Here I am again

Well, here we are; four months later, and only one post about school.  I really do apologize for posting only once in a blue moon.  It's hard to post at school, not only because I'm so busy but also because we have such limited Internet access.  Oh well.  My hope is to post once a week next semester, but we'll see if that ever happens.

So right now I am home for Christmas break, and it's already about half way over. (My break, that is.)  By the way, Merry Christmas everyone!  I hope it's been a blessed time for all.  My Christmas has been very quiet, but good.  In some ways, though it's rather hard to get into the spirit of celebrating with my family  because I have been living such a very different lifestyle for the past four months.  In some ways -- when I stepped back into my old room particularly -- I feel like I am going back to my old self.  I have grown and learned and changed in so many ways in the past few months that it's very strange and very backwards to come back to this old part of me.  I can't explain it very well, because it's very queer.

All in all, however, it has been lovely to be back home and to see my family, many of whom I haven't seen since July.  I am particularly delighted to see my 1 year old niece, who is an absolute cutie, even though she doesn't really know who I am because I so rarely see her now.  It is also good to relax and not worry about homework, and to eat lots (and lots and LOTS) of yummy homemade food.  I think I've gained some weight since being here, but it's hard to not eat a lot of homemade goodies after being deprived of really good food at school.

Best Christmas present: My own coffee maker (plus coffee!!)!  I never realized how much I would miss quality coffee while at college, but it hit me hard when I first sipped the coffee-flavored turpentine in our mass-producing coffee machine in our cafeteria.  So it was a true delight to receive coffee and a coffee maker from two of my brothers.  Yay!! :)

I thought that since I hadn't posted any pictures from my three-week trip last post, I'd put up a few now.  So here they are.  I will let them speak for themselves:

Have a blessed Christmas season.

Pax,
Clare

I'm alive! (Really!)

Well, I have arrived back from the three-week backpacking trip, and am now in the bowels of my liberal arts education.  I have literally not had a moment of free time where I could actually sit down and write a post, and, in fact, I am cutting into precious homework hours right now.  But I thought it was just as important for me to keep people updated on life.  I do not have pictures to post at the moment, but I thought I would copy here parts of the journal-letter I wrote to my mom and dad while I was on the three-week trip in the Wind River mountains in Wyoming.  It was such an amazing experience, and I do have gorgeous pictures, which I will post soon.  But I thought you might enjoy these excerpts from my thoughts and experiences while backpacking in the wilderness.  (Notice that names have been omitted, for the sake of privacy, of course!)

---

"No Name Lake,
The Back Country,
Wyoming

Dearest Mom and Dad,                                                  Tuesday, 8/7/12

      As I write this, I am sitting curled up in my sleeping bag, my long-johns

and under-armour on, my rain paints & fleece also on, my wool hat on my

head, and my gloves on my feet because my 'sacred socks' that I keep in

my sleeping bag have disappeared. (If there's one thing living in the

wilderness teaches you, it's the lack of value in material things like a luxury

pair of socks.) Did I paint a good enough picture of how COLD the nights

are here? How I miss simple things like slippers & down comforters!

     I decided to write you a journal-letter. This means that every day I will

write a recap of my day, so that you both can, in a sense, walk with me.

I am a couple of days behind, but I will do my best to catch up. i miss you

both achingly. The country is simply gorgeous, and I am so glad to be

here, but I am so, so homesick. Thank goodness I have so many wonder-

ful people around me, to ease the sickness. I think of you & the boys

every day, and I am praying for you all.

     Also, feel free to show or read this letter to family or friends, or anyone

else you might see soon who would enjoy hearing about the trip.

Especially show this to M----- and T---- who have shared so many

adventures with me already.

                                       Here goes then!



Day 1                                                                                   8/5/12

       We left WCC at 12:00 noon, a 20-odd group of girls cattling along in

WCC's donated old school bus. We drove about 3 1/2 hours to get to

the trailhead. (I made sure to take Dramamine before we left.)  En route,

our SROM [*Solid Rock Outdoor Ministries*] instructor, C----, gave us

a lesson on bear safety, which I could hardly hear because the bus was so noisy.

