is the author's life as important as her book?

dear emily,

i accompanied my mother in law all the way down to florida's tiny key
west for a writer's seminar.    to rub shoulders with the reigning kings and
queens of the literary kingdom and not to make a total fool of myself has
been tiring.   and exhilarating.

i knew enough to be bring sunscreen, but should have also brought my
dictionary.  the authors' jargon of choice was poly-everything.   polyphonic,
polymath, polysyllabic . . . all i knew was polyester.

the key note speaker, phyllis rose, maintained that we should be careful
judging the author by her book.    some of her may be in the book, but she
might also be completely different.   it made me wonder, who is the most
important, the author or the book?

i adore jane eyre but am only grateful to charlotte bronte.    should it be the
other way around?   which came first . . . miss bronte?   or did she come
alive as she created her lovely book?

the chicken or the egg?   my brain is a little scrambled.

love,
lea

ps.  "but we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing
power is from God and not from us."    2 corinthians 4:7

what do you treasure?

dear emily,

"an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone
around them, and they were terrified.  but the angel said to them, 'do not
be afraid.  i bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.
today in the town of david a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the
Lord' . . . and mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her
heart."   luke 2:9, 10,19

we choose what to treasure and ponder.

merry Christmas,
lea

ps.   "angels we have heard on high, sweetly singing o'er the plains . . . "

Christmas cantata

dear emily,

the Christmas cantata was the best ever!   we had three packed services
and hardly a wobbly moment in any song.   a few times people were
dancing in the aisles which has to be a first.    hans had recorded  the
passages from luke one and two, and his voice had such resonance that
it sounded like the great and terrible oz of Christmas.

there were so many wonderful moments in the concert, but my favorites
were looking out at the sanctuary filled with families dressed in holiday
red and green.   children stood at the balcony rail on tiptoes bouncing to
the trombones, violins, and drums (a full orchestra is hidden beyond the
choir loft rail.)  

some faces were shining with joy.   others with tears.    most of my joy
is mingled with tears these days.  

merry Christmas,
lea

"for unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given."

less is more, sometimes

dear emily,

i decorated the house with all my favorite Christmas treasures, but i wasn't
happy with the result.   then i remembered a famous coco chanel quote.

"after accessorizing, always take off the last thing you put on."

so,  i removed four calling birds, three french hens, and two turtledoves.   the
partridge wouldn't budge.   'less is more' is usually the best idea with design,
make-up, jewelry, recipe ingredients, words, and most things.

 . . . but not with some things.

"after accessorizing with faith, hope, and love, pour on a lot of generosity,
kindness, and compassion."

merry Christmas,
lea

"o come, o come Immanuel."

lo, how a rose e'er blooming

dear emily,

i was working at my computer when i noticed a lovely pink hue to the
room.   looking out the kitchen window,  i gasped at the reddish-rosy
glow in the sky.    while taking pictures, i couldn't believe that it was
december 1st, 80 degrees, and my roses were still blooming.

then i thought of one of my favorite Christmas hymns, "lo, how a rose
e'er blooming."

lo, how a rose e'er blooming from tender stem hath sprung?
of jesse's lineage coming, as men of old have sung.
it came, a floweret bright, amid the cold of winter,
when half spent was the night

isaiah 'twas foretold it, the Rose i have in mind;
mary we behold it, the virgin mother kind.
to show God's love aright, she bore to us a Saviour,
when half spent was the night . . .

love,
lea

700 years before the birth of Christ, "therefore the Lord himself will
give you a sign:  the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a
Son, and will call him Immanuel."   isaiah 7:14

a little competition . . .

dear emily,

yippee!    i love that all the music in the stores is Christmas music.   it's the
only time of the year that i can hear the name of Jesus everywhere i go.

speaking of music, i have started a little competition in choir to help us
memorize the 20 songs we will sing at the Christmas cantata.   the section
with the most people to memorize it all, wins something . . . bigger than a
candy cane but smaller than a mercedes.    the sunday after i put the 'match'
on the blackboard, i found this:

sopranos:        2
altos:              2
tenors:  37, 478
bass:              0

boys never grow up.

google image

love,
lea

"hark, the herald angels sing: glory to the newborn King!"

dear emily,

how do you keep your five kids' activities straight?   i have fleeting
nightmares memories of forgetting my five kids' piano lessons and
basketball practices.   when i went out of town, i color-coded the
calendar (blue: isaac, red: shelby, orange: max, green: sunday, purple:
hailey) for the baby sitters to take them where they needed to be.

now,  i really only have two people's activities to keep straight but
tend to record dates in my calendar on the wrong day, week, or month.  
i had thanksgiving down for november 30th.

i sent sunday lane a message saying, "only two more days until you
come home!"   she replied, "mom, i don't come home for four more
days."  bummer.

http://www.organizemyhive.com/2011/12/16/aunt-treasure/

oh well, i haven't noticed that the world stopped revolving from my
disorganized issues.    it seems that our five adult children are doing a
better job than their mom, and i always prayed that they would surpass
me in every way.  

love,
lea

"order my steps according to Your word; let no sin rule over me."
psalm 119:133