St. David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire, Wales, United Kingdom
Photographic Print
Rainford, Roy
Buy at AllPosters.com
The patron saint of Wales, St. David, is celebrated on this date.
Archives
Books Read in February, 2009
The Boy in the Alamo by Margaret Cousins.
In the Shadow of the Alamo by Sherry Garland.
Search for the Shadowman by Joan Lowery Nixon.
Moonshiner’s Gold by John R. Erickson.
Buffalo Moon by G. Clifton Wisler.
I read all of the above while working on a project for our homeschool co-op next year. More information here.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. I liked this one as much as everyone else did. For fans of L.M. Montgomery and Jan Karon, this book set in the Channel Islands during and after WW II is a keeper.
After the Fire by Robin Gaby Fisher. Recommended by Melissa at 5 Minutes for Books. A nonfiction title about two young men, Shawn Simons and Alvaro Llanos, who survived a fire at their Seton Hall dormitory in January, 2000 but were burned almost beyond hope of recovery. The details about burn treatment and arson investigation and recovery from serious burns are all fascinating, but the emotional and psychological portraits of the two young men who were burned and of their families and friends lack depth. Ms. Fisher probably tells all that could be told, but I found myself with lots of questions about these two friends and their recovery process.
The Resistance by Gemma Malley. Not as good as the first book in this series, The Declaration, simply because the purpose of this book is different. The first book introduced readers to the premise of a world in which human reproduction is, for all practical purposes, against the law. The first book also introduced characters who were engaging and promising and a moral dilemma that mirrors the moral abyss into which our own culture has descended, carried to its absurd, but logical, conclusion. The Resistance is more of an action, plot-driven, continuation of the first book. I can’t wait to see what happens next, especially how Ms. Mally resolves the seemingly insoluble problem of an entire culture that has lost its moral and ethical bearings. (Semicolon review of The Declaration).
The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante. Semicolon review here.
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Semicolon review here.
The Deadliest Monster by Jeff Baldwin. Frankenstein’s monster versus Jekyll/Hyde. Rousseau versus Locke. The world versus Christianity. I think in some ways Baldwin over-simplifies and twists both Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson as he uses the two books to exemplify a man-centered worldview versus a Christian, God-centered worldview. Nevertheless, the basic thesis is valid. Either we believe that society makes us do evil and we need a better society, or that we are born in sin and we need a Saviour.
The Love Letters by Madeleine L’Engle. Semicolon review here.
Time and Chance by Sharon Kay Penman. Fictional treatment of Henry II and his tempestuous reign.
Lady of Quality by Georgette Heyer.
Best book read in February: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.
About Heaven on Ash Wednesday
I went on retreat with the women of my church this past weekend, and our topic of study for the three day weekend was Heaven. It’s been a sort of continuation of January’s book club topic.
Anyway, I thought I’d share with you a selection of quotations, songs, Bible verses, pictures, and miscellany relating to Heaven. Enjoy. Even as we repent and remember that we are ashes, we also have the hope that we will someday be like Him for we will see Him face to face.
Revelation 21:2-3 (NKJV): Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from GOd, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they will be His people. God himself will be with them and be their God.”
“Wherever we go and whatever we do, we’ll never leave the presence of the King. For although he dwells especially in the New Jerusalem, he will yet be present in the far reaches of the new universe—in which every subatomic particle will shout his glory.” ~Heaven by Randy Alcorn, p. 260.
“I do live expecting great things in the life that is ripening for me and all mine—when we shall have all the universe for our own, and be good merry helpful children in the great house of our Father. Then, darling, you and I and all will have grand liberty wherewith Christ makes free—opening his hand to send us out like white doves to range the universe.” ~George Macdonald
The nearer my approach to the end, the plainer is the sound of immortal symphonies of worlds which invite me. For half a century I have been translating my thoughts into prose and verse: history, philosophy, drama, romance, tradition, satire, ode, and song; all of these I have tried. But I feel I haven’t given utterance to the thousandth part of what lies within me. When I go to the grave I can say, as others have said, “My day’s work is done.” But I cannot say, “My life is done.” My work will recommence the next morning. The tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. It closes upon the twilight, but opens upon the dawn. ~Victor Hugo
“If the earth is fit for laughter then surely heaven is filled with it. Heaven is the birthplace of laughter.” ~Martin Luther
“If the Lord should bring a wicked man to heaven, heaven would be hell to him; for he who loves not grace upon earth will never love it in heaven†~Christopher Love.