C. is a really great guy; I like him a lot. Our team's mentors are K--- & J---,

both seniors at WCC, but both hired by SROM to be co-instructors.

      We got to the trailhead, made some last preparations, and then we put

our packs on for the first "for real" time. Did I tell you already that my pack

weighed about 54 lbs?  My shoulders and hips started hurting immediately.

The first time getting the pack on, I had to get one of my teammates,

V-----, to help me by lifting it, but after that I got more used to it, and

did it myself.

     We stayed on the trail the whole day. Due to our late start, and to the

general of unfamiliarity to packs in our group, we didn't arrive at our

chosen camp until about 8:30 or 9:00 PM. We hiked about 4 miles, and

yes, we -- I! -- were/was exhausted.

     But guess what we saw while we were hiking? A moose! It was a female,

about 200 feet away from us, and she was eating a lot of vegetation to get

fat for the winter. That was a really cool experience. I snapped a picture,

but I can't develop it and send it to you because there are no Wal-Marts

around.

     We camped in some woods by a very pretty lake. Since it was so late, we

didn't actually cook anything, but we ate some goldfish and pretzels and

sunflower seed butter, or sun butter. Boy, is that stuff tasty. All in all, it

was a good, but tiring day. I was sore in the shoulders, but that is to be

expected. One of the most encouraging things to me is that every other

girl is in the same boat as I am. Even the experienced instructors say that

although your shoulders will eventually adjust to the weight, your hips

will always be sore. It's just an unavoidable reality.



Day 2                                                                                                  8-6-12

      Today was much harder than yesterday, not just physically, but also

emotionally. I was really missing you guys today. We celebrated Mass in

the woods for the feast of the Transfiguration, and suddenly I was home-

sick. Maybe it was because I associate daily Mass so closely with you.

But Mass was wonderful (Father celebrated Mass on a stack of backpacks,

in the middle of the woods!), and I now have a Magnificat to help me pray. Hooray!

     We followed the man-made trial trail for a good 2/3 of the day today-

unlike yesterday, when we stayed on the trial trail for the whole 4 miles.

(Sorry about the two back-to-back misspellings [ahh! another one!]

mispellings. [Wait, how do you spell mispellings?]  I keep on writing

'trail' as 'trial'. Hmm, what does that say about me?)  But today, we

eventually went off-trail, or "bush-whacking", as our WCC mentor and

Leader of the Day (LOD), K., told us. That's when it really started getting

draining. We clambered through a huge boulder field and that was probably

the first time this trip when I became seriously afraid that something bad was

going to happen.  Normally I love climbing around on big rocks, but it's quite

a different story when you've got a 50 pound pack on your back. My balance is

constantly getting thrown off.

     After this ordeal, we then had to face ascending a steep, forbidding, and

heavily forested mountain. Our team was just exhausted, but K. gently

encouraged us on, reminding us that our intended campsite was just over

the mountain. Looking back now, I remember praying to God and Pier

Giorgio Frassati, asking for the grace to persevere. I remember receiving

a gentle urging to offer my sufferings to Christ. I remember receiving this

in the context of thinking about the Transfiguration. After all, this feast

reminded me in ever so special a way today how Christ revealed Himself

in His glory to the apostles, and they were told to "listen to Him".

     We were so relieved to reach the campsite that perhaps we were in dan-

ger of glorifying it, but it really was a beautiful place. The tent area was on

a hill surrounded by rocks and trees, and then to reach the kitchen area

you had to walk down the eastern side of the hill. The kitchen area looked

out upon monstrous rock formations, like the cliffs on the coast of Ireland.

There was a lake on the opposite side of the kitchen. Because the kitchen

was in something of a valley, the sky was enormous. You could see all the

stars at night, and during the day, the white clouds look like they want to

smother you. I never realized that the clouds would be so big and close at

higher elevation, but it makes sense.

