tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57783677855636129852024-03-13T00:59:09.028-07:00Classical QuestMy journey through the classics (and life).Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.comBlogger169125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-6544407069472872842018-02-03T11:52:00.000-08:002018-02-03T12:30:45.097-08:0030 Great Audio Books <br />
Dear Prasanta,<br />
<br />
You asked for audio book recommendations, so here you go!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Autobiographies:</b><br />
<i>The Glass Castle </i>by Jeannette Walls, read by the author<br />
<i>The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie</i>, read by Antony Ferguson (In a lovely Scottish brogue.)<br />
<i>I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings </i>by Maya Angelo, read by the author<br />
<i>Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl </i>by Harriet Ann Jacobs, read by Audio Elan<br />
<i>The Road from Coorain</i> by Jill Ker Conway, read by Barbara Caruso<br />
<i>Angela's Ashes</i> by Frank McCourt, read by the author<br />
<br />
<b>Modern Novels</b>:<br />
<i>Bel Canto</i> Ann Patchett<br />
<i>The Elegance of the Hedgehog </i>by Muriel Babery<br />
<i>The One-in-a-Million Boy </i>by Monica Wood<br />
<br />
<b>Life-Changing Non-Fiction:</b><br />
<i>David and Goliath </i>by Malcolm Gladwell<br />
<i>Blink by Malcolm </i>Gladwell<br />
<i>Outliers </i>by Malcolm Gladwell<br />
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Faith:</b><br />
<i>The Four Loves</i> by C.S. Lewis, read by C.S. Lewis!<br />
<i>Streams of Living Water </i>by Richard Foster<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Comfort Novels:</b><br />
(If I ever fall into a coma, I've instructed my family to play these repeatedly.)<br />
<br />
The Complete <i>Little House</i> Series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, read by Cherry Jones<br />
<i>A Long Way from Chicago </i>by Richard Peck<br />
<i>A Year Down Yonder </i>by Richard Peck<br />
<i>Little Women</i> by Louisa May Alcott<br />
<br />
<b>I Don't Think We're in Kansas Anymore:</b><br />
(Some weird and disturbing scenes in these books, but they're well-crafted memoirs that left me thinking.)<br />
<br />
<i>Cut Me Loose: Sin And Salvation After My Ultra-Orthodox Girlhood </i>by Leah Vincent<br />
<i>Greetings From Utopia Park</i> by Claire Hoffman<br />
<i>Walk Through Walls</i> by Marina Abramovic<br />
<br />
<b>Junior Fiction:</b><br />
<i>The Giver</i> by Lois Lowry<br />
<i>Bud, Not Buddy </i>by Christopher Paul Curtis<br />
<br />
<b>Classics:</b><br />
(These narrators were carefully selected.)<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Moby-Dick </i>by Hermann Melville, read by Frank Muller<br />
<i>The Scarlet Letter </i>by Nathaniel Hawthorne, read by Ian Lynch<br />
<i>Anna Karenina </i>by Leo Tolstoy, read by David Horovitch,<br />
<i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn </i>by Mark Twain, read by Elijah Wood<br />
<i>Emma </i>by Jane Austen, read by Juliet Stevenson<br />
<i>To Kill a Mockingbird </i>by Harper Lee, read by Sissy Spacek<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * * * * * * * *</div>
<br />
Hope this helps. Happy listening!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
A<br />
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-26738030999357856632017-12-31T19:50:00.000-08:002018-01-01T10:49:05.240-08:00My Year in Books: 2017<br />
Hi Friends,<br />
<br />
This year I moved twice, returned to paid employment after 15 years as a homemaker, and got a divorce. Now I'm living in my parents' home with my five children.<br />
<br />
Over the past 12 months, my reading choices formed the backdrop to everything that was rapidly changing in my life. Like always, it was through books that I was able to process these changes and make sense of things.<br />
<br />
Here's the list of books in the order I read them:<br />
<br />
<br />
1.<i> <b>Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson </b></i>by Mary Rowlandson<br />
<br />
A first-hand account of the abduction of a colonial woman by Native Americans in 1676. The first American best-seller.<br />
<br />
2. <i><b>Liturgy of the Ordinary </b></i>by Tish Harrison Warren<br />
<br />
How to experience the presence of God through routine tasks. This idea isn't new.<br />
<br />
Pair with<i> The Practice of the Presence of God</i> by Brother Lawrence.<br />
<br />
3<b>.<i> Possession</i></b> by A. S. Byatt<br />
<br />
The last novel on<i> The Well Educated Mind </i>fiction list! Break out the champagne!<br />
<br />
4.<i> <b>Born Again</b> </i>by Charles Colson<br />
<br />
A title on the <i>Well Educated Mind</i> autobiography list.<br />
<br />
Charles Colson served seven months in prison for his involvement in the Watergate scandal during the Nixon administration. This memoir recounts how his experience nudged him toward conversion to Christianity.<br />
<br />
Pair with <i>Mere Christianity </i>by C. S. Lewis.<br />
<br />
5.<i> <b>The House on Mango Street </b></i>by Sandra Cisneros<br />
<br />
A memoir of hope and dreams by a marginalized protagonist. Great introduction to writing by Hispanic women.<br />
<br />
6.<i> <b>Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl </b></i>by Harriet Jacobs<br />
<br />
I cannot overstate how much this memoir moved me. It was while listening to the audio version narrated by Lisa Renee Pitts that I finally decided to separate from my husband of fifteen years.<br />
<br />
7<b>. </b><i><b>Novel Interiors: Living in Enchanted Rooms Inspired by Literature</b> </i>by Lisa Borgnes Giramonti<br />
<br />
I loved the<i> idea </i>of this book because it reminded me of issues of Victoria Magazine from the late 1980s--early 1990s. There would be a spread depicting scenes from a classic novel with quotes that sucked me in entirely. That magazine introduced me to a lot of great culture in general. <i>Novel Interiors </i>didn't quite live up to that level of inspiration, but it was fun to reminisce.<br />
<br />
8. <i><b>The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin</b> </i>by Benjamin Franklin<br />
<br />
I've seen Ben Franklin's clothes at the Smithsonian; now I've heard his voice.<br />
<br />
Listen to the audio version narrated by Robin Field.<br />
<br />
9.<b> </b><i><b>Elizabeth and Her German Garden</b> </i>by Elizabeth Von Arnim<br />
<br />
I barely recall reading this book. Maybe I was in a fog because of what was going down in my life at the time. Anyhow, it left no impression.<br />
<br />
10.<i><b> I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings </b></i>by Maya Angelou<br />
<br />
Graphic, poignant, heartbreaking, and lovely. Now I know why Maya Angelou is a National Treasure.<br />
<br />
Listen to the audio version which is read by the author.<br />
<br />
11.<i> <b>Fiddler in the Subway: The Story of the World Class Violinist Who Played for Handouts. . . and Other Virtuoso Performances by America's Foremost Feature Writer</b></i> by Gene Weingarten<br />
<br />
The world class violinist was Joshua Bell. You can search it on the Internet. He really did play for handouts in a subway. I think he earned like twenty bucks.<br />
<br />
12.<i><b> Swan: Poems and Prose Poems</b></i> by Mary Oliver<br />
<br />
"If you have ever gone to the woods with me,<br />
<br />
I must love you very much."<br />
<br />
13.<i> <b>The Elegance of the Hedgehog </b></i>by Muriel Barbery<br />
<br />
A funny novel about a friendship between a middle-aged female French concierge and a 12 year old genius. Would make a good movie.<br />
<br />
14. <b><i>Optimism</i> </b>by Helen Keller<br />
<br />
The name "Helen Keller" is pretty much synonymous with optimism, so the fact that she wrote a book with this title just makes sense.<br />
<br />
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it."<br />
<br />
15. <i><b>Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe</b> </i>by Gayle Lemmon<br />
<br />
I love anything that stretches my comprehension of other cultures, especially with regard to the daily lives of women. This true story of determination, creativity, cooperation, and perseverance was inspiring.<br />
<br />
16.<b> The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie </b>by Andrew Carnegie<br />
<br />
I gleaned much more from this book than I expected. It was the right book at the right time. I listened to the audio version during the summer as I walked mile after mile at a local park. I needed to start shaping a vision of a future for myself and my kids that was going to be much different than I had prepared for heretofore. Andrew Carnegie helped me make some practical decisions.<br />
<br />
17. <i><b>Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions </b></i>by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie<br />
<br />
During my brief time in college, when I was in about 20 years old, my English professor wrote a note at the bottom of one of my essays:<br />
<br />
"You are a gentle, yet persuasive feminist."<br />
<br />
I was mortified because I had been raised in a culture that taught "Feminism" was a bad word.<br />
<br />
Reading this book was like a reunion with a part of myself that I had lost sight of, a part of me that I want my children to know.<br />
<br />
<br />
18. <i><b>The Art of Loving </b></i>by Erich Fromm<br />
<br />
This was the second time I've read this book.<br />
<br />
I still have a lot to learn about love.<br />
<br />
<br />
19.<b> Autobiography of Teresa of Avila </b><br />
<br />
One of the books on the <i>Well Educated Mind a</i>utobiography list. I always enjoy a front row seat to history. There is nothing like a famous person's own words.<br />
<br />
20. <b>Sticking Points: How to Get 4 Generations Working Together in the 12 Places They Come Apart </b>by Steven M. R. Covey<br />
<br />
Thought-provoking insights for those interested in establishing a unified team in the modern workplace.<br />
<br />
21. <i><b>Half of a Yellow Sun</b></i> by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie<br />
<br />
A novel about the attempt to establish an independent republic in Nigeria in the 1960s. A solid, hefty piece of modern fiction which stretched me. I'd like to read more of this author's work.<br />
<br />
22.<b> <i>Bel Canto </i>by</b> Ann Patchett<br />
<br />
A novel as vivid and dramatic as an opera. There's even a opera singer in it. Plus there's lush scenery, a terrible problem, forbidden love, and an evil villain with a rash on his face.<br />
<br />
23.<i> <b>Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the Whitehouse</b> </i>by Alyssa Mastromonaco<br />
<br />
A light, entertaining read with some helpful advice for anyone starting a new career.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>24.<b> Lean In</b></i><b> </b>by Sheryl Sandberg<br />
<br />
Listened to this while playing Lara Croft: Relic Run on my phone. Now they go together in my mind.<br />
<br />
25. <i><b>Wonder </b></i>by R. J. Palacio<br />
<br />
Finally got around to reading this. Now it's a movie with Julia Roberts.<br />
<br />
26.<i> <b>Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass</b> </i>by Frederick Douglass<br />
<br />
Another title from <i>The</i> <i>Well Educated Mind a</i>utobiography list. This slave narrative is essential reading material. On Valentine's Day 2018, we'll celebrate the 200th birthday of Frederick Douglass, so this is a title you'll want to put on your TBR list now.<br />
<br />
Side note: It was quoted heavily in <i>Half a Yellow Sun.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
27.<b> <i>The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog: And Other Stories From a Child Psychiatrist's Notebook -- What Traumatized Children Can Teach Us About Loss, Love, and Healing </i></b>by Bruce D. Perry<br />
<br />
Extremely Insightful. This book helped me further clarify my career goals.<br />
<br />
28. <i><b>When Breath Becomes Air </b></i>by Paul Kalanithi<br />
<br />
A young neurosurgeon is diagnosed with stage IV brain cancer. This book is his final gift to humanity. Poignant and life-affirming.<br />
<br />
"Human knowledge is never contained in one person. It grows from the relationships we create between each other and the world, and still it is never complete."<br />
<br />
<br />
Happy New Year and Happy Reading!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
A<br />
<i><br /></i>Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-26158189465909579362017-05-12T12:18:00.000-07:002017-05-12T21:21:26.249-07:00On My Own, but Not Alone<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_9utWGmoWY0s_rrtB4XLkXldcWx2hPApeWd1Ct78tphaFwSnnf9KGJiOJt0iJoHj7Y05qX-onOBuHkDMpyFHtEk_2WAweiG-y0J8abpkvBBmKCqO2oafXj4MO74q7D6J3Xi9qu4Dapqb/s1600/DSC00564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_9utWGmoWY0s_rrtB4XLkXldcWx2hPApeWd1Ct78tphaFwSnnf9KGJiOJt0iJoHj7Y05qX-onOBuHkDMpyFHtEk_2WAweiG-y0J8abpkvBBmKCqO2oafXj4MO74q7D6J3Xi9qu4Dapqb/s400/DSC00564.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMP7Ivtx4m_FubEyhMXNQqaffjQybhJecZS4sMQEX0HE6OvsZeBfEZcEdT-u1xO5fnQpjh88CbUQj-TAbLlroDwD-m66kiji9xUdi49OtfIldFKXh0ICCqFJN1Q_RBDaA2LnOukK2DyqrZ/s1600/DSC00623.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMP7Ivtx4m_FubEyhMXNQqaffjQybhJecZS4sMQEX0HE6OvsZeBfEZcEdT-u1xO5fnQpjh88CbUQj-TAbLlroDwD-m66kiji9xUdi49OtfIldFKXh0ICCqFJN1Q_RBDaA2LnOukK2DyqrZ/s400/DSC00623.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kpiT2-OVv9PZ0vZoHSmAORAQYzqv3VwtJoIynZOJN9EKmt1eHNgGvJ1LJJ2loP9UJ_isjz4vFyf6RtFq19KC7srzjfJ6ADIcBn_MRWGplgPHtQgu3qiLiW1YPtmjg6kfZnw7Ks0qroMk/s1600/DSC00547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kpiT2-OVv9PZ0vZoHSmAORAQYzqv3VwtJoIynZOJN9EKmt1eHNgGvJ1LJJ2loP9UJ_isjz4vFyf6RtFq19KC7srzjfJ6ADIcBn_MRWGplgPHtQgu3qiLiW1YPtmjg6kfZnw7Ks0qroMk/s400/DSC00547.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2sULiEs_n8TDNZuFYbdXaGVQixf5gLoszAN8wUX3kv_2yA9w460JFj9qB6-Ql-LPnLKXk9_DhO4sPjFDDGmtGzgyuGCWeEvESfCvVMCs78_RsRalBSv1Jjd8VOhJu0w3Ojb-PR2JoFvE/s1600/DSC08563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit2sULiEs_n8TDNZuFYbdXaGVQixf5gLoszAN8wUX3kv_2yA9w460JFj9qB6-Ql-LPnLKXk9_DhO4sPjFDDGmtGzgyuGCWeEvESfCvVMCs78_RsRalBSv1Jjd8VOhJu0w3Ojb-PR2JoFvE/s400/DSC08563.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Dear Friends,<br />
<br />
My pastor recommended that I start blogging again, so here I am.<br />
Since my last post, life has taken a dramatic turn. I'm going through a dissolution of marriage after fifteen years. Fortunately, my children's father and I are currently on good terms and co-parenting is going really well. I won't be scrubbing references to him from my social media accounts.<br />
<br />
I'm now living at my parents' farm with the children. I'll spare you the details of the last few exhausting months and just say that I think I've reached the final stage of grief: <i>acceptance</i>.<br />
<br />
Mom and Dad have 18 bee colonies and no microwave. They have a rotary telephone and no wifi. Life has come full circle for me. I'm back in my old dormer bedroom in a twin sized bed I'm sharing with my five year old daughter. At night I like to open the window and and we listen to spring peepers and rain or whatever's going on in the country in the dark. We cuddle like two birds in a nest. I'm blessed to have all my children near me in a situation that is safe and familiar to us.<br />
<br />
I've set up a portable library in my room with wooden crates. Reading is more than a pleasurable pastime right now: it's a life raft for my mind and spirit. Recently I've been tweeting some of my favorite lines from the book I'm reading: <i>The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie. </i>It's a great book for anyone attempting a fresh start. I've been deeply challenged by Carnegie's optimism and determination.<br />
