I had a wonderful long-awaited supper with a dear friend early this morning, and if not for the dear friend's husband who was waiting for his frog's leg porridge at home, I suppose our conversation could have gone on and on. I was filling her in on what's been happening recently in my life and she was updating me on her upcoming holiday and a lot more stuff. Mostly personal stuff.
We went to this coffeeshop at Geylang Lorong 3 to have the porridge. The place offers an "order 3 frogs' legs, get two more free" deal. We decided that both of us could eat three legs, and we asked them to pack the other two legs for her husband who was still waiting up for her despite his very tiring work routine. I ordered lime juice and she went for a herbal drink (luohanguo with longan). We also ordered a dish of stir-fried vegetables (doumiao).
I found it interesting that the lady waitress who was serving us kept recommending us their top dishes, which of course would have also meant high prices. We resisted all her polite recommendations. We had opted for a table by the roadside, which was on hindsight a bad choice because there were many vehicles stopping by and some cabs parking there, on the prowl for customers. So we breathed in quite a bit of car exhaust plus some cigarette smoke from the nearby tables.
We were discussing the cable show Ed because we found out only during supper that both of us watch the cable show. I was telling her that I thought the actor who played Ed was very cute - he has that shy demeanour and blue eyes. I've a very soft spot for guys with a gentle and soft demeanour, even though some sometimes hide behind an aloof facade. There was a lot of to-ing and fro-ing between the two main protagonists in the show, and we both wondered what the third season would bring for them. She said it took her a while to get into what the show was about, and how a bowling alley fitted into it. I watched only the last two or three episodes of the second season as well.
Then she talked about the Oprah Winfrey show, and how the recent episode showcased a new way of getting 3D images of a person's heart and how the 3D images could be moved around to get a look at the different areas of the heart. Oprah's heart condition was like that of a 19-year-old - her heart arteries were strong and clear! I then told her about this article I had read on the Internet about the effects of drug and alcohol addiction on the brain, and how brain activity is impaired by such addictions but that the brain starts recovering 100 days after the person stops taking drugs or alcohol.
She then told me that she was going to do ear-candling. I was intrigued because I didn't know how that worked. She explained to me that a hollow candle is placed into the ear, and the wick is lit. The heat causes a vacuum to form in the hollow candle and so the ear wax is sucked out through the candle. I've never done that before, and I told her that I may schedule myself for ear-candling or a hearing test (either I've got too much ear wax or I'm losing my hearing). The tendency to talk louder is linked to hearing loss because one talks louder in order to hear one's words clearer. My friends have been commenting that I talk too loudly in public.
There were some interesting characters in the coffeeshop, and one group of them left. I was so distracted by them that it took me close to 30 seconds to continue from where I left off. I won't say what actions led to me being thrown off my track but suffice to say they reminded me that I was in Geylang.
My friend and I talked about many other things but, as usual, the most important, precious and personal ones will be safely stored in the memories and in the heart. She is also one of the few friends who understand me well and can be patient with my nonsense, my spiels, my ramblings as well as my intensity.
We kind of told each other that we would leave by 2am. But we were still settling the bill around 2.30am. My friend called her husband to tell him to wait a while longer for his porridge. :-P
We stepped away from the table and the coffeeshop. She very kindly waited for another cab to come by (despite thoughts of a very hungry husband) before we both boarded the two cabs and went separately on our way home. I smsed her to say that I had a wonderful time catching up with her.
This is part of what life is about, isn't it? :-)
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Returning to the source
Yesterday, I was wondering what book of the bible to do a serious study of (with Matthew Henry's help), and the answer was Malachi. I had chosen it because it was the last book of the Old Testament, and I just wanted to proceed from the last book all the way till Genesis. And then I would go through the New Testament.
I had no inkling of what Malachi was all about, but when I read the first few lines, it read like God's personal rebuke to me. I felt extremely chastened by especially these words:
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?" says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name."
