Quick update: 

I heard from one of my friends, Mona, yesterday, and she and her family/relatives are unhurt, which is a big relief.  She has requested prayers for all of the injured, which according to news reports today is over 700.  I'm still waiting to hear from my other friend, Eva, but she is hopefully alright, as is her family, since most of her family is in the eastern part of the country, not the western part.  There is so much going on right now, and I'm definitely still praying.

In much lighter news, which I don't know if I should be writing about already, the midterm of my final course this summer, Values and Virtues online, is this week.  I finally got some material back from my other professor, so I officially have two Registrar approved A's. 

I don't have any really clever or poingnant way to end this,

TCBS Girl  

P.S.:  I'm actually currently reading a copy of the New International Version Bible, © 1973, 1978, 1984.  However, a picture of it isn't showing on Xanga, or on Google.  I was rushed last time I posted, and I'll try to get a picture of it up.

Currently Reading The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Blue Containing the Old and New Testaments see related

Prayers for Mumbai

Once again, I reached a point today where I didn't really know what to say.  99% of what I'm feeling, and what I long to express, cannot be expressed by human words, and anything I write on this website cannot begin to convey the sadness, sympathy, and love I feel for all the people affected by todays events in India.

Once again, the most exquisite love and the most abysmal hate on this planet converged; once again, strangers were united by the unbreakable bond that holds us together, in the midst of our loss.  I read many stories of terror today, but I read many more about kindness--people rushing from the street to help those injured, people stranded in cars giving away their food and water to those who hungered and thirsted.  We, as a world community, have proven once again that the spirit of a people can never be destroyed, even by those who continue to attack the innocent.

The spirit of those whose first response was to help others in need is the true spirit of Bombay, and of India.  India is the world's largest democracy, and millions in India showed us today what democracy, at its source, can be--a bringing together, in love, of those who are unique. 

I learned about that spirit from two of my very close friends, who lived in India most of their lives and still have relatives there.  I ask that you keep them and their loved ones in your prayers tonight, and in the days and weeks to come.  I have emailed both of them this morning, and will find out soon if they and their loved ones are alright.  I cannot imagine what they are feeling tonight, but I do know what it is like to live in a country that, in a moment, is changed forever, as do all my readers. 

Eva and Mona, I love you both.  You have both shown me so much about what kindness is, from our late night talks, to our myriad discussions at the lunch table, to introducing me to Telugu and Kannada and showing my my first Bollywood movie, and many more after that.  

I felt this morning, again, that strange feeling that can only be described as the sum of all feelings wrapped togther, the strongest being fear and love.  But, as The Bible said, and my feelings confirmed today once they began to sort themselves out, "the greatest [of anything] is love".

Today I ask, along with your prayers, that you tell those who are dear to your heart how much you love them--it's always good to hear.  Do something out of love for someone , in your home, in your classes, at work, anywhere.  I think love is the most we can do for each other right now, to remember, as stated in The Lord of the Rings (I have to add that, I'm TCBS Girl) "they [evil] cannot conquer forever".  Actually, evil can never conquer the soul.  Today, live the eternal.

I end with two of the words my friends have taught me.  The first, barthane (pronounced bur-tha-neigh), means goodbye, in Kannada. 

Today, once again, though, I leave you with something more than barthane.  I leave you with a Telugu word--I leave you with love.

Prema,

TCBS Girl

Work sometimes proves entertaining, and it did today.  I have a fun example of library worker entertainment to share with you, which I can do, since it doesn't involve any people except, of course, myself. 

I was working on a project today, pulling all of the books that said CCRR at the end of the call letter.  So far, there's a stack of them about 4 1/2 feet high, and we're only about halfway done.  If anyone really wants to know why these certain books are being pulled, I can write about that, too, but I can't imagine it would interest anyone.  That job, in itself, isn't funny, unless you have a really good sense of humor. 

What was funny, however, was finding a book, no a novel, of 212 pages entitled "The Hope of the Katzekopfs".  Katzekopfs is an interesting word, but not all that funny either.  What was hilarious, though was that a 212 page novel would be in the EASY section of the library, that section where the books are supposed to read something like "ball, ball, ball.  I have a red ball.  You have a blue ball.  I like my ball.  I play ball.  Good ball.  Ball, ball, ball".  

Upon seeing a multisyllabic word, I examined the book further.  I nearly LOLled (laughed out loud, which I'm not supposed to do at work) when I read sentences such as "the readers imagination must delineate to him the ecstatic joy of that meeting" and "...that rest and sleep which are indispensible to more gross and corporeal forms".  All 212 pages of the book, apparently, have SAT/ACT worthy words such as these.  Five year olds in 1844 must have been real geniuses.  Personally, it makes me want my ball, ball, ball.

Bringing you indispensible wit for your corporeal form since Wednesday, March 23 in the year of our Lord 2006,

TCBS Girl

"We, the majority of caring people, are a fellowhip of far more than 4, as was the TCBS, or 9 as was the Fellowship of the Ring.  We are a fellowhip of billions...this love we share for for each other, and this compassion we feel...these are truly the ties that bind us together, and make us how united all of us really are--in the words of one of my favorite English writers, 'a fellowship'." 

My prayers extend once again, as they did a year ago today, to the people of London, England. 

May God comfort the hurting, give courage to those who fear, and grant the Peace that the world cannot give to us all.

In Prayer,

TCBS Girl

Two addendums to yesterday's post:  I, along with some other CURFers (soon to be CUCers; pronounce that any way you like), went up to the top of the five story parking garage on campus, and watched the fireworks.  They were so beautiful--lots of red, white and blue ones (of course), and even a smiley face one from Forest Park.  It kind of looked like  only a firework.  It's hard to explain, but it was the best firework of the evening, and everyone said "ooh".  When everyone says "ooh", you know something must be cool.  What was especially fun was you could see the fireworks from all of the towns at roughly the same time; truly a panoramic experience, and a great way to finish up my celebration of the Fourth.  I watched from about 9pm to around 10:45pm, when the fireworks started to end in most of the communities, and people started leaving the parking garage.  Best patriotic moment of the evening:  there was a little kid, maybe five or six years old, watching the fireworks along with us.  He was there with his family, and got to sit on the top of the family van, which is quite envious indeed.  He was talking a lot at first, and kind of fidgeting up there on the top of the van, but when the fireworks started, he got quieter, other than saying--you probably guessed it--"ooh".  After a while, he started singing "You're a Grand Old Flag", slightly off key, in one of those adorable little kid voices.  Spontanious singing of patriotic music, especially when its done by kids, is one of the greatest blessings of life.  It reminds me of myself when I was young.  But that's another story, and another post. 

Also, I want to send a Totally Cool Big Surpise thank you to a random person, whom I don't know, but who either attends Concordia or lives in the community.  This random person, or perhaps persons, tied yellow ribbons to nearly all of the trees on Concordia's campus.  For those of you who don't know Concordia, that's a lot of trees, and a lot of ribbon.  It was even the fancy kind of yellow ribbon, the kind with writing.  Random person/persons:  that is one of the kindest, most awesome things someone has ever done here.  The ribbons were put up sometime when I was working on something for class, and you can't imagine how happy I was to see them.  They mean a lot to a lot of people here.  Spontanious acts of kindness and support are another one of the greatest blessings in life, and a true showing of the Concordia spirit, and one that won't change with our name.  But that's also another story, and another post.       

As they said at a really interesting senior retreat in high school,

Live the Fourth,

TCBS Girl