<br />
The children and I are adjusting well to our new community. They love school and I love volunteering there from time to time. Church has become a genuine sanctuary for my weary heart. A few weeks ago I began serving as a liturgist. The congregants were so loving and supportive of my effort, that I found the courage to do it again. I love how connected and generous they are to those in need. I'm learning from their example how to live out my faith in a more authentic way.<br />
<br />
Until next time, then.<br />
<br />
Adriana<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-59754811494888455872016-08-29T17:29:00.003-07:002016-08-29T17:31:43.323-07:00The Parable of the Good Samaritan: A Guest Post for a Friend<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2b522z6yQ28ouxBmI_LIn4F4n3cqLhSuLG77FnWDv1WUwKgxkiFDD7UwXQw88xcBqRH9QDaAax3kvshdPWY6mH4bgYljGd0sn1lAKBmyYKH8FWwGCORm1hQAsGWftxSpIeQbJJsiabhyE/s1600/the-good-samaritan-1907.jpg%2521Large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2b522z6yQ28ouxBmI_LIn4F4n3cqLhSuLG77FnWDv1WUwKgxkiFDD7UwXQw88xcBqRH9QDaAax3kvshdPWY6mH4bgYljGd0sn1lAKBmyYKH8FWwGCORm1hQAsGWftxSpIeQbJJsiabhyE/s400/the-good-samaritan-1907.jpg%2521Large.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;"><a href="http://www.wikiart.org/en/paula-modersohn-becker/the-good-samaritan-1907">The Good Samaritan, Paula Modersohn-Becker</a><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
On Sunday mornings I assist my husband in teaching Sunday school to a group of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade boys. We usually have about ten boys in class, but yesterday we got a surprise when the girls from the classroom next door joined us! Their teachers weren't able to make it, so we ended up with 23 kids altogether. I love helping with this age group and I was especially happy to get to know the girls a bit.<br />
<br />
Our lesson was on the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. My husband Joe asked for a volunteer to read the passage. A petite girl with red hair and freckles was the first to raise her hand. Joe called on her to read. I'll call her "Red."<br />
<br />
Red's voice was soft. Right from the start she struggled to sound out the words. After a few minutes I thought she might give up and let someone else take over, but she plodded on through the entire passage. The boys squirmed. Some of the kids exchanged awkward smiles with each other. There were long pauses between Red's words and it was hard to hear most of what she read.<br />
<br />
But it was okay.<br />
<br />
Actually, it was more than okay -- it was wonderful! I'm not sure if any of the kids picked up on what I saw, but Jesus underscored His message to me because there was a "Good Samaritan" right by Red's side. I'll call her "Sam."<br />
<br />
(<a href="https://timfall.wordpress.com/2016/08/29/sunday-school-teacher-learns-her-lesson-seeing-the-good-samaritan-in-the-flesh/#comment-22787">Read the rest at my friend Tim's blog, Just One Train Wreck After Another</a>.)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<h1 class="passage-display" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">
</h1>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-68060958806401262132016-08-21T18:51:00.000-07:002016-08-21T18:51:27.064-07:00Saying GoodbyeThis afternoon my girls and I went back to our old house to finish wrapping things up. There wasn't much left to do. I swept the floors, wiped down the counters, then vacuumed the playroom. The girls frolicked through the echoing rooms and wrote "Goodbye!" and "I love you!" on the concrete porch with a stray piece of chalk. Olivia took a video as we pulled away.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I used to think I wanted to stay at that house for the rest of my life. I thought it would be devastating for me to leave, but actually, it wasn't at all. More than anything, I'll miss our kids being little. They have been the highlight of every square inch of my living spaces for the last fourteen years! This house was the setting for a sweet and innocent chapter of life for them. I believe they'll recall many fond memories of our time there. What else could I ask for?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMyERiHZ7ecVlVwVWFk3hBVSyNfj-P6Wizyb_Sgog2hJ786Y-9aRTtHhPQo_LAGTs0H4-EasIsU-jhyphenhyphen9iYMvXBgf3uM4LWABpuEFc6x9AlqXF6FjhF9ul6UYB0TzWm5HXdDzSI7r9aEax/s1600/DSC02503.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMyERiHZ7ecVlVwVWFk3hBVSyNfj-P6Wizyb_Sgog2hJ786Y-9aRTtHhPQo_LAGTs0H4-EasIsU-jhyphenhyphen9iYMvXBgf3uM4LWABpuEFc6x9AlqXF6FjhF9ul6UYB0TzWm5HXdDzSI7r9aEax/s400/DSC02503.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-36090095897429998652016-08-20T20:21:00.001-07:002016-08-20T20:21:31.003-07:00A Genealogy of Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">You don’t get to pick your family, but you can pick your teachers and you can pick your friends and you can pick the music you listen to and you can pick the books you read and you can pick the movies you see. </i><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;">You are, in fact, a mashup of what you choose to let into your life. </span></i><i style="color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">You are the sum of your influences. The German writer Goethe said, "We are shaped and fashioned by what we love. </i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: "merriweather" , "georgia" , serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; text-align: left;">Austin Kleon</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJQVb9RE2T0XE1uViyTSdGcXOsJj76NoqzHQE28FE54JkesV3XnqXnrg1F5HGe4iOu6ZSTaX4e_rYw9UObtbuqS7cUrjZqC1ioVrrBtYqxW_Wg9BuL-buY2n6OtohM4PnRGRxRk0u1Pxp/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggJQVb9RE2T0XE1uViyTSdGcXOsJj76NoqzHQE28FE54JkesV3XnqXnrg1F5HGe4iOu6ZSTaX4e_rYw9UObtbuqS7cUrjZqC1ioVrrBtYqxW_Wg9BuL-buY2n6OtohM4PnRGRxRk0u1Pxp/s400/unnamed.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As I said a couple days ago, I was inspired by Austin Kleon's short book <i>Steal Like an Artist</i> to assemble a "Genealogy of Ideas." I had some fun with this. I chose four writers whose works I have have nearly exhausted though the years. They each resonate with me for a broad spectrum of reasons. Taken collectively, perhaps they'll give me a glimpse into the type of writing that fits me best.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
1.<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diane_Ackerman"> <b>Diane Ackerman</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> </span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> ". . . is an American poet, essayist, and </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_history" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Natural history">naturalist</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;"> known for her wide-ranging curiosity and poetic explorations of the natural world."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 15.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. ~</i>D.A.</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 15.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 15.6px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
2.<b> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Winner">Lauren Winner</a></b> ". . . <span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">is a historian, author and lecturer. She is Assistant Professor of Christian Spirituality at </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duke_Divinity_School" style="background: none rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #0b0080; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px; text-decoration: none;" title="Duke Divinity School">Duke Divinity School</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">Winner writes and lectures on Christian practice, the history of Christianity in America, and Jewish–Christian relations."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">Some days I am not sure if my faith is riddled with doubt, or whether, graciously, my doubt is riddled with faith. And yet I keep living in the world the way a religious person lives in the world; I keep living in a world that I know to be enchanted, and not left alone. I doubt; I am uncertain; I am restless, prone to wander. And yet, glimmers of holy keep interrupting my gaze.~L.W.</span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRnQ6sVERw40NZI4zdHNQY50QR23Js9U9iTYE18U_Lwm7LWZCc859BlNRV2midx5MCA-0pV67LCbZGGjVUZ-eFy0DHHRvTZKnxr66sU70RR_AN3V4ADPHLtPpoMIDXqBRpaxF3VOCsXCz/s1600/IMG_2250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilRnQ6sVERw40NZI4zdHNQY50QR23Js9U9iTYE18U_Lwm7LWZCc859BlNRV2midx5MCA-0pV67LCbZGGjVUZ-eFy0DHHRvTZKnxr66sU70RR_AN3V4ADPHLtPpoMIDXqBRpaxF3VOCsXCz/s320/IMG_2250.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
3. <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Gladwell">Malcolm Gladwell </a> ". . . </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">is an English-born Canadian journalist, author, and speaker."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span>
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;">Hard work is a prison sentence only if it does not have meaning. Once it does, it becomes the kind of thing that makes you grab your wife around the waist and dance a jig.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"> </span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></i>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><i>4</i><b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Tolstoy">. Leo Tolstoy</a></b><i> ". . . </i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22.4px;">was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time."</span><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></i>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20px;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><i>Joy can only be real if people look upon their life as a service and have a definite object in life outside themselves and their personal happiness. </i></span></span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;" /><br />
<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></span></i>
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-21692155972645187382016-08-20T15:33:00.002-07:002016-08-20T15:34:39.298-07:00Happiness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-C0PmS6DKkeaTDNgNtMsUnhL01Rvbs_Ca5HpXF53QlkQSLfWsmuOFm_2GQMwGTej6ZhgqtMITdicB3ES7iS-gSotcRpAGTeZiI553dWcmybM2lNJL28c7aSQvYToTcNfvUGVyGQE0zi2E/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252813%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-C0PmS6DKkeaTDNgNtMsUnhL01Rvbs_Ca5HpXF53QlkQSLfWsmuOFm_2GQMwGTej6ZhgqtMITdicB3ES7iS-gSotcRpAGTeZiI553dWcmybM2lNJL28c7aSQvYToTcNfvUGVyGQE0zi2E/s400/FullSizeRender+%252813%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Happiness is when you and a friend combine your tea tin collections and discover they make a rainbow.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-yLqnEeZPYKwg2ZS7b4QbbKb0Fdy5nchPV4KQt1kvq8kNMRZJlEgnChhlKsj8ulekJt8yFhhpdJCA4XPuA5wbXTn0bQxRtfaPb7g-VwQYCt-bdi3GCdQuvo0Uldl4TwQQWzPMErdxkzS/s1600/IMG_4074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-yLqnEeZPYKwg2ZS7b4QbbKb0Fdy5nchPV4KQt1kvq8kNMRZJlEgnChhlKsj8ulekJt8yFhhpdJCA4XPuA5wbXTn0bQxRtfaPb7g-VwQYCt-bdi3GCdQuvo0Uldl4TwQQWzPMErdxkzS/s320/IMG_4074.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-62857037965394407462016-08-19T13:11:00.001-07:002016-08-20T09:19:51.264-07:00Mazurka for Dashed Hope<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9i2xAAnPazbz4GyfDFEJ5jyyTt84hrytoRARN13Y1PbwVn_brvTylMbJ7j85acETW69m5pBHuE8S1HTcnztgpa_ekPeTqNT5wdQYk8KAg7UqIG8Pn5FNKR1OkzFNJFzN3t5jHDBcQxs6/s1600/IMG_4068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9i2xAAnPazbz4GyfDFEJ5jyyTt84hrytoRARN13Y1PbwVn_brvTylMbJ7j85acETW69m5pBHuE8S1HTcnztgpa_ekPeTqNT5wdQYk8KAg7UqIG8Pn5FNKR1OkzFNJFzN3t5jHDBcQxs6/s400/IMG_4068.JPG" width="316" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday I crushed on a house. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today news came: it's going to someone else.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thankfully there's a mazurka for that.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Penned by Chopin in his youth;</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I pound into my old black Baldwin</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Until my soul feels young and light again.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3ky8BOk2qIA/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ky8BOk2qIA?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-88409300810372065582016-08-18T17:43:00.000-07:002016-08-18T18:08:56.170-07:00A Commonplace Book Entry<br />
<i>Our obligation is to give meaning to life and so to overcome the passive indifferent life.</i><br />
<br />
Elie Wiesel<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSg7GMN56SvYoxFCzl6oGtlIDiWTUF_DtmsedbZZcBrJ9WvFBsJtu4AXQnvsmZ4QiptBcWokupbX21qSEUyOYm6Xzp9bQSG0pWCWp3leigP7hUw27buWHCmZ8KWzCN1illAAz73qPJqHMu/s1600/IMG_2691.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSg7GMN56SvYoxFCzl6oGtlIDiWTUF_DtmsedbZZcBrJ9WvFBsJtu4AXQnvsmZ4QiptBcWokupbX21qSEUyOYm6Xzp9bQSG0pWCWp3leigP7hUw27buWHCmZ8KWzCN1illAAz73qPJqHMu/s400/IMG_2691.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Last night Tuyet made a spicy Vietnamese fish soup with tilapia fillets and a giant snow crab that was a gift from her mother. Our neighbor Kristina came over and taught my son Jack a bizarre song called "Fish Heads, Fish Heads, Roly Poly Fish Heads!" Jack was both amused and disconcerted. They watched a weird music video of the song on YouTube together.<br />
<br />
I pretended to fish a fish head out of my bowl with chopsticks. Kristina stopped singing and suddenly looked very grave.<br />
<br />
My husband Joe fished the snow crab out of the stock pot. Jack's eyes widened again. The crabs long claws hung limply over the sink. Joe began to extract the meat with delight. <br />
<br />
I was ready for an early bedtime since I had spent three hours with all the kids at the pool. Little Mary was sleepy too. It's not easy to eat fish soup with a yawning four year old on your lap.<br />
<br />
Tuyet invited Kristina and me into her room for cranberry juice and vodka after dinner, Kristina joined her, but I declined and said goodnight to all. I then carried Mary upstairs to our room where she promptly fell asleep. My eyelids were heavy too but I had not written anything new today, so I started editing a post I had written months ago about Elie Wiesel and Holocaust literature. Those topics proved far too weighty for my tired brain and soon I was sleeping next to Mary.<br />
<br />
At 3AM I awoke, tiptoed downstairs, and perked coffee. I rummaged through my pantry shelf in the garage until I found some chocolate biscotti.<br />
<br />
Settled in my room again, I read chapter 44 of <em>A Child's History of the World</em>, "A Christian Kingdom in Africa. I knew that St. Augustine was the bishop of the North African city of Hippo, but I didn't know much else about North African history. For example, did you know that the last king of Ethiopia claimed to be a descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba?<br />
<br />
