Six Words

My friend Camille  wrote this on her blog:

you've probably heard the story of how ernest hemingway was challenged to write a story in six simple words, and subsequently wrote, "for sale: baby shoes, never worn."

the online journal smith magazine has collected thousands of people's 6 word memoirs.  

And I decided to do the same.

As I've been thinking about it, this is what I've come up with:

Writing my life story with God. 

I am a writer. I always have been, and I always will be. Not only have a written stories about others and created their lives, but I'm also creating my life with every etch I make: every keystroke of action, every deliberation of decision, constantly moving my plot forward, learning how to create witty, thought-provoking, and beautiful dialog and forming my character. 

Of course, none of my story could even be possible without God. His gift of agency allows me to make decisions, and the gift of the Atonement gives me erasers and delete buttons, for which I am eternally grateful. 

Not only that, but as I learn and grow and write my story, I realize more and more how dependent I am on Him: for my plot, especially. He is the Master Storyteller and Editor. He has a better knowledge of how my story should play out than I do. And I'm learning to trust in His editing and foresight. Truly, He is the Author and Finisher of my faith . . . and my life story. I'm just grateful He gives me the chance to live and to . . .

Become nearer, my God, to Thee. 

Eeeee!

That, my friends, is a squeal of excitement.

Like when Liesel screams after Rolf kisses her on "The Sound of Music."




But no . . . I wasn't kissed. Not tonight, anyway.

But, I applied for an internship with the Church Magazines last Friday. And tonight I got an e-mail saying that they want me to send in my portfolio!

This doesn't mean that I'll get the internship (I still have to send in my portfolio and then, if they still like me, I'll be interviewed. And if they still like me after that, I'll get the job).

But for the moment it means that . . .

They like me! They really like me!

And it feels so good.

Eeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (too many for an English major, I know. But that's okay.)

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

There are some days and weeks when I wonder why I am an English major. I usually wonder this when am forced to analyze something I hate and write paper after paper for that class. Those are hard days.

And then there are classes that make it all worth it. These classes make the bad days disappear and I realize, "Yes. Yes! This is why I'm an English major!" 

My later British literature class with Professor Steve Walker is one of these classes. One of these amazing, inspiring, life-changing classes that make me rejoice in the beauty of language, ideas, and literature. It's a class that I'm excited to go to every day. It could be at eight o' clock and I'd still be excited to go to it. 

Really. 

The discussions Professor Walker conducts are incredible. I learn so much from him and from my fellow classmates. And I hope they're learning from me. I love how Professor Walker's words of advice: 

"I'm a dreamer," he says. "True love and high adventure. I say go for it." 

My roommates can attest to how much I love this class. I come home every day and just gush about how interesting and inspiring the ideas we discussed were. 

Like our discussion on Keats's "To Autumn." We talked about the movement in the poem, and how it moves from life to death, company to solitude, light to dark . . . but that the tone is not melancholy, because it talks about fulfillment. Autumn is a time of harvest and commencement. Yes, life is ending, but there is a story to be told. There is so much beauty to be found in a life well-lived.

Or our discussions and questions in Keats's "Ode on a Grecian Urn": How important is anticipation? Is the first kiss really the best kiss? Is the anticipation of the first kiss even better? How do we find joy in life knowing that, more often than not, our expectations will fall short of reality? How big should we dream? 

Or when we discussed Wordsworth's "We Are Seven" and talked about loss . . . and what is gained in loss. 

I don't know how well I'm expressing myself . . . but I hope that you at least get a taste of why I love this class so much. 

The questions of literature really do address the fundamental questions of life. They don't always have the answers, but they ask the questions so I can answer them myself. 

Literature helps me to live deliberately.