September 10, 2012
I'm not quite sure what I'm doing, but I thought I'd have a go at it ;) . As you can tell, I left the date as it was to document the vulnerability and struggle it has been to push myself forward. It is now February 1, 2013... how time passes, but the thoughts in this blog are still very present as I sit in Beirut, Lebanon.
In any case, I post this as it was written on September 10, 2012.
Last weekend was the annual Open Door event in Oxford, UK. Many historic buildings and closed-to-the-public colleges were open to the public for free. I have to say it was a treat to go in and out of these sequestered colleges and tour their grounds. I definitely found some more pleasing than others.
My favorite spot viewed on Sunday was the Exeter College's garden. Walking up to an ivy-covered, old stone wall, visitors had to push on a door that led into a tiny passage way. Exiting out the other side, we entered a gorgeous garden surrounded by history at every turn.
One thing caught my eye ~ a simple, but modern bench in an otherwise very old setting. I'm sure that this memorial bench has more meaning than I will ever know, but it spoke something to me this weekend ~ this modern bench, sitting underneath an amazing old tree, beside its Divinity School, with the Radcliffe Camera in the short distance on the opposite side in all its magnificence.
In Memory of Deep... I guess one could say that to be in Oxford, where one of the world's most prestigious universities makes its home, might lend itself to being "deep"... or maybe it's a surname of a family... or , while searching for an explanation, I even found some sort of "deep memory therapy" developed by an Oxford graduate... now I"m sure I could use that!! Who knows what the intent was, it spoke something to me.
a bench... a simple, wooden bench... under a VERY old tree... perfect for meditation, contemplation and rest... pleasantly placed in a garden that faced flowers, trees, and a magnificent old library...
I was reminded that I don't want my waters to run shallow, the older I get ( and unfortunately, that could easily happen). I want them to run deeper and deeper. I don't think it necessarily means formal university studies. BUT, I do think it requires me to stop, to sit on an uncomfortable wooden bench- so to speak- and ponder, and think , and resolve to get up again and live out of what I meditate on.
Mike and I have been watching Harry Potter... and liking it! In the early part of the film, Dumbledore says to Harry,
"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
So, I guess what I'm saying is this...
I want to go deeper still...
I want to ponder and meditate...
I want to rest and reflect...
but I do NOT want to dwell on the dreams and ideas that come out of those times...
I want to live them as well...
for living must further the depth of one's life.