Yesterday I read a short book called<em> Steal Like a Writer</em> by Austin Kleon. I decided to think about my place in a "Genealogy of Ideas." Kleon encouraged me to build a lineage from artists who came before me that I admire, then place myself under their apprenticeship. That's what I'll be thinking about today.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdLpt_oJk2uskZ6i2lzdnvF0LOLquQ_RQqAerzvk1_oD6UCjRgfq8zT4U149kLeQMjZM6ABpCS7ysgECSevC95P-wbq63-F52tWML4Xc_0Kgf3TALZGbwVAcHVuRJ5foISvjkmdA7qfJB/s1600/untitled.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIdLpt_oJk2uskZ6i2lzdnvF0LOLquQ_RQqAerzvk1_oD6UCjRgfq8zT4U149kLeQMjZM6ABpCS7ysgECSevC95P-wbq63-F52tWML4Xc_0Kgf3TALZGbwVAcHVuRJ5foISvjkmdA7qfJB/s400/untitled.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div align="center">
<div style="text-align: left;">
Who would you include in a "Genealogy of Ideas"?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-39806631413833313672016-08-16T22:15:00.000-07:002016-08-17T10:37:21.588-07:00Radical Decluttering and a Move!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDKGYFeyVW1rAm9kEhqVL0KQ3rU5COuzVeMIDF_bH-ShILUGRxOhbpXH_9JlYl7Hs3hZ-PNUAZSTX1zHYCff-RmM8DcRLqc8Tga3hVCn82IafUYCKtCO4D9HRl209d_BUgsKNohXz1mhB/s1600/IMG_2455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQDKGYFeyVW1rAm9kEhqVL0KQ3rU5COuzVeMIDF_bH-ShILUGRxOhbpXH_9JlYl7Hs3hZ-PNUAZSTX1zHYCff-RmM8DcRLqc8Tga3hVCn82IafUYCKtCO4D9HRl209d_BUgsKNohXz1mhB/s400/IMG_2455.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Dear Friends,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Last month we moved from our home in the country to a place in town. We're living with our good friends, Kevin and Tuyet, and their two small children until we find a house.<br />
<br />
Once we decided to move, we did most of the work in ten days. Though we had rented our house for several years, we had always treated it as though it belonged to us. Our family of seven had put down some serious roots. The basement had become stacked with so much stuff that I felt paralyzed by the thousands of micro-decisions I had to make to get us out of there! But my husband is a wonder; he pulled a horse trailer, a dumpster, and a semi-trailer right up to the back patio and worked tirelessly to help me load things while also running his business and helping our oldest two kids prepare to show their horses at the county fair.<br />
<br />
Friends and family came in to assist us as well. My father-in-law asked me why I <i>had </i>to play the piano. Couldn't I have chosen a lighter instrument? Since I joined the family fifteen years ago, he's helped to move it four times!<br />
<br />
Now that the dust has settled, I'm staying in a guest bedroom with our four year old daughter. Our tween daughter is in her own room across the hall. My husband and our three sons are in a basement apartment.<br />
<br />
Tuyet and I have merged pantries and created a lovely flow of cooperation for all our daily tasks. We cherish our time together! Meals are so much easier to assemble when you can plan and prepare them with a friend. Time folding laundry flies by when you're talking and laughing. If Tuyet needs to sleep in, I can handle breakfast for all the children (and vice versa).<br />
<br />
In my room I've created the kind of French style closet I've always wanted with a limited number of carefully chosen high-use pieces. I also have a small pine dresser for essentials. I have two crates of books, one on each side of my bed -- I only packed what I expect to read in the next few months.<br />
I feel much more productive and focused without all the clutter I had before!<br />
<br />
The view from my window is park-like. I see two lotus blooms in Tuyet's koi pond. I see a swing that is covered in mature wisteria. A wall of manicured evergreens are paired with purple Rose of Sharon to provide privacy on one side since the neighbor's yard is quite close.<br />
<br />
My room is painted clean ivory. There are new aquamarine sheets on the bed. On my dresser I've placed a framed photograph of two pink lilies that my old piano teacher, Sister Cecilia, gave me years ago. My little girl has two crates to keep her things sorted. Her white porcelain bunny peeps between some potted plants by the window.<br />
<br />
I look forward to having a house of my own again; but for now, I'm very happy.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>What I'm reading: </b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Childs-History-World-V-Hillyer/dp/8087888545/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1471408985&sr=8-1&keywords=a+child%27s+history+of+the+world"><i>A Child's History of the World</i> by Virgil M. Hillyer. </a>I found it in a box of used books back when we were homeschooling and I'm just now getting around to it. An easy, delightful read. I'll likely read it aloud to my kids in the future.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFFvq0QrrykJvz635_VJ0_dAJgOc4CRgCBZ4Lu4Zn4uT59_UAsPpvP0X6mqvoSoh15ORa-fRAFxnNYpSpcDwjDZ5jGiJrllcYzP0bYX7yvCekGksPw0ZcbBdYpe5s0LkeiFRftYYRNUPj/s1600/FullSizeRender+%252814%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFFvq0QrrykJvz635_VJ0_dAJgOc4CRgCBZ4Lu4Zn4uT59_UAsPpvP0X6mqvoSoh15ORa-fRAFxnNYpSpcDwjDZ5jGiJrllcYzP0bYX7yvCekGksPw0ZcbBdYpe5s0LkeiFRftYYRNUPj/s400/FullSizeRender+%252814%2529.jpg" width="312" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="goog_1186748468"></span><span id="goog_1186748469"></span><br /></div>
<i>From where we are now, let us look down the flights below us and listen to the story of what has happened in the long years gone by. </i><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Virgil M Hillyer</span><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<b>What I'm listening to:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="Greetings from Utopia Park Audiobook" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NvIGV5IyL._SL300_.jpg" /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<a href="http://www.audible.com/pd/Bios-Memoirs/Greetings-from-Utopia-Park-Audiobook/B01DMWPDP4/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1471409382&sr=1-1"><i>Greetings's From Utopia Park: Surviving a Transcendent Childhood</i> by Claire Hoffman</a><br />
<br />
This book is endlessly amusing to me. I had an aunt who practiced transcendental meditation when I was a child. Because of this, my strick fundamentalist/baptist parents wouldn't let me spend the night at her house when I was young. It turns out that Utopia Park was not a whole lot different than the homeschool cult I grew up in!<br />
<br />
It feels good to be blogging again. Hope I can keep things rolling this time.<br />
<br />
Blessings,<br />
<br />
Adriana<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-42945575745143139212015-10-17T05:18:00.001-07:002015-10-18T19:41:15.366-07:00A Feast of Encouragement<div style="text-align: left;">
Dear Friends, </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I had planned to write an original post today and then my three year old started vomiting last night; so instead, I'll be disinfecting the house and offering my little one sips of Pedialite. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But in the spirit of resourcefulness and the desire to stay more connected with my blog community, I've decided to share a comment I left at my friend Tim's blog the other day. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After you read my comment, head over to Tim's place and read his post, <a href="https://timfall.wordpress.com/2015/07/16/comfort-hurting-people/">"How to Comfort Those Who Are Hurting."</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCI6K2goUmZeN0B190v-SFWmXmjsml5w2UdxLi69QGgzko72vYdpwaqPpbR5H4zYUXq9IZC3yY-puRXpFrYqq0gJLmcDBBPYuN9rAdLYOIq38A5zsK_GT_DYjw0HC0dTHVpXdy5rSof4OD/s1600/IMG_20150701_123341980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCI6K2goUmZeN0B190v-SFWmXmjsml5w2UdxLi69QGgzko72vYdpwaqPpbR5H4zYUXq9IZC3yY-puRXpFrYqq0gJLmcDBBPYuN9rAdLYOIq38A5zsK_GT_DYjw0HC0dTHVpXdy5rSof4OD/s400/IMG_20150701_123341980.jpg" width="225" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tim asked this question:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; vertical-align: baseline;">How have you been comforted and encouraged by a person God put in your life?</em></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkOSd_xGk5oxNAmM81b4uGknoslmV4-tNI7LrWNk0gtTvDHR-bPXncwd7W4LoRbTQEMwWqUN5X7XWeWU2TT6n3Bf1mF16l_IevKuNTVjyYoCnoMK0o_sGgTVU5HD0d7HduJvhGIQfvG6Z/s1600/IMG_20150701_132132244.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKkOSd_xGk5oxNAmM81b4uGknoslmV4-tNI7LrWNk0gtTvDHR-bPXncwd7W4LoRbTQEMwWqUN5X7XWeWU2TT6n3Bf1mF16l_IevKuNTVjyYoCnoMK0o_sGgTVU5HD0d7HduJvhGIQfvG6Z/s400/IMG_20150701_132132244.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Recovering in bed at my aunt's house after surgery.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>Tim, The most recent time that comes to mind was after my surgery when I went to stay at my Aunt Bonita’s house. She wasn’t able to take off work for more than a day and she was concerned about leaving me alone in the house while she and my uncle were away for several hours. I heard some commotion in the kitchen as I drifted off to sleep that night in her guest bedroom -- the rattling of pots and pans — that sort of thing.</i></div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>The next morning I woke up alone in soft, clean, white bedding. There was a fortress of coolers around the sides of the bed. I crawled across the comforter and peered inside them. There was yogurt, fruit, muffins, a salad, a turkey sandwich and bottles of cold water. Next to the bed was a small vase of flowers from my Aunt’s garden and a thermos of hot coffee! Every need had been considered and tended to in advance. I felt so loved!</i></div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i>I called to thank her and told her I felt like Sara Crewe in a Little Princess when she and her friend Becky awaken to a feast which had been secretly prepared for them by a compassionate neighbor.</i></div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FZ1f-u8RqBU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FZ1f-u8RqBU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Now it's your turn: how have <i>you </i>been comforted or encouraged lately?</span></div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
I'd love to know.</div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
Love,</div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 24px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
A</div>
</div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-70368130557895220162015-10-14T07:30:00.000-07:002015-10-14T07:37:31.832-07:00I'm walking again!<div style="text-align: left;">
Dear Friends,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Where to begin?</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
It's been so long since I've posted anything that I'm not sure if anyone will even read this!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
After months of recovery, I'm now back on my feet and moving forward. Last week I walked a mile for the first time since my surgery -- and let me tell you -- It felt like an <i>enormous</i> accomplishment. I could not believe how sore and tired I felt after I finished. I soaked in a chamomile epsom salt bath until the water was cold! But the experience of walking down a country road fills my senses in a way nothing else can. I've missed it very much.<br />
<br />
Since then I've walked the same route every day. Each time I feel a little less sore and a little bit stronger! Still, I bought three bags of epsom salts at the grocery store to be prepared for the worst aches and pains.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic_v5xVjPCIgf6otB2EJ4N8UKtbv3mZLsGdWhnMvchL97d1AZSXONCpf_DKY1xXeg1YbbUJs-bSpZwg0hmmGKlBSBKLcV6cXkJ3Jo3U7xb6y1XykY0xubq54KXEVt3LHAQPzq8L4FXwPhE/s400/IMG_0061.JPG" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You can expect my quest to focus on healthy living in the coming months because that is what I'm into presently. A year of therapy has helped me emerge from a debilitating depression. My feet have been reshaped by my surgeon and restored by time. Now I'm eager to more forward to a stronger, brighter future.<br />
<br />
You can also expect me to write more about educating children. I'm now homeschooling my daughters, ages twelve and three years, and of course I still help my three sons with homework in the evenings -- a task that can take up to two hours!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Hope all is well in your corner of the world.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Your busy, yet happy friend,<br />
<br />
Adriana</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
P.S. I just started the last book on my <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/p/wem-guidelists.html">WEM fiction list</a>: <i>Possession</i> by A.S. Byatt. Looking forward to starting autobiographies soon!</div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-83026478895809789602015-06-13T08:37:00.000-07:002015-06-13T08:37:26.754-07:00Postcard From My Quest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmY_gRLxNkGQChzhrgO7b_ElB2-Coc6hvlHCM1wIFaijYki9pfZ817oMrio0lp_73zBy4LWtjnhsigzSBtU1qzC4ZFPvUcMF1t-GSuFj8ErhK4XOFQSw4RQRgOpbVjhLRR5y6xQ1EWNwTT/s1600/IMG_20150529_171733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmY_gRLxNkGQChzhrgO7b_ElB2-Coc6hvlHCM1wIFaijYki9pfZ817oMrio0lp_73zBy4LWtjnhsigzSBtU1qzC4ZFPvUcMF1t-GSuFj8ErhK4XOFQSw4RQRgOpbVjhLRR5y6xQ1EWNwTT/s640/IMG_20150529_171733.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
Hi Friends!<br />
<br />
I hope you are having a summer full of wonder!<br />
<br />
All is well here. Enjoying daily adventures with my family; relishing joy and peace. I'm scheduled to have my second foot surgery soon. Looking forward to getting that out of the way and moving forward to a stronger, healthier future.<br />
<br />
More to come from Classical Quest!<br />
<br />
Longer letter later! :-)<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
AAdriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-89629632493067917782015-02-26T12:00:00.000-08:002015-02-26T12:09:34.913-08:00Update on my time spent resting in green pastures<br />
Dear Friend,<br />
<br />
There are seasons of life when we have to batten down the hatches, tuck ourselves away, hibernate and heal.<br />
<br />
Last September I had surgery on my foot. And now, five months later, it feels as though life is finally starting to return to a normal rhythm.<br />
<br />
Except that I'm not yet able to take the long country walks I love so much . . .<br />
<br />
I'll need to have my other foot repaired in the future -- for now, it's a slow steady pace with a slight limp.<br />
<br />
And it's enough.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6aEkqD8osdzkgJpdPB1GtJnqjBqUE8LE-JqiA15O-gxfQ6Q0VZG0GNhlYxid88cWbajyD7LS8e4zr135Ddc6v8urq1dZoJgXyAO3V57TMTm1wGql7BjqYB5sWMZTyRmeS3xNpC0yZ2g_/s1600/Liam+feeds+goat+kid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6aEkqD8osdzkgJpdPB1GtJnqjBqUE8LE-JqiA15O-gxfQ6Q0VZG0GNhlYxid88cWbajyD7LS8e4zr135Ddc6v8urq1dZoJgXyAO3V57TMTm1wGql7BjqYB5sWMZTyRmeS3xNpC0yZ2g_/s1600/Liam+feeds+goat+kid.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both;">
"All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of thing shall be well."<br />
-- Julian of Norwich</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJ8s7ivgQFLKEHhyphenhypheneixgT7OnuGZPnI0fAvZpaZCMYmzdoP-ubpUkK-dcOuvwHRuJ3qmlomTS3nLJhhyphenhyphen3VHD3KpAWoL2Ka2nVLZHlXFCZkRue4JH19xshy_fhH3f39uVGBkpMaCwCDeigZ/s1600/Mary+with+goats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJ8s7ivgQFLKEHhyphenhypheneixgT7OnuGZPnI0fAvZpaZCMYmzdoP-ubpUkK-dcOuvwHRuJ3qmlomTS3nLJhhyphenhyphen3VHD3KpAWoL2Ka2nVLZHlXFCZkRue4JH19xshy_fhH3f39uVGBkpMaCwCDeigZ/s1600/Mary+with+goats.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
