, and just to have fun. Perhaps in this vast cyberspace there will be someone who will read what I put down, but whether there will be or not, I've decided to not care. I and my sister Camille had another blog that I've decided to abandon (she did so long ago) because the name is cheesy. Great reason, right? Gretchen Emily