“To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.†~Jonathan Edwards.
And yet, I shall not live till I see God,
And when I have seen him,
I shall never die. ~John Donne
Revelation 5:12-13 (NKJV): “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!”
Peter Kreeft: What Will Heaven Be Like?
Heaven at Semicolon Book Club, January, 2009.
A Heavenly Hymn: Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence.
Wherever God is, there is heaven. ~Teresa of Avila
The Love Letters by Madeleine L’Engle
The Love Letters may be my favorite of Ms. L’Engle’s books. I just re-read it for my Semicolon Book Club, and it did not disappoint. I did notice a few new things this time. (I hadn’t read the book in several years.)
The story takes place in two time periods: a 1960’s present and 17th century Portugal. In the present, Charlotte is in Portugal on an unannounced visit to her mother-in-law, the great cellist, Violet Napier. Charlotte has run away from New York and from her marriage to Patrick, Violet’s son, for reasons that are not clear in the beginning of the novel but that unfold as Charlotte comes to identify with Mariana Alcoforado, a Portuguese nun (b.1640, d.1743) who is the purported author of a book called Letters of a Portuguese Nun.
I realized that in the book, in Charlotte’s story at least, not much happens. The story is mostly about Charlotte’s internal struggles as she comes to terms with the death of her marriage. Mariana’s story has more of a plot, but part of the interest of the novel is in finding out what happened to Mariana. So stop here if you want no spoilers.
The Love Letters is a book about vows and about keeping vows, and about that all-consuming philosophical question of the sixties that has continued to preoccupy people into the twenty-first century: “You think, then, that values change? That there are no absolutes?” And if there are moral absolutes, how do we as imperfect people relate to those laws of conduct and morality?
I think in some ways The Love Letters gives an inadequate answer to those very important questions. Both Charlotte and Mariana come to the somewhat reluctant conclusion that their marriage vows are irrevocable and inextricably bound to their personhood. However, Charlotte’s story, especially, is incomplete. How does one keep one’s vows to, keep loving, a person who is not keeping covenant with you? Mariana at least has God, from whom she has run away, but who has never, even in her darkest hours, deserted her. Charlotte is not even sure she believes in God, but in the end she turns back to Patrick, to her marriage, hoping that God will help her to restore what has died.
“Supposing,” she said, slowly, “you are sitting in a train standing still in a great railroad station. And supposing the train on the track next to yours began to move. It would seem to you that it was your train that was moving, and in the opposite direction. The only way you could tell about yourself, which way you were going, or even if you were going anywhere at all, would be to find a point of reference, something standing still, perhaps a person on the next platform; and in relation to this person you could judge your own direction and motion. The person standing still on the platform wouldn’t be telling you where you were going or what was happening, but without him you wouldn’t know. You don’t need to yell out the train window and ask directions. All you need to do is see your point of reference.”
Charlotte keeps saying throughout the book that she is looking for a “point of reference”. Of course, the only fixed point of reference for human beings is God Himself. Charlotte goes back to Patrick with God as her witness and strength, or else she can’t really go back at all. Am I saying that non-Christians can’t have strong marriages, can’t keep their promises, can’t love? In a way, yes. None of us can bear the pain of loving truly and deeply and vulnerably and sacrificially because our own brokenness and sin get in the way. Only God can enable that kind of love; only He is stable enough to be a point of reference. Maybe He does the enabling in some non-Christian marriages and relationships as a sort of common grace, but I am convinced that it is only He that holds this world together.
The monthly tea for the Semicolon Book Club will be held this Saturday at 3:00 P.M. at my home. We will further discuss The Love Letters by Madeleine L’Engle. Email me at sherryDOTearlyATgmailDOTcom for more information. The book selection for the Semicolon Book Club for March is John Adams by David McCullough.
Other books that may be of interest to readers of The Love Letters:
Mariana by Katherine Vaz. In this novel, a Portuguese-American author gives her version of the story of Mariana Alcoforado.
Certain Women by Madeleine L’Engle. Another book about marriage and keeping vows and in which another historical person, this time King David of the Bible, becomes a point of reference and identification for a modern-day man.