This time of physical healing has also been a season of spiritual healing. There have been moments of reconciliation. As gentle hands served, old misunderstandings were cleared away and love grew in places where it had once failed to thrive.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmB5yFvGL82H3jprn58vlaBVKu8l2ldEJoTvnIp5v-w0BTkXcPsJvkV47DAqnENqdFXbwctmSsW8aZ15_vJh7Tl7y7Bbq0PYi26GgfGNjYZJO-DWEgkjlF9peFPKySGvRymjRHa9GL20z/s1600/little+lamb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHmB5yFvGL82H3jprn58vlaBVKu8l2ldEJoTvnIp5v-w0BTkXcPsJvkV47DAqnENqdFXbwctmSsW8aZ15_vJh7Tl7y7Bbq0PYi26GgfGNjYZJO-DWEgkjlF9peFPKySGvRymjRHa9GL20z/s1600/little+lamb.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Last fall at the silent retreat, dear women -- some of them strangers -- made me comfortable by propping up my fragile foot and bringing me food and drink.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
My friend Ana broke the silence to whisper,"Just receive." </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Such compassionate words! Words of communion: <i>Just receive.</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both;">
<span style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">"He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.</span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background-color: #fdfeff; color: #001320; line-height: 21px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake."</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Psalm 23:2-3 </blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1ToPO2t2u_EJxjb6XfUyIPZWl9NZPi7Mxa8eBuOycKUpWA8EICaAQx3f1V56k-l97Lsv1i0mo-YzTKl1EqxHNXA_yi9HERBYyUI0kgrN1u3oyzmL4GzNOuqQt7vtUsUk87gnJtDuyx6A/s1600/Nanny+goat+&+Mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm1ToPO2t2u_EJxjb6XfUyIPZWl9NZPi7Mxa8eBuOycKUpWA8EICaAQx3f1V56k-l97Lsv1i0mo-YzTKl1EqxHNXA_yi9HERBYyUI0kgrN1u3oyzmL4GzNOuqQt7vtUsUk87gnJtDuyx6A/s1600/Nanny+goat+&+Mary.jpg" height="400" width="283" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both;">
<i>"I knowed you wasn't well. Why you try to hide it?"</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"I didn't want to be trouble to anyone," I said.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"Everybody has to be trouble to somebody. And you just come from the hospital too." </i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>I looked up. She sat in the rocking chair bent forward, her arms folded at ease across her aproned lap. Had she searched my pockets?</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"How did you know that?" I said.</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"There you go getting suspicious," she said sternly. "That's whats wrong with the world today, don't nobody trust nobody. I can smell that hospital smell on you, son. You got enough ether on those clothes to put to sleep a dog!"</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
~Ralph Ellison,<i> Invisible Man</i> </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M37BJEYE2O6hWsI-Qty7MwkN8E-QjeaoUleOwE-eVGdkPQ5-_U4IakRj5KYF7kELBc7B0r5Taf3oYc-wih-A6Qy99wsto3mxIDBP63X4s9wYow5ixBzUoW6gxnME6gUILPBtaFVGgycK/s1600/herd+of+nannies+&+mary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2M37BJEYE2O6hWsI-Qty7MwkN8E-QjeaoUleOwE-eVGdkPQ5-_U4IakRj5KYF7kELBc7B0r5Taf3oYc-wih-A6Qy99wsto3mxIDBP63X4s9wYow5ixBzUoW6gxnME6gUILPBtaFVGgycK/s1600/herd+of+nannies+&+mary.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I've been missing my blog. I've tried to fire things back up a few times, but the return to normal after a few months off my foot has been a bit of a challenge. I've had a lot of catching up to do! Thank you for reading. And thank you so much to those of you who have noticed my absence and checked in from time to time. I'm as excited as ever about moving forward with my quest. It's wonderful to have faithful readers to come back to.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOZ5vcmOG3QLp_xshnr2sCCG1mKZK1gmh84L07qmX9OY5xRqsWagx-wzKdYNyfx0tfmauHVqDV4UREujY65pOnJGQ0xLZgLfX98tderGNFh9cVptXGzRFQadhaTpWMIPDr5El9MXbb-KC/s1600/Jack+&+lamb-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOZ5vcmOG3QLp_xshnr2sCCG1mKZK1gmh84L07qmX9OY5xRqsWagx-wzKdYNyfx0tfmauHVqDV4UREujY65pOnJGQ0xLZgLfX98tderGNFh9cVptXGzRFQadhaTpWMIPDr5El9MXbb-KC/s1600/Jack+&+lamb-001.jpg" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
I'm currently halfway through<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Man-Ralph-Ellison/dp/0679732764/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424980327&sr=8-1&keywords=invisible+man"> <i>Invisible Man</i> by Ralph Ellison</a>. Then I'll have just five more titles to go and I'll be finished with the <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/p/wem-guidelists.html">WEM novel list</a>. After that I hope to carve out more time to write about what I've read so far. I'm also looking forward to receiving my copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-Girl-Laura-Ingalls-Wilder/dp/0984504176/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424979086&sr=1-1&keywords=pioneer+girl"><i>Pioneer Girl</i> by Laura Ingalls Wilder</a>. In June I'll revisit <i>To Kill a Mockingbird</i> by Harper Lee in anticipation for the release of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Go-Set-Watchman-Harper-Lee/dp/0062409859/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1424979139&sr=1-1&keywords=go+set+a+watchman+harper+lee"><i>Go Set a Watchman</i> </a>in July. These titles are pretty much set in stone for me in the coming months. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjov_-zUlf0vIy6CZRdkaN3ILRytwBcjTOLNeSmqp68BEYRvIXwWibIwfBCT_8qIPZLug4kBrPUHgZmt971ON-ym4ZfP2-VU7eT4vM3hCMygKBDWzITZPdgRdyE9sR_6DxPTzxS9CIWZs/s1600/Cat+in+the+barn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjov_-zUlf0vIy6CZRdkaN3ILRytwBcjTOLNeSmqp68BEYRvIXwWibIwfBCT_8qIPZLug4kBrPUHgZmt971ON-ym4ZfP2-VU7eT4vM3hCMygKBDWzITZPdgRdyE9sR_6DxPTzxS9CIWZs/s1600/Cat+in+the+barn.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Are you making time for deep reading? Don't forget to prop up your feet from time to time. Sip and nibble on delicious, nourishing things.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
And if it is your season to receive, don't fight it. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<i>Just receive</i>.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
With love,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Adriana</div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-21737229192552554102015-01-27T11:03:00.000-08:002015-01-27T11:03:47.395-08:00Blogiversary!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lIaP_03u2xw/T5Vet7hvdLI/AAAAAAAABWY/nXVGzEgzWws/s1600/DSC02936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lIaP_03u2xw/T5Vet7hvdLI/AAAAAAAABWY/nXVGzEgzWws/s1600/DSC02936.JPG" height="400" width="353" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Dear Friend,<br />
<br />
Today is my blogiversary!<br />
<br />
And it's also <a href="http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/January/chocolatecakeday.htm">Chocolate Cake Day</a> . . .<br />
<br />
And <a href="http://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart.html">Mozart's birthday</a>.<br />
<br />
Such a special day.<br />
<br />
To celebrate these wonderful events I'm firing up the ole blog, <strike><a href="https://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipe-details.aspx?id=184&name=HERSHEY%27S-PERFECTLY-CHOCOLATE-Chocolate-Cake">making my mother's chocolate cake</a></strike> buying a chocolate cake, and taking some time to practice Mozart's Sonata in C Major.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/JcUh-ggBfzI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JcUh-ggBfzI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
<br />
I've made a bit of progress on my quest in the last couple months.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFPBWoly508/T5Vfdrftp9I/AAAAAAAABWg/D08Vj0B3N_k/s1600/DSC02942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sFPBWoly508/T5Vfdrftp9I/AAAAAAAABWg/D08Vj0B3N_k/s1600/DSC02942.JPG" height="345" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Here's what my <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/p/wem-guidelists.html">WEM novel list</a> looks like now:<br />
<br />
<ol style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px; list-style: none; margin: 0px 0px 22px 25px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><del style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Don Quixote</em> – Miguel de Cervantes</span></del></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><i>The Pilgrim's Progress - </i>John Bunyan</strike></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><i>Gulliver's Travels - </i>Jonathan Swift</strike></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><i>Pride and Predjudice - </i>Jane Austen</strike></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><i>Oliver Twist - </i>Charles Dickens</strike></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><i>Jane Eyre - </i>Charlotte Bronte</strike></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><del style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Scarlet Letter</em> – Nathaniel Hawthorne</span></del></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><i>Moby-Dick - </i>Herman Melville</strike></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Uncle Tom’s Cabin</em> – Harriet Beecher Stowe</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Madame Bovary </em>- Gustave Flaubert</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Crime and Punishment</em> – Fyodor Dostoyevsky</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Anna Karenina </em>- Leo Tolstoy Leo Tolstoy</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Return of the Native</em> – Thomas Hardy</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><i>The Portrait of a Lady</i> -- Henry James</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Huckleberry Finn </em>- Mark Twain</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Red Badge of Courage</em> – Stephen Crane</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Heart of Darkness</em> – Joseph Conrad</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The House of Mirth</em> – Edith Wharton</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Great Gatsby</em> – F. Scott Fitzgerald</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Mrs. Dalloway</em> – Virginia Woolf</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Trial</em> – Franz Kafka</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Native Son</em> – Richard Wright</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">The Stranger</em> – Albert Camus</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><strike><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">1984</em> – George Orwell</strike></span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Invisible Man</em> – Ralph Ellison</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Seize the Day</em> – Saul Bellow</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">One Hundred Years of Solitude</em> – Gabriel García Márquez</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">If on a winter’s night a traveler</em> – Italo Calvino</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Song of Solomon</em> – Toni Morrison</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">White Noise</em> – Don Delillo</span></span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; list-style: decimal; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><em style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Possession</em> – A.S. Byatt</span></span></li>
</ol>
<br />
Just seven more titles to go!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEPRjyMTcqDizZtOUVnvGYllh1EDEFQ3OV_bYuWwZ1VyML6_AC1wxdwfGGs_0t8UD6SoYGEtbJufc005HZTgKWZ2JlJRqABNSs2VjPWK-GBAHXOhjDn_HPfoPBZ2Veu1Qq6lovH1wkMmb/s1600/DSC07983-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoEPRjyMTcqDizZtOUVnvGYllh1EDEFQ3OV_bYuWwZ1VyML6_AC1wxdwfGGs_0t8UD6SoYGEtbJufc005HZTgKWZ2JlJRqABNSs2VjPWK-GBAHXOhjDn_HPfoPBZ2Veu1Qq6lovH1wkMmb/s1600/DSC07983-001.JPG" height="248" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Hope you're having a lovely winter.<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
Adriana<br />
<br />
P.S.<br />
<br />
Don't forget to listen to Mozart and eat a piece of chocolate cake today. :-)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-39417669358456168592014-11-09T09:16:00.000-08:002014-11-09T09:17:22.997-08:00Classics and the Bible SundayDear Friend,<br />
<br />
I have a new post up at my <a href="http://classicsandthebible.blogspot.com/2014/11/anna-karenina-part-7-chapter-10.html">Classics & the Bible blog</a>. Still working my way through the many biblical references in Anna Karenina.Today I'm exploring some illustrations by French artist Gustave Dore.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Gustave_Dore.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="312" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Dor%C3%A9#mediaviewer/File:Gustave_Dore.jpg">Gustave Dore</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Hope you are having a great weekend!<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
<br />
Adriana<br />
<br />
P.S. My cast is off but I still can't put weight on my foot for several more days. Physical therapy is going well.<br />
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-4363607217223475862014-11-02T01:35:00.000-07:002014-11-02T01:37:12.267-08:00Classics and the Bible Sunday<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eBWhAdyJ7Ci-kJuSWCmK7BlfTdawvwC6Lh-AC4IbZef7OTSuXDJTGuPwaQv5oGfaZGyRsnYeqc6_H5Cpovn8fgpfcddCtdE01wu2a678jylYz-xnjvhEjmiw8CS3W9z84UVc-MVeIQms/s1600/Sunrise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1eBWhAdyJ7Ci-kJuSWCmK7BlfTdawvwC6Lh-AC4IbZef7OTSuXDJTGuPwaQv5oGfaZGyRsnYeqc6_H5Cpovn8fgpfcddCtdE01wu2a678jylYz-xnjvhEjmiw8CS3W9z84UVc-MVeIQms/s1600/Sunrise.JPG" height="298" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Dear Friend,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">It feels like a good time to revive my "Classics & the Bible" blog with a new post. I've written about a biblical reference which is tossed out with sarcasm by Stephan Arkadyevich to Konstantin Levin as they ride in a carriage through Moscow on their way to visit Anna Karenina. Unpacking three short words was quite an interesting experience! <a href="http://classicsandthebible.blogspot.com/2014/11/anna-karenina-part-7-chapter-9.html">You can read the post here.</a></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiCgP0JYVQA4xOhh3YOSXGA5xrwnC0IIPg3uOwRXvqlNLTswy7bruUL64R5s3HXUZWc1Qvo4K6yvB3dkBlwLqLwXgGe6hg_mFhbxgdIyXZWK5moKyK43YEnvLZp8soyo4yt7J_ra-fNx2/s1600/church+steeple+sunset.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNiCgP0JYVQA4xOhh3YOSXGA5xrwnC0IIPg3uOwRXvqlNLTswy7bruUL64R5s3HXUZWc1Qvo4K6yvB3dkBlwLqLwXgGe6hg_mFhbxgdIyXZWK5moKyK43YEnvLZp8soyo4yt7J_ra-fNx2/s1600/church+steeple+sunset.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Also, I recently wrote another guest piece for my friend Tim Fall's blog -- <a href="http://timfall.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/racial-reconciliation-one-ordination-day-at-a-time/">"Racial Reconcilation: One Ordination Day at a Time."</a></span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16.3636360168457px; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">Out of all the preachers I greeted that day, there was one face which stood out above the rest. I remember him as taller than everyone else, but maybe he only appeared to be. He was gray and distinguished, certainly the oldest man in attendance. I placed my young white hand in his ancient brown one, a small dove in a large nest. His eyes were tender like the eyes of Christ. I felt as if he saw into me. Under the weight of his gaze my eyes moistened.</span></i></span></blockquote>
