HandiCapable

A lot of great movies came out this year… I have funny taste in movies, and I haven’t seen all the movies I want to from 2008, so I won’t claim that these are the best movies of the year overall, but they were certainly my pick of the crop. Again, in no particular order… though #1 may be my actual #1.

1. P.S. I Love You
2. The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2
3. The Spiderwick Chronicles
4. Vantage Point
5. What Happens in Vegas
6. Kung Fu Panda
7. Mama Mia!
8. Horton Hears a Who
9. Get Smart
10. Wall-E
11. Iron Man
12. The Dark Knight
13. Prince Caspian
14. Marley and Me
15. Yes Man
16. Juno
17. The Incredible Hulk
18. 27 Dresses
19. Fool’s Gold
20. The Other Bolyn Girl

Very few of these books were actually written this year, but this list is just some of the books I’ve read throughout the year that I love tremendously. If you like to read, I recommend any and all of these titles to you. I’ve listed them 1-10, but they are not necessarily in the order of my favorites… I tried to do that and failed miserably, because it’s rather impossible to choose a favorite among favorites, especially in such a diverse collection as this. I’ve added a brief synopsis of each, so you can decide for yourself which you prefer to try out. Happy reading!

1. Dracula, by Bram Stoker
   Fiction. The vampire book that started it all… I’m not a vampire fanatic, but Stoker gets major kudos for his brilliant way of weaving a thrilling tale by using private diary entries to explain the situation from a first-person standpoint.
2. The Contested Public Square, by Greg Forster
   Nonfiction. Very academic survey of the Christian church from its birth in persecution to the present, and all the political shifts, conflicts, and imbalances that have made it what it is today. Fascinating and incredibly enlightening.
3. How Can A Good God Let Bad Things Happen?, by Mark Tabb
   Nonfiction. Insightful and vulnerable answers are given based on the consistent character of God and his relationship with humanity.
4. Rilla of the Island, by L.M. Montgomery
   Fiction. The last in the Anne of Green Gables series. I loved this one the most because I related to Rilla more than Anne, in her time of life and the circumstances of war and responsibility which she faced.
5. The Dark Sea of Darkness, by Andrew Peterson
   Fiction. A fantastical tale of three siblings and their adventures together - both funny and dangerous, this thrilling story is the beginning of a series which I’m sure will be as magical and allegorical and Lewis’ Narnia.
6. Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye?, by Carolyn McCulley
   Nonfiction. Written by an older single woman, this is a very encouraging and inspiring book of how to live life to the fullest as a single person.
7. The Shack, by William Young
   Fiction. I would love to discuss this book with a group sometime, because there was so much meat in it to chew on. A rich description of the relationship between the Trinity, and with us. Very intellectually and spiritually stimulating.
8. American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
   Fiction. Gaiman is a genius, and wrote another fabulous fantasy in which the main characters are mythological gods from all over the world. There are many twists and turns, and I couldn’t put it down… when it was over I wished it wasn’t.
9. The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
   Fiction. A beautifully illustrated story about magic and machines, and the power of the imagination.
10. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde 
    Fiction. Fastinating portrayal and study of the human psyche. I could philosophize for hours.

I just got back from a four-day adventure in Memphis with my family… and my computer doesn’t remember me. How sad! ‘Tis true, though… when I check my email, blog, profile, etc., every day I don’t have to type in my name or whatever, but I leave for a long weekend and what happens? I come back and type in all my info again and have to ask my dear computer to please remember me… until the next time it forgets. Oh well, the small inconveniences in life are completely worth it when I get to play with my baby nephew. He’s pretty much the most awesome child EVER. He’s a super-happy kid - maybe because he watches Disney classic movies from dawn to dusk, but most likely it’s because he has such amazing parents. It makes me particularly comforted to know that his favorite fairy tale is Sleeping Beauty, as it is mine too. Someday he will make a wonderful prince for a wonderful princess. He and his mom and dada are coming to visit us in two months, and it would be awesome if he remembers me… but if he doesn’t, I’ll love him and kiss him and remind him again and hope he remembers the next time.

I didn’t see three ships, because we’re in the piedmont, between the mountains and the sea. The beat of those twelve drums are fading away as I quietly sit and dream in these last few hours of Christmas Day.

I got some pretty amazing stuff from my family, including a new keyboard, one of my favorite movies on dvd (”Stardust”), and a lovely lacey top. Also got a gift from a friend that came with an explanation dripping with sarcasm, so my reception of the gift was one of confusion. We all went to see the movie “Marley and Me” tonight, and laughed and cried, and ran home to hug and kiss our own Marley, who we call Beau.

Tomorrow we drive ten hours to visit my brother Andrew and his family… aka, spoil my nephew completely. So in a way, Christmas isn’t really over yet. We still have colored lights to see, gifts to open, and desserts to eat, and family to enjoy. I hope your Christmas isn’t quite over either. Merry post-Christmas day to you all, and to all a good night.

Sorry again for the delay… I’m telling you, the last four days just aren’t as interesting to write about as the others. No secret cultural message in dancers and musicians… Music is indeed a universal language.

The ten lords a-leaping bring to my mind the image of James Marsden in “Enchanted” - my favorite role Marsden has played so far. If you’ve seen the movie, I imagine you understand what I mean, and may even be chuckling over the remembrance of it. And can you think of the famous “ten” in the Bible the lords represent? That’s right, the commandments.

