I went to Lake Bonny Park for this assignment, and I stayed there for at least 40 minutes.
___________________________________________________________________________________________
I went there with Louis and Jennifer Mendez! Despite the fact that it is only 3 minutes away from the school and we passed the giant sign that read, "Lake Bonny Park," we doubted at first that we were in the right place because the only lake we could visually see from the car was that little lake right behind the playground. The one with the dinky chain-link fence around it.
We even stayed in the car until I looked up on my phone whether or not this was the right place or not.
But Louis know the whole time! Yes, he did. He had remembered the picture of the dock that Professor Corrigan had posted, so we were determined to find it! Low and behold, we saw some people walking in the distance and we followed them and found the dock!
There were some other kids out there from our class, which was great. We all got to marvel in God's beauty together.
And His beauty is GREAT. We got to soak up His loveliness in the this lake I had never been to before. And because I had never been to it before, everything seemed new to me. The dock, the grass by the water, the trees, the wind, even the bugs. I could just see them a little differently. Once I got to think about God's wonderful creativity and artistry, I was amazed at the little beauties.
The weather was especially nice. The sun was out, but it wasn't hot. And the wind was blowing, but it wasn't cold. It was perfect weather to just lay on the dock, soak up God's wonder, and write...
Do you see that?
The water moving slowly across the lake
The bird dipping down into the water
The trees blowing in the wind
The fly landing on the flower petal
Do you smell that?
The salty air off the lake
The sweet aroma of the flowers
Rain coming in from the distance
That wood-sy scent that makes one want to build a tent
Do you hear that?
The birds chirping
The wind blowing through the trees
The slight hum of a bee flying nearby
Children screaming playfully from the playground
Do you feel that?
The wind gently blowing across your cheek
Those little flies that land ever-so-lightly on your arms
The sun beating down on you
God's presence overcoming your body and taking you to a place beyond this world...
Continuing more and more from this unique class,
Anna Marie :)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
I would like to be Mary Oliver's friend, I think.
I have always been a fan of poetry. Nature poetry is splendid.
I can just sit in nature, and read the poems, and soak up God's wonderful-ness! :)
Mary Oliver's poems are GREAT. I don't even know how to explain in words how much I like them.
Let's start with "Walking Home from Oak Head"....
This poem is so simplistically wonderful. I am writing it down everywhere...in my journal, in a letter for my sister, everywhere. I even just read it again and got really excited because I like it so much! First of all, I really like the way she formats the poem.
The
slanted
words
make
it fun
to read!
^^^^Those are supposed to be slanted hahaa
Also, each stanza gives you something to think about..something to envision.
snow-laded sky
unhurried wind
snow falling..casually, then irrepressibly
red-cheeked
covered with stars
Jennifer put it a good way, I think. She said, "It's like the glitter of poems!" I know that might sound kind of strange, but think about it. Glitter is very small, very simple. But it's sparkly and beautiful! It doesn't need to be big and flashy to catch your attention, and you could probably be entertained with it for a bit.
Please tell me that you can relate this weird metaphor to Mary Oliver's poem? Thank you.
Next, I really liked "Six Recognitions of the Lord." Her first three lines are so great. I love it. She says, "I know a lot of fancy words. I tear them from my heart and my tongue. Then I pray." Could this be anymore of a truth? (I don't even know if that last statement made sense hahaa)
But really..how many times have we sat down to pray, or however you do it and tried to be all fancy with the Lord? HE DOESN'T CARE. We don't need to try and be fancy, or proper when we talk to Him, guys. He knows us better than anyone. Would you talk to your best friend using fancy words? Watching your language and using big words? I don't think so.
Well, these two were my favorite. Let me know what you liked about these two too! :)
LOVING and learning so much from this class,
Anna Marie :)
I can just sit in nature, and read the poems, and soak up God's wonderful-ness! :)
Mary Oliver's poems are GREAT. I don't even know how to explain in words how much I like them.
Let's start with "Walking Home from Oak Head"....
This poem is so simplistically wonderful. I am writing it down everywhere...in my journal, in a letter for my sister, everywhere. I even just read it again and got really excited because I like it so much! First of all, I really like the way she formats the poem.
The
slanted
words
make
it fun
to read!
