Live Like We're Living

(^Best C.S. Lewis quote ever. So I thought I'd start with that. Because if you like nothing else in this post, you're gonna come away with at least something. :))

I popped in to check in on our blog today. Why? Because I should be reading The Iliad. But I'd rather blog. And as I wandered through all the posts that I have half-written, I decided not to post any of them.

But rather to post this, a charming and moving little video that I discovered this morning, because it's been on my mind the whole day. Because it warms my heart, and makes me want to dance for joy. Because if we all lived like this, we'd all smile a lot more, and laugh a little louder. Because living each day, finding the joy and the impeccable beauty in every single moment, is awesome.

I know I've mentioned the Book of Awesome multiple times. But I think it bears repeating. It's truly beautiful. It's a little reminder that today we've been granted 86,400 seconds to spend as we please. And it's a challenge: How are you going to spend your 86,400 seconds?

God's given us those precious seconds, He's given us 86,400 opportunities to immerse ourselves in the dance of life, to love someone, to make them smile, to laugh, and to seek out the beautiful and awesome.

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful." --Mae West.

(^ And I end, as I began, with a quote. Clive may have had better morals than Mae, but this sassy lady said some wickedly hilarious (and insightful) things. This quote explains why I listen to songs like this on repeat. Can't get enough of it. :) )

No, We're Not Dead. Yet

It's just been crazy busy lately. Normal posting might resume sometime soon. In the meantime, I give you this random picture of an adorable little kitten.




And remember, Jesus loves you very, very much!

Speaking of the Summit...

While avoiding the Archimedes props that I need to learn for the Lab final, I found this article by Raquel Welch about changing sexual mores in America after the advent of the Pill in the 60's. What's really interesting is that she doesn't approach the issue from an explicitly religious perspective, but she still doesn't think that all is sunshine and roses because of contraception and female empowerment.

Hat tip for the article to Father Longenecker.

Dangerous

When you have a 1500 word philosophy paper due in less than a day, do NOT visit this blog. You will get sucked in. So many pretty, shiny books! I'm going to read this one, and this one, and oh look! My TBR (To-Be-Read) list is now 300+ books long!

History Lesson of the Week

While browsing the web (read: not studying Euclid and Aristotle), I came across this post by Fr. Dwight Longenecker. Fr. Longenecker is a most fascinating person, a former Anglican clergymen who converted to Catholicism in 1995 and was ordained a priest in 2006 (his bio is here).

In the article, Fr. Longenecker tackles those age-old Catholic bogies, Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, with an impressive even-handedness that is all-together too rare nowadays.

A brief excerpt:

The Whig version of history--that Henry VIII was a rumbustious Englishman who took England in hand, cleaned up the corrupt English Church and enjoyed the fair wenches in his court is certainly a simplistic and stupid reading of the Tudor period of English history. Similarly, the myth of 'Good Queen Bess' the Virgin Queen, stepping onto cloaks thrown over puddles and flirting with princes while being 'married to England' makes for good patriotic English propaganda, but it too is a sort of Black Adder version of English history.

However, it is also a travesty to take an extremely opposite view: that Henry VIII and Elizabeth were fairy tale wicked monarchs who hated the Catholic Church and did everything they could to bring Protestantism to the land--that Henry was simply a lusty creep who wanted to abandon good Queen Catherine for his pretty paramour, and would do anything to bed Boleyn. Likewise seeing Elizabeth as the wicked witch of the West who likes torturing Jesuits is silly.

In fact, the Tudor revolution in England had fascinating political, economic and religious ramifications...

Go thou and check it out!