What Is Love?

I just finished reading I Kissed Dating Goodbye by Joshua Harris, and I will begin by saying that this book has been my favourite out of all the books offered in this class (minus the Bible, obviously!).

Not only does the author bring forward strong points and thoughts to grow on, but he also does it in a way that doesn't make you feel talked down to or that his views on dating are the only ways to date. I had made early judgments on this book, assuming that the author would be dictating how dating HAS to work, and that I probably wouldn't agree with many of his points. But now I find myself eating my own words! I agreed with every point he had. From his views on modesty and a girl's responsibility, all the way to his thoughts on how to be friends with the other sex, without tempting each other. 

I want to just touch on the friendship section of the book. He talks about how it is difficult to keep good relationships with the opposite sex without developing intimate feelings for them. He states friendship is based on a common goal or interest, but when the focus is turned away from the goal and instead on the relationship, it is no longer just a friendship. This really impacted me because I was struggling with understanding why my friendships with boys would stray away from friendship. (Either he or I would develop some sort of a crush)

I feel like this new information is already shifting some relationships in my life, and I really believe it's for the better.

On page 166, Joshua stats a very sad truth. He talks about women and how their focus when the word 'marriage' is mentioned, turns straight to the wedding. To that he wrote:

"Marriage is more than a wedding ceremony. A wedding is an event, but a marriage is a state of being. It's not a one time act; it's a lifelong commitment to be developed and maintained."

I loved this statement. I find women (myself included) focus too much on the wedding, and not what it represents. A wedding is like the words on the back of the book labeled Marriage! It gives you a little peak into what lies inside, but that little glance doesn't compare in importance to the actual book. You can't (or shouldn't) have a wedding if there’s no real commitment towards your future as one.

Ephesians 5:22-23: "Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Saviour."

Lastly, my favourite part in the book was the poem on page 172. The poem is by Lena Lathrop and it's called "A Women's Question", and it asks men if they are deserving to ask for a women's heart. One of my favourite stanzas from this poem was:

I am fair and young, but the rose may fade

From this soft young check one day;

Will you love me then 'mid the falling leaves,

As you did 'mong the blossoms of May?

I like this part because of the rhyming pattern and the connection between spring and fall. I enjoyed the whole poem mainly since it supported women to wait for Mr. Right, and not settle for anything less. 

This book has truly impacted me and my views on love and dating. I will be buying my own copy so that I can read it again. Thank you!

Melina

Food For Thought

Another week as flown by without much of a trace, other than the homework that seems to have appeared in my lap...
Our focus this week has mainly been on the topic of well, topics! We have been brainstorming ideas and trying to decide what we want to study and learn about during the next few months for our independent projects. I have to admit, it's a hard call to make! There may be things that I am passionate about at the moment, but might despise the next. What if I choose the wrong topic? What if it gets boring? So many questions and concerns seem to tangle themselves into an ugly rat's nest of frustration!

Luckily I have great support groups (both online and in person! - Thank you to all who commented on my last post!) who have helped me review my options and pick the best one for me. So I have decided (Cue drum roll...) to do Cooking! My plan is to attempt a new meal every wednesday and post either a video-update or pictures about my independent project each week.

So we have done more poem reading and I've got to give me classmates a hand for all the insightful views and opinions on the poems. We have learned a lot more terms such as ; Simile, foreshadowing, and stream of consciousness. I have always had a hard time deciphering the difference between simile and a metaphor, but now I know to look for a 'like' or 'as'. If one of the two is present, it is more than likely a simile.

I have really been enjoying reading 451 Fahrenheit! I am constantly curious as to what the author as planned next. What feeling is he wanting us to feel at this moment? What is hidden behind that ventilator grille? What's going to happen next? I like this book a lot for the different writing style, but I also enjoy it because the author is trying to warn us about how our society is like now, and how it might be years down the road.

Well I believe it is time that I stop typing and instead begin laying outlines for my independent project! If you have any suggestions to improve my project, please let me know! I would love to hear them.

Good night!