It caused me to do a spiritual check, and there are many areas where I have been found wanting, and in which I need to be less flippant about. I need to remember not to take God for granted but at the same time, I also need to be aware that I'm not saved by works but grace through Christ's sacrifice on the cross and that good works come about because of my response to God's grace and in testimony of my faith in him.
Thus my first and most important consideration is always developing my personal relationship with Christ - always seeking to be in the inner courts. That I need to look out for instances where I could be too busy concerning myself with works that I forget to go back to the source - God - and rest in Him, and spend time with Him.
A pastor once said that it's very easy to gauge how our walk with God is by the way our relationships with others are coming along.
I had no inkling of what Malachi was all about, but when I read the first few lines, it read like God's personal rebuke to me. I felt extremely chastened by especially these words:
"A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?" says the Lord of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name."
It caused me to do a spiritual check, and there are many areas where I have been found wanting, and in which I need to be less flippant about. I need to remember not to take God for granted but at the same time, I also need to be aware that I'm not saved by works but grace through Christ's sacrifice on the cross and that good works come about because of my response to God's grace and in testimony of my faith in him.
Thus my first and most important consideration is always developing my personal relationship with Christ - always seeking to be in the inner courts. That I need to look out for instances where I could be too busy concerning myself with works that I forget to go back to the source - God - and rest in Him, and spend time with Him.
A pastor once said that it's very easy to gauge how our walk with God is by the way our relationships with others are coming along.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Silent Night
I just finished watching this movie called Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) - an Oscar nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. It was based on true events that happened during Christmas in 1914 where, as the Observer article below put it, "Weary men climbed hesitantly at first out of trenches and stumbled into no man's land. They shook hands, sang carols, lit each other's cigarettes, swapped tunic buttons and addresses and, most famously, played football, kicking around empty bully-beef cans and using their caps or steel helmets as goalposts. The unauthorised Christmas truce spread across much of the 500-mile Western Front where more than a million men were encamped."
Here are some links on the Christmas Truce:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1376965,00.html
These two articles give an overall picture of the events that happened.
http://www.christmastruce.co.uk/letters.html
This website is devoted to Operation Plum Puddings, which aims to collate the many letters printed in UK regional papers from soldiers who took part in the Christmas Truce of 1914. About 80 letters from 100 newspapers have been transcribed so far. This website's home page also has a link to a list of the songs that were sung by the soldiers during the truce. It's A Long Way To Tipperary made it to the list as did Silent Night, Onward Christian Soldiers and the Austrian anthem :-)
I read some of the letters, and went through the first two articles. What amazed me was how these men decided that even though there was a war, peace could still be had for a while on Christmas. There was even a short English-German service held by an English clergyman! The reason the higher authorities knew about the truces was that the soldiers had written about them in their letters home! But most heartbreaking was the fact that for some of these letter writers, they never made it home.
There are two books written about the 1914 Christmas truce:
1. Christmas Truce - M Brown and S Seaton. (out of print, but second-hand editions available at amazon - I checked)
2. Silent Night, The Remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914 - Stanley Weintraub. (I hope I can find it at Kino!)
I think it's very encouraging to know that God's Spirit does touch people even in the most terrible of times, the most difficult of circumstances and that for a moment, as a character in the movie said: "We can forget about the war."
Here are some links on the Christmas Truce:
http://www.firstworldwar.com/features/christmastruce.htm
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1376965,00.html
These two articles give an overall picture of the events that happened.
http://www.christmastruce.co.uk/letters.html
This website is devoted to Operation Plum Puddings, which aims to collate the many letters printed in UK regional papers from soldiers who took part in the Christmas Truce of 1914. About 80 letters from 100 newspapers have been transcribed so far. This website's home page also has a link to a list of the songs that were sung by the soldiers during the truce. It's A Long Way To Tipperary made it to the list as did Silent Night, Onward Christian Soldiers and the Austrian anthem :-)
I read some of the letters, and went through the first two articles. What amazed me was how these men decided that even though there was a war, peace could still be had for a while on Christmas. There was even a short English-German service held by an English clergyman! The reason the higher authorities knew about the truces was that the soldiers had written about them in their letters home! But most heartbreaking was the fact that for some of these letter writers, they never made it home.
