...from a poem by my husband

Thursday, February 24, 2005

Spring

Oh yes it is! I love being in the south! There are daffodils and croci (oh, all right, crocuses), and forsythia, and some days it is 70 degrees (yup, and some days it's in the 40s, like today) and I am so happy to be here.

Oh, and did I say, I've met the most marvellous man? Not only met, but fallen in love. Which is one of the reasons I haven't written a blog for a while. Partly because I've been way too busy getting to know this man, and partly because I was afraid to say how wonderful he was until I was sure how wonderful he is (and until I was sure he thought I was just as wonderful!). We are talking about planting 50 daffodil bulbs a year for the next 30 years. His name is Paul. He's a writer and poet and activist. Poet mostly. Writes. Performs. Retired chiropractor. He is bright and funny and gentle and a musician (classically trained) and dancer and outdoorsman and traveller and good cook and a reader and a thinker and the one I've been waiting for. Oh, and beautiful, did I mention?

Paul is Jewish. He accompanies me to Mass. I accompany him to synagogue. And discuss things with the rabbi. And with Paul. And he with me. We pray together. We talk about the "Jewish-Christian hurdle" (as one friend calls it). And grapple with it. We are each entirely committed to our faith and our tradition - and both to the same Lord and God.

And school is great too.

Except for philosophy which has me completely mystified. It's taught by two completely opaque professors who can't even imagine what I mean when I say I don't get it. I have now resorted to buying comic books called things like Introduction to Philosophy and Introduction to Derrida in an effort to try and find out what I'm supposed to know. The only thing I know about Nietzsche is that he said "That which does not kill me makes me stronger" and I am taking that little aphorism to heart!

Doing an absolutely amazing seminar on Ecology and Theology of Land and Work in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible. Utterly convicting. And eye-opening. Reading the incomparable Wendell Berry and E.F. Schumacher and Barbara Kingsolver and Abraham Heschel. And re-reading scriptures I thought I knew. And coming up with an interesting theory about why God didn't accept Cain's offering.

I must go to class now. This is not complete, but is a start on an update. I am conscious that I have not written for a while. Love to all.

3 comments:

Gideon Strauss said...

Always surprising, Liz! See the wedding blog of Torontonian Fillipino Catholic Joey deVilla and Bostonian Jewish Wendy Beth Koslow, and the always interesting blog of Naomi Chana (Jewish, academic, liturgically minded, getting married in June). I don't see you talking marriage yet, but these blog should at the very least entertain you.

Tala Azar said...

Wow, CONGRATS! That's wonderful! :) Sorry I haven't been here in a while either - I supposed that you were too busy and stopped checking. Love you too.

Anonymous said...

Hey Liz:
great to hear your news, being in love is always great, I am so happy for you and Paul. I miss you, my life at Calvin, and all my dear friends. Keep planting girl!