Blown away

You've got to check out this link.

Till next time,

Suzi

Spring on the morning in between

There were signs of spring as Raven and I took our morning walk today.

It felt good to sleep in a bit after several Saturdays in a row of classes all day, beginning at 8:30 am. So, the sun was getting high in the sky by the time we made our rounds.

A man in his front yard was raking leaves.

The sidewalks are free of ice and snow, revealing where repair folks had blacktopped over precarious holes in the sidewalk, but sometimes covering parts of residents' lawns as well. Will spring grass and plants cover this?

Someone else was watering his plants. I guess we're still in a drought here, even with all the snow this winter. Most of it went north of us--so there's plenty of water in Ole Miss. (the Mississippi River)

Raven misses the snow, but I think he's looking forward to the green grass in a particular neighbor's lawn. For some reason, he picks the same spot on this lawn when we walk by. He lies down and wiggles around on his back, just like he does when he makes snow angels. In the summer, this lawn is lush, soft, and green, and Raven has enjoyed many relaxing breaks on warm days' walks there. Maybe he is anticipating the growth of this special lawn.

Signs of spring remind me that Easter is almost here. The sad day of Good Friday is past. We still wait, not forgetting the costly price of Good Friday.

But tomorrow is Easter. The hope of new life comes then.

Happy Resurrection Day! May the life of Christ be in you!

Till next time,

Suzi

It's Friday. . .

Friday, the end of the work week, a day off, a chance to relax--today is all of these things.

It is also a day I need to be working on a paper that is due Monday.

My paper is for my communication class, and I'm analyzing a dialogue in the movie "The Namesake." The father is explaining to his son the significance of his name, Gogol, which the son has disgarded for "Nicolai" or "Nick." Nicolai was going to be his name when he started school, but as a five-year-old he wanted to keep the more familiar one.

In The Namesake, the father, Ashoke, (who was born in India along with his wife Ashime), explains why "Gogol" has such significance to him and why his American-born son carries this name. It had to do with a train ride back when Ashoke was a college student. He was reading Nicolai Gogol's book The Overcoat. While he was reading it, an older Indian man was asking if Ashoke had traveled much, and encouraged him to travel abroad, since Ashoke had his life ahead of him. "Pack a pillow and blanket!" he said. "See the world!" Ashoke said that's what books were for--to travel the world without moving an inch.

Then the train crashes, and Ashoke is the only survivor. He never forgets the gentleman's words, so he travels to the US to study, comes back to India for a wife, and returns with her to the east coast of America. He doesn't forget the author Gogol, either.

So the father, in the movie scene, explains all this to Gogol. The son replies, "Baba," (the Indian term for "Dad")--is that what you think of when you think of me? Do I remind you of that night?"

"Not at all," Baba (Ashoke) responds. "You remind me of everything that followed. Every day since then has been a gift . . . Gogol."

On Friday, some 2000 years ago, Jesus cried out the name of his father. Had the Father forgotten the Son? Had he forsaken the one whose name is loved and treasured above all names?

No--he turned away from the sin that Jesus bore that terrible moment when the son seemed to be forsaken. But that moment was for everything that followed.

On Good Friday the gift of payment for sin was given. On Easter Sunday the glory of the resurrection and the reminder of new life for all who believe in the name of the Son is fulfilled.

I hope, as I work on my paper, I can remember the price the Son paid for my sins, and know that he knows my name and has sought my redemption on the cross.

May your Friday be a good one, and have a blessed Easter.

Till next time,

Suzi

It's been awhile . . .

Well, it's been awhile since I've posted. Tomorrow is the last session in my second class. I've had The Teaching Craft, and now I have Advanced Interpersonal Communication. I have to analyze a dialogue in a movie between two people, using the communication methods we've studied. (This is a 12-20 page paper.) I've chosen "The Namesake" and the dialogue between father and son when the father explains more thoroughly to his grown son why he was given the name "Gogol."

So, although class ends tomorrow, I have nine days to complete the assignment. Then, two weeks from tomorrow, my "Effective Teaching Online" class starts, and goes through the end of May. Busy, busy. But fun and fruitful.

This week my college advisor passed away, Dr. Christian Weintz. He was a wonderful, charming, classy, brilliant man. He had MS for over 50 years, but he lived with his disability with grace. He retired a couple years after I graduated (which was 1980), but continued to have a full life and lived to see many grandchildren and even a couple of great-grandchildren be born.

One thing I remember that Dr. Weintz told us to help us with our writing was to write every day. Back a few years ago, I did that with my blog. Will his memory now inspire me to do better? I hope so.

Tim and I enjoyed sitting with some old college classmates, reliving the days of our youth and times in Dr. Weintz's class. It was a wonderful experience.

Well, now I must study to go over my reading for tomorrow's class and make sure I know the scene time frame for my film clip. 

If I don't blog before then, have a wonderful Holy Week and a Happy Easter!

Till next time,

Suzi