There are two books written about the 1914 Christmas truce:
1. Christmas Truce - M Brown and S Seaton. (out of print, but second-hand editions available at amazon - I checked)
2. Silent Night, The Remarkable Christmas Truce of 1914 - Stanley Weintraub. (I hope I can find it at Kino!)
I think it's very encouraging to know that God's Spirit does touch people even in the most terrible of times, the most difficult of circumstances and that for a moment, as a character in the movie said: "We can forget about the war."
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard
quietnotes called me one day to ask me whether I was free to attend Rickie Lee Jones concert with her because noisynotes had an overseas work assignment and had to give up his ticket. I had wanted to go for the concert already so I said yes. The concert was at the Esplanade at 11pm yesterday.
I met quietnotes at Pantry Magic at Holland Village where she was buying a muffin baking mould. She asked the staff to measure the width and depth of the individual muffin moulds because they had to be of a certain depth and width. Unfortunately, they were not but she bought the mould anyway. Apologies to baking enthusiasts who may be reading this, and reeling in horror from any misused baking terms.
We then drove to the Botanical Gardens basement foodcourt for dinner. During the drive, quietnotes talked about a crappy experience earlier that afternoon involving the exchange of a $90 red blouse (button issue) at MD that led to her buying a pair of $20 earrings to compensate for her wasted time at the boutique. She said she had chosen her concert outfit to match the new pair of earrings.
We parked and walked to the basement foodcourt. We ordered one big serving of hor fun, a two-person portion of roast meat and roast duck, a huge portion of vegetables with salted egg and century egg, one green apple juice and one watermelon juice. The quality of the food was good and I was delighted because this was the first time I had been to this foodcourt.
quietnotes talked about her recent Taiwan trip and her visit to the home of a bilingual Taiwanese writer Lin Yu Tang. She also said that she had been quite frustrated over the red blouse episode, but when she drove home from the boutique, she was totally over the moon because one of her orchids had bloomed. Her dogs were shocked by her athletic prowess as she ran past them, up the stairs and into her room to grab a camera. She dashed downstairs and took around 100 digital shots of the bloom (okay, one to two shots only). She showed me photos of the beautiful bloom.
We ate slowly not merely because we over-ordered but also because we had plenty of time to kill. I was telling quietnotes about the session I had earlier at the YWCA. I was being interviewed by an experienced counsellor to assess whether I was suitable to go through the intermediate round of training before I became a volunteer lay counsellor. I told her that I was very nervous and shaky during the session, but the counsellor told me that he would e-mail me regarding the course training so I think I passed. Then I told her about some stuff from two books that I had read recently - The Undercover Economist and Freakonomics. As always, quietnotes very politely listens to me ramble on about stuff that I don't think she's very interested in.
Before we knew it, we were stuffed and there was still quite some food left. quietnotes had an intense debate with her inner self on whether to doggy-bag the food or just leave it be. This went on for close to 15 minutes. She said that she didn't like to waste food. I, of course, merely said that if we were to doggy-bag the food, then we would have to drive back to her place so that we can refrigerate the food rather than leave the food in the boot of her car till the concert was over. At the 16th minute, quietnotes decided: Heck, let's leave it. We left the air-conditioned area and adjourned to the outdoor area to have teh-si.
While we were having teh-si, quietnotes related to me about how she has marked down a certain "domestic goddess" (big hint: NL) because her muffin recipe was unclear in certain areas. Her first attempt at muffin-baking resulted in literally true-blue blueberry muffins - 12 of them. noisynotes ate one blue one and said: "health food, huh?" She ate three, and gave the rest to her dogs who gobbled them down. quietnotes told me that she was undaunted by that unfortunate event, and had taken on the challenge of baking muffins again but this time, using a different baking book.
