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day 6: are the dara-notes working?

OK, so I missed about five days in between of updating the dara-notes.  I’d like to say that I was at least good and actually wrote Dara an email every day in between, but I missed writing her a message two days in a row!  And technically I didn’t get around to day 3’s message, until it was late!

By the way, these harsh rules on myself to write Dara and to update the dara-notes are just because I want to!

So upon reflection, I’ve decided not to re-post my emails to Dara here, verbatim.  I realized this rather quickly by day 2 (…or day 1, when I made a name change!) when I realized mostly everything I write Dara is personal!  So I guess, dara-notes will be an afterword of sorts!

It’s day 6, really?  Has it been almost a week since Dara’s been gone?  It feels really surreal.  I guess I know how she felt when I left for France.  I have this half sort of feeling that Dara is not really absent, from my life, but I also wonder if the feeling that I miss her will kick in down the road.  Right now, it just feels like she’s gone for a week of camp.  Or maybe more like that summer when she went away to Hamilton for a month!  The time went by very fast.

Of course my parents’ reactions are different.  Actually, oddly enough, I am making connections with something I read today (incidentally from Genesis 37:1-38:30).  Haha, I’m really, seriously, believe me, not trying to intentionally bring in the bible here, but why not.

So this is basically the story of Joseph.  Yes, the technicolour coat guy.  And the part I read about today, was about Joseph’s relationship with his brothers and his father.  I think most of you already know the story about Joseph, but if you need a refresher, I’ve linked up the passage I specifically read today, for your reference (see above), so I’ll just launch into commentary here.

It’s interesting how bloodthirsty and jealous Joseph’s brothers are.  They want to kill him because Joseph is something of the pet son to their father Jacob.  What’s striking about this, is that by today’s standards, is well, if you’re jealous of your brother or your sister, would you really go to the extent of wanting to kill them?  I mean, it’s inconceivable (you would say)!

But then, I look around and I remember the stories of violence and bullying in schools, and  I think, maybe it’s not so inconceivable afterall.  I don’t want to get off topic here now because it is not my intention to make this an article about bullying, but I just wanted to acknowledge here what we are all capable of.

As I was reflecting about this, I also remembered the passage in Matthew 5:21-22:

Murder

^21-22« You’re familiar with the command to the ancients, ‘Do not murder.’ I’m telling you that anyone who is so much as angry with a brother or sister is guilty of murder. Carelessly call a brother ‘idiot!’ and you just might find yourself hauled into court. Thoughtlessly yell ’stupid!’ at a sister and you are on the brink of hellfire. The simple moral fact is that words kill.

To me, these words are very hard-hitting.  Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him.  In the end, they bullied him and sold him to slavery, which according to the passage in Matthew, though they later faked his death to their father Jacob, the actions that they took were exactly as serious as murdering Joseph.  This is seriously convicting for how we treat one another.   For how we treat one another in the work place, and for how we treat one another at school.  Our words and our actions toward one another can be a violence if we choose, or they can be peace if we choose.

And I think there is a caution there that rings true for not taking words and actions lightly.  If we remember the stories of the Columbine shootings or the local story of Reena Virk, aren’t these examples that show us the progression, and escalation of words, and present day violence that we are capable of?

day 1: SanFranLiving

So I’ve already created a new page to explain my new ‘dara-notes’ category.  Dara just left today to head down to San Francisco for eight months.  And so, I’ve challenged myself.  I’m going to write a post here for every day that she’s away.

Oh, and of course, her blog is here: SanFranLiving.

Here is some of what I wrote her today, somewhat unedited and short because I have to head off now:

Doo-berries,

Thanks for the text about mom.  Hahaha.  I’m glad she cried on your shoulder twice! (both times mum has cried on anyone’s shoulder, once when I left for France, and now when Dara left for San Franciso, she’s cried on Dara’s shoulder.  This is terrible.  But I’m glad it wasn’t me!)

I woke up, after five hours of sleep today, from a dream about Indian forests
and giant bulbous Buddha trees.  I knew the scientific names for them
in my dreams, for some reason, but forgot them all when I woke up.

Sharon* and I read our horoscope in the Metro on the way to work.
They have these giant touch screen Samsung phones now to advertise
by the food court.  Little kids go up to them and play a game that’s like graffiti.
<–and here is where I stopped when you phoned us.
And I’m going to stop here now.  I planned to write you more…but I should go now.

Love,
Monsda

*a bit of a name change for some respect in annonymity…

Small vs. Extreme, and the answer

I have this book that I’ve been reading (I got it for free at a book sale at Regent), but because I’m too used to citing and research and sources, I’ll link it up here.

Anyway, not to bombard you with rhetoric! But here’s something I was thinking about from a chapter that looks at the book of Job under “The Way to Wisdom: Old Testament and spirituality”, that I think I either read while I was at Rivendell or that I am thinking about now. Stevens writes:

“And confronted with this awesome God, Job repents – not of the puny sins his friends pestered him with but of having too small a God [...] Job never stops praying, seeking God, pleading with God, complaining to God, and even being angry with God. More than anything he wants the fellowship of God, the presence of God (23:3; 29:4). And what he gets in the end is God. The deepest answer to his questions about the meaning of his life is simply God.”

This is huge to me. Accepting that the answer to my prayers (for example, should I do Perspectives? should I go back to work at the airport?) is God. And I’ve made Him out to be too small; I doubt I have enough faith, enough ability to love. If I have that doubt about myself and that reliance on my own ability, I’ve made God out to be too small. In answer to that, here’s another quote from Brad Snider: “Why does Jesus have such high expectations? Why such extreme demands? Because he is not looking for our best, He is looking for His best, in and through us, as we trust in Him.”

Advent day 16

Woah! Quite a jump from the last Advent day to today!  Michelle heard this song by Elizabeth & the Catapult and I instantly fell in love with their music.

Here is the music video of today:

http://www.vevo.com/watch/elizabeth-the-catapult/taller-children/USUV70901781

Other great finds for Christmas:

Chris Schlarb and family

The More the Merrier Christmas on The Record Machine