Sweet River Fool

When I finally moved into my first grown-up apartment, realized that my budget was still up in the air and that would mean I'd have to wait for a while before committing to a monthly cable bill, my years of studying and keeping busy in college meant that I was actually rather confident in my ability to refrain from television. I'd have movies after all, and could borrow whatever I didn't own, and this would finally give me the time I'd been craving to read whatever I wanted. Another one of those things that they never tell you about growing up is that teachers have to read a ton of stuff they wouldn't necessarily choose to read. About 80% of the material I have taught so far this year was brand new to me, so all that time I thought I'd have to read whatever books I wanted was initially taken up with planning and grading for school, and the time that remained left me so drained of energy that I'd rather sit in front of the tv than expand my literary horizons. I have consequently (yes, Senor Allen, people do use "consequently" in everyday conversations) spent the last six months watching movies and all of the tv series on DVD that I could borrow or get on Netflix. But in the past several weeks, I have finally gotten tired of tv and have returned to my once great love. I haven't read as much as I'd like, but I'm working on it, and the internet is helping me do that.

Sometime last Spring, I got an email from one of my favorite English professors at Harding, letting me know that he had just gotten his novel published. At the time, I was a poor college student, so I saved the email for a time when I'd actually be able to afford to buy it. Last week was exactly the time for it. I dug out that old email and ordered Sweet River Fool by Dr. Larry Hunt.

On Friday afternoon, when I was finally able to pick it up from the post office, I was super excited to delve into this new story. Being on Spring Break this week has given me ample opportunity to read whatever I like, so on Monday morning I finally picked up the tale of Snody (pronounced "Snow-dee"). For those of you who don't know Dr. Hunt, he's a really fun guy with a wide array of interests. (Incidentally, as the Tolkien expert on staff, he was my advisor for my Senior Symposium.) After reading only the "blurb" on the back cover, I knew that this was the perfect combination of his deep south Georgia upbringing and his delightful love of medieval literature. Snody, the protagonist, is a homeless drunk, who after a failed suicide attempt, finds an illustrated book about Saint Francis of Assisi in a dumpster and decides that he is going to model his life after Saint Francis. His story is beautifully woven through the lives of the residents of the small Georgia town of Sweet River, and it is inspiring to see the way this unlikely Christ character touches the lives of so many who are suffering and lonely. The writing has a light, yet tender feel and a subtle morality that makes it difficult to find its equal (or even its younger brother) on my bookshelves. I devoured this story in just a couple of days and slept very well on Tuesday night as I imagined being able to lay my head down in God's lap just like Snody did. I'd recommend this book without hesitation, and am hoping that this won't be the last of Dr. Hunt's books I'll be able to add to my collection. If you're interested, I'm certain that he would love for you to buy your own copy here, or I'd be happy to let you borrow mine.

Don't forget the small things

As my last post was slightly depressing and may have left many of you concerned about me and/or reluctant to read this blog ever again in fear that you days would be darkened rather than brightened if you did, I've decided to let you all know that I've pulled myself up out of that puddle and embraced the little things in life.

Here's a list of the good things this week that I'm making a point to remember to appreciate:

1. I love my job. I get paid to do what I was created to do. How many people can truly say that?
2. I'm slowly, but surely, finding a new church home. I've been attending semi-consistently and have decided to be more deliberate. I've joined a new bible study and a Sunday morning class where I can meet new people my age and, hopefully, make some good new friends.
3. I went out to eat twice this week with friends I hadn't seen in a long time. It was a real blessing for me to remember that even when I feel the loneliest, if I trust God, he will take care of me.
4. I am currently reviving my love for reading. I've spent so much of the past few years reading for school, either as a student or as a teacher. Now, I've actually got the time to do both, and it's been wonderful to re-experience the joy that comes from visiting another life.
5. My family has been a real blessing to me in the past few weeks. We've had our ups and downs, but lately things have been really good. I've felt accepted and like I belong with them, which is something that I was really yearning for. I'm so thankful I could find that at home.

grown-up (yet single) snow days

I apologize for the lengthy hiatus all of you faithful pickle jar readers have had to endure. I can't promise that this will be the post you've been waiting for, but perhaps it will jump-start a new year of more regular blogging.