Letters of a Portuguese Nun: Uncovering the Mystery Behind a 17th Century Forbidden Love by Miriam Cyr.
Sonnets from the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Not because of the Portuguese connection, although that may be what made me think of them, but Ms. Browning’s poems of love are much more controlled and formed than Sister Mariana’s passionate outpourings and because of that, in my opinion, more profoundly passionate.
Lenten Blog Break 2009
Today is Fat Tuesday, and tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. For the past two years I’ve taken a break from Semicolon and from blogging for the forty days of Lent. I’ve been blogging since October 2003, and I plan to continue blogging. I just feel that this break is a good time of rest and reevaluation for me and for my family.
I will continue to post the Saturday Review of Books each week, but I may not be able to read your reviews until after I get back in April. I also have a few posts and re-posts and links set up to come online on certain dates while I’m gone. The subject, for the most part, will be heaven, a wonderful place to think about during Lent and during this time of economic hardship for many people.
However, things will be a little slow here at Semicolon for the next few weeks. I hope your Lent is a time of worship, contemplation, and joy as we follow the year into the celebration of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, this year on Sunday April 12th.
Books for Lent to Lead You into Resurrection
Lenten Links: Resources for a Post-Evangelical Lent by iMonk.
Sunday Salon: Gleaned from the Saturday Review
Book Psmith reviews a P.G. Wodehouse title I’ve never heard of.
Tender Grace by Jackina Stark is recommended by My Friend Amy. I’m willing to try Christian fiction if it’s well-written and thoughtful. This one sounds as if it could be both.
My Friend Amy also reviewed WInter in Madrid by C.J. Sansom, a book set during the Spanish CIvil War that I read and reviewed last year. It’s not for the faint of heart since it’s both long and essentially hopeless, but both Amy and I agree that it’s worth the time and the grief.
Leah at The Friendly Book Nook inspired me to check out either Tiger Lillie or Songbird by Lisa Samson. Ms. Sansom is another Christian author that I’ve never read, but I’ve heard good things about her writing.
Krakovianka recommends Crow Lake by Mary Lawson. SInce she says it’s the first good book she’s read in a while, I thought it would be worth a look.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Recommended by Fleur FIsher. The title by itself almost had me, and then the review clinched the deal. A suicidal but observant child, a Japanese businessman, and an arts-loving recluse—what a combination of characters!
Friday 7 Quick Takes
So, does this mean that you all are likely to pay careful attention to my blog posts, but you won’t get many creative ideas from stopping by? But if you’re reading from China or South Africa, all bets are off?
There are so many things going on in our nation that make me upset and concerned, and I’m feeling helpless. I can’t stop the stimulus boondoggle, even though I’m going to have to pay for it. I can’t save the books. However I am going to do this simple thing, to try to change minds about abortion. It may not have any effect, but it’s something. And I’m feeling a need to do something about all this madness.
Speaking of abortion, Screwtape Writes Again. And he does have an interesting, dare I say diabolical, perspective on the matter.
Over at Mugglenet, in cooperation with Random House, they’re sponsoring an essay writing contest. Write 500 to 1,000 words on the topic, ” “How can magical stories help young people grow spiritually or build character?” Author N.D. Wilson and a couple of other people will judge the submissions, and the prizes for the top three essays are copies of Dandelion Fire and 100 Cupboards by N.D. Wilson.
March 2 is Read Across America Day and Dr. Seuss’s birthday. Read here for ideas on how to celebrate in your own homeschool.
Back to CPSIA, even people in other countries are noticing the stupidity and harmfulness of this law: Warning! Eating books could seriously damage your health from Daniel Kalder at the Guardian Books Blog. Maybe some of our politicians who are so enamored of European ideas and mores will pay attention to a Brit making fun of such “legal lunacy.”
Lunacy is not confined to government. The New York Times on Tuesday February 17th printed an unsigned editorial that totally misrepresented and confused the issues with CPSIA, talking about “needless fears” and “enlightened leadership.” Walter Olson of Overlawyered calls the NYT editorial “clueless” and “cruelly hard-hearted toward families and businesses.” Back at ya, Grey Lady.
Stimulus and the States
At least some of the governors are being cautious.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, a potential 2012 GOP presidential candidate, has suggested his state may not be interested in all of the roughly $4 billion allotted to it in the economic stimulus package to be signed by President Obama today.
