Sunday, October 7, 2007

The Change is here...

I've left a comment on your blog if you have one, my blog name is now officially changed, the link is now www.drumofadifferentbeat.blogspot.com
If you guys have any ideas about a different picture for up top, tell me, I'm not too pleased with the one I made.

My week was good. I came to a rather lengthy conclusion, but here it is anyway:

I am online to encourage and strengthen believers, be encouraged and strengthened myself, and try to be a light to nonbelievers around me there.
I will only go online when my schoolwork, chores, and music practice are complete, dishes don't need to be done, and there isn't something I would like to do later.
When I'm online I'll remember that my teen years are to prepare for my future, and I'll remember that anything I post I should be willing to let mom and dad see.
I will allow myself 2 hours maximum of internet time, and I will use it wisely, with no aimless browsing or websurfing. Internet is "illegal" on Frdays, perhaps email or writing, but no more.
Writing on the computer should not take too much time out of my day, and tehre's always my blue notebook. While I'm writing or doing school, I won't go online, no matter how much self control it takes.
When I wake up, I will do my devotions, perhaps go biking, then at 8 I will start school. After breakfast, dishes must be done. When I have finished school I'll do my chores and practice music, and then the internet is an option.
I will not go online after 10PM, and even on Saturdays I should review test material for school and read a little before I go online.
I am online to glorify God, and if I do not see that happening, things will need to change.


So that's that. Nothing too exciting happened this week, had a long Thursday, with Irish dance in the morning, then we went to the H's to pick up Sarah, to the C's to do sewing while Nate and Candace had music lessons... then we went home, showered, and had a little while before the R's picked us up for NYPE... which was incredible. It was mostly just about how small we are and how big God is... just a video of a man talking and showing pictures from space. I'm pretty sure that this is the DVD, and I hope so, because I really want to get it.

Some of the pictures:
The X-Structure... or a cross in space?
This was taken by the Voyager, and the pale blue dot... is earth. Don't see it? Look here

The night was really hard for me, though, kinda, because recently I've been wanting to go to space... and was having trouble knowing if that was something God wanted me to pursue. And this didn't really help, because it just made me want to go out there even more. Now I know my place is on this earth... and who knows, maybe I'll marry an astronaut.

To keep myself busy, I read The Lord of the Rings again, and this time a whole lot of "articles" were triggered... my favorite here:

A Man of Quality

Re-reading the books I realized how different Faramir in the movie is from book Faramir. I think David Wenham did a wonderful job playing Faramir, but as many places say, I “just can’t get over the way Faramir acted in TTT.”

Reading through it all again, I remembered how my friend will sometimes talk about “my Faramir,” who someday I will meet, and I thought about how so many character qualities that Faramir has are ones I want for my husband someday:

Most of my favorite quotes from LotR are all from Faramir, and they show his character, his quality, as Sam would say.

"Patience!” Said Faramir, but without anger. “Do not speak before your master, whose wit is greater than yours. And I do not need any to teach me of our peril. Even so, I spare a brief time, in order to judge justly in a hard matter. Were I as hasty as you, I might have slain you long ago. For I am commanded to slay all whom I find in this land without the leave of the Lord of Gondor. But I do not slay man or beast needlessly, and not gladly even when it is needed.

When Faramir is telling Frodo of Boromir’s death, Frodo asks

“Do you mean that he is dead and that you knew it? You have been trying to trap me in words, playing with me? Or are you now trying to snare me with a falsehood?”

“I would not snare even an orc with a falsehood,” said Faramir.

----

“But fear no more! I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo.”

“Neither did the council,” said Frodo, “Nor do I. I would have nothing to do with such matters.”

“For myself, said Faramir, “I would see the White Tree in flower again in the courts of the kings, and the Silver Crown return, and Minas Tirith in peace: Minas Anor again as of old, full of light, high and fair, beautiful as a queen among other queens: not a mistress of many slaves, nay, not even a kind mistress of willing slaves. War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of NĂºmenor; and I would have her loved for her memory, her ancientry, her beauty, and her present wisdom. Not feared, save as men may fear the dignity of a man, old and wise.”


“Now’s a chance to show your quality,” says Sam…

“So it seems,” said Faramir, slowly and very softly, with a strange smile. “So that is the answer to all the riddles! The One Ring that was thought to have perished by the world. And Boromir tried to take it by force? And you escaped? And ran all the way – to me! And here in the wild I have you: two Halflings, and a host of men at my call, and the Ring of Rings. A pretty stroke of fortune! A chance for Faramir, Captain of Gondor, to show his quality! Ha!” He stood up, very tall and stern, his grey eyes glinting….

…But Faramir sat down again in his chair and began to laugh quietly, and then suddenly became grave again. “Alas for Boromir! It was too sore a trial!” He said. “How you have increased my sorrow, you two strange wanderers from a far country, bearing the peril of men! But you are less judges of Men than I am of Halflings. We are truth-speakers, we men of Gondor. We boast seldom, and then perform, or die in the attempt. ‘Not if I found it on the highway would I take it,’ I said. Even if I were such a man as to desire this thing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thing was when I spoke, still I should take these words as a vow, and be held by them. But I am not such a man. Or I am wise enough to know that there are some perils from which a man must flee.”

-----

“… and you are a lady beautiful, I deem, beyond even the words of the Elven-tongue to tell. And I love you. Once I pitied your sorrow, but now, were your sorrowless, without fear or any lack, were you the blissful Queen of Gondor, still would I love you.”

A man who will hold what he believes over what he is commanded to do – listening to the higher power rather than men.
A man who values truth to the point he would not lie even to the foulest of enemies.
A man who knows he must protect those he holds dear, and will do it to death.
A man who can withstand temptation. No one is perfect, but we all have the ability to ward off temptation when it comes.
A man who is humble.
A man who keeps his word even when it may go against what he desires.
A man who does not desire power.
A man who knows when to flee temptations in life.
A man who loves that which is beautiful.

A man of quality.



I think that's all. *nods*

Over'n'out
Kilo-Yankee



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe if you buy me a blue book I won't obsessively write on the computer either. =)
There's just one line (I think) that really breaks my heart in LotR... It's in the Tale of Aragorn and Arwen, just after ARagorn dies.
"The light in her eyes was quenched, and it seemed to her peole she had become cold and grey"

Kyleian said...

*nods*
That's definately a sad part. For me, though, the sadest part is the last chapter. Won't say how, I know some of my readers haven't finished the books or read them at all.

Anonymous said...

Send me an email, then.