For those of you reading this who are not English majors, you may disagree with the title but hear me out :) For those of you who are and agree, enjoy the following and let me know your thoughts :) For those who are wondering what on earth I mean, I mean a major in a university degree not the nationality of a position in the Army! This post is for those people who, after asking what my major is and I tell them, go..."Whaaat?? Why?! Why would you choose THAT?" To which I sometimes reply, "Why not?" :)
I know that many fellow students (and those who are coming to school or those who have completed it) may have had a struggle settling on a major. However, that was never an issue for me. Ever since I can remember I have loved the subject of English, both the mechanics (grammar, punctuation and all that) and the literature. It grew from a love of spelling and being so proud of always making it to the top 3 kids of the class spelling bees, to loving the books studied in junior high and high school to being excited about extremely focused courses in university. I was THRILLED upon receiving the course guide and seeing a full-year, 6 credit hour course in Shakespeare alone. Absolutely great. Since being at uni I have taken courses in Canadian literature, Middle English texts, Shakespeare, literature from the Romantic period, texts written by female authors, Victorian poetry and 20th century American drama. Such variety! There are so many more I would love to take but I have run out of time!
There are 2 simple reasons why I chose English as my major. 1. I love English :) 2. Because it is my declared major I have to take many, many courses and hours (36 hours to be exact) to complete it - therefore forcing me to take the subject I love :)
Setting aside the major aspect of it, there are other reasons why I love English. To me there is something very thrilling about reading/studying a piece of literature that was written many decades, or even centuries ago, and finding that the author has perfectly conveyed my own thoughts and emotions that I am experiencing that day. OR, in more general terms, the way they convey ideas and arguments in such creative ways! The human race has not changed. All the same emotions are felt. And English literature, to me, spans generations and time eras and ties it all together.
For those friends and family reading this who know that I am awful in math and the sciences...this is why. It is because in Math there is only 1 right answer...only 1! Science is mostly theories, some proven, some not. English? No one right answer. It is a matter of opinions, thoughts and the ability to express them and to draw them out of what you are reading and substantiate it with evidence from the text. And it is THIS that has provided the fuel and material for the countless English classes at uni shared with great friends (you know who you are!), the memories that have been made, the life lessons that have been learned, the experiences with different profs and the overall enjoyment of literature :) That is why it is THE best.
Friday, 27 July 2012
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Time.....then Eternity
I wrote this about a week and a half ago after the sudden passing of a friend of mine at the beginning of June. I hope these simple thoughts challenge and bless you as they have me.
How ironic it is that it takes someone to die
to teach someone to live. Yet that is
what happened to me. When a friend of mine passed from earth into eternity, it
made me realize how vital it is that my life while here on earth needs to be
lived in light of that great eternity. I grieved not the life that was lost but
the loss of the life I had already lived. If I knew I was to die in 5 minutes,
I would be frantic with regret of things I have not done or said, or things I
should not have done or said. How is it then that many times in Scripture we
are taught that very thing and yet it ceases to be a habit of our lives? Acts
17:25 states that God “gives to all life and breath…”or Proverbs 27:1, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you
do not know what a day may bring.”Why then, do our lives not
follow this mindset?
When my friend died, I realized what an
oxymoron life truly is. Life is a gift and yet is a gift that we know for a
fact, will at some point be taken from us. We should never live life as though
we are counting on or certain of the future, but rather to live a life that is
planned for the future. One may ask what the difference is. As a human being
and soul, there is nothing more important in this temporary life than being
prepared for the life that is to follow. Without God in my life, true life
ceases to exist and life becomes a mundane ritual that has no purpose. Yet if I
were to live with the mindset in my life, that there will always be tomorrow, then
that wrongly portrays what life is to God. Life is God’s gift to me, what I do
with that life is my gift to God. That verse in Acts states that “God gives”,
many a time at funerals the verse from Job is read, “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken
away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Life is a gift! For any other gift, I
am thankful, I am grateful, I may be rendered speechless with the generosity of
it and I use it or spend it wisely because it is that – a gift. Why then is
life – something far more priceless than anything else I could receive- treated
with such indifference?
Even
though my friend’s life was cut short at age 17, he left behind a full memory
and lasting legacy. This too, dramatically shifted my view on my own life. What
is the sole purpose of my life? Is it to ultimately bring glory to God? I must
reply in shame that my selfish heart answers no. And yet what greater purpose
can there be, than to bring glory to my Creator and Savior? So I have resolved
to set goals and a means of direction to my life which is in tune with the will
of God, and thus by me, with His help, seeking to carry out that will, I may
bring glory to His person. However, we must not forget that God has blessed us
with countless gifts along the journey. When is the last time I appreciated the
things He has placed directly in my life to remind me of Him and His goodness
to me? I now realize that the laugh of my nieces or nephew is a gift. The
beauty of grand music, the smell of a rare flower, the invaluable friendships I
have, the love of a family, the chance to get an education, the privilege of
having a job and the list could go on. I do believe in the great significance
of the little things.
How
simple it is and yet how hard for us to apologize when needed, to express our
love, to say what needs to be said and to do what needs to be done, to
acknowledge what we have rather than focusing on what we don’t have. I am
challenging myself, as I turn the age of 20, to live a life that counts! To
live the one life I get, that if I knew I was to die in 5 minutes, I would pass
into eternity prepared, and to stand before Christ with no shame, without the
burden of regret and goals not yet reached, knowing that I had touched others
lives with my life, and ultimately bringing glory to the One who have me this
life to begin with. This life is not for forever, it is for right now. Eternity
is not right now but it is forever. God give me the help, focus and strength to
remember that.