<br />
Hope your Sunday is worshipful and restful.<br />
<br />
Blessings!<br />
<br />
AdrianaAdriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-85289297953200522732014-10-03T16:50:00.000-07:002014-10-05T09:01:43.638-07:00Vlog Post: Feeling Thirteen & Reading Huck Finn<br />
Dear Friend,<br />
<br />
In 2001 I entered a decade of childbearing with flat feet. Ever since baby number five was born nearly three years ago, my feet have given me trouble. Fallen arches led to plantar fasciitis and the protrusion of bunions. I began to experience pain and inflammation a great deal of the time.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoYv8xxX-dNzaqJSS8__FxkGvb67P0aQQtkIuIaUDdgJ9IALSc3bmGJQihPVK6cRDNAQwM8ccApOyS92MlAauf6gQCJFv__iGAz5Hfquv9WXNyYrHEmx1Hr-Z9vPhvB9SWsIvat1Tn351/s1600/IMG_20140930_121953-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoYv8xxX-dNzaqJSS8__FxkGvb67P0aQQtkIuIaUDdgJ9IALSc3bmGJQihPVK6cRDNAQwM8ccApOyS92MlAauf6gQCJFv__iGAz5Hfquv9WXNyYrHEmx1Hr-Z9vPhvB9SWsIvat1Tn351/s1600/IMG_20140930_121953-001.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<br />
Also, since my last little one was born, I've been physically weak overall. I've tried and tried to snap back but progress has been slow.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEOd-FZ5rFLIzHSCbQ5VUI3PVrm89dVprCn9iroTsMMdxCOVlcDLII6AExKFQfX4Z7J-VH96hIfZhq5ajSQUr7VrXgtfu1nxXWEeYx4_k8LoqKBTYu05GDzVAlOoxwNWo9ik5zzH-B1rc/s1600/IMG_20140930_121828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNEOd-FZ5rFLIzHSCbQ5VUI3PVrm89dVprCn9iroTsMMdxCOVlcDLII6AExKFQfX4Z7J-VH96hIfZhq5ajSQUr7VrXgtfu1nxXWEeYx4_k8LoqKBTYu05GDzVAlOoxwNWo9ik5zzH-B1rc/s1600/IMG_20140930_121828.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Out of necessity, I began to forgo my long nature walks to conserve my feet for my domestic duties.<br />
<br />
Yet still, every night I'd drop into bed sore and exhausted.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2014/06/photo-journal-spring-silent-retreat.html">Last spring at the silent retreat</a> I attended, my feet were too sore to walk down the stone staircase to the river.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQAKN4Any7bxFNLZaOpbGKyEa81FkEENvsFlhZWM3hN8i5J3U6XX88tW4y2wWRBJIueXCd8Zqzxlxz2VpDKuF3qr7X2GKEOwldfpsTHrDOi4Y0mfDqSLC0AISLgMpz0B8kZms0h7y0z-Z/s1600/IMG_20140930_122049.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRQAKN4Any7bxFNLZaOpbGKyEa81FkEENvsFlhZWM3hN8i5J3U6XX88tW4y2wWRBJIueXCd8Zqzxlxz2VpDKuF3qr7X2GKEOwldfpsTHrDOi4Y0mfDqSLC0AISLgMpz0B8kZms0h7y0z-Z/s1600/IMG_20140930_122049.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
So I finally went to the doctor!<br />
<i><br /></i>After the podiatrist took a look at my x-rays she entered the room to greet me and said, "Oh my! I expected a much older woman to go with these feet!"<br />
<br />
About two weeks ago I had a bunion removal and arch lift on my left foot. I'm hoping to have the other foot done after Christmas. We'll see how things go. In the mean time I can't put any weight on my left foot for five more weeks.<br />
<br />
Between the feet problems and the fact that my hair is graying at an alarming rate, it has occurred to me that middle age is swiftly approaching.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Where did my twenties go?</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Where did my thirties go? </i><br />
<br />
Yet, as Madeline L' Engle once wrote, "I am still every age I have been."<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S_-k5aNT5Mb9E7YgVtFOv23WIHJvrr-zKh9MFyKjZx5uPg5-WYtHPxKPxER73ufXHjfkQpNmME26_qs9ihhDc3JPkm823bYJ5H767Qgir-DEt_sP1TQYBGGZGIAapT0ki_MLVyvKG1lW/s1600/IMG_20140928_093525236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5S_-k5aNT5Mb9E7YgVtFOv23WIHJvrr-zKh9MFyKjZx5uPg5-WYtHPxKPxER73ufXHjfkQpNmME26_qs9ihhDc3JPkm823bYJ5H767Qgir-DEt_sP1TQYBGGZGIAapT0ki_MLVyvKG1lW/s1600/IMG_20140928_093525236.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
<br />
As a matter of fact, the way I've felt lately, as I'm recovering from surgery, is about age thirteen! There have been mood swings -- from tears to laughter. I'm capable one minute, then as needy as a child the next; pining for independence, yet unable to drive a car.<br />
<br />
So one afternoon last week -- while recovering at my aunt's beautiful home -- I propped up my foot on one of her dining room chairs and did a reading as the voice of one of my favorite thirteen year old adventurers: Huckleberry Finn.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgTBVhGTp5X0t3MnjQOWTHXjjvpNdn_KjHzsfVX-7fNNu4aJ2CJAH7NdBN6fib3jD4hV6sktOJXG_zd4BI0mayBDWq_57FY8KgvCCaOtKl5TqsCGbhvEFg69BcT2VDFZRxHpa_VBWTpJ3/s1600/IMG_20140926_185100455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgTBVhGTp5X0t3MnjQOWTHXjjvpNdn_KjHzsfVX-7fNNu4aJ2CJAH7NdBN6fib3jD4hV6sktOJXG_zd4BI0mayBDWq_57FY8KgvCCaOtKl5TqsCGbhvEFg69BcT2VDFZRxHpa_VBWTpJ3/s1600/IMG_20140926_185100455.jpg" height="400" width="283" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
If you've never read <i>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</i> by Mark Twain, I hope this reading will inspire you to pick it up. It's one of my favorite classics!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/k5duVxFmbgs" width="459"></iframe><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time, considering how dismal regular and decent the widow was in all her ways; and so when I couldn't stand it no longer I lit out. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied. But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
<i style="text-indent: 1em;">The widow she cried over me, and called me a poor lost lamb, and she called me a lot of other names, too, but she never meant no harm by it. She put me in them new clothes again, and I couldn't do nothing but sweat and sweat, and feel all cramped up. Well, then, the old thing commenced again. The widow rung a bell for supper, and you had to come to time. When you got to the table you couldn't go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn't really anything the matter with them,—that is, nothing only everything was cooked by itself. In a barrel of odds and ends it is different; things get mixed up, and the juice kind of swaps around, and the things go better.</i></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Pretty soon I wanted to smoke, and asked the widow to let me. But she wouldn't. She said it was a mean practice and wasn't clean, and I must try to not do it any more. That is just the way with some people. They get down on a thing when they don't know nothing about it. Here she was a-bothering about Moses, which was no kin to her, and no use to anybody, being gone, you see, yet finding a power of fault with me for doing a thing that had some good in it. And she took snuff, too; of course that was all right, because she done it herself.</i></span><span style="background-color: white;"><i></i></span></blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>Her sister, Miss Watson, a tolerable slim old maid, with goggles on, had just come to live with her, and took a set at me now with a spelling-book. She worked me middling hard for about an hour, and then the widow made her ease up. I couldn't stood it much longer. Then for an hour it was deadly dull, and I was fidgety. Miss Watson would say, "Don't put your feet up there, Huckleberry;" and "Don't scrunch up like that, Huckleberry—set up straight;" and pretty soon she would say, "Don't gap and stretch like that, Huckleberry—why don't you try to behave?" Then she told me all about the bad place, and I said I wished I was there. She got mad then, but I didn't mean no harm.</i></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
<span style="background-color: white;"><i>All I wanted was to go somewheres; all I wanted was a change, I warn't particular. She said it was wicked to say what I said; said she wouldn't say it for the whole world; she was going to live so as to go to the good place. Well, I couldn't see no advantage in going where she was going, so I made up my mind I wouldn't try for it. But I never said so, because it would only make trouble, and wouldn't do no good.</i></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify; text-indent: 16px;"><i></i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-top: 0.25em; text-align: justify; text-indent: 1em;">
<span style="background-color: white; text-align: justify; text-indent: 16px;"><i>Now she had got a start, and she went on and told me all about the good place. She said all a body would have to do there was to go around all day long with a harp and sing, forever and ever. So I didn't think much of it. But I never said so. I asked her if she reckoned Tom Sawyer would go there, and she said not by a considerable sight. I was glad about that, because I wanted him and me to be together.</i></span></blockquote>
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>
<br />
Youthfully yours,<br />
<br />
Adriana<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-91999758046337022632014-09-19T09:41:00.000-07:002014-09-19T10:06:38.708-07:00Vlog: Reading from The Pilgrim's Progress<div class="separator tr_bq" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Dear Friend,</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have another reading for you today. This time it's from <i>The Pilgrim's Progress</i> by John Bunyan.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This is not a flawless performance. Some of Bunyan's sentences feel like tongue twisters! Such a mouthful! But when I got home from the grocery a couple days ago, I had about 15 minutes of silence before my kids were due in from school. I thought I'd give you the best I had to offer in that time.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPJQlyp02F03h3-Gl3x1j4X9gVRPqHiwZzzZuxJppYqcZTxktYa5CfXiL9uR0_b_0Q-6cR8mV4u-wZRqe-mU0u4_aG2fPiXihNaSH4pDR0DsAYy3oTy0w3o13GTBMx3NBxmfJLQ0L9_fu/s1600/DSC06162-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSPJQlyp02F03h3-Gl3x1j4X9gVRPqHiwZzzZuxJppYqcZTxktYa5CfXiL9uR0_b_0Q-6cR8mV4u-wZRqe-mU0u4_aG2fPiXihNaSH4pDR0DsAYy3oTy0w3o13GTBMx3NBxmfJLQ0L9_fu/s1600/DSC06162-002.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;">Since reading </span><i style="text-align: left;">The Pilgrim's Progress</i><span style="text-align: left;">, Bunyan's allegories for Grace have frequently come to my mind. The first passage is about housekeeping, a subject I know well. The second passage is about a fire on a wall; I think about it when lighting my candle inside my lantern. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHLPPPF5D94tezPTQ61MzGFVlw6KnqerQ0FDo1AyyHRRtSNS2o1yWPm5w2SqzfI5Bn9w3Z2TMNAiCqx3Xw0PpKwhDjd2MwoCtkX0dOOSgdOIEPWYgsLpyf1sz8FhwPZ7QIAuFoMnDeVZf/s1600/DSC06164-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHLPPPF5D94tezPTQ61MzGFVlw6KnqerQ0FDo1AyyHRRtSNS2o1yWPm5w2SqzfI5Bn9w3Z2TMNAiCqx3Xw0PpKwhDjd2MwoCtkX0dOOSgdOIEPWYgsLpyf1sz8FhwPZ7QIAuFoMnDeVZf/s1600/DSC06164-001.JPG" height="400" width="318" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Maybe my great-great grandchildren will stumble upon Classical Quest someday and listen raptly to my vlog readings . . .</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Or maybe this will just help a few of you briefly ponder the marvelous mystery of the Grace of God. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjDk0jUTU3qac7JL3CsQCJ8v6o9xkKs9E53CdB1_p8jh5mGZ4gcOq8fX3AIWCYHF3Vtkm69ZfbZ5tf8dGPrxZN5vpVDCFaJUmVIgruuS8QEzeeu5Bi3SNXoDaU0wt0shG02dBJntFnxoU/s1600/DSC05913.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjDk0jUTU3qac7JL3CsQCJ8v6o9xkKs9E53CdB1_p8jh5mGZ4gcOq8fX3AIWCYHF3Vtkm69ZfbZ5tf8dGPrxZN5vpVDCFaJUmVIgruuS8QEzeeu5Bi3SNXoDaU0wt0shG02dBJntFnxoU/s1600/DSC05913.JPG" height="400" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Click play then scroll down to read along.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/uwOzou5C5ks?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>"The Parlour"</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Then [Interpreter] took [Christian] by the hand, and led him into a very large Parlour that was full of dust, because never swept; the which after he had reviewed a little while, the Interpreter called for a man to sweep: Now when he began to sweep, the dust began so abundantly to fly about, that Christian had almost therewith been choaked: Then said the Interpreter to a Damsel that stood by, Bring hither Water, and sprinkle the Room; which when she had done, was swept and cleansed with pleasure.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Then said Christian, What means this?</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Interpreter answered; This Parlour, is the heart of a Man that was never sanctified by the sweet Grace of the Gospel: The dust, is his Original Sin, and inward Corruptions that have defiled the whole Man. He that began to sweep at first, is the Law; but She that brought water, and did sprinkle it, is the Gospel: Now, whereas thous sawest that so soon as the first began to sweep, the dust did so fly about, the the Room by him could not be cleansed, but that thou wast almost choaked therewith, this is to shew thee, that the Law, instead of cleansing the heart (by its working) from sin, doth revive, put strength into, and increase it in the soul, even as it doth discover and forbid it, for it doth not give power to subdue.</i></span></blockquote>
<blockquote style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Again, as thou sawest the Damsel sprinkle the Room with Water, upon which it was cleansed with pleasure: This is to shew thee, that when the Gospel comes in the sweet and precious influences thereof to the heart, then I say, even as thou sawest the Damsel lay the dust by sprinkling the Floor with Water, so is sin vanquished and subdued, and the soul made clean, through the Faith of it; and consequently fit for the King of Glory to inhabit.</i></span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDOGroY6MdmnpNEL5EA7KOl-y4xKnd5xVgAV0XswaUFPj01zk_GKNCef2cGBRWGTARMtub-ElkB_MyP4-68jL1TG6lYFdu88t1uEvy9febQT2MJ5Gz4d_y_DFiYjAfQ_uy7Xg4aAJukN8/s1600/DSC06154-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRDOGroY6MdmnpNEL5EA7KOl-y4xKnd5xVgAV0XswaUFPj01zk_GKNCef2cGBRWGTARMtub-ElkB_MyP4-68jL1TG6lYFdu88t1uEvy9febQT2MJ5Gz4d_y_DFiYjAfQ_uy7Xg4aAJukN8/s1600/DSC06154-001.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16.3636360168457px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The Fire Against the Wall" </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16.3636360168457px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then I saw in my Dream, that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place, where was a Fire burning against a Wall, and one standing by it always, casting much Water upon it to quench it: Yet did the Fire burn higher and hotter.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16.3636360168457px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then said Christian, What means this?</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></i></blockquote>
