Author Archive: Julia
Lose sight of the shore
“One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.” — André Gide To live a life of faith, we must be willing to relinquish the illusion of control. This does not imply being imprudent or foolhardy, but it does suggest that our vision is limited …
Another step toward simplicity
“Still another step toward simplicity is to refuse to live beyond our means emotionally. In a culture where whirl is king, we must understand our emotional limits.” — Richard J. Foster Even positive emotions can become overwhelming. Solitude, meditation or prayer are powerful allies in our struggle to remain balanced amid the tumult of stirring events that …
Strangely enough
“Strangely enough, this is the past that somebody in the future is longing to go back to.” — Ashleigh Brilliant The older I get, the easier it is to romanticize the past. Of course, some memories are rightly cherished, and today we have difficulties (many of which are technology-related) that past generations did not have to worry about. …
Faithfulness to a small task
“We are not called to save the world, solve all problems, and help all people. But we each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world…we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time.” — Henri Nouwen …
Almost like talking
“Traveling is almost like talking with men of other centuries.” — source unknown; widely attributed to René Descartes Whether the area features a landscape that goes back one century or many, whether the ruins are real or reconstructed, I always feel a keen sense of connection to what came before. All places new to me have in common …
A contribution to reality
“A good poem is a contribution to reality. The world is never the same once a good poem has been added to it.” — Dylan Thomas I tend to think of time spent reading poetry as a luxury, and certainly it’s possible to live without it. But poems have had a place in my life …
Endlessly fascinated
“If you approach each new person you meet in a spirit of adventure, you will find yourself endlessly fascinated by the new channels of thought and experience and personality that you encounter.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Even within a single culture or location, there are no two people alike. In fact, I’ve never known any two …
Something of the marvelous
“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” — Aristotle I’m not a cold weather person, but I love the beauty of snowy landscapes. From the lacy brilliance of an ice-covered branch catching sunlight, to the stark magnificence of Alaska’s glaciers, frozen water takes an endless variety of forms, each a singular masterpiece.
January beckons
“January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons. Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell: cold, crisp, woolen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys. Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly. All of nature is at peace. We should be, too. Draw hearthside. This is …
Ring out the false, ring in the true
Verses from In Memoriam A.H.H. by Alfred, Lord Tennyson Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, The flying cloud, the frosty light: The year is dying in the night; Ring out, wild bells, and let him die. Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is …
Silence so deep
“You wake up on a winter morning and pull up the shade, and what lay there the evening before is no longer there–the sodden gray yard, the dog droppings, the tire tracks in the frozen mud, the broken lawn chair you forgot to take in last fall. All this has disappeared overnight, and what you …
To see takes time
“…in a way – nobody sees a flower – really – it is so small – we haven’t time – and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time…So I said to myself – I’ll paint what I see – what the flower is to me but I’ll paint it big and …
Try again
“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” — Samuel Beckett I have always loved this quote. It acknowledges the predominance of failure along with the crucial importance of tenacity. From the early explorers, to Abraham Lincoln, to Thomas Edison and countless other examples, world history teaches us that the ability to fail repeatedly without giving up …
God’s furniture
Who has not found the heaven below Will fail of it above. God’s residence is next to mine, His furniture is love. — Emily Dickinson Regardless of my personal circumstances (and probably even more so when times are difficult), I never feel the love of God so directly as when I am outdoors amid “His …
To select well
“To select well among old things is almost equal to inventing new ones.” — Nicolas Charles Trublet On the day after Christmas, many of us are sifting through our old belongings to make room for the new gifts we received the day before. But some of us have a hard time parting with things, even …
Unconditional joy
“Joy to the world! Whether the world deserves it or not.” — Ashleigh Brilliant Wishing you a beautiful day full of the unearned graces that can only come from above. Merry Christmas!
Joy shall be yours
“Villagers all, this frosty tide, Let your doors swing open wide, Though wind may follow, and snow beside, Yet draw us in by your fire to bide; Joy shall be yours in the morning!” — Kenneth Grahame, from The Wind in the Willows Christmas Eve has long been my favorite day …
You can’t buy Christmas
“You can’t buy Christmas: you have to make it.” — Ashleigh Brilliant Store displays can amuse and inspire, but each Christmas is a home-made treasure. Here’s hoping that you are creating a happy one this year.
The gift not yet opened
“The most splendid Christmas gift, the most marveled and magic, is the gift that has not yet been opened. Opaque behind wrapping or winking foil, it is a box full of possibilities…Often what precedes is better than what follows, even when, like Christmas Day, what follows is good.” — Gregg Easterbrook As with other happy …
As if it cost a fortune
“He has the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil. Say that his power lies in words and looks; in things so slight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count ’em up: what then? The happiness he gives, is quite as …
Every year I dream
Lyrics from the song A Christmas Dream by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice Recorded by Perry Como (You can listen to the song and see some beautiful Christmas photos here.) Watch me now, here I go, all I need’s a little snow Starts me off, sets the theme, helps me dream my Christmas dream …
Any simple thing
“Christmas in 1949 must compete as never before with the dazzling complexity of man, whose tangential desires and ingenuities have created a world that gives any simple thing the look of obsolescence—as though there were something inherently foolish in what is simple, or natural.” — E. B. White, in The New Yorker, December 1949 We are …
Give freely and abundantly
“Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” — Annie Dillard Don’t count me among the cynics who think the holiday season is primarily a commercial enterprise. I love the way people give each other gifts at this time of year. Yes, there are too many …
Like of each thing
“At Christmas I no more desire a rose Than wish a snow in May’s new-fangled mirth; But like of each thing that in season grows.” —William Shakespeare When we moved to Virginia from California, I missed having roses in December. Yet I was happy to be living once again in a climate similar to that …
Defeat Despair 