     That night we had pasta with fried onions and green peppers. It was no-

where near as good as your pasta & vegetables, Mom, but it was still

pretty dang good. Of course, everything tastes good after a long day of

hiking out in the back country!  In case you're wondering, we hiked about

4 miles today.



Wall Lake,
The Back Country,
WY



Update:                                                                     Wed.    8/8/12  

     I'm still behind in my daily entries, but I will try and write all of Day 3 to-

night. (Today, the 8th, is Day 4, so don't get confused.) Oh, and just so

you know, our elevation at No Name Lake yesterday was 10,590 feet.

Isn't that amazing?

Okay, here goes:



Day 3                                                                           8/7/12

     Today was, in some ways, harder than yesterday. We hiked about 4 1/2,

maybe 5 miles -- or we were supposed to. We were still off-trail, so we had

to figure out a way around this particular mountain. Today was also the first day

that two of us girls became Leaders of the Day, or LODs. The LOD basically

takes the place of the SROM instructors in areas of organizing, planning a route,

guiding the group through the route, etc., always deferring to the SROM instructors

when stuck or confused.

     So we decided to try and go around the mountain on one particular side.

But I don't know if our LOD misread the map (which is understandable

on her first day!) or if the map did not show clearly enough what the

terrain was like on that particular side (which can easily happen), but one

way or another, we got stuck and had to turn around. So we lost probably

about an hour in time, as well as an hour of expended energy. We didn't

get to camp until about 9 PM. The worst of it, though, was that the last

hour and a half or two hours were all uphill, and we were all very tired.

It was incredibly discouraging, because we'd top a hill or mountain think-

ing that our campsite was just on the other side, only to discover that we

had yet another hill to climb. But our LOD was so sweet and encouraging,

pushing us on and trying to keep our spirits up. And we got there even-

tually, unhurt and ready for food and rest.

     Despite the setback, it was actually a really wonderful sidetrack. We saw

some breathtaking panoramas of the mountains and clouds and far-away

lakes. And guess what we saw today? Another moose! We were high up

on a mountain, picking our way. Far below we could see trees descending

slowly down to a still blue lake. There in the middle of the lake stood the

moose, making ripples as it drank from the water. We thought we could

see little horns on it as we looked at it through binoculars, but it was hard

to tell.

     We had to cross through another boulder field today, although it wasn't

nearly as extensive as the one yesterday. It was still a little nerve-wracking.

Although the tension lifted when I crouched down to move from one

boulder to the other, lost my balance because I was so top-heavy, and

rolled gently onto my back, the pack cradling me from harm. It was rather

amusing, because at that moment I felt like a turtle trying to stand up

on its hindlegs. I've never felt so turtlish in my life!


P.S. I found my sacred socks! Yay!"

And that's all I have right now!  I will post the rest of the trip later.  I have to get to my homework now, which means reading a huge chunk of The Iliad for Humanities class, reading some Aristotle and starting a paper for Logic class, reading The Bible for Theology class, studying for our Latin exam on Tuesday, learning Euclid propositions for geometry, and studying the conformation of the horse for equestrian class!  Wish me luck!

Pax,

Clare

Quick Hello (and Goodbye)

I haven't much time at all to write, but I just wanted to give a quick update of what has been going on.  We arrived in Lander on Wednesday (August 1), and I have been spending the past few days going to class for Wilderness First Aid training, CPR training, and packing for the hike.  We are leaving later this morning, after Mass, so that is why I must rush and only give a quick update.  I will be gone for 21 days, and unfortunately (fortunately for me!), I will be totally disconnected from civilization during that time.  But when I come back, I will be sure to give a fuller account of this past week.

In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful sunset that I saw from my dorm:

Also, please pray for me that all will go well on the trip, and that I will learn all that God wants me to learn.

Pax,
Clare

Go West, Young...Woman

Today is Day 3 of our road trip to Wyoming Catholic College.  I have to be there August 1 (tomorrow) for a three-week hiking trip for us freshmen.  (This is WCC's version of orientation!)

