The Weight

A lot of people are familiar with C.S. Lewis' Weight of Glory, and it's a great essay. But there are other things that I feel have the same weight... perhaps they are part of the same glory. Today, for me, I feel the weight of Joy. I think that so often I've thought that Joy was light... light-hearted... light-footed, a dancing leaping and laughing thing. It can be, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE!

There are heavy joys, like seeing a friend who's regained her hold on reality, like being free from a sin that you never noticed before, like having died to even a good thing you once held too dear, like being given the opportunity to see God revolutionize people's lives.

These are not giggles and skittles, daisies or puppies or orange juice. These things are dark chocolate, classical music, fine wine, flame-colored roses, lions, and wide quiet smiles. They are weighty joys.

359. Toasted Poptart Smell
360. Birthdays
361. Red Vines
362. Spontaneous iced coffee
363. Laurel's red teapot
364. Wall-maps
365. Weighty Joys
366. Old friends made right
367. Card games with my mother
368. Conviction, Confession, and Grace
369. Pushing my mom through pain
370. God uses our trials in the lives of others
371. Lloyd Alexander's books

Some of my favorite people...

On Being a Teacher...

Being a teacher has its pros and cons. You get summers "off" and you get to spend your time teaching kids to learn and think... these are just a few of the pros. I love it.

But there are cons as well. While you may have summers "off" they aren't really "free". I am still constantly thinking about my classes, students, and what I need to make ready. Then comes the part where you actually have to put it down on paper, and this takes a surprisingly long period of time, especially at the beginning of the year or when you are teaching a class you have never taught before.

All that to say, I have been living with Bach for the last several days. He's pretty fantastic. I've always known this, but I've been well reminded. The question then becomes, "How do I teach Bach?" Which then cascades and fractals into a myriad of other questions:

"Should I try to teach them to sing some of his harmonies?"
"Should I make them listen to him at home?"
"How can I make this more than just a homework assignment?"
"How can I teach them to love good music?"
"How much should I make the class self-led?"
"How can I teach the stories that make up the music?"
"Should I make them draw? Sculpt? Write music?"
"Should I offer extra credit?"
"How much vocabulary should I require them to know?"
...
...
...

I could keep going...

Whatever the case is, I love my students and am thankful for them... even in the summer.

346. Fellowship where you see God's hand working a pattern through lives
347. A friend who trusts me
348. Bach
349. Friends who drive a long way to see me
350. My students
351. Green plants outside my window
352. I can move my wrist and arm all around
353. I can cook
354. My brother Kevin's hugs
355. The smell of sandalwood soap
356. Socks
357. Strange books that make me think
358. Doggy fur

More from my days in Istanbul

I have discovered that one of my favorite things is stacks of color. It doesn't matter too much about what colors they are... but bright ones are good. You stack colors in bowls, scarves, towels, or books and suddenly I don't really want them to used them, but to have them stacked in my house in all their pretty colors. =)

Istanbul

I really like Istanbul. I've been there enough that I feel comfortable getting around and I enjoy all there is to see.

There is one major drawback to Istanbul though. As a young blond woman I gather far more attention than I would like (which would ideally be almost none!). In fact, I thought my TV spy shows had gotten me a little paranoid on this last trip over because at one point I thought someone might be following me. I paid some extra attention and kept an eye out only to find out that I was being followed! Hmmm... maybe I need more spy shows.

Anyway, here are few pics from my last trip through there.

337. Gift Certificates for things I really want coming out of the blue (or really heaven, hehe)
338. Friends who come over spontaneously
339. Farmer's market
340. Fresh cut grass
341. My mother's surgery going well
342. Learning a new way God has used me
343. I get to see my sister today
344. Family sounds
345. Running Water