Today marked the end of my journey through Robinson's three novels, Housekeeping, Gilead, and Home. I had read Gilead during law school and enjoyed it, but I did not savor it. What better time than retirement (as some have named this phase in my life) to really "feast" on her work. (Not least because Gilead and Home both take place in Iowa, my land of exile.)
My English PhD pal Emily, who introduced me to Robinson with the recommendation of Gilead, directed me to the fact that Robinson waited 24 years to write her second novel. That is either serious writer's block or measured restraint.
Gilead, her second novel, is indeed worthy of the Pulitzer Prize. It is the most life-giving fiction I have read from a living voice in our culture. Reading the story is to feel blessed to be alive, and I agree with the back-of-the-cover reviews that it will be one I return to again and again- as I've already read it twice in three years. I cried many times throughout each of her novels, but the emotion was not one of despair, but of sweet, sad response to the "twining of joy and sorrow" on this earth (quoted material heard first from Mike Hsu...thanks for that emotive phrase).
As I'm returning Housekeeping and Home to the Des Moines Public Library today, I'll leave you with two of my favorite quotes from these works.
"Memory is the sense of loss, and loss pulls us after it. God Himself was pulled after us into the vortex we made when we fell, or so the story goes. And while He was on earth He mended families. He gave Lazarus back to his mother, and to the centurion he gave his daughter again. He even restored the severed ear of the soldier who came to arrest Him-- a fact that allows us to hope the resurrection will reflect a considerable attention to detail.
(Housekeeping, emphasis mine).
"Fealty to kin, actual and imagined, and the protection of them, possible or not, were their father's pride, his strongest instinct, and his chief source of satisfaction, frustration, and anxiety. He had drawn himself up so that this words would have the force and dignity of their intent, but his eyes were closed and his mouth had turned down and the rectitude of his posture exposed his narrow shoulders and his fallen throat. Jack gazed at him as if his father were the apparition of all the grief and weariness he had cost him, still gallant in his weakness, ready to be saddened again, to be burdened again."
(Home, when Robert Boughton, elderly and ailing Presbyterian minister, addresses his estranged son Jack about a delicate matter; Jack has struggled with alcoholism and stealing and been away from his family 20 years).
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Greece
Ahhh, Greece. You are lovely. Tyler and I would not recommend a Norway/Greece vacation to many people; we chose polar opposite parts of Europe which required too many hours of travel. On top of the kilometers we had to endure, a snowstorm in central Europe re-routed us ultimately to Istanbul, Turkey to get to Athens. We arrived 6 hours later than scheduled, so unfortunately, we chose to toss out our side-trip to Delphi. Sad, considering how beautiful it appeared in photos.
Anyways, the above picture was taken from the rooftop of our Athens Gate Hotel, featuring the Acropolis/Parthenon behemoth. We were impressed at how high up this site was built (you're looking at it from a 8-floor building, and it's obviously much higher. We were also amazed at how little we knew about Greek/Athenian history - we feel like that may have a little to do with the last-minute nature of the trip. We stayed two nights in Athens, walked around the major sites, ate incredible Greek food, and inhaled life-destroying second-hand smoke. On the last note, we asked to be seated in the non-smoking section (weird to be in restaurants with smoke in the first place) and a Grecian promptly lit up in the adjacent table the moment we got settled. Ah, well...it's Europe, people.
After Athens, we spent 2 nights in Santorini, an island in the Mediterranean about a 20-minute plane ride from Athens. Thanks, Charlie Goldberg, for the advice to visit Santorini. It was simply breathtaking, easily the prettiest place I've been in my life. I already would like to return. It did not rain during our days there, but it was windy. And there are a heckuva lot of stray, tame, clean-ish cats and dogs here (along with Athens). As the island is pretty much uninhabited in late January, we felt like we had all the wild beauty to ourselves, and became foster-parents to a few of these Santorini animals.
Photo time...and now I think I'm done trip-blogging on Europe. Unless the people rise up as one and demand more tales and pics.
Pretty much the view as we walked out of our little villa's room.
Oia, about a 20 minute bus ride from where we stayed. Loved it.