^^^^Those are supposed to be slanted hahaa
Also, each stanza gives you something to think about..something to envision.
snow-laded sky
unhurried wind
snow falling..casually, then irrepressibly
red-cheeked
covered with stars
Jennifer put it a good way, I think. She said, "It's like the glitter of poems!" I know that might sound kind of strange, but think about it. Glitter is very small, very simple. But it's sparkly and beautiful! It doesn't need to be big and flashy to catch your attention, and you could probably be entertained with it for a bit.
Please tell me that you can relate this weird metaphor to Mary Oliver's poem? Thank you.
Next, I really liked "Six Recognitions of the Lord." Her first three lines are so great. I love it. She says, "I know a lot of fancy words. I tear them from my heart and my tongue. Then I pray." Could this be anymore of a truth? (I don't even know if that last statement made sense hahaa)
But really..how many times have we sat down to pray, or however you do it and tried to be all fancy with the Lord? HE DOESN'T CARE. We don't need to try and be fancy, or proper when we talk to Him, guys. He knows us better than anyone. Would you talk to your best friend using fancy words? Watching your language and using big words? I don't think so.
Well, these two were my favorite. Let me know what you liked about these two too! :)
LOVING and learning so much from this class,
Anna Marie :)
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Character. Yeah, I think I like this conversation.
So we have been talking about character for a few class periods now and I have surprised myself by not getting bored with it. Looking back at my notes, thoughts are still going through my head about character. I did not know this was possible! This class is crazy.
The Professor gave us different jobs of people such as
heart surgeon
missionary
college student
janitor
elementary school teacher
Starbucks barista
and asked us, "Now which one of these do you think is better than the others?"
Despite the small slightly awkward silence that followed we all knew that there was not one of these that was better than the other. We aren't labeled by out jobs. Actually, that's all it is--a label. Our CHARACTER is defined by who we are internally and how we exhibit that externally.
It took me a while to get a grasp of the idea of inner and outer character/self. Actually, I still don't get it all the way. The inner self is our development inside. AKA the way we think, how we feel, etc. The outer self is our actions, the way we look, etc. I feel as though if people change their outer self, their inner self COULD change during the process. For example, if someone is trying to turn their life around, stopping drinking and smoking could be the first steps. Then maybe later on, they could find the Lord, or something.
But then again, in them changing externally, aren't they changing internally in some way at the same time? They need some inward change...no matter how drastic, or small, it may be...to have an outward change.
So does EVERYTHING start from within? Does an change in outer self mean a change in inner self? Can there be a change internally and no change externally and vice versa?
Let me know what you think, because I'm still figuring this out hahaa
Continuing to learn more and more from this class,
Anna Marie :)
The Professor gave us different jobs of people such as
heart surgeon
missionary
college student
janitor
elementary school teacher
Starbucks barista
and asked us, "Now which one of these do you think is better than the others?"
Despite the small slightly awkward silence that followed we all knew that there was not one of these that was better than the other. We aren't labeled by out jobs. Actually, that's all it is--a label. Our CHARACTER is defined by who we are internally and how we exhibit that externally.
It took me a while to get a grasp of the idea of inner and outer character/self. Actually, I still don't get it all the way. The inner self is our development inside. AKA the way we think, how we feel, etc. The outer self is our actions, the way we look, etc. I feel as though if people change their outer self, their inner self COULD change during the process. For example, if someone is trying to turn their life around, stopping drinking and smoking could be the first steps. Then maybe later on, they could find the Lord, or something.
But then again, in them changing externally, aren't they changing internally in some way at the same time? They need some inward change...no matter how drastic, or small, it may be...to have an outward change.
So does EVERYTHING start from within? Does an change in outer self mean a change in inner self? Can there be a change internally and no change externally and vice versa?
Let me know what you think, because I'm still figuring this out hahaa
Continuing to learn more and more from this class,
Anna Marie :)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
How God Must Feel.
When I was told in class that we were going to be writing short stories, I was SO excited! I love just being able to sit down and write and be creative. Now, I'm no Poe or Bronte, but I definitely love using what creative skills I have to write stories.
I really like the idea of being able to create something that isn't real in this life. This is a world that I am creating myself. I can create my own characters. I can make places and peoples and things that don't really exist.
