Pleasant Inns

Even though I am hardly living in a settled season, God showing me many blessings along the way, including this most beautiful place as my current home!

"The Christian doctrine of suffering explains, I believe, a very curious fact about the world we live in. The settled happiness and security which we all desire, God withholds from us by the very nature of the world: but joy, pleasure, and merriment, He has scattered broadcast. We are never safe, but we have plenty of fun, and some ecstasy. It is not hard to see why. The security we crave would teach us to rest our hearts in this world and oppose an obstacle to our return to God: a few moments of happy love, a landscape, a symphony, a merry meeting with our friends, a bathe or a football match, have no such tendency. Our Father refreshes us on the journey with some pleasant inns, but will not encourage us to mistake them for home."

--C.S Lewis, The Problem of Pain

Decisions, decisions

Each day brings another swing...

first I had my heart set on staying another year

then an unexpected scholarship to Georgetown came in

next I heard that my application to Aix had been lost in the mail

now they've found it again.

After July 8th I should hear back from the school in Aix as to whether or not I've been admitted. If so, I have a tough decision to make! If not, I'll start at Georgetown this fall. Please pray for peace and wisdom in this time, especially with the craziness of two weeks of kid's camp starting on Monday. :)

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth; [The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost] Remets ton sort à l'Eternel, et il te soutiendra Il ne laissera jamais chanceler le juste. --Psaume 55,23

To my little brother

...the king of funny faces on Skype, chocolate mustaches at all hours of the day, and improvised weaponry. Two more days until you get to discover my city! :)

Good Friday

This is all our stories. We have those thoughts and those things that weigh so heavily upon us. Whispering to us. Promising things to us. Doubts, sins, addictions, uncertainties, and ambiguities mark more of our lives than the clarity and holiness, do they not? We savor those moments of bliss, freedom, and rest because they are a foretaste of a kingdom that is already “here” but is becoming ever increasingly “here” as we love, live, serve, create, and worship. And this is what Holy Week is all about. We join with all the saints of history in the growing crescendo of time in our struggle with angst and sin. The tension and mourning of this season is building to its highest point this week — to its most feverish pitch as we lose all sight of self-sufficiency until we fall on our faces, exhausted, late on a Friday night; confused, weary, and given up.

And then wait for Sunday to come.

[Via Paul Burkhart]

Waiting for Resurrection - David Sessions - Patrol Magazine Posted using ShareThis

More Balèti and Breton dancing

Some friends of mine play in a folk group (both Provençal and Breton music) and recently helped inaugurate a new bar/tabac across town. A local webchannel filmed the event and put together a great video showcasing some of the music and dancing:

Happy St Patrick's Day!

In honor of today: St Patrick's Breastplate/The Prayer of Saint Patrick

I bind unto myself today
The strong Name of the Trinity,
By invocation of the same,
The Three in One and One in Three.

I bind this day to me for ever.
By power of faith, Christ's incarnation;
His baptism in the Jordan river;
His death on Cross for my salvation;
His bursting from the spicèd tomb;
His riding up the heavenly way;
His coming at the day of doom;
I bind unto myself today.

I bind unto myself the power
Of the great love of the cherubim;
The sweet 'well done' in judgment hour,
The service of the seraphim,
Confessors' faith, Apostles' word,
The Patriarchs' prayers, the Prophets' scrolls,
All good deeds done unto the Lord,
And purity of virgin souls.

I bind unto myself today
The virtues of the starlit heaven,
The glorious sun's life-giving ray,
The whiteness of the moon at even,
The flashing of the lightning free,
The whirling wind's tempestuous shocks,
The stable earth, the deep salt sea,
Around the old eternal rocks.

I bind unto myself today
The power of God to hold and lead,
His eye to watch, His might to stay,
His ear to hearken to my need.
The wisdom of my God to teach,
His hand to guide, His shield to ward,
The word of God to give me speech,
His heavenly host to be my guard.

Against the demon snares of sin,
The vice that gives temptation force,
The natural lusts that war within,
The hostile men that mar my course;
Or few or many, far or nigh,
In every place and in all hours,
Against their fierce hostility,
I bind to me these holy powers.

Against all Satan's spells and wiles,
Against false words of heresy,
Against the knowledge that defiles,
Against the heart's idolatry,
Against the wizard's evil craft,
Against the death wound and the burning,
The choking wave and the poisoned shaft,
Protect me, Christ, till Thy returning.

Christ be with me, Christ within me,
Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

I bind unto myself the Name,
The strong Name of the Trinity;
By invocation of the same.
The Three in One, and One in Three,
Of Whom all nature hath creation,
Eternal Father, Spirit, Word:
Praise to the Lord of my salvation,
Salvation is of Christ the Lord.

Balèti!

This week I had the chance to attend my first balèti, a Provençal folk dance, with lots of live music and steps that reminded me very much of contra dancing in the United States. Unlike the contra dances, however, a balèti also includes a lot more couple dances, such as polkas and mazurkas, and several different varities of chain dances, called farandoles. There were also bourrées and waltzes and quadrilles, as well as one dance I had originally learned as "Soldier's Joy." It was fun to recognize so many of the steps! Our musicians included two fiddlers, a bagpipe player, several recorders or flutes, a clarinet, a guitar and several accordions. Often the musicians would take turns swapping out so they could dance, too, and would occasionally remind the other dancers that it was generally well thought of to buy the musicians drinks... :) The dance itself was free, hosted in a brasserie in Aix, but the owner did good business at the bar with thirsty dancers. When the weather warms up the dances will take place in the open air--it will almost be like the Renoir painting!