<blockquote style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; font-size: 16.3636360168457px; line-height: 24px; margin-bottom: 6px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The Interpreter answered, ‘This fire is the work of Grace that is wrought in the heart; he that casts Water upon it, to extinguish and put it out, is the Devil: but in that thou seest the fire, notwithstanding, burn higher and hotter, thou shalt also see the reason of that: So he had him about to the back side of the Wall, where he saw a Man with a Vessel of Oyl in his hand, of the which he did also continually cast, but secretly, into the fire. Then said Christian, What means this? The Interpreter answered, This is Christ, who continually with the Oyl of his Grace, maintains the work already begun in the heart; by the means of which, notwithstanding what the Devil can do, the souls of his people prove gracious still. And in that thou sawest, that the Man stood behind the Wall to maintain the fire; this is to teach thee, that it is hard for the tempted to see how this work of Grace is maintained in the soul.</i></span></blockquote>
<br />
I'd love to know your thoughts on these rich passages. I sincerely hope the Grace of God is something you know about from first hand experience.<br />
<br />
I depend upon it every moment.<br />
<br />
With Love,<br />
<br />
AdrianaAdriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-70302484865873811292014-09-15T10:19:00.002-07:002014-09-16T06:01:16.010-07:00Things to Put on the Fridge Door of LifeDear Friend,<br />
<br />
How are you today?<br />
<br />
I'm feeling grateful. My husband has been out of town working on a project for the last two weeks. Yesterday he returned home to five jumping kids, a beaming wife, a tail-wagging dog, a clean house, his favorite dinner, and an apple pie.<br />
<br />
Life is good.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqk4ndIDQrB9mn_ZyxqbS4OIh-54-uhv4khy4daJ-Tf8afAuGIICIuzXPRunnMkXKfZWAxvC6-lQrkbKJrFCWBzcoR2pjcydm8acD6Q4-W9_fX5gFr0HuMrm1pcV4MzdpziSdGEeIXPvc/s1600/DSC07001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwqk4ndIDQrB9mn_ZyxqbS4OIh-54-uhv4khy4daJ-Tf8afAuGIICIuzXPRunnMkXKfZWAxvC6-lQrkbKJrFCWBzcoR2pjcydm8acD6Q4-W9_fX5gFr0HuMrm1pcV4MzdpziSdGEeIXPvc/s1600/DSC07001.JPG" height="400" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids and I watched a balloon launch at the park on Saturday.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
Lately I've been thinking about a few special links I'd like to share with you. This isn't just random good stuff that I've stumbled upon around the web. These are links to content I'm proud of, content which belongs to friends who have come alongside me in my life journey and blessed me with kindness. These are things to place on life's fridge door, so to speak.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago I met a precious kindred spirit, Emma Teller, for coffee. We talked for four hours. I never do that! But it was amazing. The time went by in a blink, We haven't seen each other in a very long time.Thirteen years ago Emma was my piano student. Now she is an exquisite artist. (I smiled over the smudge of red paint under her forearm.) We talked about faith, the creative life, and the mercy of God. I was blown away by her humility and wisdom.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;">No matter what you do or who you are there are so many ways we can do this - leave the world more beautiful than we found it - and that is what I hope and try to do with my paintings and with my art. </i></blockquote>
<br />
Emma has a blog. Though she's not there often, it's a good place to view some of her work. Go <a href="http://thoughts-of-a-young-painter.blogspot.com/2014/05/here-is-post-with-my-paintings-i-was.html">here for still lifes</a> and <a href="http://thoughts-of-a-young-painter.blogspot.com/2014/05/considering-this-is-my-blog-its-high.html">here for portraits</a>. You can also <a href="http://emma%20teller/">follow Emma on Facebook</a>.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZM_N2YPomC_yTxvLcHBF9EMV85n1C5M5aPP0mg0f6PAQ0D7CwKzpnPOSbhrJsOn10FGj7wfw7Ud9z0WwcqpQ5pRb3yFFYY1gr2IOlu9uKWZFDJwvwMfaDVLFefx5QqfxGFwSLAjYUkmF8/s1600/DSC06931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZM_N2YPomC_yTxvLcHBF9EMV85n1C5M5aPP0mg0f6PAQ0D7CwKzpnPOSbhrJsOn10FGj7wfw7Ud9z0WwcqpQ5pRb3yFFYY1gr2IOlu9uKWZFDJwvwMfaDVLFefx5QqfxGFwSLAjYUkmF8/s1600/DSC06931.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Tim Fall has been called the "Barnabas of the Blogosphere" because he's relentless with encouragement. My whole family has been blessed by his friendship. While fishing in the Rockies recently, my husband used Tim's method for making pan fried trout. My kids have enjoyed listening to some of his cowboy stories that I've read aloud during our evening bonfires. Over the past few years, Tim has taught me to be liberal with encouragement and to pray for opportunities to build others up.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>We have a God who is the Comforter -- who comes alongside us with the comfort, so that we can then be the ones to come alongside others with the comfort God has given us.</i></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjM6ItpVQzLIOPx5cZ6IqvpBubEfXECfmjPgDwD-GA50gcZk0TSUkrPUfkBepmh3ZOUv9uPp-59CLqnPG1t3NM5p03WiKCU2gXZ9P_hGHhZcdA2Mrz6Ikr8Bw5u1dPRHrbYgdRUJoCTfW/s1600/DSC06305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjM6ItpVQzLIOPx5cZ6IqvpBubEfXECfmjPgDwD-GA50gcZk0TSUkrPUfkBepmh3ZOUv9uPp-59CLqnPG1t3NM5p03WiKCU2gXZ9P_hGHhZcdA2Mrz6Ikr8Bw5u1dPRHrbYgdRUJoCTfW/s1600/DSC06305.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Tim blogs at Just One Train Wreck After Another. Two of my recent favorite posts are <a href="http://timfall.wordpress.com/2014/09/15/problems-unbalanced-grace/">Problems with Unbalanced Grace</a> and <a href="http://timfall.wordpress.com/2014/09/03/ive-never-been-on-a-road-i-havent-taken/">I've Never Been on a Road I Haven't Taken</a>. And while you're there I'd be delighted if you'd read my recent guest post, <a href="http://timfall.wordpress.com/2014/09/08/peoples-looks-covers-of-books/">People's Looks and Covers of Books</a>.<br />
<br />
Tim was recently interviewed by talk radio host Doug Bursch on "Live From Seattle." You can listen to that <a href="https://soundcloud.com/live-from-seattle/tuesday-september-2nd-2014">interview here</a>. (Tim's segment starts at the 12 minute mark.)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikERdFkEWiFV9nhQ-uE1yVunE4IXY06ZR1slLRpU39L9dtXNOxku_fHA3GS3OyK-lPEY2YVPCeEL00fFnX-L8OXLLyWisdBvxVj7H5TkU9ZlvvmLnX-ESmH94Fi9_dzTL079Al8lT2Cdnf/s1600/DSC07004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikERdFkEWiFV9nhQ-uE1yVunE4IXY06ZR1slLRpU39L9dtXNOxku_fHA3GS3OyK-lPEY2YVPCeEL00fFnX-L8OXLLyWisdBvxVj7H5TkU9ZlvvmLnX-ESmH94Fi9_dzTL079Al8lT2Cdnf/s1600/DSC07004.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Next, I must give a shout out to my faithful friend Christine. Last week she and I had a rare opportunity to have a day out together without kids. She knew I had been wanting to visit the Harriet Beecher Stowe house with her <i>forever</i>. There are nine kids and two husbands between us, so the stars have to be aligned<i> just so</i> in order for the two of us to be able to take a day trip alone. We realized our special day was set to happen only one day previous. The problem was, our free day (a Thursday) was a day the museum was closed. Christine got on the phone and coordinated a private tour. (They typically only do tours for groups and rarely on short notice!) I can't wait to finish my research so I can tell you all about our experience. Christine no longer blogs, so I don't have a link to give you for her, but I can't talk about things to put on the fridge door of life without mentioning the remarkable gift Christine pursued for me.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAGzlY1v3aO0yQCmdSf9j23ek99NicrBqnlcjAoFSASd9VVnKV4mjFowaxlPQNnne5c8rfrjx4D0KzHR4a8sx8ACa-uV_x3l-mY2SZU-E5_CdvSwZZ1RpedY2H5fYI2YEfcNp7Lk7f4ZH/s1600/DSC06902.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAGzlY1v3aO0yQCmdSf9j23ek99NicrBqnlcjAoFSASd9VVnKV4mjFowaxlPQNnne5c8rfrjx4D0KzHR4a8sx8ACa-uV_x3l-mY2SZU-E5_CdvSwZZ1RpedY2H5fYI2YEfcNp7Lk7f4ZH/s1600/DSC06902.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
And last but certainly not least, I would love to introduce you to my virtual fairy blog mother, Jeannie Prinsen. Jeannie is a deep well of wisdom and intellect, yet she is delightfully approachable. Each Monday she shares a "Monday Morsel" -- a quote which she has come upon in her reading. I always try to square away some quiet time to sip my coffee when I visit Jeannie's <a href="http://prinsenhouse.blogspot.com/">Little House on the Circle</a>. It would be wonderful to live near her and savor morsels with her in person.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; line-height: 20.2859992980957px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Life is not about being fast. It's about doing what we're called to do and not stressing about the outcome.</i></span></span></blockquote>
I nominated Jeannie for a "Liebster Award" on my birthday this past year. She joined in the fun with <a href="http://prinsenhouse.blogspot.ca/2014/05/liebster-award.html">this post</a> in response.<br />
<br />
Love her tributes to her son: <a href="http://prinsenhouse.blogspot.com/2014/09/monday-morsel-birthday-edition-youve.html">You've Got a Friend in Me</a> and <a href="http://prinsenhouse.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2014-07-23T18:01:00-04:00&max-results=5&start=5&by-date=false">Never Mean.</a><br />
<br />
And this one: <a href="http://prinsenhouse.blogspot.com/2014/07/monday-morsel-slow-tortoise-crossing.html">Slow: Tortoise Crossing</a><br />
<br />
<br />
Recently Jeannie participated Anne Bogel's <a href="http://modernmrsdarcy.com/2014/09/literary-matchmaking-september-14/">"literary matchmaking" blog event </a>at the Modern Mrs. Darcy. Jeannie told Anne the types of books she likes/dislikes and Anne made selections for her based on this profile. Readers are invited to join in with the matchmaking and the result is lots of TBR list enrichment!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmP8-USsUQzaKooxTVDKcjvQYlH4QpXU3HP-fqMz35s_ed2F1edSR0Y24TzxN6Oq-3-mbBBPwogedjUd1aIubBlGae9CKSzl0qh2wjluAANa7H9GZdC04KCB39oeBdWNIKMj1H1ZmaZBRl/s1600/DSC06748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmP8-USsUQzaKooxTVDKcjvQYlH4QpXU3HP-fqMz35s_ed2F1edSR0Y24TzxN6Oq-3-mbBBPwogedjUd1aIubBlGae9CKSzl0qh2wjluAANa7H9GZdC04KCB39oeBdWNIKMj1H1ZmaZBRl/s1600/DSC06748.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
What are some things you'd like to put on the fridge door of your life today?<br />
<br />
Peace & Joy,<br />
<br />
Adriana<br />
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-69545270522167545622014-09-14T03:12:00.000-07:002014-09-14T09:52:57.862-07:00When Mr. Collins Wooed Me<i><br /></i>Dear Friend,<br />
<br />
Today I'm sharing part of a letter I sent to my frien<span id="goog_1517507960"></span><span id="goog_1517507961"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a>d Jennifer in Hungary when I was 20 years old. The original letter is ten pages long. I have substituted names of real people for names of characters from Jane Austen novels. The cassette tape referred to at the start is not the same one I wrote about <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2014/09/a-recording-my-friend-made-for-me.html">in my last post</a>. This means there was a second tape, but sadly, it's missing.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhagN5c_-Xdu-r5sWTib46WFH84fnSlNoV4gb28MkgE9TVpINzggoi1l0EPgVF3J9AmgNQ4gHowzf_6HAHLD5QoWy4sSAEB2SPx4J-BIvUswapBnXA8R4EvvVGcl_ogNCR3MXRZhi3a0j/s1600/DSC06011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBhagN5c_-Xdu-r5sWTib46WFH84fnSlNoV4gb28MkgE9TVpINzggoi1l0EPgVF3J9AmgNQ4gHowzf_6HAHLD5QoWy4sSAEB2SPx4J-BIvUswapBnXA8R4EvvVGcl_ogNCR3MXRZhi3a0j/s1600/DSC06011.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">View from my old bedroom window at my parents' farm.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<i>July 8, 1996</i></div>
<i>Dear Jeni,</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>A couple weeks ago I started to make a cassette tape for you in return for the one you sent me, but I couldn't get past the intro. I kept rewinding and started over.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Thank you so much for that tape. It completely kept my attention from beginning to end.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i> Actually, the moment I discovered the tape in our mailbox is a good place to start my story: I was pulling out our driveway, on my way to meet up with our [college age] church group for a whitewater rafting trip to Gatlinburg. We rented a van so we could all stick together.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Everyone chatted and played games on the way down, except Mr. Collins. He brought his CD player with headphones and a stack of books -- topics ranging from Claude Monet to the Roman Empire. </i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>We stayed at a very nice hotel. Upon arrival, we checked in and everyone met downstairs in the lobby. There were lots of round tables, couches, a fireplace and a glass wall with a view of a pool. The atmosphere was light and jovial except, in one corner, Mr. Collins had begun a very solemn Bible study.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>Please don't misinterpret me: You know I love the Bible. It's just that for the rest of the trip, if Mr. Collins wasn't preaching to us, he was having a Bible study. I sensed it was a bit showy.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>It rained most of the time we were there, but that didn't spoil our fun. We all bought plastic rain ponchos with little bears on them and splashed about like a flock of ducks. Not Mr. Collins. He wore a parka and carried a large umbrella. He walked with slow deliberate steps and perfect posture.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>I tried to be nice, but I felt annoyed.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>The rapids were not at all wild, though still a lot of fun. (Mr. Collins was NOT on my raft!) They went something like this: bumpy, bumpy, bumpy, smooooth (paddle-paddle), bumpy, bumpy, bumpy, smooooth (paddle-paddle), etc. That was the pattern with a few minor variations. We got to know our rafting instructor pretty well. His name was Robert Martin, he grew up on Abbey-Mill Road, not far from where Harriet Smith lives. Harriet was melancholy for the rest of the evening after rafting. It was as if she had found the love of her life and lost him all in the same day . . .</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i> . . . On the way home, Mr. Collins turned around and handed me a paper entitled "What Does It Mean to Be a Writer?" I sensed it was meant to impress me, but it did just the opposite. For him, the writing process begins as he "takes up his quill." I can't quote the rest exactly, but part of it went something like, "In the middle of the night I am awakened by a longing to pour out my soul to another who can speak my own sweet language." By the time I reached the conclusion, I felt certain he is in love with himself and the way he writes. He had been very eager for me to read his composition. I got the feeling he had jumped to the assumption that I love to write for the same reason as he. This could not be any further from the truth. I am not a good writer yet. Though, with maturity and much practice, I hope to become one someday. I believe writing is good only when it communicates real meaning in a clear way -- just as a Christian should be a person you can look at and see Christ. With good writing, the reader is not distracted by fancy words, I don't want to write in such a way that my meaning can only be discerned by a select few.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>So next, he started saying something about "kindred spirits." Then he paused and looked straight at me.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>"Do you know where I got that from?" he asked.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088727/">I nodded.</a></i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>"I watched the entire thing over Easter vacation," he said.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>"Do you know what my favorite part was?"</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>I was afraid to ask.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>"It was the very end where Anne and Gilbert came together on the bridge."</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>"Oh yes, " I said dryly, "the resolution."</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>"She finally came to her senses!" he said, then swiftly turned his back to me and began talking to someone else.</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i><br /></i><i>So that was my trip to Gatlinburg. My tummy is rumbling now. I believe I'll stop and make some lunch. When I return, I'll have a new subject for you!</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * *<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Other posts in this series: <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2014/09/a-recording-my-friend-made-for-me.html">A Recording My Friend Made for Me Twenty Years Ago Today</a>, <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2012/12/invisible-friendship.html">Invisible Friendship</a>, <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2013/10/air-mail-letters-i-wrote-at-age-17.html">Air Mail: Letters I Wrote at Age 17</a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br />