So, yesterday was a snow day. Oh, the many joys of being a teacher! It was great to have a day where I got to sleep in and relax and stay in my jimjams all day. But the sadness comes from being a grownup who lives alone. This is another one of those things nobody ever tells you about growing up. Remember snow days when you were a kid? Everybody was super excited because not only did you get to miss school, you also got to go out and play and make snow angels and forts and snow men. And then you'd come back in and slowly strip off those damp layers while your mom made soup for lunch that you got to eat in your jimjams while getting warm. And perhaps, if you were really brave, you would layer back up later in the afternoon and venture out for round two. And I know that it's still fun to do those things as a grown up. It's one of the few times in life where you get to run around and act a fool and everyone thinks it's totally normal. But, like I said, there's a catch that no one ever tells you about. Single Snow Days.
If you're single and live alone and too far away from your family to safely travel home on a snow day, you have no one to go play in the snow with. Which means that it's practically pointless to venture out because you'll just end up feeling more sorry for yourself than you already do. This is when you put on a brave face and do the next best thing. You make yourself a hot cup of tea or cocoa or coffee or whatever your hot drink of choice is and settle into a marathon of book devouring and movie consumption. And, all in all, as long as you don't spend too much time thinking about how your friends are spending their snow days (especially those who have sweet children to play with), you'll make it just fine. And you may even have a midly impressive checklist to show for it.

Here's the tally for yesterday:
3 loads of laundry washed and dried (only 1 folded)
1 + 1/2+ 75 pages of books read
2 1/2 movies watched
1 week of lesson plans finished

And while that really doesn't seem like much now that I write it out, it was a rather enjoyable way to spend my surprise day off. Especially in light of my options.

Hope that you and your families had fantastic snow days and that you only feel appropriately sorry for me in this, my time of self-pity.

Counting my blessings

All the stress of my current life has put me in a bad mood for the last few days. I'm worried about what is going to happen in the next couple of months and continually wonder how in the world I'm really going to make it to August a prepared adult. In the midst of frustration like this, when nothing seems to make it better, and I've just got to keep swimming and push through it, it's important for me (and you ;) ) to remember the good things. So, today I'm going to make a list of the blessings I'm currently enjoying. I hope this inspires you to sit still for a few minutes today, make a cup of tea, and thank God for all He has done for you.

1. God places the single in families

God has not yet blessed me with a husband and family of my own, and this is usually a point of contention between the two of us. But, lately I have been able to see and appreciate that he has blessed me with extra mothers, grandparents, aunts, sisters, brothers, and children. I am eternally grateful to the countless members of God's family who have been generous enough to share their own families with me during this difficult time in my own life.

2. God knows what I need exactly when I need it.

I will never know why I had to wait until my last semester at Harding to make some of the best friends of my life, but God knows. I had several very good friends before this year, but when God blessed me with a friend who joined me in wondering why we hadn't found each other sooner and informed me that we were going to be friends forever, I couldn't ignore that. God knew that I couldn't have gotten through the past few weeks without her as an addition to the rest of my friend-family. I am grateful for his immense knowledge, even when I can't always see it at work.

3. God is an excellent guide.

I had some pretty specific plans for my life after Harding, but God didn't seem to agree with me. I have had to exercise my faith a lot lately and rely on the Father to work things out according to his will. He has helped me find a job and another family to join, but I still need a lot more help in working things out between now and then. He's gotten me this far, and--at least for today--I trust him to take me the rest of the way.

4. God gives me a way out.

Besides agonizing over the right decision about my job and career, the thing that has been the heaviest on my heart lately is the fact that I'm still single. Although there are no visible signs that God is making any headway in providing me with a man, he has sent me lots of sweet babies to love so that my motherly instincts and need to nurture can be satisfied. They provide me with a purpose, an object to pour my love onto, and a beautiful satisfaction of my need to be hugged.

5. God reminds me of my deepest loves when I feel that I'll never be able to keep going.

This week has been kind of surreal after last week's student-teaching and graduation that brought my college days to an end. I have felt very lost and haven't known what to do with myself. God, in his infinite wisdom, has reminded me of all the reading I've longed to do in the last few months while I lacked the time to spend in the world of literature. He and a couple of precious friends provided me with the perfect new book to get me back into literary-dom. Rediscovering my passion for words has given me a new sense of peace that is irreplaceable.

Top 10 Books Every High School Graduate Should Have Read

I was searching for a topic for my next blog post earlier this week, and my good friend and compulsive list-maker suggested this Top 10 list. I was too insecure in my own ability to create a list from scratch, so I consulted a few of my best English Student-Teacher friends and have compiled a list in no particular order (which is one of my greatest downfalls as a maker of lists).