“We’ll have to review each program, each new dollar to make sure that we understand what are the conditions, what are the strings and see whether it’s beneficial for Louisiana to use those dollars,” Jindal said.
“I would call for a veto, absolutely. And you know, let’s do this right, understanding there is going to be some kind of stimulus package. There’s going to be some kind of attempts for economic recovery. I’d say construction projects that put people to work — that fits the bill, but these big, huge, expanded social programs, where we’re adding more people to the rolls — and then the economic stimulus package dollars from the feds are going to dry up at some point. States then are going to be beholden to these programs. We will have to pay for them. That’s not right. That’s not fair. And we just want to make sure that whatever it is that’s passed makes sense for our states, for the residents of our individual states.”
South Carolina’s Mark Sanford:
A handful of Republican governors are considering turning down some of the money from the $787 billion package.
But Sanford told FOX News his state is still “looking at the pros and cons” of the bill and combing through the “fine print” to see what would benefit South Carolina residents.
Rick Perry of Texas:
“My concern is there’s going to be commitments attached to it that are a mile long,” said Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who considered rejecting some of the money but decided Wednesday to accept it. “We need the freedom to pick and choose. And we need the freedom to say ‘No thanks.”‘
I wish they would all either send it back, or take it and give it out to the taxpayers who are going to have to pay back what’s been borrowed. I’m sure they’re not allowed to do the latter, but it seems like the fairest response to this mess.
LOST Rehash: This Place Is Death and 316
Last week, honestly, I was too concerned and upset and hormonal about CPSIA to blog about LOST. I’m still concerned and upset, but I’m past the hormones. So, this week you get a two-fer. My thoughts on last week’s episode, This Place Is Death, and this week’s, 316.
This Place Is Death:
Dare I say, this episode is about Death. Lots of death. the French girl Nadine is killed by the smoke monster. The other three French guys get some sort of evil disease, and Rousseau kills them. Charlotte dies. John Locke goes back to not-Island time and place, and we know that he dies. Sun almost kills Ben. But maybe the Island is Death. Have you noticed that nobody has died off-island, except for Locke? Michael had to go back to the Island, or nearby, before he could die. Lots of people have died on the island, but none of the people who left have died —yet. As for Locke, why does he have to leave the island? He doesn’t really gather up all the Losties and bring them back. Instead, he dies. Does he have to leave the island in order to die?
What does it mean that the Island is Death? Are we back to purgatory? Nope, that theory was denied several seasons ago by the writers. And if the Island is a place of Death, it’s also a place where people are healed, come back to life. Rose at least thinks she’s been healed of her cancer. Locke could walk again. For some people. the island is Death, and for others it’s Life? By the way, I read somewhere that the name on the side of the van Ben is driving in this episode, Canton-Rainier, is an anagram for “reincarnation.” Not a coincidence, but I’m not sure what it means either.
316:
Numbers. The LOST numbers, the “cursed” numbers are 4 8 15 16 23 42. The original plane that crashed was Oceanic Flight 815. Now, the Oceanic Six are returning to the island on Ajira Flight 316. Why not 416, to go with the numbers? Because the numbers “316” mean something new. I googled and 316 is the title of a Van Halen song, an instrumental number that Van Halen named after the birthdate of his son. 316 also evokes the Biblical reference John 3:16.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.
I don’t think the writers are preaching (yet), but that Biblical reference does tie into the whole theme of “believing.” “I wish you had believed me,” read John’s note. Jack’s still not sure he believes. Ben (of all people) comes nearest to preaching when he retells the story of the apostle Thomas who had enough faith to follow Jesus to his probable death, but not enough to believe in the resurrection. Ben’s priceless line, “We’re all convinced, sooner or later, Jack” echoes Philippians 2:8-11:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: hat at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
On the one hand, I like all the Biblical and Christian references, but on the other hand, I like my religion “pure and undefiled.” There are also references on LOST to reincarnation, psychics and astrology, numerology, TIbetan Buddhism, and and who knows what else. I hope they’re not throwing everything in there helter-skelter, Matrix-style, and hoping that everyone will fixate on what fits with their belief system and ignore the rest. Or hoping for some sort of religious/philosophical syncretism that doesn’t really work, even in a fantasy. So, I would agree with Ben, that we’re all convinced sooner or later, but convinced of what? It matters not only that one believes, but also WHAT one believes. Or to (loosely) quote the latest episode of House that I also watched today, “Quit saying A truth! A truth! There is only one truth.
