crush

egon schiele: four trees

I have two semi-new crushes.

These beautifuls, and these ones too.

"My my my, my my my, my my." (from "skinny love")

Switzerland

So...it was really a wonderful trip. I think I am readjusted to the time and slept well last night, but as we speak my eye is twitching, a sure sign of over-tiredness.

A few highlights:
Many beautiful things to see--climbing to the top and hanging out inside the holy, hushed Munster Church
Wandering around Kunstmuseum looking at Holbein, Klee, Miro, Van Gogh, Shiele
Tasty things: Luxembourglis, homemade dinners, raspberries & cream
Conversation over fondue
Prayers after dinner and the start of a revolution
Maniacal Lost-watching
Napping
Up to Engleburg on the train that was all like Lord of the Ringsy
Chillin and exploring with Linz

I also had a chance to read some great books, including The New Guide to Crisis & Trauma, which I think everyone should read (perhaps I am a bit biased, but it was really good and really practical). Also, The Jesus of Asian Women, which was also a great, compelling, and fascinating look at what women theologians in Asia are saying about the image of Jesus that has been favored by western male theologians, and why this image might be a little off-putting to some of the most abused, oppressed and marginalized women on earth.

Here are just a few of the amazing sights. These pics are just a taste. For more, go here.

Near the train station. Basel

Marketplatz. Basel

Walking near Basel, Barfusserplatz (Place of the Barefoot Monks--my favorite name)

From the top of Munster Church

Munster, Basel

Inside Munster Church, Basel.



Snacktime. Tea Room. Basel

On the train to Engleberg.

Going up the peak to see the mountains.

Inside the glacier cave. Engleberg.

Cuckoos.

Lucerne at night. Loveliness

At Kunstmuseum. Basel.


Arlsheim Cathedral.

Church and Monastery at Arlsheim.


Arlsheim Cathedral.

Drum Light. Basel.
Marketplatz at night.

today it's all about stealin.

This picture is from lejson's flickr site, and it is called Cherry Blossom Sky. Nice, eh?

AND, I am totally stealing these quotes from two beautiful sisters here and here. Good stuff, real good stuff.

"May God bless you with discomfort at easy answers, half truths, and superficial relationships, so that you may live deep within your heart. May God bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless you with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain into joy. And may God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in this world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done."
-Traditional Franciscan Benediction-

"...and grace calls out: you are not just a disillusioned old man who may die soon, a middle aged woman stuck in a job and desperately wanting to get out, a young person feeling the fire in the belly begin to grow cold. you may be insecure, inadequate, mistaken, or potbellied. death, panic, depression, and disillusionment may be near you. but you are not just that. you are accepted. never confuse your perception of yourself with the mystery that you really are accepted."
-brennan manning, ragamuffin gospel-

It has been a pretty amazing few months of getting to see these truths demonstrated to me by my friends and family. Things are really not the way they're supposed to be, but it's good to know some fighters. Wowza.

In closing: Dance dance revolution! (I don't really know why I said that.)

Forward.

I have this quote hanging in my room, and it always reminds me of those periods that seem fallow and parched and dormant. They are precursors to the miracle of new things blooming; silent harbingers that what is in the works is too deep and too fragile to watch in the glaring light of day:

"The seed is in the ground
Now may we rest in hope
While darkness does its work."
Wendell Berry

I just read a short novel of his called Remembering. It's about grief, and life, and love. It was quite moving. Read it if you get the chance.

Also, read this post by my Mams. She's a wise and gentle one. I think she is secretly an Ent...without the weird, low, slow voice, of course.

Spring...you can almost taste it. There are green buds pushing up through the thawing ground. New life feels good after these many freezes....we get a chance to be warmed by the sun, we get a chance to hear the birds singing. I know, I know. I'm a sucker for the romance of it all.

I'm preparing for a big paper and two midterms this week. I should be studying presently, but am instead looking out my window and thinking about Switzerland.

I'll be leaving for Basel, Switzerland on Saturday to go visit Linz for spring break, courtesy of her company, CRB. It is a chemical engineering firm, and they are flying buddies (and spouses, whichever the employees choose) over to visit their forlorn employees who have been working far from home these last 6 months. And Linz, in her generosity, kindness and thoughtfulness, asked me to come. I am still speechless. I have not shared this news with many mostly because I feel kind of like a chump. I feel like a chump because I've yet to learn how receive gifts graciously, if at all. But friends are good and keep giving them. And God is gracious, and he does too.

I am meeting my friend Irum in a few minutes for a special treat. It is something that she described as perfection in a bowl--this hot chocolate soup stuff that they have at Bissengers. Now that's a great way to hang out. It's almost (almost) better than coffee.

That's all for now, I suppose. It's time for some Psych Disorders practice tests. Just wanted to say hey. To y'all. You know who you are. I'm thinking about you, and praying for you, and hoping your Sunday days and Sunday nights are just fine.

Read to the belly.

Crazy cool nerdy study of the day:

"In a classic study of prenatal learning, pregnant women read Dr. Seuss's classic children's story The Cat in the Hat out loud each day for the final 6 weeks of their pregnancies. After the infants were born, they were allowed to suck on special pacifiers that turned a variety of sounds off and on. Each kind of sound requred a special type of sucking. Researchers found that the babies quickly adapted their sucking patterns in order to listen to the familiar story, but did not increase their sucking in order to listen to an unfamiliar story. In other words, babies preferred the sound of the story they had heard in utero." (Lifespan Development, Boyd & Bee)