Or perhaps they do..
Maybe all if it is just a figment of this real life. A continuation of this life into the story world. These characters I created could actually be people I know. It could be real thoughts that I am feeling.
BUT I CAN CREATE IT ALL. Isn't that awesome?
It makes me really think about how God must feel. He created us! All of us! Every detail of ourselves. Our hair, our eyes, our parents, where we go to school, how bad of vision we have, whether we are right handed or left handed ALL OF IT. And he did this for EVERY person on the planet.
If you thought that it was difficult for you to develop a character, think about how God must feel creating 4 billion people!! I know that I had difficulty sometimes just writing down how my character looked. But God creates not just our outer image, but everything internally about us as well!
It must have been so much fun for Him. It still is a fun thing for Him to do, I'm sure. Creating us. Watching us grow. I wish I could plant my characters into real life and see how they would play out after I "gave them their beginning."
I wonder if they would remember me...
I really like the idea of being able to create something that isn't real in this life. This is a world that I am creating myself. I can create my own characters. I can make places and peoples and things that don't really exist.
Or perhaps they do..
Maybe all if it is just a figment of this real life. A continuation of this life into the story world. These characters I created could actually be people I know. It could be real thoughts that I am feeling.
BUT I CAN CREATE IT ALL. Isn't that awesome?
It makes me really think about how God must feel. He created us! All of us! Every detail of ourselves. Our hair, our eyes, our parents, where we go to school, how bad of vision we have, whether we are right handed or left handed ALL OF IT. And he did this for EVERY person on the planet.
If you thought that it was difficult for you to develop a character, think about how God must feel creating 4 billion people!! I know that I had difficulty sometimes just writing down how my character looked. But God creates not just our outer image, but everything internally about us as well!
It must have been so much fun for Him. It still is a fun thing for Him to do, I'm sure. Creating us. Watching us grow. I wish I could plant my characters into real life and see how they would play out after I "gave them their beginning."
I wonder if they would remember me...
Friday, March 19, 2010
Stephen.
I remember the time when I used to be in love with him. Ah, the good old days. Looking back now it’s funny to think how we got to this point. His laugh, his voice, and the way he walks, the way he smells, all of it. It used to be so appealing to me. I wanted nothing more than to have him in my life for eternity.
But things change. People change. And sometimes, there’s just no going back.
We first met during his second year of college, my first year. I immediately was drawn in by his sea-foam green eyes that make anyone feel like they are swimming in the beautiful emerald waters of the Bahamas. He was around 6’2, and was the right amount of muscle and lankiness. He body seemed to move with elegance and perfect rhythm. I could almost count beats as his hands, feet, and body moved in time with my counting. His hands were calloused, and rough looking. He was wearing a white button-down tucked into his slacks with a gray cardigan. I could have sworn that I even saw suspenders underneath his sweater. He clothes were unusual, and unlike what people around here normally would wear, but he made his odd combination look so effortless and wonderful. As he talked, I could catch this smile right in the corner of his mouth, a crooked smile, just barely emerging from his lips. Then one of his friends made him laugh. His face lit up, and this laugh that surfaced made it difficult for me not to smile myself. He had straight brown hair that feel right across his eyes and I watched as numerous times he would shake his head and in a swift motion, move his hair away from his eyes. After the third time of him doing this, his powerful green eyes caught my gaze. I couldn’t look away from him. His deep eyes seemed to be drawing me in like a vacuum. And from then on, I was hooked.
We hung out for the first time with our mutual friend. She was extremely loquacious and we could never get a word in edgeways. But I can honestly say that I can’t remember a single word that came out of her mouth. I was just staring at him.
We seemed to be having an entire conversation without having to say anything.
Afterwards, our friend finally got the hint and left us alone. He started talking to me about The Shins. He said that when he looked at me, he instantly started hearing The Shins in his head. We talked about Garden State and The Emperor’s New Groove and that one book called The Rainbow Fish that everyone read when we were younger. He was weird and interesting and complicated. I had never met anyone like him before.
We walked to class together every day from then on out. And he would walk with such confidence I never knew existed. Just walking through campus, he could say hey to at least ten people he knew. And if he didn’t know them, he would say hey to them anyways. People’s faces would just light up. He was that effect on people. He had that effect on me.