Also, you might enjoy <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2013/03/how-not-to-propose.html">How NOT to Propose</a>, which is another Mr. Collins-themed post.<br />
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I will say -- it's been interesting for me to re-read my old letters and consider how some of my perceptions have changed in the last 20 years. I was a bit more haughty and self-assured then, I believe. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Now that I am a wife and mother, I kind of feel sorry for Mr. Collins. He probably had a back story, though I'll never know it since I wouldn't let him near me. You can't always judge a man's character by the way he wooes a woman. We all take our turn being ridiculous. That's part of being human.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
"There's nowt so queer as folk." :-)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Thanks for reading! </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Peace & Joy,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Adriana<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
</div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-79880492939521572692014-09-12T13:38:00.000-07:002014-09-12T19:20:53.427-07:00A Recording My Friend Made For Me Twenty Years Ago TodayDear Friend,<br />
<br />
I was lying awake in bed at 4 o'clock this morning when I heard my phone buzz. It was a Facebook notification. My close friend Jennifer had just updated her status from Europe.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 17.5636348724365px;"><i><span style="color: #444444;">I am thankful for being able to communicate with my family easily. When we were in the Philippines, we mailed letters or made cassette tapes for the family. That was how Grandma and the others could hear what we sounded like. These were filled with one-sided conversations, songs, funny stories, or even awkward pauses when we ran out of things to say before we hit the stop button. I remember Mom and Dad trying to hurry to do anything to fill the tape since we did not want to waste the precious minutes on the tape. I always felt sorry for the people who actually listened to the WHOLE tape, front and back. I feel spoiled by how easy communication is now.</span></i></span></blockquote>
Jennifer is the daughter of missionaries who lived in the Philippines during her childhood. We met in middle school when her family was on furlough in the States. In high school they moved to Hungary, where she still lives today. Now she is a teacher in Budapest. She normally posts updates during her lunch break. I left a comment under her status.<br />
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".6o.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="clear: both; line-height: 13.9636354446411px; padding-top: 2px;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".6o.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right" style="line-height: 13.9636354446411px;">
<div class="UFIImageBlockContent _42ef clearfix" data-reactid=".6o.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0" style="margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px; zoom: 1;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".6o.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left">
<div class="UFICommentContentBlock" data-reactid=".6o.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0" style="position: relative;">
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".6o.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="clear: both; padding-top: 2px;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right" style="line-height: 13.9636354446411px;">
<div class="UFIImageBlockContent _42ef clearfix" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0" style="margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px; zoom: 1;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left">
<div class="UFICommentContentBlock" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0" style="position: relative;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #9197a3; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; padding-top: 2px;">
<span data-reactid=".d.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:0" style="color: #4e5665; line-height: 13.9636354446411px;"><b>Me</b>: </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".d.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="color: #4e5665; line-height: 13.9636354446411px;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".d.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".d.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0">I'm thankful to be the owner of a Jennifer tape from when you lived in Hungary in the early nineties. </span></span></span></blockquote>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #9197a3; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; padding-top: 2px;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".d.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body" style="color: #4e5665; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; line-height: 13.9636354446411px;"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".d.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".d.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wclsJ-bwDGrTGLMFZG01qyEeYcvxBjyC_rNOUPDO6jLzodiprm7XbVp0VrPGmQwQz4baUBvhOp1-l_j3nitndAmvOwTePZRrUeRywW_9dQoDRYnw-bkNfDPZHeqcw3pfza6aCZQsIo_U/s1600/10646692_438557112951943_8741931197795175890_n-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6wclsJ-bwDGrTGLMFZG01qyEeYcvxBjyC_rNOUPDO6jLzodiprm7XbVp0VrPGmQwQz4baUBvhOp1-l_j3nitndAmvOwTePZRrUeRywW_9dQoDRYnw-bkNfDPZHeqcw3pfza6aCZQsIo_U/s1600/10646692_438557112951943_8741931197795175890_n-001.jpg" height="272" width="400" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><br /><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Me</b>: Listening now.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Jennifer</b>: Poor you. :-)</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Me</b>: It's wonderful. I keep tearing up over it! I just paused it about half way through side B. You said, "Good morning, Adriana. It's Sept. 12!" You were making this tape 20 yrs ago today!</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Me</b>: You just talked about your mom's birthday. And your [little sister] is brilliant. You describe her playing with her Hungarian friends in spite of the language barrier. Sulysap doesn't have phone service, but your dad has agreed to take you to a phone so you can call me. That would be my Christmas present. Your mom has made you some nice dresses by hand. There's a scene where you rescue Esther's shoe from the other side of a muddy lake. You're talking about what you and I will do next summer when I come to visit. I can visualize most of the places you're describing. You're going to miss your beautiful room with the "pure white walls" when you go to the Bible Institute. The curtains in the girls' room there are so drab . . . This is priceless.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Jennifer</b>: Maybe I don't feel sorry for you. We'll see how you hold up at the end.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Me</b>: I feel richly blessed this morning.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Jennifer</b>: Funny, I completely forgot that I even made a tape for you.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #444444; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Me</b>: I knew it was in my letter box, but I haven't listened to it since you sent it to me. It's value has increased with time.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQiomosVyb9ui6B77XwTZMDWBL7bKI9V4wguPRPuqs4SPOtCoBuQTdUdmARWOndkCJDjEF4FZJ_ktXQ04QLchGiEzFkyhCQBRXfXzyNFU4hv__DactOlYBWS0qCQY2yjKr9YG3XA_hv56/s1600/IMG_20140912_101400993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 13.9636354446411px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQiomosVyb9ui6B77XwTZMDWBL7bKI9V4wguPRPuqs4SPOtCoBuQTdUdmARWOndkCJDjEF4FZJ_ktXQ04QLchGiEzFkyhCQBRXfXzyNFU4hv__DactOlYBWS0qCQY2yjKr9YG3XA_hv56/s1600/IMG_20140912_101400993.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jennifer in Toalmas at the Word of Life Bible College in 1994.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I visited Jennifer in the summer of 1995, a year after her recording was made. On the tape she talks about our plans for my visit. We will work at a Bible camp, we'll travel throughout the countryside, and take day trips into the city. Her voice is the same --mellow and precise -- though of course she sounds younger. In part of the tape I can hear her alarm clock ticking as she recorded herself while still in bed one morning when she had a cold. There is a dog barking in the distance. A quiet day in a small village without telephones. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess I'll go now. I love you very much. I think about you all the time. I can't wait until next summer. We're going to have so much fun. Even if you can only stay for a month, we'll still have a lot of fun. I know Budapest pretty well now. I don't get lost when I go there. I can even find places I've never been to before without too much of a problem. I think one of the best places you'll like is Buda. It's not polluted like Pest is. There's beautiful hills all over. That's also where the Castle District is. And you can walk for days in the Castle District just looking at stuff. So gorgeous.</span></i></blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf_n11N18dEcTwAJ51jyOkNR747rDhWtAzB5uEw9jG3gCMlwt8CFnXGVzJRyovEKgOpawbwM6h-a2ZVSWE7cFp4JGUgqD9En9DYXpW82vqhVRkjnuLkuf0SlDszjoGd0l8p3qY7qQNaL2/s1600/IMG_20140912_100213264-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 13.9636354446411px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf_n11N18dEcTwAJ51jyOkNR747rDhWtAzB5uEw9jG3gCMlwt8CFnXGVzJRyovEKgOpawbwM6h-a2ZVSWE7cFp4JGUgqD9En9DYXpW82vqhVRkjnuLkuf0SlDszjoGd0l8p3qY7qQNaL2/s1600/IMG_20140912_100213264-001.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Together at last in 1995.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvlQMfJJ9-eK-mBNFzNUQbb9e6Qaxvw54A7o8Dfc-kBa14ruAEIIY4IHwSTjgXakDzCPsG-AXz36i7xGzqx9Jw7f4z42JFDs51UPuAcsW4Bf0eBaEPFAWrNAb0bBPMU289tG-z1JSLOKx/s1600/IMG_20140912_100548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidvlQMfJJ9-eK-mBNFzNUQbb9e6Qaxvw54A7o8Dfc-kBa14ruAEIIY4IHwSTjgXakDzCPsG-AXz36i7xGzqx9Jw7f4z42JFDs51UPuAcsW4Bf0eBaEPFAWrNAb0bBPMU289tG-z1JSLOKx/s1600/IMG_20140912_100548.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrIHXIIeWxB4xiu6qS3eMVmJgZnAek3syvJAB-IXSdq3v6JiMvnnMxJdopOLHoNkYITSWtjPIZoV2zdRnDwS9kxXPS6qgPW6UV4MaQ3Fuj2JSgGmbuRKewjMEkYS9-9MJD3roo6NSxmsU/s1600/IMG_20140912_101326141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="line-height: 13.9636354446411px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHrIHXIIeWxB4xiu6qS3eMVmJgZnAek3syvJAB-IXSdq3v6JiMvnnMxJdopOLHoNkYITSWtjPIZoV2zdRnDwS9kxXPS6qgPW6UV4MaQ3Fuj2JSgGmbuRKewjMEkYS9-9MJD3roo6NSxmsU/s1600/IMG_20140912_101326141.jpg" height="400" width="285" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07q-dlNLBdlcFAZha9S9YGaqqNiPvs3pelZueKr1P4aC5g772T_YZmh9k_hniDJiv_BLe3FSP4sd_g4RfNi_ReGcZvhPoWYUlqlseCfkxHnszyflFbaRKbvGEZ95Pl9E1vByPiEWR_3dA/s1600/IMG_20140912_101259984+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg07q-dlNLBdlcFAZha9S9YGaqqNiPvs3pelZueKr1P4aC5g772T_YZmh9k_hniDJiv_BLe3FSP4sd_g4RfNi_ReGcZvhPoWYUlqlseCfkxHnszyflFbaRKbvGEZ95Pl9E1vByPiEWR_3dA/s1600/IMG_20140912_101259984+(1).jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; color: #4e5665; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So Jennifer, if you're reading this I want you to know that I listened to the WHOLE tape, front and back and there is no need to feel sorry for me. You apologized more than once on the tape because you were concerned I would find it boring. Well, it wasn't boring. Not one bit. <span style="line-height: 13.9636354446411px;">It was a beautiful gift which I savored (and cried over) two times, twenty years apart. Thank you so much for your faithful friendship. I am richly blessed.</span></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; padding-top: 2px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; padding-top: 2px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">With Love,</span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; padding-top: 2px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Adriana</span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; padding-top: 2px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; padding-top: 2px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">P.S. I can't wait to visit Hungary again!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Other posts in this series:<a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2012/12/invisible-friendship.html"> Invisible Friendship</a>,<a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2013/10/air-mail-letters-i-wrote-at-age-17.html"> Air mail: Letters I Wrote at Age 17</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".38.1:3:1:$comment696607363764449_696608423764343:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="background-color: #fafbfb; clear: both; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.8181819915771px; padding-top: 2px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-85197656706141680532014-09-06T10:14:00.000-07:002014-09-12T13:44:43.219-07:00Walking the Underground Railroad with a Friend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWmkjaM21HWR1wk1YoIUwgNJKap1XhYMcIZ5VAgCc_79FUAUnRB2fnMa0a79kQeKspz29PK1jRR1fsSUOSdLDOqXlaVYllou5JYnysPfDOGn-slBO1CFJf53ooA8VbfgaYS4D4S3GZE9Z/s1600/DSC02413-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWmkjaM21HWR1wk1YoIUwgNJKap1XhYMcIZ5VAgCc_79FUAUnRB2fnMa0a79kQeKspz29PK1jRR1fsSUOSdLDOqXlaVYllou5JYnysPfDOGn-slBO1CFJf53ooA8VbfgaYS4D4S3GZE9Z/s1600/DSC02413-002.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Dear Friend,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
