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March 27, 2007

Late Morning Photo Shoot

Dancing on the sculpture

Climb in the sculpture

Thinking

pond of diamonds

Posted by larawalk at 03:45 PM | Comments (1)

March 26, 2007

Spring Entered the City!

By Day

By Night

Posted by larawalk at 10:17 PM | Comments (4)

March 21, 2007

A Clean Room!

My room is now clean! Just two days ago, hairbands, bills, bracelets, incense, and change littered my desk; little piles of dust quietly sat in the corner; clothing (dirty and clean) lay strewn accross the floor.

Ah, it's nice to have a sanctuary again. When I was at work today, I thought about the space and smiled, inwardly. Peace .

Sometimes, laying in bed, especially if my room is clean, I am reminded of my dear hero, Amy Carmichael. Most likely she is recollected at such times as she spent many years in bed due to an accident.

Amy worked as a missionary in India during the 19th century. She started a ministry that helped pull young Indian children out of temple prostitution. After many years of ministry, she had an accident that left her bed-ridden. It was during her time as invalid that Amy began to write intensly.

This past week, before falling asleep, I've been reading her book, " Gold by Moonlight". The pages of this book are filled w/ photographs of the natural world: dark woods, ravines, snow, cherry blossoms, shining summits, illuminated rock, pines, and sunsets on water.

Each of these photographs, represents a certain spiritual state. The dark wood photograph, for example, represents the time that follows a tragedy (accident or illness). The cherry blossoms on the other hand, illustrate times met w/ blessing and joy.

For each spiritual state, Amy provides words of comfort, consolation, courage, and challenge. The following is a quote that struck me. It's on the subject of happiness/thankfullness/beauty, something I've been thinking about as of late. Bare in mind her writing style is Victorian --rather out of date, but still lovely, to me at least.

" There are two notable effects of light in this part of Southern India. One is seen on a clear evening when the terra-cotta earth of the Plains, and every brick and tile made of that earth, takes on a brief and amazing brightness. The other is still more fugitive. It is never seen except in thundery weather, and thn only on the hills that run down the western coast like a spine set out of place. The sun's rays striking up from the sea in sunrise are flung back by the thunder-cloud, and falling on mountain and forest turn the whole world to rose. The loveliness of such moments is unearthly. You stand speechless on some rock in the heart of that celestial rose. You can only worship. Worthy, worthy to be worshipped is the God who can imagine such beauty and command it. All your soul worships. Be still and know that I am God.

The beauty passes. The rose-light melts into the light of day, and in this it is a figure of the true. There are certain glories that are brief, like those lovely lights, but there is the common sunlight that is the life of every day. We live far too little in this light of life. What a witness to the world Christians would be if only they were more evidently very happy people. 'There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance upon us." If we lived in the light of that Countenance, continually filled by the God of light of that Counenance, continually filled by the God of Hope w/ all joy and peace in believing, the dreary question, Who will show us any good? would be answered. "

Posted by larawalk at 04:27 PM | Comments (5)

March 15, 2007

Meditation

Delight in the Lord and he will give you your heart’s desire…Psalm 37

“Revel,” He laughs. “Enjoy the tiny, tiny miracles. There are thousands in each day!”

Posted by larawalk at 03:00 PM | Comments (1)

March 11, 2007

Dance in the Air

So, I went folk-dancing Saturday. Delightful, is the word for the experience. The group that meets on Washington (just off Delmar) has gathered for many years. Actually, my mom remembers them as several students from her high-school ( U-City) attended way back when.

The evening starts off slow, w/ some gentle, easy-patterned dances (Eastern European, Baltic, Turkish, Greek etc.). This is a good time to let one of the old-time members lead you by the hand. Watch out though, as the evening progresses, the music begin to quicken. Before you know it, feet begin to fly, shouts sound, and the dance takes off full blast. The regulars are real nice about it though. If they see you shirking back, they nudge you in w/ encouraging remarks.

Anyways, thought I should report, as the lack of dance in my life caused me to write some rather melancholy comments the other week. The Lord knows what we need (and when) eh? And, I believe he delights in giving us our hearts desire...well,I guess not always...but that's for a different post! By the way, if anyone would like more info. about this dancing group let me know okay.

Posted by larawalk at 08:58 PM | Comments (6)

March 07, 2007

Crocus!

Anyone else spot a crocus today?

Posted by larawalk at 03:27 PM | Comments (10)

March 06, 2007

Nondum (not sure what that means?)

Oh! till Thou givest that sense beyond,
To show that Thou art, and near,
Let patience w/ her chastening wand
Dispel the doubt and dry the tear;
And lead me child-like by the hand
If still in darkness not in fear

Speak! whisper to my watching heart
One word- as when a mother speaks
Soft, when she sees her infant start,
Till dimpled joy steals o'er its cheeks.
Then, to behold Thee as Thou art,
I'll wait till morn eternal breaks.

-the last two stanzas from Nondum
'Verily Thou art a God that hidest Thyself'

by Gerard Manley Hopkins

Posted by larawalk at 12:24 PM | Comments (1)

March 03, 2007

Shepherd Us

Posted by larawalk at 03:53 PM | Comments (2)

History Museum

Posted by larawalk at 03:47 PM | Comments (2)