We drove through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and into Wisconsin on Sunday, and stayed overnight at my aunt and uncle's house.  They own a fantastically gorgeous old house, beautifully furnished, complete with stained glass and woodwork and nooks and crannies.  I couldn't take very many pictures at all, because my stupid new camera holds only five pictures in its internal memory and I didn't have a memory card at the time I was having trouble with my camera.  But here are a few:

 Monday we drove through Wisconsin, Minnesota, and into South Dakota, where we stayed for the night.  Minnesota has grass so green and lakes so blue that I will have to search very hard to find their like.  There was a very lovely sunset that evening.  It was that kind of sunset where the sky seems to be like one large rainbow, only its colors are pastel pinks and purples, blues and greens.  Baby colors.

Today we drove through South Dakota and into Wyoming.  Big sky country.

We decided to take a longer route through South Dakota and drive through the Bad Lands.  I have never seen such stark, desolate, haunting beauty.

We also drove past Mount Rushmore, and took lots of wonderful pictures, but I can't upload them right now because they are on my parents' camera.  My camera was *ahem* giving me technical difficulties again.  (Besides, I was the one driving past Mt. Rushmore, so I couldn't very well have taken any pictures.)  But of course, everyone has seen pictures of Mt. Rushmore, so perhaps it's not such a big deal.  It was incredible, though, to see it "in real life".

These are all the pictures I have right now, but hopefully I will upload more soon.  Something I wish I had snapped: while we were in South Dakota, I saw a hotel sign that read, "Imaginary Friends Stay For Free!"
It made my day.


Pax,
Clare

Fresh name, Fresh start

Yes, I am back once again after a *very* long hiatus. There are a number of reasons why I have not posted, and I think one of them is that I didn't really feel...comfortable with my blog. Perhaps I have changed or grown recently. In any case, I felt the need to revamp and make a fresh start.  (My apologies for the sudden changes of important things like the title and the blog address!)  Another major reason why I have neglected my blog until now is that I am going off to college this fall, as a freshman. I am so very excited, because I have wanted to go to this college since I was about 12 or 13. (More on this later -- I'm thinking about writing a whole post about my college choice.) What is this school that has attracted me for so long, and through so many changing years?

Wyoming Catholic College.

 You know how, sometimes, you just get a little inkling that you should really do something? Like striking up a conversation with that co-worker who looks really down; or picking out a certain book for a present even though you aren't sure the person you're giving the book to would even enjoy it, only to find out that that is his favorite author? Well, those inklings have happened to me enough to convince me that they are promptings of the Holy Spirit.
There is a story in the Bible where God was looked for in the wind, and the storms, and the fire, but He was not in any of those things. He was found in a tiny whispering sound. I say all this because a tiny whispering sound has been quietly urging me towards WCC. I am the last person to trust my feelings, but really, it felt like WCC was the place where I should pursue my education. And it hasn't been easy to obey that tiny whisper. I am constantly asked questions like: "So what does Wyoming have that you can't find around here?" or "Don't you want to pursue music?" (I've been playing piano for almost 13 years) or simply "Why Wyoming?!" Even some of the people whose opinion about these things I trust the most doubted my choice.

I am not saying this to arouse sympathy, or to label myself a martyr, but because I think that when one is open to God's Will, and one hears God's call, he becomes endowed with grace. He is able to trust in God, not man, and to follow his own heart. Because of this, I give all thanks and praise to God for His great mercy and love.

 And besides, Wyoming Catholic College is just a pretty awesome school. Check it out for yourself.

wyomingcatholiccollege.com

Pax,
Clare

Freedom of Speech? Yeah, right!

I was trying not to let this get me riled up, but I couldn't take it anymore.

I was perusing a distasteful blog the other day, abortiongang.org, to get some sense of what the "other side" of the abortion issue thinks (i.e., the pro-abortionists), when I spotted a post that left a more-sour-than-usual taste in my mouth. It is titled Hey A--holes: Stop Using the Holocaust as a Metaphor for Abortion. My first thought was: "Thanks, Abortion Gang, you just did what you accuse us emotional, Christian pro-lifers of doing". (Now they'll really convince me of the truth of their stance, right? Just after calling me an a--hole?) Then I started reading the actual thing.

