Musings of a Scribbler

A Blessed Good Friday To You

10 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment

by goodgirllouise in Faith

The Anglican prayerbook has some amazing ancient hymns in it.  As they sum up my thoughts on Good Friday far more eloquently than anything I would right, I will copy one into this post!

Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle, sing the ending of the fray; now above the Cross, the trophy, sound the loud triumphant lay:  Tell how Christ, the world’s Redeemer, as a Victim won the day.

God in pity saw man fallen, shamed and sunk in misery, when he fell on death by teasting fruit of the forbidden tree: then  another Tree was chosen which the world from death should free.

Thus the scheme of our salvation was of old in order laid: that the manifold deceiver’s art by art might be outweighed: and teh lure the foe put forward into means of healing made.

Therefore when the appointed fullness of the holy time was come, he was sent, who maketh all things, forth from God’s eternal home: thus he came to earth, incarnate, offspring of a maiden’s womb.

Lo! he lies an infant weeping, where the narrow manger stands: while the Mother-maid his members wraps in mean and lowly bands: and the swaddling clothes is winding round his helpless feet and hands.

Thirty years among us dwelling, his appointed time fulfilled, born for this, he meets his passion, for that this he freely willed; on teh Cross the Lam is lifted where his life-Blood shall be spilled.

He endured the nails, the spitting, vinegar, and spear, and reed; form that holy Body broken, Blood and Water forth proceed: earth, and stars, and sky, and ocean by that flood from stain are freed.

Bend thy boughs, O Tree of glory; thy relaxing sinews bend; for a while the ancient rigor that thy birth bestowed, suspend: and the King of heavenly beauty on thy bosom gently tend.

THou alone was counted worthy this world’s ransom to uphold: for a shipwrecked race preparing harbor, like the Ark of old: with the sacred Blood anointed from the smitten lamb that rolled.

To the Trinity be glory everlasting, as is meet: equal to the Father, equal to the Son, and Paraclete: Trinal Unity, whose praises all created things repeat.  Amen

Even the Winds and the Sea…

06 Apr 2009 Leave a Comment

by goodgirllouise in Faith

Yesterday night we had a real humdinger of a storm.  And I mean it!  We were driving home right through the worst thunderstorm I have ever seen in my vast sixteen years of experince (:-?)

The sky was continually lit up by flashes of lightening and the thunder rolled all around us.  The rain was so driving that visibility was obscured.  We were all sitting on the edge of the seat–except for MG who had the misfortune to be sitting beside me: I had her pinned against the seat with my right arm–and I almost took chunks out of Andrew’s arm with my other hand.

Not many people were out–which was a good thing.  We certainly wished we weren’t out!  It is a very uncomfortable feeling to be driving down the only straight stretch of road for about ten miles in any direction while thunder (and trees) are cracking all around you.  There was a huge spruce tree down right in our lane, and farther down the road there was a tree all the way across the road.  Dad put the van in park and we jumped out to move it to one side of the road. The people who were driving behind us happened to be acquaintances of ours and they said trees fell right behind us.  When we got home, the power was out, and it stayed out until after eight this morning.

In general, I like storms.  I love being outside in a heavy summer rainstorm.  There is something about getting soaked to the skin that appeals to me–don’t laugh, it’s true.  As long as the temperature is in the fifties, I’ll hike around in a rainstorm in January.  I like thunder and lightening.  It’s thrilling to sit on the porch and listen to the thunder crash around you.  But storms like last nights are not my favorite.  It would have been better if we hadn’t been driving through it.  But as it was, all I had to do was sit still and think reruns of the tornados in ‘Day After Tomorrow’

So… another memory in my memory-album!

Living Day by Day

16 Mar 2009 3 Comments

by goodgirllouise in Faith

Dad and Sam--just walking at our someday home on the hill!

Planning my life has, sadly, become part of my day to day life.  I plan my day, I plan my week, I plan the month, I plan the next month!  I realize full well that this is part of the desire of any human to control ‘my’ life.  But I am coming to realize that some things cannot be controlled.
Overall, I believe, the realization has been good for me.  It is painful, at points to realize how incredibly foolish it is to attempt to plan my life for the next six years.  Who is to know what could happen between now and then?
In Advanced Math—something I’m seeing a lot of these days—there are these wonderful (kind of- I admit I have a love-hate relationship with them) abstract equations.  The problem is that it isn’t a simple set of equations ax + by = dz and px + jk = mr solve for x.  These are word problems.  They might even have a real number in there somewhere.  My job is supposed to be to assign the different variables and come up with the x of the solution—it’s still confusing, pardon my vagueness.  Still, I have to find the unknowns, and recognize the constants.
Applying that to my life, there are so many unknowns that I long to pop some numbers in for them and come out with an answer.  But that isn’t how we do it, because a, b, y, x, d, z, p, j, k, m, and r could all have incredibly different values than anything I compute.  Popping number into that won’t solve the problem.  So I have to find the constants.
What are the constants in my life?
My family.  I know Dad and Mom will always be there for me, ready with advice when I need it, and possibly ready with a good old-fashioned lecture, but if they are, it is safe to assume that I’ll need that too.  My brothers and sisters will always hold the special place in my life of confidantes and best friends (just a word of advice here, girls—that doesn’t mean you should try to confide in your brothers about your crush.  Bad, bad idea!  I know this from experience.  Save that for your sisters—as long as you think they’ll be sympathetic.  All of mine are currently in the stage of ‘ewww—gross!’)
My music is another constant.  I really believe that music and art are ways that God lets his light and love shine through people to hit other people who might not ever realize his presence otherwise.  Without music I do not know who I would be, or even scarier, what I would be.  Stopping now would be similar to tearing my heart (spiritual heart) out of my body with my bare hands, if you forgive the dramatic illusion.  Music is part of God’s presence in me.  It is an incredible gift to be returned to him every time my bow touches the strings
Last, but by no means least, my walk with Christ is constant in my life.  I hope and pray every day that I’ll never see a day that it isn’t.
And right there is where it gets tricky.  If I curl up in a ball, worrying about the future and being scared that there might be a day someday when I lose my faith for some bizarre reason, the chances are much greater that I could possibly wonder it into happening.
Therefore, another of my belated New Years Resolutions is to live from day to day.  Don’t worry about the choices that must be made tomorrow.  Live in today, love God today, draw close to Him today, and as today fades into tomorrow, let the warmth from God and the strength of his constancy in the Sacraments lead you and comfort you.  Repeat ad infinitum.
Christ summed it all up when he said, “Do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat, nor about your body, what you shall put on.  For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.  Consider the ravens:  they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them.  Of how much more value are you than the birds!  And which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his span of life?  If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?  Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith?  And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind.  For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them.  Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.  Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  Sell you possessions, and give alms; provide yourselves with purses that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
God wants us to succeed.  He wants to pick us up when we fall down.  All we have to do is walk from day to day with him.  With the promises listed above should that really be difficult?
So I’m done worrying.  I’m not going to worry about whether I’ll be able to go to the college I want to go to or not.  I’m not going to worry about where the money for college is going to come from—though that doesn’t mean I’ll stop looking for scholarships—it just means I won’t lose any more sleep over it.  I’m not going to worry about my limited budget.  I’m not going to worry about whether or not I’ll ever meet a guy who likes me and who just might be my Prince Charming.  I’m not going to worry about how I did at my GSA audition—even harder, but with God’s help I can do it.  I’m going to live in the present and love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.  And you know what, I think I already feel happier!