Friday, November 30, 2007

Thoughts from my day

1. Activity has increased in our home in the past several weeks, but because I feel normal again (for the first time in a lot longer than I realized - and my "normal" is optimistic and energetic, generally speaking), the activity is no longer overwhelming. Which is good because, friends, the Gates' home is busy.

2. I'm reading The Secret Garden, the children's book. Has anyone else read it? It was a gift a long time ago that I neither discarded nor read until now. Do all children's stories touch on redemption? Did I just miss it when I was younger? I love The Magic and the children who speak it every morning ... it's a sweet story. Though, honestly, as a child I would have found it bor-ing.

3. I gripe about naps and fret over teaching "no," but let's be clear - my child really is like Mary Poppins. Today we went to lunch with a friend; he ate an hour late, and sat in a high chair for over an hour, with not one complaint. Nothing. Just sat there, eating his little tomato and turkey and talking to the light fixtures and pointing at the other kids. Seriously? A better baby does not exist.

4. This comment was so good, and it got posted late, so I'm giving it the attention it deserves now. From Emily, during the recent discussion of worship: "Knowing that I get that same feeling, despite my lack of belief, shows that whatever it is, it is not a) a gift from a petty God who denies grace to all those who do not believe in him or b) a figment of imagination brought on by belief in God." I would really like to sit quietly and listen to Greg and Emily talk about God.

5. I like to think of myself as a basically compassionate person, but I am no good at break-ups. It's because I've never done it. I never broke up with anyone - which is not to say I haven't had my heart broken, just not in that specific way. I get all matter-of-fact when I should be ... I am not sure what, but less of what I am. I'm working on it, though.

4 comments:

Emily said...

I suspect Greg and I would probably argue more than talk quietly :)

I loved The Secret Garden as a child. LOVED it. (But not as much as The Little Princess, also by Burnett.) Here in England, we take a lot of day trips to historic manor houses, and there is one (Wakehurst Place) we've been to twice that has what can only be called THE secret garden on the grounds. It is beautiful.

Emily
http://wheelsonthebus.wordpress.com

Anonymous said...

Emily may be right, but I find it delightful and ironic that I would be seen as making the "God" argument in this debate. I'm so used to being on the other side that it would be fun to switch for once. For what it's worth, I don't believe in God either, but I clearly believe in the sacred. The difference is interesting because my dear friends here and on my blog still count me as a friend and fellow-traveler. That says something about them and the sacred as well.

Angela said...

Yesterday, I spent an hour listening to the scientist who headed up the genome project speak to the fact that when he began the project, he was an athiest, but that in the completion of this project, he came to believe in God. It was so powerful to listen to his explanation of how that happened....I believe his name was Michael Collins. I think. Maybe. Anway. It was wonderful to listen to.

Anonymous said...

In retrospect, it was probably an inappropriate forum to do this, but a synopsis of this week's episode of FNL is in the comment section of Mr. H's most recent post.