One of our many semi-stray little buddies, enjoying the view.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Norway: The Land of My Maternal Great-Grandfather
January 1, 2013: Tyler accepts a job with FBD in Des Moines
January 5, 2013: We call Tollak Jacobsen, my 88-year-old cousin in Norway, and confirm we can come visit in two weeks. We book tickets.
January 17, 2013: We board a plane for Stavanger, Norway and are picked up by Tollak and his 81-year-old sister, Taletta.
January 27th, 2013: Return to Omaha
January 30th, 2013: Movers take our stuff from Lincoln to Des Moines
What a start to 2013! I was so thankful that my job allowed me to take 6 days off during the end of my time there, so Tyler and I could fulfill one of our dreams. We had been saving SkyMiles since our Zambia trip in 2008 through our Delta credit card, and apparently, it is off-peak to fly to Norway in January (who knew?) It felt too good to be true to book two free round-trip flights from Omaha-Stavanger. So good, that we decided to add Greece to this vacation, which I will show some pictures of later.
Norway was our first exposure to Europe, and we loved it! The weather was similar to January in Nebraska, except the air felt colder, since we were so close to the North Sea. We were able to meet many of our relatives, distant and otherwise, and we could not have felt more welcome. Norwegian hospitality and homes involve roaring fires, deliciously black cups of coffee, sweet breads and cakes, and delightful verbal and non-verbal conversation, depending on the English proficiency of the speaker.
This trip became a dream for me in 1992, when I met Tollak (I was 7, he was 67,) his wife Judith, his son Arne and daughter-in-law Jasna, when they visited our entire Papik clan in Lincoln. It was mind-blowing for me that I had living relatives in a far-away land. I don't remember too much of that meeting, but I had a feeling that I liked these people. 20 years later, I got to see the homeland and become reacquainted with this family as an adult. I could say so much about the time, but overall, it was amazing to see the beauty of this rugged land and hug and speak with generations above me, who illuminated part of my past.
Some pics for help telling the story.
This is Tollak and Judith's home. Judith was being nursed back to health in an assisted living facility, so is not pictured. I am holding Taletta's hand....she and I were kindred spirits. Her husband is Trygve (not pictured) who made his living as an industrial fisherman and did not speak English. The standing brother is Baard, (pronounced Boor) the middle child (soft spot) who was terribly kind. Tollak is seated, sporting his Norwegian wool sweater. All three siblings live within a 20 second walk of each other...basically their father was given this plot of land, and each were able to build on it. Tollak, as the oldest, lives in the house his father Jacob built. Tyler and I marveled at the siblings tight-knit relationships, both of geography and affection for each other.
Lysefjord: the closest gorgeous fjord within striking distance of Bryne, Norway. The water was so clear and the sky was a bright blue the day we drove to it. Tollak's son-in-law, Harald, was kind enough to drive us to it and teach us more about Norwegian land and culture.
A typical coffee/dessert setting laid out for us by distant relatives. Tyler and I met a cousin on my great-great Grandma's side...again, not much English, but lots of hugs, holding my face and speaking sweet Norwegian phrases, and crying, "Coma bakke" when we left, which we correctly interpreted as "Come back!" I do already want to come back, especially for green and warm Norway in the summer.
January 5, 2013: We call Tollak Jacobsen, my 88-year-old cousin in Norway, and confirm we can come visit in two weeks. We book tickets.
January 17, 2013: We board a plane for Stavanger, Norway and are picked up by Tollak and his 81-year-old sister, Taletta.
January 27th, 2013: Return to Omaha
January 30th, 2013: Movers take our stuff from Lincoln to Des Moines
What a start to 2013! I was so thankful that my job allowed me to take 6 days off during the end of my time there, so Tyler and I could fulfill one of our dreams. We had been saving SkyMiles since our Zambia trip in 2008 through our Delta credit card, and apparently, it is off-peak to fly to Norway in January (who knew?) It felt too good to be true to book two free round-trip flights from Omaha-Stavanger. So good, that we decided to add Greece to this vacation, which I will show some pictures of later.
