dual personalities

The Christmas cactus is on the verge of blooming–right on schedule.

I am pretty impressed, considering the abuse it has taken from the wee babes, who are fascinated by it.

We had a little snow, which came before most people had an opportunity to rake/vacuum up the leaves that have fallen. So there is kind of a mess out there. As you can see, there are still a lot of leaves on the trees. C’est la vie.

Every year is different, and that’s what makes living in flyover country interesting.

Yesterday, after a busy day at work, I raced over to Umrath Lounge at my flyover university to find a seat to hear Marilynne Robinson speak. I found a single seat in the second row and sat right behind her. I could have reached out and touched her, but I restrained myself. A member of the English department made an incoherent and self-serving introduction and then Marilynne read her essay on “Holy Moses: An appreciation of Genesis and Exodus as literature and theology” in dim light which frequently caused her to stumble over her words. It was an academic talk and I am no scholar and she is way over my head anyway, but I enjoyed listening to her. In the Q&A section at the end we got a chance to see Marilynne the person and not the scholar and that was good.

Well, I am thankful that I have a job where I am in a position to come in contact with one of my heroes from time to time. To be in the same room with Marilynne Robinson was really something–a Christian in that den of academia, quoting 17th century puritans unironically!

“The Lord is more constant and far more extravagant than it seems to imply. Wherever you turn your eyes the world can shine like transfiguration. You don’t have to bring a thing to it except a little willingness to see. Only, who could have the courage to see it?”
― Marilynne Robinson, Gilead