On my love of C.S. Lewis

"The fellow-pupil can help more than the master because he knows less. The difficulty we want him to explain is one he has recently met. The expert met it so long ago that he has forgotten. He sees the whole subject, by now, in such a different light that he cannot conceive what is really troubling the pupil; he sees a dozen other difficulties which ought to be troubling him but aren't" ~ C.S. Lewis in Reflections on the Psalms

I can't recall if I've ever mentioned it here or not, but I love C.S. Lewis. As, a professor of literature, a powerful writer and thinker, and a passionate and outspoken lover of Christ he serves as one of my role models and inspiration in life, and, as far as authors go, he is undoubtedly my favourite. Whether fiction or nonfiction, his prose simply makes me happy through its beauty, its eloquence, and its ability to make me think. In fact, I think the above quote summarizes much of what I find appealing about his work: he is a fellow student and disciple of Christ, learning to follow Him in a way that is faithful, powerful, and true, but he experiences many of the same struggles and difficulties I have along the way. As I read his works, I learn from someone else who has traveled the same path I have (although, his journey was also in many ways different from my own), and he sometimes manages to give voice to some of my thoughts, emotions, and longings which I myself have been unable to properly articulate.

If I were to make a list of people I wish were still around so that I could simply sit and talk with them, he would be on it, and I hope that someday in heaven I get the opportunity for a conversation with him (presuming we're not both too busy simply worshipping Jesus and delighting in finally being able to see Him face to face and bask in His presence... Cause that will be absolutely amazing!).

Do you have any particular authors in your life who do this for you? Who, when you read their work, make you you think "Here's someone who thinks like I do!"?

New Year's Resolutions: 2011 Edition

Once again, it's New Year's Eve and time to make New Year's resolutions!
To be perfectly honest, I don't even remember what mine were last year... But I'm fairly certain that I failed in keeping them! Funny, isn't it, how that always happens?
Well, this year I'm writing them down. Right here. On the internet. For everyone to see. Will that help me keep them? Probably not... But maybe!
So, what are my resolutions this year? I think I shall come up with eleven in honor of the year 2011. And, with that, here it goes:

Firstly, I plan to graduate college. Again. That one should be decently easy to accomplish. Only one semester to go!

Secondly, I will continue my pie-baking endeavors until I have reached a far greater mastery of the art of the pie! (I have, however, made significant progress along those lines this month. I will try to make a post about that later today!)

Thirdly, I will learn to knit. Currently I am decently proficient at crocheting and enjoy making things for others that brings smiles to the faces of those I love. However, I'm not much good at knitting and would very much like to improve my skills in that area.

Fourthly, every year I read many books but have forgotten what most of them were by the time the year is complete. This year, I would like to keep a list of the books I read and at least short reviews of them. That way in the years to come I'll know whether I ought to recommend and/or reread them or not!

Fifthly, I want to get my passport and travel out of the country. I've never left the United States except for a couple day trips to Canada when we lived up there, and I'd like to see something a little more outside of my everyday world.

Sixthly, I want to go on a mission trip. This may or may not go along with resolution seven since I know many mission trips are within the country, but I have never been on one domestic or international and would dearly love to go.

Seventhly (not a word, I know, but it provides nice parallelism), I think I'd like to try my hand at the whole NaNoWriMo next year. My sister has now participated in it two years in a row, and each time I've been inspired to try it for myself. I'm not normally much of a fiction writer. I prefer to write my research papers and article reviews and such, but I'd like to try at least once. So, since this year I won't be in school, and, therefore, (in theory) not quite as busy, I think I shall see what I can do!

Eighthly, my piano has been a bit out of use this past year. In the coming year, I will start practicing it again and work on regaining my proficiency. I would like to have at least four challenging songs memorized by the end of 2011 (I'm going with a low number... Let's not be too ambitious!).

Ninthly, I plan to read through the whole Bible at least once. It's been awhile since I've done that, and there are parts which I simply am not so familiar with any more. I want to be familiar with them and to take this opportunity to learn more about the God I love and serve and to draw nearer to Him than I have ever been before.

Tenthly, I plan to memorize a book of the Bible. Which one? I haven't decided yet, but I'm thinking probably 1 Peter. I'd also like to memorize Psalm 119. And maybe Ecclesiastes? There are just so many excellent choices!

Eleventhly, and finally, I plan to figure out to next step in my life. More school? Teacher certification? A job? Or something else entirely? I'm coming to a new chapter in my life now, and I plan to take this next year to spend some much needed time in prayer and consideration of the next step God has for me. It's both exciting and terrifying, but I know that He has plans for my life, and I can't wait to find out what those might be!

So, this year will be a year of many things: of learning new skills and polishing old ones, of new experiences on multiple fronts, and of focusing on growing my relationship with God and discovering the next step He has in store for me. I'm thinking it will most certainly be an adventure worth writing about!

Apologies and Anthologies (Okay, not actually, but it sounds neat!)

Sorry I've been so neglectful of my blog this week. It's been spring break here in my neck of the woods, and I've been busy doing all sorts of fun things with my family (grass sledding, dress-up at a historic fort, and a picnic with relay races among them). I've also been a bit short of topic upon which to blog... A problem I still haven't seemed to solve. So, this post will be about books.
Even before I could read myself, my parents delighted me with reading of The Chronicles of Narnia, Little House on the Praire, and A Wrinkle in Time. Once I could read myself, I began with the Boxcar children series and gradually worked my way up to more challenging works such as The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis' Space Trilogy, and the books of Jane Austen. My list of favorite books and authors is an ever-growing one which is already far to long to list. Yes indeed, I am a hopeless bibliophile. So, I have decided that a fair amount of the musings on this blog ought to reflect that passion. Therefore, I will try to make regular posts on what I am reading and my thought on it.

The book I'm currently reading are:

Ladies in Waiting: From the Tudors to the Present Day
by Anne Somerset.
So far this is a fascinating nonfiction historical work by a gifted historian whose previous work on Queen Elizabeth I I have read in the past and enjoyed. It does address the less than wholesome atmosphere which permeated the royal courts of Europe as well as discussing several mistresses of the king, but does not go into inappropriate or graphic detail.


Patriot Hearts: A Novel of the Founding Mothers
by Barbara Hambley
This book caught my eye as I was meandering around the library the other day, and I haven't read enough of it to give any sort of opinion yet. I simply find this period of history and Abigail Adams in particular fascinating and am curious to see what this author will do with their stories.


Prayer: Finding the Heart's True Home
by Richard J. Foster
One of my goals during the Lenten season was to deepen my prayer life. So far, I don't feel like I'm doing a great job. I suppose I need to be more disciplined in setting aside time each day to talk with the Lord. However, I have heard his book recommended multiple times as one of the great Christian works on prayer, and I am working my way through it slowly and thoughtfully.

I also told my dear friend/roomate/honorary sister that I would read Don Quixote with her, but so far I haven't actually started on that one. :) (btw, you should definitely check out her blog. Recently she has been writing a really funny series on the many quirks of my four year old brother.)