Boy, is it insipid. And ludicrous.

I got so fed up with the cockeyed arguments that I decided to post a rather lengthy comment, attempting to refute all the assertions and claims the author made in her post. (May I add that, from what I can see of who makes up the "Abortion Gang", they're all women. It's so opposite of being sexist that it's sexist.)

When I posted the comment, and saw that it was awaiting moderation, I was suspicious that my comment would be deleted. Forgive me for being obviously biased, but that's what I thought. But then I told myself, "No, of course they won't delete my comment. They'll enjoy arguing a pro-lifer's stance. After all, it's not like I was cynical or illogical in my comment." So I waited for my comment to appear, checking back rather routinely because I was eager to see if they had answered my argument.

Would you believe it, my comment got deleted.

I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt; I really did. But I guess they didn't want any opposing arguments on their website in case some doubting Thomas (or Thomasina) who was questioning the morality of abortion would happen upon it and be converted. After all, why should life be hard to figure out? Why should we question things?

Again giving the Gang the benefit of the doubt (although I was quite skeptical), I assumed that something had gone wrong with the computer or the Internet and again posted the comment.

Needless to say, my comment was once more deleted.

It takes two to tango. I don't know if this post will in any way reach the Gang, but I want to show anybody who reads this the absurdity of the Gang's post, and also my reply, since I was prevented from publishing my thoughts elsewhere.

Obviously the Abortion Gang don't believe in free speech. That should be a no-brainer, I suppose, since they quite blatantly disregard the right to life.

It's as if a candidate in a Presidential debate duct-taped the mouth of the other candidate in order to make himself look smart. It's unethical, unconstitutional, and unsuccessful.

This is directly from abortiongang.org. All boldings are my addition, for the sake of pointing out the ridiculous.

"Abortion is not like the Jews and the Nazis, and it’s not like genocide, and it’s not like slavery. Abortion is not like any of those things. This should be obvious to anyone with half a brain, but apparently, it’s not. Here are some very basic, seemingly obvious reasons why abortion is not like the Holocaust, genocide, or slavery:

1) Whether you think the fetus is a person with a soul or a collection of tissues, the vast majority of abortions occur at a time when the fetus could not survive outside the womb. In the case of the holocaust and genocide, those being killed were human beings surviving without physical dependence on another person’s body.

2) Those killed in the Holocaust, and in various world-wide genocides, were fully developed human beings with histories, families, and relationships. Abortion does not end relationships in this way, it prevents them from occurring.

3) Slavery! Abortion is not like slavery. Slavery is the ownership and exploitation of a person’s life. Abortion is preventing a life that does not yet exist from becoming one that does."

And here is my reply:

