If I were to pick out a few things that have meant a great deal to me this year, especially with all the different things happening because of the coronavirus, there is a small list of different things that come to mind. As I wrote out the list, I found that it was all connected in very specific ways. Each item embodies a concept that might seem far fetched at first, but when I looked at my list and began to put the pieces together, it all began to make some sense. It all starts with our old dog house. Its significance: representing endings, heartbreak, sadness, and most recently a picture of moving on. At the very beginning of quarantine, it quickly became apparent that there were many things I of which had not let go and had been completely avoiding those things that reminded me that I was holding on. One of those things was the loss of my dog. Even though it had happened four years prior to quarantine, her house was still up in the back yard and I just kind of ignored it and didn’t want to do anything with it. My sisters, on the other hand, saw quarantine as an opportunity to clean up the back yard. Their first stop was my dog’s little house. When I came downstairs for a break from school and looked into the back yard to find an empty spot where the old doghouse had been it brought me to tears. I knew it was way past time to process it, deal with it, and move on. It seemed so trivial and in a way, I felt a little ridiculous reacting the way I did, but really that was just the beginning of the processing that I would do for the rest of quarantine. All the thinking and processing made me redirect my focus. I realized how self-absorbed I had become and that is where the song “I’ll Keep My Eyes On The Cross” comes into the picture. There is a line that says “I’ll keep my eyes on the cross, and when hope is far for view, Lord I will fix my eyes on you.” This line continually went through my mind. I knew that fixing my eyes on the Lord was a choice. That choice had to be a daily thing. I needed desperately to be renewed, refreshed, and make changes in my life. Just as the fresh coat of paint that I recently added to the walls of my bedroom I needed a fresh look at my life, a fresh outlook on the past, and a fresh excitement about the future. I just mentioned that fresh coat of paint in my room, and along with the new and fresh wall colors, I also obtained a new clean pure white comforter. There is something about cleaning the clutter out of your mind and heart that spreads into wanting to get rid of junk and clutter on the outside, and get things looking clean, uncluttered, fresh, and inviting. Creating a resting place if you will. Which leads me to another, and maybe the most significant thing on my list: “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place.” All the decluttering I did mentally, spiritually, and physically coupled with the complete chaos that was surrounding me and yet still being able to be at peace brought me to a new Resting place in Jesus. Just like I had created a restful space in my room, the Lord had also done a deep cleaning work in my heart and I, for the first time in a while, was able to rest. I decided to take an extra look at this song “My Faith Has Found a Resting Place” and find out the story behind it and what was going on in the composer’s life. A hymn with that much depth doesn’t come about from a life of ease. This hymn was written by a lady named Eliza Hewitt. She was a school teacher in the late 1800s who experienced a severe spinal injury due to an enraged student taking his furry out on her with a heavy slate. The injury would force her to retire and leave her as an invalid for the rest of her life. The lyrics point to the amazing work of God in her life and her complete trust in her Physician. Her heart was leaning on the promises of God just as I was beginning on a deeper level to understand what it means to rest in Him. All of the processing and growing that I did is documented in my leather journal which happens to be another item on my list. There was something very comforting about sitting down with my journal, a good cup of coffee, and a snack of peanut butter (also two other things on my list) that brought such joy. It was simple, uncomplicated, and allowed me to rest and reflect. This brings me to the last thing on my list: “Joy Is Not Canceled.” This song has captured the essence of where joy comes from. In a season of life where all our plans of adventure, fun trips, and even just normal day to day life happenings had been canceled, this song was a good reminder that joy doesn't have to be canceled. If you are trusting I the Source of true Joy, you’ll be overflowing with it. As the song says “Joy is not canceled It still remains. Gods’ goodness, kindness, His grace isn't running low, and He has not changed. His power is still abundant. His mercies are still new. God's plans have not been canceled He's fully in control, and everything that matter still remains.” Kim Collingsworth, the composer of this song, I believe got it right. All of the things that "went wrong" this year has not changed God's faithfulness, power, or plans. He is truly in control. Works Cited: thescottspot.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/my-faith-has-found-a-resting-place-written-in-1891/https://thescottspot.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/my-faith-has-found-a-resting-place-written-in-1891/ mytopfinding.com/song/joy-is-not-cancelled-lyrics-the-collingsworth-family/https://mytopfinding.com/song/joy-is-not-cancelled-lyrics-the-collingsworth-family/ https://www.jwpepper.com/I%27ll-Keep-My-Eyes-on-the-Cross/3136223.item#/submit