We finished our teh-si and drove to the Esplanade carpark. We entered the carpark at 9.50pm only to realise that entry after 10pm was $1 per entry and that before 10pm, it was $4. We decided then that we wouldn't go for drinks to save the $3. We walked to the Esplanade shop to kill some more time, and she bumped into the wife of a close friend. So the wife brought us to him and we spent some time discussing ideas and books with him. He made tea for quietnotes.
Soon, it was close to 11pm. So we walked to the concert hall and to our seats. I knew that a colleague and her boyfriend (the AA duo) were also attending the concert. It just happened that as we were proceeding along our row, I saw A and introduced him to quietnotes. The other A had gone to the restroom, but I managed to wave to her before the concert started.
The lights dimmed and Rickie Lee Jones walked on stage. Handclaps, whistles and shouts (whooping?). She proceeded to talk as she sat at the piano while the emcee was trying to get a word in. Finally she noticed him and he was able to introduce her to the audience. Following that, the concert started with her singing four of her old songs as she was playing the piano. Quintessential Rickie Lee Jones.
After that, she walked to centre stage and the rest of her extremely groovy band appeared. And she played songs from her latest album The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard. And I was instantly hooked. This is the first time that I've been exposed to such a mind-boggling performance, as quietnotes put it. I think that this is the best live concert I've been to so far in my life.
Her voice, her range, her improvisation, her sound, her emotions --- unmatchable. I was in awe and extremely happy that I was there in person to listen to her. I was leaning forward in my seat for most of the concert just so I can catch her singing better and totally focus on her and her band. The band was fabulous, totally in sync with her. Absolutely of one mind.
I told quietnotes that in the transition from her four old songs at the piano to her songs from the new album, I sensed joy. It was a powerful feeling that I got from the way she performed her new songs. quietnotes said that to her, the new songs were more matured and more textured.
To me, the other amazing thing was that Rickie Lee Jones' music sounded so modern --- the band's sound was so eclectic and so superb. And her very distinct way of singing topped everything. quietnotes said the concert seemed like a religious experience. It was one of a kind and truly Rickie Lee Jones embodies everything that is wonderful and excellent in a live performance. As of now, I'm still a bit stunned and still trying to come to terms with what I've heard and seen. Two words: Blown away.
We drove to HV where quietnotes lived, and she dropped me off near Cold Storage because I wanted to get a drink. One of her constant refrains after the concert when we bought Rickie Lee Jones' new album was: "Don't listen to it until one or two months after. You'll be disappointed because the concert was so good."
I think I'll follow her advice because then, I can indulge in memories of the concert that much longer, and also look back with joy and contentment on a day well-spent.
www.rickieleejones.com
I met quietnotes at Pantry Magic at Holland Village where she was buying a muffin baking mould. She asked the staff to measure the width and depth of the individual muffin moulds because they had to be of a certain depth and width. Unfortunately, they were not but she bought the mould anyway. Apologies to baking enthusiasts who may be reading this, and reeling in horror from any misused baking terms.
We then drove to the Botanical Gardens basement foodcourt for dinner. During the drive, quietnotes talked about a crappy experience earlier that afternoon involving the exchange of a $90 red blouse (button issue) at MD that led to her buying a pair of $20 earrings to compensate for her wasted time at the boutique. She said she had chosen her concert outfit to match the new pair of earrings.
We parked and walked to the basement foodcourt. We ordered one big serving of hor fun, a two-person portion of roast meat and roast duck, a huge portion of vegetables with salted egg and century egg, one green apple juice and one watermelon juice. The quality of the food was good and I was delighted because this was the first time I had been to this foodcourt.
quietnotes talked about her recent Taiwan trip and her visit to the home of a bilingual Taiwanese writer Lin Yu Tang. She also said that she had been quite frustrated over the red blouse episode, but when she drove home from the boutique, she was totally over the moon because one of her orchids had bloomed. Her dogs were shocked by her athletic prowess as she ran past them, up the stairs and into her room to grab a camera. She dashed downstairs and took around 100 digital shots of the bloom (okay, one to two shots only). She showed me photos of the beautiful bloom.
