I have just been deeply moved to discover that one of the reasons an old and dear friend of mine is now such an amazing writer and lover of literature is because he saw how much I loved to read when we were children. I remember the stories we told late into the night, often recorded on tape, on the adventures of Jonathan and Jony. He was always the better speaker, by the way. What I did not remember was retelling the books I had been reading. In the winter of 1990 (I was nine at that time) I wish I had been able to better replicate the adventures that colored my imagination but, then again, had I been able to satisfy his ear maybe he never would have read them for himself! The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis is an outstanding set of books. Even though they are classified as children's literature, one of my post-graduate roommates just read them for himself, which goes to prove they can capture the mind of the adult as well as the mind of a child. I hope Disney does the first book justice in their movie coming out soon. A forest that connects worlds, meeting Aslan, wandering through a desert with a talking horse, sailing to the end of the earth, traveling underground, passing into heaven and more - all with Christian life lessons tied into the story. C.S. Lewis believed there are truths that cannot be learned by the heart unless they are told as a story. I agree; didn't Jesus teach mostly through stories too?
Now that my old friend has shared why he became an avid reader, I may as well reveal the sources of my inspiration too - my parents. Some of my earliest and fondest memories are of them reading an illustrated children's Bible to my sister and myself. Later I recall my mom reading books to me at night and transporting me into the lives of people in other times and other places. I still remember the stories she read but the one that stuck the most was the Island of the Blue Dolphins (of a girl who got left behind when her family abandoned their island home). In the oral tradition, my dad used his memories of the Lord of the Rings as a framework to telling the adventures of Jonathan and Kristin. When I discovered where he got his ideas, I read most of The Hobbit by Tolkien in a single night - well, not just because it was good, but because I was making regular visits to the bathroom all night that night anyway.
Books are an excellent tool for sharing imaginations and adventures. Humankind used to have oral traditions to pass on stories. Then came the printed word and stories were kept on paper to remain unchanged for the ages. Now, we've entered an age of telling stories by film. Don't get me wrong, I love watching movies more than most, but you have to realize movies don't inspire the imagination like books do. Why use your imagination when you are seeing the story as it has been imagined for you by a team of professionals? When I read a good book, I'm not looking at a page full of words. Though my eye may be following the black and white lines on paper, my mind's eye sees only the story unfold before my imagination and I become the characters in the tale. I'm so thankful God gave us imaginations.
Jony, I'm so glad you love books too. Have you read some of C.S. Lewis' other works of fiction? My absolute favorite book of his is Till We Have Faces, which I didn't discover till after leaving Mexico. You should read it sometime; I've read it many times and still learn new things every time through. Thanks for sharing your story with me.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Stolen from Jen, who stole it from Melissa, who stole it from Roland, who knows where he got it!
What have you done... BE TRUTHFUL!
So have you ever ...
1. smoked a cigarette – yup, 6th grade was my rebel year
2. smoked a cigar – a few
3. crashed a friend's car – crashed into a friend’s car
4. stolen a car – niet
5. been in love – depends on how you define love
6. been dumped – yes
7. taken shots of alcohol - consumed alcohol? Yes and yes
8. been fired – no but I was not allowed to work for a day once
9. been in a fist fight – sometimes I wish I had
10. snuck out of a/your house – never had to
11. had feelings for someone who didn't have them back – of course, isn’t that pretty much universal?
12. been arrested – no
13. made out with a stranger – not so much
14. gone on a blind date – not officially
15. lied to a friend – probably somewhere down the line
16. had a crush on a teacher – not that I recall
17. gotten naked in public – not a chance!
18. seen someone die – not yet… I’m a bit nervous about that
19. been on a plane – yes
20. thrown up in a bar – not really
21. thrown up on someone – I’m sure I did as a baby! ;o)
22. miss someone right now – yeah
23. laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by – yes, it’s usually the prelude to a great nap
24. made a snow angel – I’m a pro
25. played dress up – not my cup of tea
26. cheated while playing a game – probably somewhere down the line
27. been lonely – plenty
28. fallen asleep at work/school – at school actually quite a few times
29. used a fake id – that would be no
30. felt an earthquake – a few but my favorite was the big bad one in
31. touched a snake – yes. Want to meet one in the water? I’d rather eat a worm
32. ran a red light – I hate that feeling of realizing it was red a little too late
33. had detention – no
34. been in a car accident – once, the parking lot incident doesn’t count
35. hated the way you look – there’s always something that could stand to improve
36. had sex in a car – that can’t possibly be comfortable though I don’t deny the lure of living on the edge and risking discovery!
37. been lost – NEVER!!!! Men are never lost.
38. been to the opposite side of the country – well, do you mean diametrically opposite end? I’ve been SW, SE, & NE but not NW, yet
39. felt like dying – yes, usually related to a headache
40. cried yourself to sleep – probably
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