You are right, in one sense, by saying that the Holocaust is overused as a comparison to abortion. Kind of like how people use Hitler as a comparison to pretty much any criminal nowadays. But allow me to answer your three objections, point by point:
1) "Whether you think the fetus is a person with a soul or a collection of tissues, the vast majority of abortions occur at a time when the fetus could not survive outside the womb." By making this statement, you are basically saying that, 1: whether or not the fetus is a real, human being makes no difference; and 2: the fetus couldn't possibly survive on its own and thus taking its life is not such a big deal. So suppose the fetus is a real, human being? When you accept this as a possible scientific fact (which I believe it logically is, but that's an argument for another time), does it not make you pause, even for one moment, to consider that 50 million human beings have been killed since the legalization of abortion? And supposing that the fetus is a human being, does the question of whether or not it can survive on its own bear any weight here? A newborn baby or a 2 year old toddler cannot survive on his own, so by your reasoning, if an infant gets to be too much trouble for a mother, she is justified in killing that infant because she cannot handle a child at the moment. Of course, if you believe that a fetus is merely a bunch of cells (which you apparently do), then this argument will not bear much weight. But supposing that the fetus is not a human being; what is it then? By the time a fetus is 7 weeks old (around the time most abortions are performed, I believe), it already has a heartbeat. Does this not qualify it as a living creature, if not a human being?
2) "Those killed in the Holocaust, and in various world-wide genocides, were fully developed human beings with histories, families, and relationships. Abortion does not end relationships in this way, it prevents them from occurring." I find this argument to be the most inconsequential of them all. The words "fully developed human beings" imply that you regard unborn fetuses as "under-developed human beings", which they are, scientifically. Would you then consider "under-developed" and "not fully-developed" (or “inferiorly developed”) to be the same thing? If so, your argument justifies the killing of developmentally disabled people, because their brains and nervous systems aren't as "fully-developed" as the average person; at least, they are developed to a different degree, or to a different level. Many people would no doubt label mentally handicapped people as "inferiorly developed", because they can’t do everything the average person can do, and because they often cannot take care of themselves properly. Many people would say "Why not put disabled people out of their misery? After all, they have a low quality of life. That's unfair." I consider this one of the most inhumane statements I have heard people say. Handicapped people do not have an inferior quality of life, but a different quality of life. Although they seem “stupid” on the outside, oftentimes they are incredibly smart, many times smarter than the average person. They bring many unlooked-for joys and happy surprises to their families, their friends, and their caretakers. Anybody who has spent time with mentally handicapped people would agree with me.
3) "Abortion is not like slavery. Slavery is the ownership and exploitation of a person’s life. Abortion is preventing a life that does not yet exist from becoming one that does." With regards to slavery, abortion is more like slavery than you would suppose. An unborn fetus is, biologically and scientifically (and some would say spiritually) a human being. At the very least, a fetus is a potential human being. (And at what point, anyway, can we say that human life begins? Logically, it must begin at conception. Any other time during the pregnancy just has no scientific evidence to back its validity.) So if a fetus is a human being (or a potential human being with potential rights), why are the rights of that human being disregarded? The mother has the right to choose whether to keep her baby or not, and I do realize that it is always, always a hard choice. But never does a human being have the right to kill another innocent human being. A child is not the property of the mother – a child is the RESPONSIBILITY of the mother. There is a huge difference. Sort of like the difference between a slave and a hired servant.
With regards to “preventing a life that does not yet exist” – whenever a pro-lifer tries to refute a statement like this, inevitably a pro-abortionist will bring up Hitler or Osama bin Laden as an example of a life that, through abortion or some such killing, could have been prevented from causing so much pain and suffering. All I can say in response is: we don't know, and never can know, who a human being will become. If Hitler hadn't done it, maybe someone even worse would have taken over a susceptible, war-ridden Germany and gone even farther than he had with evils committed. If Osama bin Laden hadn't existed, perhaps some other terrorist would have organized an attack against the United States; perhaps it would have been a more horrible, more tragic attack. We just don't know. On the other hand, if all the children who were born in bad or hard circumstances had been aborted, we wouldn't have Muhammad, Beethoven, Buck Brannaman, Helen Keller, or John Lennon, to name a few. Who knows how many other potentially great or influential men and women have been legally aborted since 1973.
By the way, I object very strongly to being called an a--hole.

--

I am so convinced of the truth and logical arguments of these pro-abortionists' stance. Aren't you?

Forgive me if I come across as being oober-cynical, but I am understandably peeved.

-Clare

What if?

"Child," said Aslan, "did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?" - C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader


Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were not who you are?

In other words, what would life be like if you were not raised the way your parents raised you, if your faith was not what it is now, if the schooling you had was different from what you have had?

For me, it would be quite a change. One of my best friends and I were thinking about this the other day. What would life be like for us if we were not homeschooled, not Christian, and devoid of the morals we have from our upbringing?