He was the funniest person I had ever met. I could be in the worst mood in the world, and he knew exactly what to say to make me smile. He acquired the ability to read me like a book, which made it all too easy.
Every Tuesday night, we would go get waffles at the local breakfast restaurant. His idea. He would say every week, “This is the best taste in the world.” For some reason, he loved them. And every week he came. And every week he would say the same thing. He liked them so much that I continued to go get those stupid waffles every week, despite the fact that I thought they tasted like cardboard that had been heated up.
I had been hearing the humors. I knew what people had been saying about him. For a year, everything had seemed like a dream and I chose to ignore it. He was my everything and I felt like things were perfect. But there was the problem. It was all too perfect. Too perfect for me to realize that there was anything going on.
It was a Tuesday night in November when I found out he was cheating on me. I told him that I wasn’t going to be able to make out ritual routine of getting waffles, and he said he was going to go anyways. “I’ll be thinking of you the whole time,” he said. “It just won’t be the same without you.”
As I sat at home, working on my loads of homework I had to get finished, I realized that I had never missed a waffle dinner and I wasn’t going to start this time because of homework. I jumped into my car and raced over to the Waffle Shop. As I pulled into the parking lot, I felt my stomach drop. I had been telling myself for a year that this couldn’t be true. That this wasn’t true. He was the one I shared everything with. The one who knew me better than anyone. He couldn’t possibly be doing this. I couldn’t believe it.
I blinked my eyes a few times. It wouldn’t go away. I blinked again, harder this time. This image of him kissing her wouldn’t leave. After a year, she finally learned to close her mouth and be quiet, and she decided to shut her mouth on my boyfriend. Had she set us up, only to tear us apart? Nothing was making any sense.
That was not the most confusing part, though. He turned around and saw me staring right at them. He could see the tears running down my cheek. He could see the shock and pain on my face. I know he could. But he looked at me in my eyes. Those beautiful green eyes looked straight at me. Then they turned away, without saying a word.
But things change. People change. And sometimes, there’s just no going back.
We first met during his second year of college, my first year. I immediately was drawn in by his sea-foam green eyes that make anyone feel like they are swimming in the beautiful emerald waters of the Bahamas. He was around 6’2, and was the right amount of muscle and lankiness. He body seemed to move with elegance and perfect rhythm. I could almost count beats as his hands, feet, and body moved in time with my counting. His hands were calloused, and rough looking. He was wearing a white button-down tucked into his slacks with a gray cardigan. I could have sworn that I even saw suspenders underneath his sweater. He clothes were unusual, and unlike what people around here normally would wear, but he made his odd combination look so effortless and wonderful. As he talked, I could catch this smile right in the corner of his mouth, a crooked smile, just barely emerging from his lips. Then one of his friends made him laugh. His face lit up, and this laugh that surfaced made it difficult for me not to smile myself. He had straight brown hair that feel right across his eyes and I watched as numerous times he would shake his head and in a swift motion, move his hair away from his eyes. After the third time of him doing this, his powerful green eyes caught my gaze. I couldn’t look away from him. His deep eyes seemed to be drawing me in like a vacuum. And from then on, I was hooked.
We hung out for the first time with our mutual friend. She was extremely loquacious and we could never get a word in edgeways. But I can honestly say that I can’t remember a single word that came out of her mouth. I was just staring at him.
We seemed to be having an entire conversation without having to say anything.
Afterwards, our friend finally got the hint and left us alone. He started talking to me about The Shins. He said that when he looked at me, he instantly started hearing The Shins in his head. We talked about Garden State and The Emperor’s New Groove and that one book called The Rainbow Fish that everyone read when we were younger. He was weird and interesting and complicated. I had never met anyone like him before.
We walked to class together every day from then on out. And he would walk with such confidence I never knew existed. Just walking through campus, he could say hey to at least ten people he knew. And if he didn’t know them, he would say hey to them anyways. People’s faces would just light up. He was that effect on people. He had that effect on me.
He was the funniest person I had ever met. I could be in the worst mood in the world, and he knew exactly what to say to make me smile. He acquired the ability to read me like a book, which made it all too easy.
