Wednesday’s Words: Martel

This is a series where I’ll post a few of my favorite lines from books.

[Today might not be 3.14, but 3/4 is pretty close.]

I was given this book as a gift from my wife. I had already seeing the movie but I wondered how it be to read it. I’m steadily making my way through it and came across this line I thought I’d share.

That’s the good thing about books. Even if you’ve seen the movie, you haven’t seen the it all. It’s the difference in seeing a house from the curb and walking inside. Sure it looks nice and you can probably get a good idea of what it has to offer, but unless you walk inside you really can’t say you’ve been there.

Verses in Manhood: Robert Burns

If Jack Bauer wrote poetry, it would be here | Verses in Manhood

It has been a considerably cold week here, like most the country, as temperatures have dropped and wind has come sweeping in fast. If there was any doubt that Winter is here, that has been erased.

So I thought this was appropriate for Verses in Manhood. Enjoy.

The wintry west extends his blast,
And hail and rain does blaw;
Or, the stormy north sends driving forth
The blinding sleet and snaw:
While tumbling brown, the burn comes down,
And roars frae bank to brae;
And bird and beast in covert rest,
And pass the heartless day.

The sweeping blast, the sky o’ercast,
The joyless winter-day,
Let others fear, to me more dear
Than all the pride of May:
The tempest’s howl, it soothes my soul,
My griefs it seems to join;
The leafless trees my fancy please,
Their fate resembles mine!

Thou Pow’r Supreme, whose mighty scheme
These woes of mine fulfil,
Here, firm, I rest, they must be best,
Because they are Thy will!
Then all I want (O, do Thou grant
This one request of mine!)
Since to enjoy Thou dost deny,
Assist me to resign.

Of this poem Robert Burns said,

Working On More Than Just Words

I’d like to think of myself as being creative. There’s only one problem with that. You can get bored. Sometimes I get bored working withing the confines of one thing. I like to try a bunch of different things. So even though I haven’t made a post here in a few days, I’m not disappointed. Not if I can show something as a result of the time I’ve missed here. With that said, here’s a look at what I’ve been up to lately.

My youngest son turned two yesterday. We are having his party on Saturday. I’ve made a few things for his birthday, including his invitation. I’ve been playing around with a few other wood plank items to make. I’ve been pretty happy with how they’ve turned out.

I made this Aldo Leopold bench for my front porch. After already making a simple bench for my back patio, I wanted to make a larger bench for my front porch. This one was super simple and looks great now decorated with pumpkins and mums.

Whenever my hands get idle, they do things like this. Whether I’m in a meeting, put on hold, or just generally not paying attention, I’ll start drawing. I’ve always liked to draw. Not in the struggling artist with a sketchpad type of way, just a simple past time. Here’s a few recent doodles.

Creativity has to be fed. I get a lot from music. A few years ago I created a playlist called “Thinking” because those songs get the gears turning in my head. I’ve been listening to this song, pretty much on constant repeat. It’s amazing. Look it up and give it a listen.

So that’s what I’ve been up to. If I’m not blogging I try to make sure I’m still doing something constructive. Creativity isn’t limited by one medium. If you feel like all you are is good at photography, you’re shooting yourself in the foot. Try creating something different and you’ll be surprised at the process as much as the product.

Wednesday’s Words: Miller

If you’ve ever thought about reading a book on religious thoughts or spirituality, but didn’t want to read something that sounded like a self-help book, Blue Like Jazz is perfect. Miller is an incredibly clever and talented writer. His storytelling is simple, but still poignant.

Novel Wisdom: Nicholi and Salinger

I came across an article recently and it got me thinking. Some of the best advice I’ve received was from people I never knew and written years before I came along. I began jotting these thoughts down and realized later there was a reason behind it all, but that’s a topic for another post though. I kept the notes in a book for several years and I add to it frequently. This post kicks off a series where I’ll share a couple of highlights that stuck with me. Some are deep, some are funny, all are good.

• “Lewis asserts that the primary purpose of our lives – the reason for our existence on this planet –  is to establish a relationship with the person who placed us here.” – Dr. Armand Nicholi Jr, The Question of God
• “My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of ‘just’ and ‘unjust’? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line.” – C.S. Lewis, The Question of God
• “Anyway, I keep picturing all these little kids playing some game in this big field of rye and all. Thousands of little kids, and nobody’s around – nobody big, I mean – except me. And I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff – I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going. I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all. I know it’s crazy, but that’s the only thing I’d really like to be.” J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

“Every book is a quotation; and every house is a quotation out of all the forest, and mines, and stone quarries; and every man is a quotation of all his ancestors.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Casting per Capita

I saw an article yesterday about the most charitable states in the U. S. It was a very widely spread story so there are several different opinions from several different news sources on how to take the results of the study performed by The Chronicle. Conservatives show how “red” states gave the most while liberal sources point out that it’s the middle class that gave the most, not the wealthy.

Note: Only taxpayers of household incomes of $50,000.00 or more were included. 

Despite the spin, the results were pretty clear. Southern States and Utah ranked at the top. Several news sources speculated the reason for this and most attributed it to the large religious influences on these areas- the Bible Belt and a state settled by Mormons. And I don’t doubt that was the reason. In fact, the results and rankings change drastically if those who gave for religious reasons were removed from the study as seen here.

I say all of this because when I first saw this story, I was surprised. I don’t know why exactly. Should I have expected anything different? Didn’t I just post something about Southern Hospitality?  I should have expected these portions of the country were the most generous of all. And not only that, these states gave more when they received far less than anyone else across the board. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, when tax information was gathered from 2008-2010, Mississippi was the poorest state in the nation. Tennessee ranked was third from the bottom and Alabama was ninth. And the state at the top of this list, with the highest household income,was  New Hampshire. Coincidentally this state rests at the bottom of the most charitable states in the nation, while Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee sit at the top.

I don’t point this out to vilify any one state, region, or party. I just wanted to say that after I read all of this data my mind immediately jumped to one story. One parable that showed exactly this situation. The story of Jesus and the Widow’s Offering, Mark 12:41-44.

43 And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: 44For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.

It was only after I remembered this story that I realized things were exactly as they should be. We were all called and this time we answered. We are all hypocrites and sinners, but sometimes we get things right. And I’m glad it was this. America is the greatest country in the world and this is why. We give. We give insanely. We give time. We give money. We give military. Our sons, uncles, daughters, sisters, moms and dads go around the world, not to shoot guns, but to help.

I could talk about this for a while so I’m going to end it there. America has been blessed and will continue to be when we measure our success not by how many medals we bring home, but by this. Casting all we have.

See the entire study at How America Gives.