Melina

Soul Seller

It was a dark and stormy night as the carriage pulled up to the castle. This is it, I thought to myself. I stepped out from the protection of the carriage and was greeted by the hissing of the wind and pricks of rain on my face. I walked silently toward the large building, praying that after tonight the torment would end. One last task, he told me. Than I am free!

I thought back to the evening that started all of this. I was young and naïve, expecting the world to move at my very command. I played with fire and danced on the edges of the earth. I feared nothing and controlled all. As I walked home down a shadowy street, a whisper reached my ears.

“Alex”

I stopped at the sound of my name and turned. Not a soul was to be seen at this hour of the night. Cautiously I continued forward, but strained my ear as though hoping to hear the call again.

“Alex”

“Whose there?” I asked. I swiveled around looking for my antagonizer, but saw nothing but broken glass and newspapers littering the street. I was about to continue home when a dark chuckle resonated from above me. I turned my head up to the street sign marked Killnary Ave, and saw a figure.

 Its head was human. It had two eyes that glowered like daggers, and a smile on his lips that held no joy. But past his face, it seemed that his body was deformed. His arms were short and covered with scars. His body was permanently hunched over, exposing a strange type of bag on his back. But the strangest thing about him, was his skin color. It was red in some areas and black in others, making him look like a charred burn victim.

“Alex” The figure said “I need your help Alex.”

“Who are you? And how do you know my name?” I asked, becoming more and more afraid of his response. “What do you want?”

The figure slithered down the sign and crouched down on the concrete, a few feet from me.

“Will you help me take this bag off my back? It is so heavy and I can’t get it off. If you help me take it off, you can keep what’s inside.”

This offer intrigued me and I took a step closer to the figure.

“So if I get the bag off, I get to keep whatever is inside? What’s inside?” I asked, sounding more like a child than the 21 year old.

“Yesss” The figure hissed, sounding out of breath; “Just take it off and you shall see”.

I walked over to the figure and began trying to pull the bag off. Slowly at first, it began to peel off like a band aid, then all of a sudden it flew off the figure and wrapped itself around me. All at once I was being suffocated. The bag was tight around chest and continued to squeeze. My mind began to fill up with the same whispers I had heard earlier that evening;

“Alex Alex Alex!!”

I started flailing my arms, hoping that the figure would help me, but all I heard was another dark chuckle.

“Silly boy. That took nothing! Usually I have to offer someone money or immortality, but you! Ha! All you needed was a bag of contents!” The creature walked towards me and sneered. “You belong to me now boy. Whatever I need, you will do. If you don’t? The bag on your shoulders will tighten until you die. Understand? Oh! What is the bag full of you ask? Well you see, I store every soul I steal and put it in that bag. Pretty heavy, huh? Now I need to cause destruction, and so you’re the man for the job. If you complete all the tasks that I ask you, I will free you. Until then, you’d better learn how to listen to instructions”.

Just thinking about that night, I feel the bag tighten slightly around me. I breathe through it and continue on my task. Over the years I have destroyed houses, businesses, and families. But never have I destroyed an entire country. I stalked down the unlit hallway towards the King’s chambers. Once the religious King was found dead, his son (Who is also controlled by The Creature) would take his place and kill anything that believes in hope. I was almost at the door to his chambers when a voice from behind me said “This will not grant you freedom, you know.”

Surprised, I whipped out my dagger and turned around. An elderly women stood about 5 feet away from me, looking at me through her aged eyes. “What do you mean?” I whispered, wanting to know her answer before I disposed of her as well. “Once you have completed this task, do you really believe that your soul will be free? Your body might be, but your soul will join the others in the bag that wraps around you”. Her response shocked and angered me. I strode over to her and raised my dagger. “No! You’re wrong! This is the only way I will ever be free!” I jammed my dagger into her and she fell to the ground. The bag began to loosen around me.

Now only one person stands in my way, I thought. I turned back towards the King’s bedroom, but the image of the women stained my eyes and a question bounced around in my brain.

What if she’s right?

To Be Continued…