Norway was our first exposure to Europe, and we loved it! The weather was similar to January in Nebraska, except the air felt colder, since we were so close to the North Sea. We were able to meet many of our relatives, distant and otherwise, and we could not have felt more welcome. Norwegian hospitality and homes involve roaring fires, deliciously black cups of coffee, sweet breads and cakes, and delightful verbal and non-verbal conversation, depending on the English proficiency of the speaker.
This trip became a dream for me in 1992, when I met Tollak (I was 7, he was 67,) his wife Judith, his son Arne and daughter-in-law Jasna, when they visited our entire Papik clan in Lincoln. It was mind-blowing for me that I had living relatives in a far-away land. I don't remember too much of that meeting, but I had a feeling that I liked these people. 20 years later, I got to see the homeland and become reacquainted with this family as an adult. I could say so much about the time, but overall, it was amazing to see the beauty of this rugged land and hug and speak with generations above me, who illuminated part of my past.
Some pics for help telling the story.
This is Tollak and Judith's home. Judith was being nursed back to health in an assisted living facility, so is not pictured. I am holding Taletta's hand....she and I were kindred spirits. Her husband is Trygve (not pictured) who made his living as an industrial fisherman and did not speak English. The standing brother is Baard, (pronounced Boor) the middle child (soft spot) who was terribly kind. Tollak is seated, sporting his Norwegian wool sweater. All three siblings live within a 20 second walk of each other...basically their father was given this plot of land, and each were able to build on it. Tollak, as the oldest, lives in the house his father Jacob built. Tyler and I marveled at the siblings tight-knit relationships, both of geography and affection for each other.
Lysefjord: the closest gorgeous fjord within striking distance of Bryne, Norway. The water was so clear and the sky was a bright blue the day we drove to it. Tollak's son-in-law, Harald, was kind enough to drive us to it and teach us more about Norwegian land and culture.
A typical coffee/dessert setting laid out for us by distant relatives. Tyler and I met a cousin on my great-great Grandma's side...again, not much English, but lots of hugs, holding my face and speaking sweet Norwegian phrases, and crying, "Coma bakke" when we left, which we correctly interpreted as "Come back!" I do already want to come back, especially for green and warm Norway in the summer.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Turning Points
I will start this post on the most mundane and ubiquitous topic: the weather. It's no longer Spring in Des Moines. I hear the next two weeks we'll be lucky to get to a high of 40 degrees. Neat. At least March Madness is coming and will allow me to be super-content to be in-doors, watching the Madness.
Most of you know that we moved to downtown Des Moines February 1st and live a block and a half from a robust, new and clean public library. I do not know how many titles I have checked out, but it is assuredly over 15 and under 25. My current reads range from Marilynn Robinson's first novel Housekeeping to a biography on Winston Churchill to the Baker History of the Church, Volume II: From Constantine to the Middle Ages. Man, I love the library. For a frugal bookworm, what could be better than significant amounts of free reading material? I have yet to bring bedbugs home (I hope, knowing it is a possibility; see http://journalstar.com/news/local/nancy-hicks-dog-sniffs-out-bedbugs-in-one-city-library/article_eb6591b6-a54d-57b5-8f5a-d4a717410b65.html) and I have yet to develop a debilitating social disorder (I think.)
Today, I sadly have to turn in Turning Points by Mark Noll. I finished it this morning, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the basics of Church History. The book is a wide-ranging overview of Christian history, starting from the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and ending with the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and Lausanne Covenant (1975). Noll focuses on 13 "turning points" in the history of the Church and provides enough detail to make the long history come alive. He is a clear communicator who follows Christ himself, and I appreciate his scholarship and his heart in sprinkling ancient and modern Christian hymns, prayers, and poetry throughout the chapters. I am also indebted to my friend Eric for providing me with all the titles I could handle for pursuing my self-directed Church History "class."
I think so often Protestants only know a bit about the Reformation and the abuses of the Catholic Church which precipitated the "Protest" but have not considered how we got to Martin Luther and Billy Graham. Noll's book would do much to remedy some of that information gap, in a way that, I contend, would only make a Christ-follower worship and marvel more and more at a Faithful King who has preserved a rag-tag bunch of messed-up followers for two millennia. The 3rd edition of Turning Points just came out in 2012, so it is as up-to-date as possible. And, hey, it may be found, bed-bug free, at your local library!