The eleven pipers piping are supposed to represent the eleven faithful disciples, but they hold a deeper significance for me this year than they ever have before. Over the summer, I read the “Anne of Green Gables” series by L.M. Montgomery, and the last book, “Rilla of the Island” was my favorite. It was certainly the darkest of all the books, taking place during WWI, and following the lives of the women as their sons and brothers and husbands went to war. I confess I cried a lot. What does this have to do with the eleventh day? Well, a theme in the book is the children’s story of the Pied Piper, though it becomes twisted… the boys hear the call of the piper to go to war, and when he calls, they are compelled - almost bewitched - to follow. Even on the battlefield, in the face of certain death, they hear the call and follow. A very haunting thought, and doesn’t really fit with the merry making of the 12 days, does it? But it reminds me of the bittersweetness of life, especially as you grow up. Christmas still holds magic for me, but it also reminds me of the risk of being in relationship with people and yet the need we all have for relationship… it’s a call in our hearts to lay ourselves on the line for the sake of love and life. When that piper plays for you, will you follow? It is worth all it costs.

*sigh* I was hoping I could do this blog daily without having to double up any of the days of Christmas. But yesterday I was having so much fun with my family, I just didn’t get around to it. So…

The remarkable thing concerning the eight maids a-milking, is not that there were eight of them, but that they all milked one German cow that only produced chocolate milk, which is my kind of cow! Here’s the proof: http://www.aviso.net/holidays/christmas/mf/1999/mf_0899.htm.

Oh yeah, and the eight maids a-milking also represent the eight beatitudes Jesus spoke of in Matthew 5:1-16.

The nine ladies dancing are pretty much just that… a bunch of ladies having a good time, enjoying the music of the birds and celebrating all the good stuff their true love gave to them.

However, they also represent the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… and the kids in my youth group could tell you what kind of fruit each fruit is and why!

In my search for significance of the seventh gift, I discovered that the seven swans are to blame for the leaning Tower of Pisa! How droll! I don’t know who wrote this little poem, but it made my day, so I will share it’s cleverness with you:

“On a tall tower seven swans sat.
One was skinny but six were fat.
All day long they did dine
on pasta, bread, and vintage wine.
Too stuffed to swim,
they caused a scene
when the tower began to lean.”

So there you go, the seven swans were Italian, and caused all sorts of problems because they ate too much. The zoo-keepers are right: the moral of the story is, do not feed the birds.

The seven swans a-swimming also represent the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, and for the details I refer you to none other than the Bible: Romans 12:6-8. Read and enjoy!

If you’ve been reading this week, you may be eagerly anticipating the significant meaning of the “six geese a-laying.” Well, laying eggs is a universally recognized symbol of new life… and there are six geese to represent the six days of Creation, six days where God’s creative genius brought forth all sorts of new life. So there you have it - six geese a-laying.

I have a couple questions about the song itself… like, why are there so many birds? and why do days 6-12 follow a pattern of a subject and action? 1-5 are just the gifts, but the rest are gifts that do things… there must be something significant in that, don’t you think? Perhaps it reflects our need for something more than just things - we need to receive acts of love and kindness, and have joyful experiences. And why do the dancers - ladies and lords - come before the music - pipers and drummers? Things for you to ponder on this, the sixth day of Christmas.

There were five smoked kielbasas, five ivory combs, and of course, five golden rings… the part of the song everyone knows, even if they don’t know the rest. So sing it with me with great gusto!

Amazingly enough, the five golden rings have a purely Christian significance, as far as I can find:

“A ring, or a circle, has no beginning or end but is continuous. Thereby, the ring reminds us of both God’s eternity — His permanent, faithful, and continuous love for us– and the circle of faith– God’s love for us, our love for Him, and our love for our neighbors. Moreover, gold is a pure element, and God’s love is a pure, unconditional love.”

There are five rings to represent the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Old Testament, which are the history of man’s fall from grace. However, in my study of the Pentateuch, I’ve also found that it is the covenant of God’s “permanent, faithful, continuous, and unconditional love” for his people. In fact, I don’t think there is a single story written in the Bible that does not go back this covenant of love. I dunno about you, but when I think of golden ring bands I think of wedding rings, and how they are used to represent an unbreakable promise (at least God says so), a covenant very similar to God’s.

So there you go. If you don’t yet know the depth of the covenant in the Pentateuch, I highly suggest that you read Genesis chapters….. actually, just read all of Genesis. And when you get through with that, read it again. And then read the other four books, because they are pretty crucial to the follow up of the covenant, too. It’s the introduction to the greatest love story of all time!

I had toast with cherry preserves on it this morning, and there were four whole cherries in the preserves on my toast. It must be a sign that someone loves me…

After much searching of the Internet, I bring to you some interesting facts about the fourth day of Christmas. Did you know that they weren’t really “calling birds” but were originally “colly birds,” which were the English way of saying “coaly birds,” which meant blackbirds, which have been kept as pets to sing? What a nice gift for the ladies… if it was for a man, however, another meaning may make more sense - game hunters kept pheasants named “calling birds,” because their song attracted other pheasants, which naturally makes a hunt easier. If you want more information, go to this website: http://www.shartwell.freeserve.co.uk/humor-site/caulibirds.htm.

The four calling birds also represent the four “evangelists” - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Their song has been heard throughout the world in the past 2,000 years, despite every attempt to silence it. And what a song it is! A song of freedom, grace, truth, and new life! The gospels are the good news of Jesus Christ, sung by missionaries and martyrs alike, because it is such good news that it is unstoppable.

Let us be a part of carrying on the gift that was given to us. Let our voices be part of the choir of calling birds that sing God’s praises!