We keep being reminded that Ben is NOT a good guy and not trustworthy. Jack asks Eloise Hawking if Ben is telling the truth, and she answers, “Probably not.” Jack asks what is going to happen to all the other people on the plane, and Ben says, “Who cares?” Jack asks Ben how he can read, and Ben lies, for absolutely no reason, saying “My mother taught me me how.” (Ben’s mom died at his birth.) I think Ben went to kill Penny as his “loose end to tie up” because he promised Widmore that he would kill his daughter in retribution for the murder of Alex. Why is Ben on the plane anyway? I think he only kept the Oceanic Six alive and helped them go back because it was HIS only way of returning. I don’t think he was supposed to return; I’m not sure he was “supposed” to be the Leader of the Others. In other words, I think Ben is the fly in the ointment.
By the way, I haven’t read Ulysses, don’t plan to read it, especially not since Ben was reading it on the plane. It must be an evil book.
I can hardly wait to find out the story of how and why Sayid, Hurley, and Kate changed their minds and got on the plane. And what’s Jin doing in a Dharma suit?
Oh, I love the Narnia references, and even the Star Wars and Star Trek nods. Charlotte said the only other language she spoke was Klingon. The underground Pendulum Station was called The Lamppost. Locke returns in next week’s episode(?), hooded and looking just like good old Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Thinklings discussion of LOST 316: “I don’t know how comfortable I am with John Locke being a Christ figure, but that certainly seems to be where they are going with this. How do you feel about that? ”
Rocks in My Dryer: “We learn that Mrs. Hawking and her crew have been hanging out in a bizarre laboratory with a giant swinging pendulum that searches for The Island. I think I may have missed a few important plots elements at this point, because I was distracted by the way all the characters walked right around the pendulum perfectly gracefully, and I wondered when it was going to knock someone over. PLEASE, WHACK BEN!”
SO, what did you think of this week’s episode of LOST? What did it make you think about? Leave a comment, and I’ll link.
YA Fiction of 2008: The Patron Saint of Butterflies by Cecilia Galante
At first, I thought this story about two teenage girls fleeing a cult/commune just didn’t ring true-to-life. One of the girls, Agnes, was way too indoctrinated to be believable, but the other girl, Honey, was too rebellious and knowledgeable to have been encased in a religious cult all her life. So, I came to believe in Agnes. She had doubts and fears, and she was confused. But Honey? Even though the author tried to explain her worldliness and her insight into the real structure of the cult by showing that she did have some contact with the outside world, a few visits to a nearby farm and a little bit of television on the sly, I just couldn’t quite see someone as worldly wise and personally strong as Honey coming out of a cult like the one described in the book.
Then, I read the author’s note at the end of the book and discovered that Cecilia Galante grew up in a commune much like the one in the book. Authoritarian and charismatic leader, psuedo-Catholic teachings, legalistic separation from the world. So, Ms. Galante has a lot more authority to write on the subject than I do, and if she says someone like Honey could come out of a lifelong immersion in such a group, immediately intact and decisive as a person, then who am I to argue?
Aside from my internal discussions with myself over characterization, I found this debut YA novel to be fascinating. It was all about lies and secrets and telling the truth and how important it is to have a self and to tell yourself and others the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
The villains (cult leaders and parents) are rather one-dimensional, but the book isn’t about them. It’s about Honey and Agnes and growing up and making decisions that are painful but necessary. Recommended for those who like to read about such things.
Other voices chiming in:
Jen Robinson’s Book Page: “The genius of this book is Galante’s telling of the story from both Agnes and Honey’s perspectives. Each girl’s personality comes through clearly, and together they give the reader a full perspective on life in this repressive religious commune.”
The Reading Zone: “Agnes’ grandmother and Honey plot to take all three children and escape the commune. Their journey begins an exploration of faith, friendship, religion and family for the two girls, as Agnes clings to her familiar faith while Honey desperately wants a new future.”
Sarah Miller: “This may be a book with something to say something about religion, but Cecilia Galante is smart enough not to turn her story into a pulpit. The plot is quick and intense, and the writing vivid enough that after Honey tasted her fist Big Mac, I just had to do the same.”