Most of you know that we moved to downtown Des Moines February 1st and live a block and a half from a robust, new and clean public library. I do not know how many titles I have checked out, but it is assuredly over 15 and under 25. My current reads range from Marilynn Robinson's first novel Housekeeping to a biography on Winston Churchill to the Baker History of the Church, Volume II: From Constantine to the Middle Ages. Man, I love the library. For a frugal bookworm, what could be better than significant amounts of free reading material? I have yet to bring bedbugs home (I hope, knowing it is a possibility; see http://journalstar.com/news/local/nancy-hicks-dog-sniffs-out-bedbugs-in-one-city-library/article_eb6591b6-a54d-57b5-8f5a-d4a717410b65.html) and I have yet to develop a debilitating social disorder (I think.)
Today, I sadly have to turn in Turning Points by Mark Noll. I finished it this morning, and highly recommend it to anyone interested in learning about the basics of Church History. The book is a wide-ranging overview of Christian history, starting from the Fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD and ending with the Second Vatican Council (1962-65) and Lausanne Covenant (1975). Noll focuses on 13 "turning points" in the history of the Church and provides enough detail to make the long history come alive. He is a clear communicator who follows Christ himself, and I appreciate his scholarship and his heart in sprinkling ancient and modern Christian hymns, prayers, and poetry throughout the chapters. I am also indebted to my friend Eric for providing me with all the titles I could handle for pursuing my self-directed Church History "class."
I think so often Protestants only know a bit about the Reformation and the abuses of the Catholic Church which precipitated the "Protest" but have not considered how we got to Martin Luther and Billy Graham. Noll's book would do much to remedy some of that information gap, in a way that, I contend, would only make a Christ-follower worship and marvel more and more at a Faithful King who has preserved a rag-tag bunch of messed-up followers for two millennia. The 3rd edition of Turning Points just came out in 2012, so it is as up-to-date as possible. And, hey, it may be found, bed-bug free, at your local library!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Habent Papa
I have so much stored up over the last ten days of reading, reflecting, crying, laughing, huddling under blankets to stay warm in our apartment, and now, today: finally Spring in Des Moines! I am so thankful for seasons in the MidWest and the hope that Spring brings of new life and pleasant walks & runs out-of-doors.
Yesterday, I turned on ABC (our one channel, currently) to see what bland programming was on at 1pm on a weekday as I ate some left-over chili. I was surprised to see live television coverage in Rome. I think I turned it on about two minutes after the smoke started rising from St Peter's, and I held on till the end of the Pope's address. This event, which I previously would have thought, "Hmm, that's interesting," and moved on from rather quickly, instead captured my attention, largely due to my Church history reading of late.
I finally have the context for how this momentous event in Rome in 2013 came to have world-wide significance, though not without controversy (with disagreements of their supremacy through the centuries, not just with the Reformers in the 16th C.). Although I am in the camp of Christians throughout the world who decline to follow the Bishop of Rome as their supreme authority, I was overcome with a sense of Pope Francis' newfound responsibility and breadth of influence, and thankful and expectant for how his papacy may affect Latin America. I drank my Argentine mate today, well aware that the newly christened Pope probably engages in the same delightful beverage daily! After spending the summer of 2005 in Buenos Aires, I was generally impressed with a darkness around the city. I believe a huge reason for that was that the churches, Catholic and Protestant alike, seemed to be in decline and largely irrelevant to the culture. I do wonder whether a genuine return to (or first acquaintance with) Christ will occur in greater numbers in Argentina due to Cardinal Bergoglio's new role.
I feel like, to round out some of these thoughts, I should share some of the historical context I've gleaned from my studies so far. That will have to be for another day. Tune in next time...
Monday, March 4, 2013
Purpose and history of this blog:
The inconspicuous start to this blog was in June 2010. Here I am, nearly three years later, penning the first post. Apparently I was not too keen on blogging in the intervening years. Huh. If you know me, perhaps you can guess why.