We ate slowly not merely because we over-ordered but also because we had plenty of time to kill. I was telling quietnotes about the session I had earlier at the YWCA. I was being interviewed by an experienced counsellor to assess whether I was suitable to go through the intermediate round of training before I became a volunteer lay counsellor. I told her that I was very nervous and shaky during the session, but the counsellor told me that he would e-mail me regarding the course training so I think I passed. Then I told her about some stuff from two books that I had read recently - The Undercover Economist and Freakonomics. As always, quietnotes very politely listens to me ramble on about stuff that I don't think she's very interested in.
Before we knew it, we were stuffed and there was still quite some food left. quietnotes had an intense debate with her inner self on whether to doggy-bag the food or just leave it be. This went on for close to 15 minutes. She said that she didn't like to waste food. I, of course, merely said that if we were to doggy-bag the food, then we would have to drive back to her place so that we can refrigerate the food rather than leave the food in the boot of her car till the concert was over. At the 16th minute, quietnotes decided: Heck, let's leave it. We left the air-conditioned area and adjourned to the outdoor area to have teh-si.
While we were having teh-si, quietnotes related to me about how she has marked down a certain "domestic goddess" (big hint: NL) because her muffin recipe was unclear in certain areas. Her first attempt at muffin-baking resulted in literally true-blue blueberry muffins - 12 of them. noisynotes ate one blue one and said: "health food, huh?" She ate three, and gave the rest to her dogs who gobbled them down. quietnotes told me that she was undaunted by that unfortunate event, and had taken on the challenge of baking muffins again but this time, using a different baking book.
We finished our teh-si and drove to the Esplanade carpark. We entered the carpark at 9.50pm only to realise that entry after 10pm was $1 per entry and that before 10pm, it was $4. We decided then that we wouldn't go for drinks to save the $3. We walked to the Esplanade shop to kill some more time, and she bumped into the wife of a close friend. So the wife brought us to him and we spent some time discussing ideas and books with him. He made tea for quietnotes.
Soon, it was close to 11pm. So we walked to the concert hall and to our seats. I knew that a colleague and her boyfriend (the AA duo) were also attending the concert. It just happened that as we were proceeding along our row, I saw A and introduced him to quietnotes. The other A had gone to the restroom, but I managed to wave to her before the concert started.
The lights dimmed and Rickie Lee Jones walked on stage. Handclaps, whistles and shouts (whooping?). She proceeded to talk as she sat at the piano while the emcee was trying to get a word in. Finally she noticed him and he was able to introduce her to the audience. Following that, the concert started with her singing four of her old songs as she was playing the piano. Quintessential Rickie Lee Jones.
After that, she walked to centre stage and the rest of her extremely groovy band appeared. And she played songs from her latest album The Sermon on Exposition Boulevard. And I was instantly hooked. This is the first time that I've been exposed to such a mind-boggling performance, as quietnotes put it. I think that this is the best live concert I've been to so far in my life.
Her voice, her range, her improvisation, her sound, her emotions --- unmatchable. I was in awe and extremely happy that I was there in person to listen to her. I was leaning forward in my seat for most of the concert just so I can catch her singing better and totally focus on her and her band. The band was fabulous, totally in sync with her. Absolutely of one mind.
I told quietnotes that in the transition from her four old songs at the piano to her songs from the new album, I sensed joy. It was a powerful feeling that I got from the way she performed her new songs. quietnotes said that to her, the new songs were more matured and more textured.
To me, the other amazing thing was that Rickie Lee Jones' music sounded so modern --- the band's sound was so eclectic and so superb. And her very distinct way of singing topped everything. quietnotes said the concert seemed like a religious experience. It was one of a kind and truly Rickie Lee Jones embodies everything that is wonderful and excellent in a live performance. As of now, I'm still a bit stunned and still trying to come to terms with what I've heard and seen. Two words: Blown away.