Monday, 23 July 2012
The Best of Friends :)
This post is about a dear, dear friend of mine. In fact it was she, who inspired me to do this blog. To see hers...check out http://beautifullifeofabusybee.blogspot.ca/
This friend is amazing. I know that some view that word as a superlative, exaggeration or some such thing and I too, try to use it correctly. This time I am. :) It surprises me often that we will have only known each other for a year come this September. I am so thankful for her. I will be honest and say that this past year has been a little rough. Many changes have occurred (both positive and negative) and that is to be expected in life. After all "the only thing that ever stays the same is change." There were days where I felt like I was drowning in the sea of expectations, responsibilities, priorities and emotions and I couldn't see the clear horizon anymore or, if you like, the forest for the trees. (I should perhaps insert here that I am an English major, therefore metaphors, symbols and the like may appear!) Countless times, my friend would pull me from the water, set me on the solid earth yet again and point out to me what life was truly about. It is never about the stress of school, but rather the education we receive. It is never about berating ourselves for past mistakes, but taking the good from the mistakes and applying it so we never repeat them. It is never about being so crazy busy that we don't have time for ourselves, but rather to set time apart just for me. She taught me all of that.
Yet, casting all seriousness aside, she is also the type where if I want to be 100% silly and throw caution and care to the wind, it is to her I turn to! The fact that we have the same taste in school, our present jobs and our future careers tells me that this runs deep :) We also enjoy the oldies but the goodies in movies, the yummy cheesecake from Gullivers, the same music of classics, instrumental and jazz, and the same authors of Austen, Bronte, Fern and Landon. We both love the sun (and the symbolism involved with it) and rather than spending money or going someplace, we'd rather just veg and chat (which is our specialty). She is the type of friend who, scarily enough, knows how I am going to react to a situation or statement before I do or sometimes even before it happens!
I love her as a sister and I am so thankful she is in my life :) I love you, Spotty!
This friend is amazing. I know that some view that word as a superlative, exaggeration or some such thing and I too, try to use it correctly. This time I am. :) It surprises me often that we will have only known each other for a year come this September. I am so thankful for her. I will be honest and say that this past year has been a little rough. Many changes have occurred (both positive and negative) and that is to be expected in life. After all "the only thing that ever stays the same is change." There were days where I felt like I was drowning in the sea of expectations, responsibilities, priorities and emotions and I couldn't see the clear horizon anymore or, if you like, the forest for the trees. (I should perhaps insert here that I am an English major, therefore metaphors, symbols and the like may appear!) Countless times, my friend would pull me from the water, set me on the solid earth yet again and point out to me what life was truly about. It is never about the stress of school, but rather the education we receive. It is never about berating ourselves for past mistakes, but taking the good from the mistakes and applying it so we never repeat them. It is never about being so crazy busy that we don't have time for ourselves, but rather to set time apart just for me. She taught me all of that.
Yet, casting all seriousness aside, she is also the type where if I want to be 100% silly and throw caution and care to the wind, it is to her I turn to! The fact that we have the same taste in school, our present jobs and our future careers tells me that this runs deep :) We also enjoy the oldies but the goodies in movies, the yummy cheesecake from Gullivers, the same music of classics, instrumental and jazz, and the same authors of Austen, Bronte, Fern and Landon. We both love the sun (and the symbolism involved with it) and rather than spending money or going someplace, we'd rather just veg and chat (which is our specialty). She is the type of friend who, scarily enough, knows how I am going to react to a situation or statement before I do or sometimes even before it happens!
I love her as a sister and I am so thankful she is in my life :) I love you, Spotty!
Lemons & Roses - The Beginning
I now have a blog. Wow! Kinda exciting. This blog is not to post adorable pictures of my kids (for the simple fact that I have none...kids, that is) or to tell of their latest antics (like my sisters blogs) or to promote a business. It is just meant to be a place to share, muse and ponder.This blog's purpose is simple. To spread the positivity that there is in life, and in mine in particular. Also, to keep family and friends up to date on what is happening! Many times you will see that phrase...~Spread the Positivity.~
This day is rather significant in that, 20 years ago today, my life began. Born in a town in North Yorkshire, England, who would've thought I would be in Manitoba, Canada? And it seems that is only the beginning of the journey. As a friend wisecracked to me, I am now 1/5 of a century old :) I am enjoying the love of my amazing family and dear friends. Life is good....eternal life is better. I thank God for saving me from my sins at the age of 5 and am constantly amazed by the grace and love He bestows to me on a daily basis.
This first post will be brief but you may be wondering where the title originated from....when I graduated from high school, a friend gave me a card and the following stanzas were on the front and I never forgot them!
"Life can bring lemons and roses,
The bitter along with the sweet
And it's mainly the way that we handle those things
That determines success or defeat.
So enjoy all the roses life gives you,
But notice how quickly they fade,
While lessons you think of as toughest to swallow
Can easily become lemonade."
:)
This day is rather significant in that, 20 years ago today, my life began. Born in a town in North Yorkshire, England, who would've thought I would be in Manitoba, Canada? And it seems that is only the beginning of the journey. As a friend wisecracked to me, I am now 1/5 of a century old :) I am enjoying the love of my amazing family and dear friends. Life is good....eternal life is better. I thank God for saving me from my sins at the age of 5 and am constantly amazed by the grace and love He bestows to me on a daily basis.
This first post will be brief but you may be wondering where the title originated from....when I graduated from high school, a friend gave me a card and the following stanzas were on the front and I never forgot them!
"Life can bring lemons and roses,
The bitter along with the sweet
And it's mainly the way that we handle those things
That determines success or defeat.
So enjoy all the roses life gives you,
But notice how quickly they fade,
While lessons you think of as toughest to swallow
Can easily become lemonade."
:)
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