I set up this blog back then for a silly reason. I wanted free books, and one of my literary friends at Georgetown Law, Josh Lake, told me I could receive free Christian books if I reviewed them on my personal blog and on a commercial site. I received my first free book in the mail, never fully read it, and never reviewed it.
Now, here I sit, in the progressive(?) MidWestern city(?) of Des Moines, Iowa, feeling like I've been re-born. What I mean is, for the last 3-ish weeks, I have not had to work or go to school, mourn anything extremely deep and personal, study for an intimidating exam, or anticipate an imminent up-rooting to another locale. This has not happened since I was, well, 5-years-old (to my best calculation). And, man, this season is a gift. I pray everyone in the world would have the gift of a slowing-down, evaluative time, knowing full-well that it is generally the privilege of few who can afford it. I salute you, oh-once-hated BigLaw, for providing my husband with a handsome salary and freeing me from the tyranny of the urgent.
I thought I would give you, lovely reader, a sneak-peak into my eventual substantive posts. I love to read and think about what I read, and I love to max out life's greatest potentials. I have rarely put words to a concrete "life statement" but, thinking off the cuff, I would say I hope my life is continually marked by prayerfully thinking through life's deepest hurts and questions, and loving people and the good in the world as zealously as I can. So, currently, I am studying church history (post-Jesus to present day), reading/listening to Bleak House by Dickens, seeking to be the wife God calls me to be, thinking about the role of vocation and women in society (in large part thanks to Dorothy L. Sayers) among attempting to grow and invest in the relationships I have (and love), scattered across the continent and world. I have hopes to write type-written letters to many of you readers, but in the meantime when I don't, and for my personal reflection, I think it would be beneficial to write out what I am learning/processing. No worries if mis pensamientos (my thoughts) are too verbose or frustrating to continue reading. However, if my writing provokes questions or teaches you something new that you'd like to discuss, drop me a line. I may be anti-Internet in word, but here I am- using it in deed!
Peace and good beer (currently imbibing Shift),
Joy
The inconspicuous start to this blog was in June 2010. Here I am, nearly three years later, penning the first post. Apparently I was not too keen on blogging in the intervening years. Huh. If you know me, perhaps you can guess why.
I set up this blog back then for a silly reason. I wanted free books, and one of my literary friends at Georgetown Law, Josh Lake, told me I could receive free Christian books if I reviewed them on my personal blog and on a commercial site. I received my first free book in the mail, never fully read it, and never reviewed it.
Now, here I sit, in the progressive(?) MidWestern city(?) of Des Moines, Iowa, feeling like I've been re-born. What I mean is, for the last 3-ish weeks, I have not had to work or go to school, mourn anything extremely deep and personal, study for an intimidating exam, or anticipate an imminent up-rooting to another locale. This has not happened since I was, well, 5-years-old (to my best calculation). And, man, this season is a gift. I pray everyone in the world would have the gift of a slowing-down, evaluative time, knowing full-well that it is generally the privilege of few who can afford it. I salute you, oh-once-hated BigLaw, for providing my husband with a handsome salary and freeing me from the tyranny of the urgent.
I thought I would give you, lovely reader, a sneak-peak into my eventual substantive posts. I love to read and think about what I read, and I love to max out life's greatest potentials. I have rarely put words to a concrete "life statement" but, thinking off the cuff, I would say I hope my life is continually marked by prayerfully thinking through life's deepest hurts and questions, and loving people and the good in the world as zealously as I can. So, currently, I am studying church history (post-Jesus to present day), reading/listening to Bleak House by Dickens, seeking to be the wife God calls me to be, thinking about the role of vocation and women in society (in large part thanks to Dorothy L. Sayers) among attempting to grow and invest in the relationships I have (and love), scattered across the continent and world. I have hopes to write type-written letters to many of you readers, but in the meantime when I don't, and for my personal reflection, I think it would be beneficial to write out what I am learning/processing. No worries if mis pensamientos (my thoughts) are too verbose or frustrating to continue reading. However, if my writing provokes questions or teaches you something new that you'd like to discuss, drop me a line. I may be anti-Internet in word, but here I am- using it in deed!
Peace and good beer (currently imbibing Shift),
Joy
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