If I were public-schooled, an atheist, and a "free-thinking" rebel, or just totally different from what I am now, I decided that I would be...a hippie. I would be really into New Age thinking (for instance, yoga would be my "meditation" instead of prayer), I would be anorexic, wear bellbottoms, have really long hair, and be all for "peace". All that jazz. Oh, and I would write steampunk novels. Probably would write a lot of romance too.

I say this because I think I have a little bit of the hippie, the steampunk, and the New Age in me. Actually, I think I have a little bit of everything in my personality. I'm a psychological mutt. I'm actually not a big fan of steampunk as a genre, but I find elements of steampunk intriguing and simpatico with elements of my personality. And one of my favorite Japanese anime movies by famed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is steampunk, Howl's Moving Castle. I also don't enjoy the political/moral mindset of hippies, but I think they can have cool styles. And as for New Age...I only say that I have a bit of New Age in me because I enjoy yoga as an exercise, and I listen to Enya. (Enya is technically considered New Age.)

To present evidence that my personality is all over the place and unable to be categorized, here are some photos of myself and my room:


This is a prime example right here. These are the books I am reading/am going to read. From L to R: a book about music therapy, a Star Wars book, "The Once and Future King", a book about God, and a book on writing by E.B. White.



Another classic example. Here we have juxtaposed a "Hellboy" poster and a poster of a cute little foal.



Two of my three bookshelves. I don't know if you can really see what's there, but among the medley are Beowulf, Plato, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Oscar Wilde, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, St. Thomas Aquinas, The Red Flag: A History of Communism, and numerous collections of fairy tales.




I will let this picture explain itself.



Yes, this is a sword. So I have a Japanese katana by my bed. What? Don't you?



These last two are me with two things I love but which, I think, don't normally go together. I actually have more than one pipe (I have three, to be exact), and their names are Archimedes, Oscar, and Clive. This is Clive...


...and this is J.S. BB-gun. Named after J.S. Bach.



That's me and my personality in a prolix nutshell! If you were to examine who you are now, who do you think you would be?

What if?

Pax,
Clare

We have arrived; will we survive?

The year was 2012. The first day of the new year was bundled in by flurries of urgent snow, and hovering dark clouds sympathized with the grim and despondent hearts of the people. The joy of a new beginning was shadowed by the threat of an ancient prophecy....

Sounds like the beginning of a book people might take seriously, doesn't it? With all the dire predictions revolving around the ominous year 2012, it's amazing people haven't started to panic. I suppose most people don't take the Mayan calendar that seriously. I don't myself, but I can't help wondering if something big will happen in 2012, even if it's not the end of the world. I don't believe that the Mayans truly knew when the end of the world would be, for only God the Father knows -- as Jesus Christ said Himself. But the Mayans were great scientists and could predict, through knowledge and research, many other things, so perhaps there will be some big event that happens this year. Perhaps it will be something readily observable, like a large earthquake, or something not as visible to the common person, like the death of a few stars. Who knows? But I believe in my heart that no one knows -- nor can know -- the hour of the End, and therefore we must constantly be ready.

My New Year's resolution is to keep on living as I have before, only better. I want to love more, laugh more, sing more, dance more, read more, write more, be more silent and caring, and ultimately grow closer to God. That is my goal. I don't care when the End comes; I just want to be ready to meet my Maker.

Here is a silly poem I wrote awhile ago:

"Dabbling in Drowsy"

So does genius run its course,
And when the mind has cried "Enough!"
I can't but muse that all this stuff
Is merely just a bit of fluff.

But give me room to plead my case,
To sleep upon my puzzled face --
And when the moon has lost its race
I'll bet upon another horse.

Whistling doesn't clear my brains,
It rather blends them all as sand --
Label me a one-man band,
With blarney scribbled o'er my hand.

Should I weep for what is not?
Like apples shared or gone to rot,
I'd rather stay in the frying pot --
When it pours, it never rains.

--
When I graduate from high school this year, I'm going to make a shirt that says "Class of 2012 -- We survived!"

Unless the End comes before then. Only God knows.

"The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last." -St. Philip Neri

Happy New Year!

Pax,
Clare