False prophets

I know I know I know, I have not been At All around.  I'm sorry.  You think you're hard-done-by?  Try being one of my actual real-life friends that I am neglecting.

That is a whole other story though.

Remember my Cat of Redemption (link)?  Dang it, it really would help to have a picture.  Mum, Dad, C, Rich - if you are out there anywhere could you email me a pic of Tilly and Abby together please?  It is high time I illustrated this point.

Anywho.  CofR (aka Tilly) is an all-black cat and Abby is black and white with the white being mostly on her belly.  One time a dear friend of mine Miss Love came over and she met Tilly... she then saw Abby on a chair later and said oh there's The Cat of Redemption again.  Ehr Ehr! (quiz show fail noise).  From that moment onwards Abs has had the rather unfortunate name of "The Cat of False Prophecy".  (Kitty the fluffy tabby feels rather left out.)

It is SO easy to take a fabulous analogy - like, I don't know, a pertinent song or a car - and think it means something.  A friend of mine did that once.  She fancied a boy who had her dream car: it was in her favourite colour and the make had brilliant adverts.  That, coupled with a memorable moment of eye contact and a shared taste in music, had her smitten.  Perhaps you might want to say smote as it wasn't really a good thing.

We were in my car the other week behind the very same model of car and it prompted a memory; and a revelation.  The boy thing never worked out and the car (and song) were always a bit of a frustration for her - why did it even have to be like that?  Why fall at all, with such small but darling details to now have to let go of??  My thought was that perhaps God sometimes let people see small "signs", from which they inevitably infer big wrong things, because working through all of the resentment and pain the lesson comes out that people are, in fact, emotional and pattern forming creatures who often see what they want to see.

This might not sound very hopeful from a blog that seeks to find something in everything!  However, it is important if one is seeking out the truth and not a projected ideal. Care must be taken when looking for answers; if not, when the lights come on and you realise it was just a fiction, hearts can get hardened rather than wisdom increased.

So the false prophecy was actually a real analogy!  Everything is significant, just not always in the way we expect or want it to be. I think Abby probably feels a lot better about her name now.  I know my friend finds it easier to let go... Having a purpose to pain always helps, I find.

Spring is Here!

Phew! I'm allowing myself half an hour to vent amidst the craziness of writing a dissertation-type-thing in four days (2 to go)... this post is about sex.

Not actual sex, obviously. But something in that vague arena...

I have been going on and on to everyone I meet about how fabulous spring is because it symbolises newness of life. I even quoted Song of Songs on here as a demonstration of Jesus-love. Both these things are true, of course, but the fact is spring is mostly about procreation and Song of Songs is mostly about people getting it on.

I read a blog to this effect (you know who you are!) on Easter day, sharing just why the reason for the season was makin' babies and, well, frankly I was on a higher plane. Then.

But today I suddenly got reminded of what "spring" feels like. Lol. You can tell I'm under the influence of pressure-mentalness because I'm saying shocking things in an open forum that my folks read! Of course I'm only talking about eye contact with a "boy" in the supermarket... I was just totally surprised by the way I noticed someone attractive in public. I don't remember the last time that happen, I even remarked upon it to a friend last week who entirely didn't believe me. I'd forgotten what it felt like to pass a stranger and nod with internal appreciation. For fear of sounding holier-than-thou, I don't think I approve of all that jazz so I reckon this might just be the result of a conscious decision I made ages ago about valuing inner beauty. But today I was taken unawares and, realising that eye contact was made, became the Supermarket Slut I thought I was no longer! Yes, there was a second, reciprocated, glance... yes, I entertained the idea that since we both wore glasses and liked the same vegetables we were probably made for each other... yes, it turned out he had a girlfriend. See. There, right there, is the reminder as to why this is a foolish game: because when we play it we feel a bit foolish! It was available to me, I tried it, it didn't feel good.

The analogy? Well, spring it seems is a dangerous time to indulge in boy-shopping... particularly when there are dissertation-type-things crying out to be avoided. Last week I helped make mashed potatoes for around 40 people and when we discuss about how to season it the notion of mustard was mentioned... but sadly 40 is quite a large number of people to chance them all liking mustard and so we didn't. Today I made mash for one and I still forgot about mustard! Luckily though I remembered towards the end and totally appreciated dijon on the side... but it was a close call (and a bit past its use by date!). It's all about appreciating the benefits of where you are at (relations, locations, vocations... the analogy is flexible as long as it rhymes). Cooking for one? Do it your way. Cooking for 40? SLUT.

Well. I'm already missing out on spring 'cause where I'm at is my final-ever-(I hope!)-month-of-undergraduate-study and if I'm not careful I'll end up missing out on my degree as well... So see ya!