to chelleybutton and autosmiler (which, yes, means possible hp spoilers)

A question that has been haunting me (for years):
Dean Thomas's muggle mother did not know his father was a wizard. When he left them to protect them when Dean was a baby and then was killed, as far as Dean's mother knew, he had just walked out. Now. Hogwarts sends letters to the parents of muggle-borns to tell them what's going on when their kid gets their Hogwarts letter. Did Dean's mother receive a letter? Or was she left going, 'what the heck is all this about and what am I supposed to do about it?' And if that's the case, how did she figure out the Diagon Alley/King's Cross bits?
Scout said this weekend that she thought they probably sent a letter explaining everything, including Dean's father's death, but then Hobbitsister pointed out that why on earth would Mrs. Thomas send her son to the wizarding world if all she knew of it is that it killed her husband? Plus also, I believe that in the 7th book he said he was on the run because he didn't know his blood status.
I just don't know what to think.

Book Review: "Tolkien's Mythology for England," by Edmund Wainwright

Good grief, I'm glad I didn't pay more than a pound for this one. I don't like a book where I don't feel I can trust the author. Many incorrect or misleading statements, a general showing of lack of knowledge, and some poor grammar made me leery the whole way through. He brought some interesting things to the realm of Tolkien studies, but, because of his lack of credibility in previously covered areas, I'm not sure how much of it actually benefits Tolkien scholarship. This one will be going to Half-Price Books.

in addition to the sweet game i got (as pictured on facebook)...

the universe gave me this

http://www.mobypicture.com/user/ZacharyLevi/view/16381931

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Christmastime thought for 2013

For once I'm not down at Christmas. YAY!!! So exciting. However, my heart is sore from the way people are fighting, bickering. My heart is sore for Christianity in America. I'm tired of everything being a fight. I'm tired of hearing from both sides. Am I saying that Christians shouldn't stand up for what they believe? No, not at all. But I'm tired of us saying something, them being outraged, us fighting back. It wears a person down. And that's satan's goal; either that we stop fighting because we're tired or that we get so consumed with defending ourselves that we fail to realize that we're full of anger and pride.
There are times when I feel very heavily the "long defeat." "I am a Christian...[so] I do not expect ‘history’ to be anything but a ‘long defeat’..." (Tolkien, emphasis mine). It makes me weary. Thankfully I know how it turns out after 'history.'


"O Come, O Come, Emmanuel"

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

Refrain
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And teach us in her ways to go.

Refrain

O come, Thou Day-spring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

Refrain

O come, Desire of nations, bind
In one the hearts of all mankind;
Bid Thou our sad divisions cease,
And be Thyself our King of Peace.

Refrain


Amen. Come LORD JESUS!

apparently i'm just not a girl anymore

i went to my cousin's son's wedding tonight. the bride was beautiful, the groom was happy, the cake was good. blah blah blah. the older i get, though, the more i realize i don't like weddings. so much of it is cheesy - the unity candle, the songs, the made-up vows (cuz heaven knows you can't just recite the standard ones anymore - people want to know how you really feel about each other). and as far as a wedding for me would go, i want the dress, but is it worth having to stand up there and have people stare at you for 45 minutes? is it worth having to do the whole receiving line thing? and no matter how hard you try to dissuade people from making you kiss at the reception, they do and your food gets cold (or, in my hypothetical wedding situation, my ice cream melts). you have to listen to speeches that neither you nor your guests want to have to sit through; and those making them don't want to have to do it either. and, while i know i wouldn't have to have one (and i won't), i don't like dances (seriously? white people dancing? no one wants to see that) (unless it's ballroom dancing - then i'm all for it).
the more i think about weddings, the more i think i don't want one.

dear mr. hottie-pants,

i'm sorry i didn't comment to you about the lack of green beans last night or wish you merry Christmas or anything. i'm even sorrier i didn't park way down the block, but instead made a u-turn and came back and parked on the other side of the street, so there was no need for me to ask you to walk me to my car. but what can i say. i didn't feel cute, and you're still a smoker. naught will come of us at this rate.

wow

apparently 7 years worth of posts coupled with a bunch of short ones in a row makes the current posts not take up a full page. (if that doesn't make sense, scroll to the bottom.) crazy.

thought of the night (though said better by the pastor)

if you're struggling with a sin, constantly praying that GOD will help you overcome it yet being unsuccessful, the reason you're not overcoming it is because a small part of you is still clinging to it.