We drove to HV where quietnotes lived, and she dropped me off near Cold Storage because I wanted to get a drink. One of her constant refrains after the concert when we bought Rickie Lee Jones' new album was: "Don't listen to it until one or two months after. You'll be disappointed because the concert was so good."
I think I'll follow her advice because then, I can indulge in memories of the concert that much longer, and also look back with joy and contentment on a day well-spent.
www.rickieleejones.com
Monday, March 12, 2007
Emily and Christina (II)
The Emily Dickinson trail led me to an NYT article that had the headline - Here's The Problem With Emily Dickinson. (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/27/weekinreview/27vinciguerra.ART.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5088&en=8649f7722e8e0c5f&ex=1290747600&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss)
And this was how I came across Christina Rossetti, the 19th century British poet, who was described as someone whose poetry was the natural overflow of her confidence in and submission to Jesus, her Lord and Saviour.
I promptly hunted for her literature, and here are some of her poems which struck a chord with me:
A Better Resurrection
I have no wit, no words, no tears;
My heart within me like a stone
Is numbed too much for hopes or fears.
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift mine eyes, but dimmed with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is in the falling leaf:
O Jesus, quicken me.
My life is like a faded leaf,
My harvest dwindled to a husk:
Truly my life is void and brief
And tedious in the barren dusk;
My life is like a frozen thing,
No bud nor greenness can I see:
Yet rise it shall--the sap of spring;
O Jesus, rise in me.
My life is like a broken bowl,
A broken bowl that cannot hold
One drop of water for my soul
Or cordial in the searching cold;
Cast in the fire the perished thing;
Melt and remould it, till it be
A royal cup for Him, my King:
O Jesus, drink of me.
Up-hill
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when 'ust in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labor you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
De Profundis
Oh why is heaven built so far,
Oh why is earth set so remote?
I cannot reach the nearest star
That hangs afloat.
I would not care to reach the moon,
One round monotonous of change;
Yet even she repeats her tune
Beyond my range.
I never watch the scatter'd fire
Of stars, or sun's far-trailing train,
But all my heart is one desire,
And all in vain:
For I am bound with fleshly bands,
Joy, beauty, lie beyond my scope;
I strain my heart, I stretch my hands,
And catch at hope.
And this was how I came across Christina Rossetti, the 19th century British poet, who was described as someone whose poetry was the natural overflow of her confidence in and submission to Jesus, her Lord and Saviour.
I promptly hunted for her literature, and here are some of her poems which struck a chord with me:
A Better Resurrection
I have no wit, no words, no tears;
My heart within me like a stone
Is numbed too much for hopes or fears.
Look right, look left, I dwell alone;
I lift mine eyes, but dimmed with grief
No everlasting hills I see;
My life is in the falling leaf:
O Jesus, quicken me.
My life is like a faded leaf,
My harvest dwindled to a husk:
Truly my life is void and brief
And tedious in the barren dusk;
My life is like a frozen thing,
No bud nor greenness can I see:
Yet rise it shall--the sap of spring;
O Jesus, rise in me.
My life is like a broken bowl,
A broken bowl that cannot hold
One drop of water for my soul
Or cordial in the searching cold;
Cast in the fire the perished thing;
Melt and remould it, till it be
A royal cup for Him, my King:
O Jesus, drink of me.
Up-hill
Does the road wind up-hill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day's journey take the whole long day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting-place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when 'ust in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labor you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yea, beds for all who come.
De Profundis
Oh why is heaven built so far,
Oh why is earth set so remote?
I cannot reach the nearest star
That hangs afloat.
I would not care to reach the moon,
One round monotonous of change;
Yet even she repeats her tune
Beyond my range.
