7 Quick Takes Friday (vol.10)

- 1 -

Happy Spring's A-Comin'

- 2 -

The movie Australia is underrated. Yes, it's ridiculously over the top but the humor of it makes it more enjoyable than most epic wannabe movies.

- 3 -

Bittersweet song:

- 4 -

Jesus call us to be gentle as doves AND wise as serpents. He calls us to use our heart AND mind. We are called to be deliriously joyful AND steadily sober. He calls us to a wholeness that cannot exist  while living in extremes but in extremes that walk hand in hand. 

- 5 -

Mini-points on why I think I like The Hunger Games. I have read better books certainly, with richer language and twists so here's just a few thoughts after listening to it on audio numerous times:

a) It's Practical: I've only listened to it in audio book format but the prose is so to the point that it's hard for me to get confused even if I'm focused on something else like drawing and cleaning dishes. I can't listen to Lord of the Rings while multitasking because I want to sit and immerse myself in the imagery. The HG gets to the point and doesn't often require you to ponder poetic descriptions. It's very snappy and certain passages have yet to get old.

b) It's for Girls: Not that the book can't be for boys too but it does capture female characters very well and so you can live through their ups and downs with them. Despite living in completely different circumstances Katniss's thoughts, feelings and personal experiences are very easy to relate to. I knew the author had to be female the moment she described what Katniss had to do to go through beauty base zero and the many details of the dresses she wore. It was a little overdone but she tied everything in well and you could tell she was letting herself have fun with those bits. I often describe this book as a less excellent version of Ender's Game for girls. 

c) The Characters: Suzanne Collins is very good at making you care about the characters and making even the less important players compelling in some ways. She gives just the right amount of detail and binds one character to another with effect dialogue. I say effective because sometimes I felt that her word choices got too repetitive. All in all I haven't been so devastated over deaths since Harry Potter. 

d) Unconditional Love: I don't know why it took me so long to realize this but unconditional love is everywhere in this series. Katniss would fight and die for her sister. Peeta would fight and die for Katniss. There are a lot of people risking their lives for each other, and it doesn't seem forced. In horrible, twisted circumstances people stand by the people they love and I think everyone hopes someone loves them like that and that they would be brave enough to do the same.  The book never really touches upon what the spirituality of these people is but this scripture verse came to mind: 'No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends' (John 15:15).

-6-

And I'm not worried about the movie disappointing me for a couple reasons. The book didn't necessarily describe things that would look good on screen, so I knew that the essence of any given passage would be the most important thing to keep. Moreover, if I don't like the movie I can just reread the book and picture it just the way I like. 

-7-

Thanks for all the feedback about cats! 

God Bless You All this Week!

Lent is the autumn of the spiritual life during which we gather fruit to keep us going for the rest of the year. Enrich yourselves with these treasures, which nobody can take away from you and which cannot be destroyed. I am accustomed to say that we will not spend Lent well unless we are determined to make the most of it. Let us, therefore, spend this Lent as if it were our last, and we will make it well. Listen to the sermons, because holy words are pearls; they are ships of infinite mercy - the true ocean of the East. (Letters 329; O. XIII, p. 144)
- St. Francis de Sales

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