Oxford summation

“A great shadow has departed,’ said Gandalf, and then he laughed and the sound was like music, or water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count. It fell upon his ears like the echo of all the joys he had ever known. But he himself burst into tears. Then as sweet rain will pass down a wind of spring and the sun will shine out the clearer, his tears ceased, and his laughter welled up, and laughing he sprang from his bed.”
- The Return of the King

so annoying

why do we have to be polite when people are being offensive? i mean, yes, we can call them on it, but we can't tell them off they way i'd like to. so not fair.

middle-earth news website

this contributor's biography sounds strangely familiar:

"After being dragged to see The Fellowship of the Ring back in 2001 with her dad, Myla fell head-over-hobbit-feet in love with Middle-earth. Myla is a self-proclaimed hobbit who would love nothing more than to be able to live peacefully in the Shire and go on the occasional adventure with Bilbo.She has a habit of becoming too attached to fictional characters and buying too many books. When she’s not in class or studying, Myla enjoys creating art whenever she can and collecting all things relating to Tolkien. She never gets tired of exploring everything there is concerning J. R. R. Tolkien’s world."

i love it, no really

sometimes i even miss the smell of the basement of the church where we have my small group, even if i was just there yesterday. don't know how i went 6 weeks w/o them.

building holiday party today

me: ooh! all-building party today. there might be boys! i'm so gonna be on the prowl.

me at the party: ooh! there's a boy! i think i'll stand here at this table with my girls.

the end.

"I have so many questions for the "Where are you Christmas? Why can't I find you?" singer. Number 1: "WHO GOT YOU THIS DRUNK?"" - Wil Nettleton

""Last Christmas" is a strange song. It's been 12 months and we're just now addressing this situation? The person it was written to has to be like "Give your heart to whoever you want, crazy. WE BROKE UP A YEAR AGO."" - Wil Nettleton

Travel Journal - Oxford, pt. 4 pt. b

Day Eleven (cont.) - Then that evening came. As I was getting ready for bed I started thinking about what a great day it had been. How I had gotten to do two of the things I really, really wanted to do on this trip. And how amazing this trip was. And how it had come about because I finally listened to GOD and stepped out in faith like HE wanted me to. And how after I stepped out in faith to go on this amazing trip, life-changing not only because any travelling is, but also because it was teaching me the wonder of obedience and the wonder of having a dream; after this step of faith, GOD provided a job that is a great fit, working with great people. Here I was experiencing grace upon grace. I cried.
And then I realized that for the first time in my adult life I am in a good place. Never as an adult have I experienced life without a cloud over my head. And it's not just that everything is going well, with the trip and a job and a church and a small group. It's the obedience, the trust, the assurance, the hope. The freedom. And so I bawled. And bawled. And I started wondering, do people actually feel like this? The elation I feel of late I know doesn't come to everyone and doesn't last for those to whom it does come, but what of the dark cloud? Do other people actually not have that?  Is that a thing? Oh my GOD, is this what it's like to be normal? Is this what it feels like for those who live without depression and/or depressive tendencies? "The people who walked in darkness have seen a great Light; those who dwelt in the land of intense darkness and the shadow of death, upon them has the Light shined." "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. And the Light shines on in the darkness..." Oh my GOD! Is this what life is? For the first time in my adult life I am in a good place. I didn't know this was even possible. I didn't know what I was missing. I didn't even know that it existed. Sure I knew that there were people filled with more joy than I had, people who didn't lean toward depression, but oh my GOD, I had no idea what it's like without the cloud. The discovery of this was beyond words.
And I bawled. And bawled.

Travel Journal - Oxford, pt. 4 pt. a

Day Eleven - In the afternoon I went to Magdalen College's Botanic Garden, which had been recommended by the Tolkien Society. I found the tree by which he stood in the last known picture of him, which really is an impressive tree, but other than that, I wasn't too enthused. It was pretty, yes, but I felt that there really were other things I would rather have seen. Next time, I guess. The morning, though, had been, I don't know what the right word would be. Meaningful? Notable? Affecting? I've been looking at thesaurus.com for the past I don't know how long not finding the word to convey what I mean. This is the morning I went to Tolkien's grave alone. I was there for over an hour. And I cried. I couldn't help but wonder if anyone who saw me there thought I was some pathetic fantasy nerd who was overwhelmed by crazy American sentiments toward her hero, the kind of American fan Tolkien never understood, and while he never said it in so many words, frankly didn't like. But that's not it. I cried out of thankfulness and appreciation for all the times he's been a light to me in a dark place, all the times he's helped pull me out of despondency. I cried out of admiration for the way he let his faith permeate his life, which is what allowed him to help me as he has. I cried for him not knowing that. I cried for the fact that I feel like one of the people I feel would most understand me lived and died before I was born, so I'm not able to know him. I cried for all the discussions we could have had. I cried for the fact that I was fulfilling a dream just by being at the grave. Was it all a tad ridiculous? Maybe to others. To me it was a natural reaction, one of gratitude and regard. Maybe after all this I did need to just go to that garden and sit by a tree. Late in the afternoon I went to his church for Mass. Those old Catholic churches leave a woman in awe. Such reverence for GOD in a place like that. Also, I was overwhelmed by the thought of the Body of CHRIST, stretching over millennia and nations and denominations. Beautiful. And that was most of my day.