I can feel it coming on... it usually starts with an awareness of something that I hadn't seen before... & then I start seeing it everywhere. Awareness leads to interest, which leads to searching.. followed by discovery, immersion, & processing. This somehow, someway gets worked out in, through, & around my life. What am I talking about? I think I'd call it 'learning.' Something, somehow sparks an interest, a mental itch that gets scratched by the journey, the process of discovery, research, & thinking. One of the things that I'm excited about today it's a collection of writings from the early Christian church called The Apostolic Fathers, Vol. 1. Ever since Den's presentations on "The Historical Jesus," I've been meaning to dig into the life of Polycarp - who was the disciple of John, who was the disciple of Jesus - & this book not only has the "Letter of Polycarp," but also the account of his martyrdom at age 86.
I don't know where this is headed, but I think that its towards a better understanding of the early church, dealings with & responses to gnostic thought & gnosticism, & identifying, understanding, & working through a re-emergent gnosticism within the Church today...
On that note, I would love to develop a library in my house - one with big, wide shelves that go all the way to the ceiling, made of real wood, something rich & dark, upon which I could organize my stuff... I see a comfy chair, the perfect reading lights (because of course the room is dark & cave-ish...) & a place to smoke my pipe in contemplation, ala C.S. Lewis J.R.R.R.R. Tolkien & even Sherlock Holmes... I ponder the obvious opportunity for thought that pipes give is enhanced by the beautiful smell of pipe tobacco. Not that theBean would ever let me smoke it in the house. But this is a bit of a fantasy, so in this situation, I'm not only in the house, but I'm not hiding. :)
Books are & always have been a happy place for me - offering a refuge from the urgency of life, an opportunity for growth, new thought; for the possibility of transformation of a life outlook. Sigh.
I'm in the market for another copy of "The Lord of The Rings" - as my last copy I left in Alex's room in Gau Algesheim. It is a special thing to me, because it was a gift from my brother, Moe. My bags were 100% full, the book (a constant traveling companion) was well-worn, & Alex is a dear friend that I thought would appreciate that this wasn't just me not having space & trying to pawn off things that were disposable... rather, the book itself is a symbol of love & friendship, adventure & hope, comfort in times of loneliness, a reminder of a different time. And, I know that I'll be in Alex's home again, wherever it will be, & I will read that copy of LOTR again. Oh yes, it shall be done.
And now for something completely different, completely irrelevant...
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4 launchings into the blogosphere....:
our neighbor across the street has been retired for over 10 years. I see him smoking quite frequently in the summer outside on his porch chair. I remarked at some sort of strange smell when I went outside and Andy said it was the cigar he (carl) was smoking. His wife won't let him smoke in the house either..apparently
Ah, I can picture your library. My library is very similar, except the dark and cave-ish part. Mine would have a sky-light as well as French doors leading to a patio overlooking a meadow stream. And of course, if you have books to the ceiling, you would also have to have one of those rolling ladders.
hey louie, i fixed the side of the cover - hope thats okay. so the next generation can read the book too :-)
we're looking forward to host you hopefully really soon...
Erica - yes. Wives are good like that. And I mean it.
Jeni - which is why everyone's own pretend library gets to be set up uniquely...:)
Alex - sweet! Me too. The seeing you part. And letting you host me :)
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