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Journal #10
All of the “artifacts" that listed in the last journal are all connected to a fresh start at making things “comfortable” again, taking something ugly and making it beautiful, finding consistency amid the inconsistency, looking at the past and being willing to move forward. The things I listed were totally at random and I wrote them down just as they came to mind, so to piece them together I am going to have to go against my OCD nature and take them out of order. Starting with #2: The old doghouse. The old dog house is connected to #4: “I’ll Keep My Eyes On the Cross” which leads to #1: New Paint, further leading to #6: White Comforters. Both #1 and #2 connect with #4: “My Faith Has Found A Resting Place” That makes me think of #10: My leather journal, which brings me to #7: Coffee which also leads me to #8: Peanut Butter in yogurt and all of these things are connected by #9: “Joy Is Not Canceled.” There is a lot of connections to be drawn and I have my work cut out for me to be able to piece them together cohesively in a manner that makes sense, but I’m excited to get started on it! This week has been a full week of posting because I am playing catch up. The ninth journal was a bit different in that it is just a simple list of things that have been meaningful to me this year. More on all of that later, but here is my list! Journal #9:
For this particular journal we, as a class, were asked take a break from the argumentative writing and take some time to give feedback and share our perspective on online learning. Journal #8 As a teacher, I see both sides of the challenges of online learning. In many ways, I feel like, for classes such as this, it is easier and faster because I don’t have to jump in my car and drive to school to attend class, and I don’t feel as though my learning is suffering. Yes, I miss personal interaction, but as far as the class is concerned, it has been a pretty easy experience. With all that being said, as a music major, my other classes tend to be a bit more frustrating to have online. I find that music cannot truly be learned or appreciated through a screen. There is something about live and in-person music and musical teaching that makes such a difference. I know when I’m teaching a student online, I often wonder if the student is comprehending what I’m saying and I wish, in those moments, that I could reach through the screen and just show them. As a student on the other side of the screen, I feel like I am missing out on a large part of my education because in learning and listening to music over glitchy internet connections, many things are missed. In short, I somewhat feel that this, my senior year, is a complete joke. With all that being said, I know I'm not alone in this and cannot/should not complain. However, I do hope for the sake of those who come after me that things in the school world will quickly approach being back in person so that music students such as myself can receive not only the full benefit of in-person musical teaching but also get their money's worth. This post's journal topic is coming about two weeks late simply because my schedule has been such that even though I wrote out the assignment, I haven't yet been able to post it... The topic got a bit political for me because of the time frame during which I wrote. It was right after the first presidential debate, therefore all my comments alluding to the debate were in reference to the first debate. I felt that the second debate was conducted in a far more professional and respectful manner than the first. Journal #7 Debates, in my mind, should be more formal in conduct. Though they could and should get heated and deep, they should never become a brawl. Argumentation just sounds slightly less formal. While there are arguments presented in debates, the whole idea of an argument sounds a bit less respectful of another’s opinions. While I would like to say that the presidential debates well represented a good idea of what a respectful debate should entail, unfortunately, I would say that both men did not come close. What was presented by these men was nothing more than a childish argument. The vice-presidential debate was more so an example of what an actual debate should be. One of the biggest things in argumentation in the debate scene is understanding the opponent’s point of view. In that, it is easier to convey your point of view in a way that helps the other person see your viewpoint in a clear way. |
About Me
Hi! My name is Bethany. I'm so glad you've stopped in at my little corner of the internet! By way of introduction, I am a wife, musician, teacher, coffee lover, baker, nature lover, writer, and most importantly, I am a follower of Jesus. I'm super thankful that the Lord has given me this little outlet to share some of the things He has taught me, things that have inspired me, changed me or just gotten me excited about living life. My prayer is that what you read and see here will be an encouragement to your heart, bring you joy, and maybe even inspire you! Archives
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