Every Tuesday night, we would go get waffles at the local breakfast restaurant. His idea. He would say every week, “This is the best taste in the world.” For some reason, he loved them. And every week he came. And every week he would say the same thing. He liked them so much that I continued to go get those stupid waffles every week, despite the fact that I thought they tasted like cardboard that had been heated up.
I had been hearing the humors. I knew what people had been saying about him. For a year, everything had seemed like a dream and I chose to ignore it. He was my everything and I felt like things were perfect. But there was the problem. It was all too perfect. Too perfect for me to realize that there was anything going on.
It was a Tuesday night in November when I found out he was cheating on me. I told him that I wasn’t going to be able to make out ritual routine of getting waffles, and he said he was going to go anyways. “I’ll be thinking of you the whole time,” he said. “It just won’t be the same without you.”
As I sat at home, working on my loads of homework I had to get finished, I realized that I had never missed a waffle dinner and I wasn’t going to start this time because of homework. I jumped into my car and raced over to the Waffle Shop. As I pulled into the parking lot, I felt my stomach drop. I had been telling myself for a year that this couldn’t be true. That this wasn’t true. He was the one I shared everything with. The one who knew me better than anyone. He couldn’t possibly be doing this. I couldn’t believe it.
I blinked my eyes a few times. It wouldn’t go away. I blinked again, harder this time. This image of him kissing her wouldn’t leave. After a year, she finally learned to close her mouth and be quiet, and she decided to shut her mouth on my boyfriend. Had she set us up, only to tear us apart? Nothing was making any sense.
That was not the most confusing part, though. He turned around and saw me staring right at them. He could see the tears running down my cheek. He could see the shock and pain on my face. I know he could. But he looked at me in my eyes. Those beautiful green eyes looked straight at me. Then they turned away, without saying a word.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Lectio Divina
In class yesterday, we went through the ancient practice of....
Lecto Divinia!!!
This practice consisted of listening, reflecting, responding, and resting in the words we are reading. I particularly liked this class above the others was have done.
Reason #1: I had not slept at all the previous night. And when I say "at all" I honestly mean exactly that. I literally did not sleep at all and stayed up all night. Therefore, meditating and resting and taking things slowly with the words made class very nice.
Reason #2: I have been learning a lot more how to dig into the Word of God. God has been putting on my heart to grow in Him more and get to know His words and promises. So this practice in class showed me exactly how to do that! I can take my words that I am reading and really break each one of them down, meditate on them, and dig deeper into them.
Reason #3: I like history. I like learning more about history and what happened before me. It was really interesting for me to learn about the monks who would go through the process of Lectio Divina. I even felt cooler almost because I thought about how many monks and studiers of the Word did this before me and are continuing to do it now.
I like especially what Michael Casey said about what the monks did and what reading became. He said--
Reading became a dialogue with the text.
I love the way he put that! Not only are we just reading the text, but we are also engaging the text, and almost creating dialogue with the text. It is coming alive in how we
listen to the word
reflect on the word
respond to the word
and rest in the word.
Continuing to learn more and more about myself in this class,
Anna Marie
Lecto Divinia!!!
This practice consisted of listening, reflecting, responding, and resting in the words we are reading. I particularly liked this class above the others was have done.
Reason #1: I had not slept at all the previous night. And when I say "at all" I honestly mean exactly that. I literally did not sleep at all and stayed up all night. Therefore, meditating and resting and taking things slowly with the words made class very nice.
Reason #2: I have been learning a lot more how to dig into the Word of God. God has been putting on my heart to grow in Him more and get to know His words and promises. So this practice in class showed me exactly how to do that! I can take my words that I am reading and really break each one of them down, meditate on them, and dig deeper into them.
Reason #3: I like history. I like learning more about history and what happened before me. It was really interesting for me to learn about the monks who would go through the process of Lectio Divina. I even felt cooler almost because I thought about how many monks and studiers of the Word did this before me and are continuing to do it now.
I like especially what Michael Casey said about what the monks did and what reading became. He said--
Reading became a dialogue with the text.
I love the way he put that! Not only are we just reading the text, but we are also engaging the text, and almost creating dialogue with the text. It is coming alive in how we
listen to the word
reflect on the word
respond to the word
and rest in the word.
Continuing to learn more and more about myself in this class,
Anna Marie
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