I never watch the scatter'd fire
Of stars, or sun's far-trailing train,
But all my heart is one desire,
And all in vain:
For I am bound with fleshly bands,
Joy, beauty, lie beyond my scope;
I strain my heart, I stretch my hands,
And catch at hope.
Emily and Christina (I)
Today, I read an article by Jay Ladin titled Meeting Her Maker: Emily Dickinson's God (http://www.crosscurrents.org/articlelist.htm ) This led me to a few of her poems highlighted in the article:
Of Course - I prayed
Of Course-I prayed-
And did God Care?
He cared as much as on the Air
A Bird-had stamped her foot-
And cried "Give Me"-
My Reason-Life-
I had not had-but for Yourself-
'Twere better Charity
To leave me in the Atom's Tomb-
Merry, and Nought, and gay, and numb-
Than this smart Misery.
Those - dying then
Those -- dying then,
Knew where they went --
They went to God's Right Hand --
That Hand is amputated now
And God cannot be found --
The abdication of Belief
Makes the Behavior small --
Better an ignis fatuus
Than no illume at all.
It was too late for Man -
It was too late for Man --
But early, yet, for God --
Creation -- impotent to help --
But Prayer -- remained -- Our Side --
How excellent the Heaven --
When Earth -- cannot be had --
How hospitable -- then -- the face
Of our Old Neighbor -- God -
I was intrigued enough to go online and do a key word search - Emily Dickinson Poems. Came across this website which has a good biography on her, including her family background which helps explain her views of God as expressed in the three poems above. I have to say, though, that one can't judge a poet's relationship with God by just these three poems, but they do offer an insight into her spiritual struggles. http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/sort_poems_by_first_lines#poems
Of Course - I prayed
Of Course-I prayed-
And did God Care?
He cared as much as on the Air
A Bird-had stamped her foot-
And cried "Give Me"-
My Reason-Life-
I had not had-but for Yourself-
'Twere better Charity
To leave me in the Atom's Tomb-
Merry, and Nought, and gay, and numb-
Than this smart Misery.
Those - dying then
Those -- dying then,
Knew where they went --
They went to God's Right Hand --
That Hand is amputated now
And God cannot be found --
The abdication of Belief
Makes the Behavior small --
Better an ignis fatuus
Than no illume at all.
It was too late for Man -
It was too late for Man --
But early, yet, for God --
Creation -- impotent to help --
But Prayer -- remained -- Our Side --
How excellent the Heaven --
When Earth -- cannot be had --
How hospitable -- then -- the face
Of our Old Neighbor -- God -
I was intrigued enough to go online and do a key word search - Emily Dickinson Poems. Came across this website which has a good biography on her, including her family background which helps explain her views of God as expressed in the three poems above. I have to say, though, that one can't judge a poet's relationship with God by just these three poems, but they do offer an insight into her spiritual struggles. http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/emilydickinson/sort_poems_by_first_lines#poems
Saturday, March 10, 2007
From that second, it's like everything changed
Addicts are weak. Weak of mind, weak of character. They're wilfully self-destructive. They're unbearably selfish. They must be. Otherwise they'd stop hurting themselves and hurting others as well, right?
Well, wrong.
Repeated use of drugs and alcohol alters the way the brain works, and consequently thought, speech and action. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease.
ABC News published an excerpt recently from a new book Addiction: Why Can't They Just Stop?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2929254&page=1
What experts said in the excerpt:
Gantt Galloway, PharmD, a scientist in the Addiction Pharmacology Research Laboratory at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, explains, "If we look at recovery as a lifelong process that may include one or many relapses, a far more realistic view of success emerges. We need to think of a treatment trajectory: it may take five, seven, nine times before they get it. Chronic depression has similar success rates. Seizure patients? The noncompliance rate is just as high. High blood pressure? All they have to do is take their medicine. It's not as difficult as staying sober, but the rate of noncompliance is just as high."
Michael Dennis, PhD, a senior research psychologist in the Lighthouse Institute of Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington, Illinois, says that 70 percent of the patients relapse after their first time in treatment. "It's not like fixing a broken bone," he says.
