Provision

I have not yet posted about faith. This is overdue.

With all of the unfair, unpleasant things that seem to keep popping up in my life, I am continually reminded of God's provision for us. From my daily reading - I'm working through Leviticus right now - to church talks, to the kind words of beloved family members, to random emails from my mother, this truth is placed on my heart time and time again. I have been feeling crushed by circumstances beyond my control and He keeps reminding me that these circumstances are not beyond HIS control. It is the most comforting reality and gives greater strength than anything else I can dream of.

So thank you, Father, for watching out for me always- for encouraging me not to whine, but to push onwards towards the wonderful plans you have. The hope You give is truly priceless.

"'If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them.'" - Lev. 18:5

Literary London Part 1

During my stay in England, I hope to travel to the various homes of famous English writers and other literary sites that are open to the public. Here is a list of ones I've found so far:

Charing Cross Road (84 Charing Cross Road, to be precise)
Fleet Street (Sweeney Todd!)
Poets' Corner (Westminster Abbey)
The Sherlock Holmes Museum (221B Baker Street)
The Charles Dickens Museum (48 Doughty St.)
John Keat's House in Hampstead
Samuel Johnson's House
Effigy of John Donne at Old St. Paul's Cathedral
Shakespeare's Theatres (the Globe and the Rose) and Stratford-upon-Avon
The British Library (96 Euston Rd)
Bronte Parsonage/Haworth Museum (northern England)
Wordsworth Houses (Cockermouth and Dove Cottage in Grasmere)
Beatrix Potter's Hill Top Farm (Lake District)
Home of D.H. Lawrence (Eastwood)
Byron's Home (Newstead Abbey)
Thomas Hardy's Cottage (Dorset) and Grave (Stinsford church)
Jane Austen's Home at Chawton (Hampshire)


I've also stumbled upon a listing of literary festivals in the UK: http://www.thewordtravels.com/literary-festivals.html  Hopefully I can find an updated listing with 2011-2012 dates.

Leaving the Country

I drove home today. The freeways from Ashland, OH to Livonia, MI are lined with flat, dead farmland, "Adult" stores, antique malls (the nasty kind), and fast food. In short, it is three hours of misery. Especially when you have the Les Mis soundtrack playing. And you lose your voice midway through Eponine's "On My Own," which makes you realize you can't even belt out your troubles. Needless to say at this point, today's been rough.

In two months, I will be living for my two week trip to London, Paris, Prague, and Berlin. In six months, I'll be heading to London. I'm counting down now.

I've felt for some time now that the Midwest is the last place on earth I would choose to live - there is so little that is poetic here, so little history and culture. It is hard for me to sit down and try to write about people I've never met and places I've never been while I'm holed up in my dorm room, buried under piles of homework, watching it snow or rain or both out in the maintenance parking lot. The most interesting thing I can see from my window in Andrews Hall is the crowd of smokers outside of Buffalo Wild Wings. With such inspiration, it's hard to imagine why writing about life and death and love and adventure is difficult. I have an imagination, but even my creativity needs a muse or two now and then.

That's why I'm counting down. I need to be in places worthy of being written about. I hope London turns out to be everything I'm dreaming of and that Europe becomes a home for me.

I'm going to be continuing my Paris-themed reading agenda. I've got Zola and Dumas to tackle this break - Zola's The Fortune of the Rougons and Dumas's The Three Musketeers (finally! It's awful that I haven't read it yet).