"Now What is History?"

"Now what is history? It is the centuries of systematic explorations of the riddle of death, with a view to overcoming death. That's why people discover mathematical infinity and electromagnetic waves, that's why they write symphonies. Now, you can't advance in this direction without a certain faith. You can't make such discoveries without spiritual equipment. And the basic elements of this equipment are in the Gospels. What are they? To begin with, love of one's neighbor, which is the supreme form of vital energy. Once it fills the heart of man it has to overflow and spend itself. And then the two basic ideals of modern man-without them he is unthinkable-the idea of free personality and the idea of life as sacrifice."

-Boris Pasternak, Doctor Zhivago.

"I wanted movement and not a calm course of existence. I wanted excitement and danger and the chance to sacrifice myself for my love. I felt in myself a superabundance of energy which found no outlet in our quiet life."

-Leo Tolstoy.

Take Two

New year, new start. At least that's what they all seem to say right? I'm not so sure about a fully new start, as there are some things from last year that just shouldn't change (read: friends). But I am excited to come back to school with a fully new perspective. I've come up with a list of things that I want to accomplish for myself this coming year. As follows,

1. Learn to articulate myself. I know, this was on my list of things to accomplish over my summer, but what can I say?? It's a hard goal to reach-at least for me. So I'm still working on it, but by next May, if all goes to plan, you can expect to see a most polished orator out of me.

2. Stop obsessing over my man-less state of being, and just let things happen. This isn't really a goal I'm worried about achieving; it's more about maintaining my current state of mind. God has a plan in all things, so I really am just shooting myself in the foot by obsessing over things that will just happen in their own good time. So I've given it all up to God, who has a much more capable hand than I do anyways. So, I'm determined to kick back, relax, and enjoy this life God has blessed me with, and not worry and fret that I don't have a special someone to share it with... yet.

3. Read more books. I should clarify this statement a bit more, as anyone who knows me well would just say that I read plenty of books as is. What I mean is, I'm going to stop re-reading the same books over and over again. I re-read books like crazy, and while that is wonderful, and I discover new things every time I re-read these old friends of mine, I've begun to feel like I really should expand my horizons-bookwise. This does not mean that I'm just going to read any old book though. I am going to make a list of books that I will read this coming year. On it so far are Into the Wild (which I'm currently reading), The Road, This Side of Paradise, Pride and Prejudice, Death with Interruptions, Doctor Zhivago and many more. I am making an exception to re-read Harry Potter in November in celebration of the Seventh movie's release, though. Hey, a girl deserves a break right?

The Alchemist

"We are afraid of losing what we have, whether it's our life or our possessions and property. But this fear evaporates when we understand that our life stories and the history of the world were written by the same hand.

"You must understand that love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love... the love that speaks the Language of the World.

"One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.

"The wise men understood that this natural world is only an image and a copy of paradise. The existence of this world is simply a guarantee that there exists a world that is perfect. God created the world so that, through its visible objects, men could understand his spiritual teachings and the marvels of his wisdom.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity.

"It's not love to be static like the desert, nor is it love to roam the world like the wind. And it's not love to see everything from a distance, like you do. Love is the force that transforms and improves the Soul of the World. When I first reached through to it, I thought the Soul of the World was perfect. But later, I could see that it was like other aspects of creation, and had its own passions and wars. It is we who nourish the Soul of the World, and the world we live in will be either better or worse. And that's where the power of love comes in. Because when we love, we always strive to become better than we are."

-Paulo Coelho

God's little gift!

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted a Jeep. Ask my parents, and they will tell you that as a child, my dream car was a hot pink Jeep Sahara. My dad quickly shot that dream down, by telling me in no uncertain terms that there was no way I would ever drive an open-air Jeep while I was living in his house. This did not kill my dream to drive a Jeep, though. Instead, I began to develop an obsession with Jeep Cherokees. I don't know what it is, but I have always loved these cars! Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you that given the choice between a Porsche and a Jeep Cherokee, I would definitely choose the Jeep. As I started work this summer, I worked with the goal of earning a car. I wanted so badly to buy myself a Jeep, but I just didn't know if I would have the funds (I only had about $3,500 tops to work with). But God provided, and I just bought my very first car-and yes it is a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. I can't even begin to explain how excited, and grateful, I am! God, you are SO good!

You Can Stand Under My Umbrella

I just got back from the Rihanna/Kesha concert. Totally worth $10, not because it was amazing, but because I had so much fun. Yeah, the singing was terrible, and Kesha was high out of her mind. And yeah, Rihanna was really weird, and had terrible costumes, and bad songs (for the most part). But she closed the concert with the song "Umbrella". I forgot how much I love this song. Seriously. It's so cute! Every time I hear it, I smile. And I hadn't heard it in such a long time. So hearing it tonight as her closing song totally made the whole show worth it. So I'm sharing it here. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvBfHwUxHIk

Captivating

"A woman in the presence of a good man, a real man, loves being a woman. His strength allows her feminine heart to flourish. His pursuit draws out her beauty. And a man in the presence of a real woman loves being a man. Her beauty arouses him to play the man, it draws out his strength. She inspires him to be a hero.

"She is the crescendo, the final, astonishing work of God. Woman. In one last flourish creation comes to a finish not with Adam, but with Eve. She is the Master's finishing touch.

"God desires that wherever and however you offer yourself to the Body of Christ, you'll have the protection of good men over you. Not to hold you back, but to set you free as a woman. Christ has made man his warrior, to offer his strength on behalf of Eve so that she might flourish."