1. Something by Shakespeare
This was on everybody's list. There are obviously several choices for high school readers in Billy's repertoire. I only read three of his plays in high school: Julius Caesar, A Mid-Summer Night's Dream, and Othello -- all of which I enjoyed. Othello is still my favorite, but those surveyed also suggested Twelfth Night and Hamlet -- both of which I liked, but did not read until I was in college.
Some may complain and wonder why Shakespeare is such a given and must be so widely-read. It usually isn't difficult to get me to join the "we shouldn't necessarily do things just because that's how we've always done it" bandwagon, but I've got to support Shakespeare. I believe that his work should be canonized almost entirely because it has lasted so long. His words are still influencing the way that educated people speak and think nearly 4 centuries after his death, because he understood how people work and wrote honestly about human emotion and interaction. Getting high school students to read is 1/2 a literacy issue and 1/2 an issue of creating educated citizens. Shakespeare helps accomplish both of these, because, after all,
"...there be nothing new, but that which is
Hath been before..."

2. 1984 by George Orwell
This is one of my favorite works of all time. I read it for the first time in high school, and I remember all of my friends liking it too. As high school students, we probably enjoyed reading the risque business and felt empowered to "stick it" to Big Brother. Later, I came to be wary of all I heard about my government. But, now, it seems to be more important that George Orwell wrote the book in 1949, contemplating how the world would be 35 years later. The fear that was so pervasive at that time is shocking. Now I realize how many good lessons can be taught from this book....lessons that I had to learn on my own much later.

3. Night by Elie Wiesel
This short work brings the horrors of the Holocaust home, and hits people right where they live. Once again, Wiesel's book has so many lessons to teach to high school students who have a difficult time seeing beyond themselves. This kind of experience can really broaden their worldviews.

4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
This is a beautiful "coming-of-age" story of racial (in)justice in the deep South. High school students have been hearing about civil rights and racial inequality for their entire educated lives. Books like this show them the situation from a personal point of view, forcing them to think about what it must have been like to really deal with extreme prejudice. In many cases, it can make them think about prejudices in their own lives and show them how they may be treating others.

5. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
I didn't read this book until I was in college. It's a bit long for my taste, as far as a general high school read goes, but I think that it's important in the same way -- but perhaps not to the same degree -- that Shakespeare is. Twain is a Southern American classic that all educated people should read. When I was in high school, we took the Mark Twain shortcut by reading his short stories instead, which is a viable option when under a time crunch, but Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are classic stories with their own lessons to teach. They can also be easy introductions to dialect reading.

6. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
This is my favorite book of all time. Period. The End. I read it in high school, but not for class. It is the perfect introduction to romantic British Lit. and can really stretch a high school student's mind with varied diction and syntax. I think that it can make teenagers feel like they are reading something a little "high brow" because of the language without being too far over their head. Plus, it's just a beautiful story, for which I'm a sucker.

7. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I know several people who did not enjoy this book and wonder why in the world it is so widely read in high school English classes. I liked the book, but that's just personal taste. I think it's a perfect representation of the "Roaring '20s" and a satirical critique of the "American Dream." It asks the hard questions about what Americans had always prioritized and shows that when people, especially a whole nation, are short-sighted there are consequences to be paid. It's a great lesson in preparation.

8. The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
This is another period piece about the strict societal rules in 17th century Puritan New England. This kind of work can beautifully highlight a history lesson on early America while providing a backdrop for difficult discussions about morality in the present.

9. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
I did not read this book until I was in college, but I think that it can be perfectly suited for a high school classroom as well. Hurston's beautiful story of an African American woman's struggle to see herself (and have others see her) as a person, a woman, and a worthy creature of God evokes compassion and sympathy in its readers. Especially for students who will not go on to college, Hurston's easy-to-read fiction is the perfect tool to expand a world-view.

10. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
This may have been one of my favorite books that I read while in high school. I think it is very interesting that no one the consulted panel mentioned this one. To some, Steinbeck is an acquired taste, but I love his writing. He has such an ease with words that it's no wonder he's been named as one of the greats. The plight of the Joad family and their 1930s westward journey is a classic story for teaching a wide variety of moral lessons along with literary devices and the exploration of literary merit.

What books did you read in high school that I've left out of this list? What books would be on your Top 10 list? If you were teaching High School English, what works would you be sure not to leave out?