Here's a picture of my friend Jai'yah. She and her family spent a weekend with us last summer.<br />
<br />
One night I was up late washing dishes after everyone else went to bed. I turned to see Jai'yah standing in my kitchen doorway.<br />
<br />
"Can't sleep?" I asked her.<br />
<br />
"Nope."<br />
<br />
"Do you want to talk for a while?"<br />
<br />
Her face lit up.<br />
<br />
We went to the living room and sat on the couch. We talked about school.<br />
<br />
"I love history, " she said.<br />
<br />
"Me too! Do you know we live near the Ohio River? This area was once part of the Underground Railroad."<br />
<br />
"Are you serious?" Her eyes widened.<br />
<br />
"Oh yes. The farmhouse behind our property was built in the 1800s. I've been told it has a secret room. It's not listed on a historic registry, but I sometimes wonder if runaways once hid there."<br />
<br />
She was entranced. I told her about <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2012/06/road-trip-to-ripley-front-street.html">my road trip to Ripley, Ohio</a>. I pulled out my laptop and showed her <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2012/08/harriet-beecher-stowes-inspiration.html">pictures from my blog posts</a>. She wasn't familiar with <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2012/09/road-trip-to-ripley-wrap-up.html">the story of Reverend and Mrs. Rankin</a> who conducted thousands of passengers on the Underground Railroad to freedom.<br />
<br />
She turned, knelt on the couch, and pulled apart the curtians to peer outside.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span id="goog_848529651"></span><span id="goog_848529652"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GdaiQ83aH0LsQ8wZp9BX9sjwf-IAwdtuPG6LoW5WDPHv8K3WLY36uON1gfQVIZpccoh1ubRZNAdg_izt_vi9uVjewyrhhYepYfBCnbaSWOqr9N2ERWjWeptO5yPPa-Cp_rz9BNOrhDXM/s1600/DSC07366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GdaiQ83aH0LsQ8wZp9BX9sjwf-IAwdtuPG6LoW5WDPHv8K3WLY36uON1gfQVIZpccoh1ubRZNAdg_izt_vi9uVjewyrhhYepYfBCnbaSWOqr9N2ERWjWeptO5yPPa-Cp_rz9BNOrhDXM/s1600/DSC07366.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
"It's so dark in the country," she said. "And quiet . . . creepy!"<br />
<br />
"Sometimes I imagine people rushing, barefoot through the night, " I said. Because I knew she was thinking of this too.<br />
<br />
"Do you want to walk down to the road with me?" I asked.<br />
<br />
"Oh yes! I'm kind of scared to. But, yes!"<br />
<br />
I gently shut the front door behind us as we stole into the darkness. Once at the road she said, "It's like we're on the Underground Railroad!"<br />
<br />
I felt chills on the back of my neck. "I'll be your mother," I said.<br />
<br />
She grabbed my hand and pulled my arm hard. "Come on, Mama!" she whispered. "We've got to run!"<br />
<br />
We bolted down the road hand in hand. When we reached a clearing I pointed to the starry sky. "There's the Drinking Gourd," I told her. "That will lead us north."<br />
<br />
We traveled on a little way and suddenly we saw headlights coming toward us from far in the distance.<br />
<br />
"Hide!" She yanked my arm. We dove under some shrubery on the side of the road and lay on our stomachs until the car drove past.<br />
<br />
"They didn't see us," she said with a sigh.<br />
<br />
We continued on, backtracking this time along the same direction we had come. When my house came into view she said, "Look, Mama! It's the Rankin House!"<br />
<br />
And this made me cry.<br />
<br />
To think she equated my home to such a place -- a place of safety and freedom and love.<br />
<br />
We ran up the driveway to the back of the house and quickly pushed the back door open. Then, smiling, we jumped up and down and hugged each other tightly.<br />
<br />
"We made it!"<br />
<br />
"We're safe!"<br />
<br />
"Yes! Safe!"<br />
<br />
"I hope Mrs. Rankin will give us sometime to eat," I said. "I'm starving!"<br />
<br />
She giggled.<br />
<br />
"I wonder if the kids ate all the pie? If not we'll have some cookies and milk," I said.<br />
<br />
"Adriana, Thank you."<br />
<br />
"Thank you, Jai'yah. I love you, dear."<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
* * * * *<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I realize our adventure was in no way harrowing like the real experience of those who once traveled from the slave-holding states in the south to freedom in north. Still, the imagination of my young friend stretched my mind and my heart.<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="line-height: 20px;"> It made me think, really think, about what such a journey would have entailed and how desperate a mother would have been to protect her loved ones.</span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Hope this post finds all my blog-friends well.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Peace & Joy,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Adriana<br />
<br />
<br />
P.S. Jai'yah, if you're reading this -- I know you will make a splendid history teacher or even a professor someday, if that is what you want to be. :-)</div>
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-67839323479746212632014-08-22T02:22:00.000-07:002014-08-22T02:29:59.995-07:00What Do You Do When You Feel So Mad You Could Bite?Dear Friend,<br />
<br />
This morning I read Montaigne's essay "How the soul discharges its emotions against false objects when lacking real ones."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>A local gentleman of ours who is marvelously subject to gout would answer his doctors quite amusingly when asked to give up salted meats entirely. He would say that he liked to have something to blame when tortured by the onslaughts of that illness: the more he yelled out curses against the saveloy or the tongue or the ham, the more relief he felt. Seriously though, when our arm is raised to strike it pains us if the blow lands nowhere and merely beats the air . . .</i></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i> . . . it seems that the soul . . . loses itself when shaken and disturbed unless it is given something to grasp on to; and so we must always provide it with an object to butt up against and to act upon.</i></blockquote>
This passage made me think of Mr. Rogers. I remember watching him as a child and feeling relieved because, in his gentle way, he explained to me that I wasn't bad for feeling angry sometimes. He also gave me some great suggestions for how to handle those angry feelings. (For one thing, I could hit a pillow! Hitting a pillow is totally OK!) I believe this song was part of the episode where he gave the anger talk. It seems like the whole world could use this now --<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<object class="BLOGGER-youtube-video" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0" data-thumbnail-src="https://ytimg.googleusercontent.com/vi/T8kt22TH_c4/0.jpg" height="266" width="320"><param name="movie" value="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/T8kt22TH_c4&source=uds" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><embed width="320" height="266" src="https://youtube.googleapis.com/v/T8kt22TH_c4&source=uds" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object></div>
<br />
<br />
So, what do you do when you feel so mad you could bite?<br />
<br />
Love,<br />
AAdriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5778367785563612985.post-88706967044514804442014-08-20T02:25:00.000-07:002014-08-20T09:12:08.754-07:00Montaigne on How to Toughen Your Skin <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Dear Friend,<br />
<br />
It's 2:20AM. There's a splendid thunderstorm going on. Inside, my house is deliciously silent. We're tucked into the side of a hill, like a ship run ashore. I'm enjoying the view from my husband's office. His large bay window is the prow.<br />
<br />
School starts tomorrow for my oldest three kids. The last several days have been noisy and exciting -- <i>Go! Go! Go! -- </i>back to school preparations and a birthday party to boot. The wonderful pulse of life that comes with a large family has lately felt like a marathon for my nerves.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GdaiQ83aH0LsQ8wZp9BX9sjwf-IAwdtuPG6LoW5WDPHv8K3WLY36uON1gfQVIZpccoh1ubRZNAdg_izt_vi9uVjewyrhhYepYfBCnbaSWOqr9N2ERWjWeptO5yPPa-Cp_rz9BNOrhDXM/s1600/DSC07366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GdaiQ83aH0LsQ8wZp9BX9sjwf-IAwdtuPG6LoW5WDPHv8K3WLY36uON1gfQVIZpccoh1ubRZNAdg_izt_vi9uVjewyrhhYepYfBCnbaSWOqr9N2ERWjWeptO5yPPa-Cp_rz9BNOrhDXM/s1600/DSC07366.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Waking during the night can be blissful, though I'll likely suffer for it tomorrow, especially if the baby won't take a nap. For now though I feel too refreshed and focused to sleep. Maybe insomnia is not something I should battle. Maybe -- <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2013/05/heart-matters.html">like my unusual heart beat </a>-- <i>it's just me</i>.<br />
<br />
If your night's sleep is often broken into segments with a mid-night interval, you will appreciate <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16964783?SThisFB">this article</a>. Some of us heed the sound of an ancient ancestral chime. Or something.<br />
<br />
Anyway, when I woke up tonight I decided not to be frustrated with myself. <br />
<br />
<i>Carpe noctem!</i><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXswgZqw79Ti8IR4c6xt01DuxriQ5OkvyWNRZhGV_8BCisqPO3HptK7uXughhOlgzXGdPlMSW0oJ-wTWPGGOMi_oW46cX8QXTe16RQWQtQCF4YqQ958UGvFKhyphenhyphen6s43s2FeK00AsFWVpQk/s1600/DSC01837.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMXswgZqw79Ti8IR4c6xt01DuxriQ5OkvyWNRZhGV_8BCisqPO3HptK7uXughhOlgzXGdPlMSW0oJ-wTWPGGOMi_oW46cX8QXTe16RQWQtQCF4YqQ958UGvFKhyphenhyphen6s43s2FeK00AsFWVpQk/s1600/DSC01837.JPG" height="190" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I recently picked up<i> </i>Montaigne's<i> Essays </i>again. Click <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2012/02/eat-fish-pick-out-bones.html">here</a> to read a short post I wrote two years ago in which I compare reading <i>Essays</i> to paying a visit to my rich, quirky uncle (who happens to live in a <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.600000381469727px; line-height: 14.7839994430542px;">chateau).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.600000381469727px; line-height: 14.7839994430542px;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="File:St Michel de Montaigne Château01.jpg" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/St_Michel_de_Montaigne_Ch%C3%A2teau01.jpg/800px-St_Michel_de_Montaigne_Ch%C3%A2teau01.jpg" height="300" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13.333333969116211px;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 21.280000686645508px;">Château de Montaigne via </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:St_Michel_de_Montaigne_Ch%C3%A2teau01.jpg"><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 21.280000686645508px;">Wikipedia</span></span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 21.280000686645508px;"> </span></span></a></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.600000381469727px; line-height: 14.7839994430542px;">Montaigne is considered the Father of the Essay, so I suppose this also makes him Patron Saint of Bloggers. He's quite an engaging person to know. No topic is off limits.</span><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.987144470214844px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Our life is part folly, part wisdom. Whoever writes about it only reverently and according to the rules leaves out more than half of it.</i></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></blockquote>
But fair warning: rarely does Montaigne stick to his point. He's all over the place! Reading him feels like partaking in a conversation full of delightful rabbit trails. I love him for this. He likes to go deep, but we can also talk candidly about stuff like bodily functions. We can ramble a bit, then go on with what we were first discussing. Or not.<br />
<br />
I'm sure I'd grow weary of other writers for using his method, but it works for him. I expect this randomness out of him, I suppose. And because he's the first true essayist, I feel like this gives <i>me </i>permission to loosen up a little and just blog what's on my mind. As I've mentioned before, I've found if I wait until I have time to make my posts tidy I end up going long stretches without blogging anything.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYJWFzCZwBXH8jCjnfmk8NlomsKoj2rQZFTxvhNZI41gt68cRLgRDobAj6VBHvTutsr3M6qzkAoSMwhoupTxQjkPGb5Mc0K8NBAcX-L-7jjJGIcIf-CmY0sWCGtkRasFiwPvlZLG8gCjj/s1600/DSC06726.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnYJWFzCZwBXH8jCjnfmk8NlomsKoj2rQZFTxvhNZI41gt68cRLgRDobAj6VBHvTutsr3M6qzkAoSMwhoupTxQjkPGb5Mc0K8NBAcX-L-7jjJGIcIf-CmY0sWCGtkRasFiwPvlZLG8gCjj/s1600/DSC06726.JPG" height="306" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
I also believe reading<i> Essays</i> is good for <a href="http://www.classicalquest.com/2014/06/my-depression-one-year-later.html">my depression</a>. Montaigne is so much more rational than me! I tend to experience an exhausting array of peaks and valleys of emotion. In "On Sadness," he gives examples of people who are seized by a sadness in a "deaf, speechless stupor." Others "languish for love" or even "die of happiness." As for Montaigne --<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Violent emotions . . . have little hold on me. By nature my sense of feeling has a hard skin, which I daily toughen and thicken by arguments.</i><span style="text-align: center;"> </span></blockquote>
In one segment of "On Sadness" I wrote a question mark in the margin:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We cannot display our grief or our convictions during the living searing heat of the attack; the soul is then burdened by deep thought and the body is cast down, languishing for love. That is the source of the occasional impotence which sometimes comes so unseasonably upon men when making love, and of that chill produced, in the very lap of delight by excessive ardour. </i></blockquote>
Just a question mark. Because this was new information for me. (No one need comment with personal examples of experiencing untimely impotence due to excessive ardor! But see what I mean?This is one example of territory that is fair game for our host to discuss.) He wraps up his comment on impotence with some level-headed advice for life in general:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>For pleasures to be tasted and then digested they must remain moderate: Curae leves lonquuntur, ingentes stupent. [Light cares can talk: huge ones are struck dumb.]</i></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPJcbS4vYI9jMOpbkyjiMwPIOFKSOYKbevkFERFVBcXkRoo38uiXNlraj6m_htAgkGJXSVdiVnbuA0LAyHwFTRNXdpqPXaZJ1qZZsV9JrrvtrJVwTTWOrrrPerpTh2pJyROZg5g6diXHQ/s1600/DSC04220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJPJcbS4vYI9jMOpbkyjiMwPIOFKSOYKbevkFERFVBcXkRoo38uiXNlraj6m_htAgkGJXSVdiVnbuA0LAyHwFTRNXdpqPXaZJ1qZZsV9JrrvtrJVwTTWOrrrPerpTh2pJyROZg5g6diXHQ/s1600/DSC04220.JPG" height="400" width="282" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
I depart from this visit to the chateau , feeling a little calmer, more steady, and rational. I'm smiling, actually. When calling on Montaigne, I must leave my hysterics at the door.<br />
<br />
Moderately yours,<br />
<br />
Adriana :-)<br />
<br />Adriana@ClassicalQuesthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06718229975590311860noreply@blogger.com14