"It's not as simple as just saying no, or just stopping," he argues. "Once someone's arrived at the chronic condition of alcohol or drug dependence, it's not that easy for them to quit."
The excerpt featured some examples of the impact of addiction on the addict's life and the impact on the family. As well as a few true-life stories. Highly sobering, with a Gallup drug addiction poll of 902 adults last year showing that the words immediate family members used were "devastating", "abusive", and "horrible" to describe the strain on their emotional health. Almost half said they suffered from shame over having an addicted family member.
The website also has a video interview in which scans of the brain are shown and how the brain is affected by drug or alcohol addiction. The visual evidence was most stark: The lights literally go out on the brain after addiction but the brain does start recovering from the abuse after 100 days.
The good news from the book and the excerpt: Addiction can be successfully treated but it takes time.
When reading through the excerpt, especially the real-life stories, I was drawn to Psalm 31:9-17 and 31:23-24
Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble;
My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes,my soul and my body!
For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
For I hear the slander of many;
Fear is on every side;
While they take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.
But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed;
Let them be silent in the grave.
Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!
For the LORD preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD.
Well, wrong.
Repeated use of drugs and alcohol alters the way the brain works, and consequently thought, speech and action. Addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease.
ABC News published an excerpt recently from a new book Addiction: Why Can't They Just Stop?
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2929254&page=1
What experts said in the excerpt:
Gantt Galloway, PharmD, a scientist in the Addiction Pharmacology Research Laboratory at the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, explains, "If we look at recovery as a lifelong process that may include one or many relapses, a far more realistic view of success emerges. We need to think of a treatment trajectory: it may take five, seven, nine times before they get it. Chronic depression has similar success rates. Seizure patients? The noncompliance rate is just as high. High blood pressure? All they have to do is take their medicine. It's not as difficult as staying sober, but the rate of noncompliance is just as high."
Michael Dennis, PhD, a senior research psychologist in the Lighthouse Institute of Chestnut Health Systems in Bloomington, Illinois, says that 70 percent of the patients relapse after their first time in treatment. "It's not like fixing a broken bone," he says.
"It's not as simple as just saying no, or just stopping," he argues. "Once someone's arrived at the chronic condition of alcohol or drug dependence, it's not that easy for them to quit."
The excerpt featured some examples of the impact of addiction on the addict's life and the impact on the family. As well as a few true-life stories. Highly sobering, with a Gallup drug addiction poll of 902 adults last year showing that the words immediate family members used were "devastating", "abusive", and "horrible" to describe the strain on their emotional health. Almost half said they suffered from shame over having an addicted family member.
The website also has a video interview in which scans of the brain are shown and how the brain is affected by drug or alcohol addiction. The visual evidence was most stark: The lights literally go out on the brain after addiction but the brain does start recovering from the abuse after 100 days.
The good news from the book and the excerpt: Addiction can be successfully treated but it takes time.
When reading through the excerpt, especially the real-life stories, I was drawn to Psalm 31:9-17 and 31:23-24
Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble;
My eye wastes away with grief,
Yes,my soul and my body!
For my life is spent with grief,
And my years with sighing;
My strength fails because of my iniquity,
And my bones waste away.
I am a reproach among all my enemies,
But especially among my neighbors,
And am repulsive to my acquaintances;
Those who see me outside flee from me.
I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
I am like a broken vessel.
For I hear the slander of many;
Fear is on every side;
While they take counsel together against me,
They scheme to take away my life.
But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD;
I say, “You are my God.”
My times are in Your hand;
Deliver me from the hand of my enemies,
And from those who persecute me.
Make Your face shine upon Your servant;
Save me for Your mercies’ sake.
Do not let me be ashamed, O LORD, for I have called upon You;
Let the wicked be ashamed;
Let them be silent in the grave.
Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints!
For the LORD preserves the faithful,
And fully repays the proud person.
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD.
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