It is always a wonderful surprise when one of your essays appears in my inbox. With great anticipation I put everything else on hold to see what imaginative journey you have written for us. You never disappoint. It is my personal quirkiness to start reading and quickly pick out a particularly phrase or sentence early in the journey that appeals to me. My mind wonders — “that is so profound” — how can I include that gem in a well deserved comment? Fortunately, I usually snap out of it and continue reading…
This is one of your finest works. I loved it on so many levels. I can only imagine the time, effort and research you expended. I wish I were able to properly express my admiration for your writing abilities. You tell beautiful stories that are works of art.
Thank you, sir. I can't tell you how much this means. I don't get much in the way of feedback or new readers (usually more unsubscribe than subscribe!). I just occupy the tiniest corner of a small boat in the vast ocean. Sink or swim.
It's amazing what we choose to see and what we choose not to. What we choose to contribute and what we choose to take away. Thank you for reading and the feedback. Much appreciated!
This is a prayer as I see it, or praise, holding up beauty like an untended, separate field, or a room we hike off to, to remind ourselves to save each other, to note art’s healing balm, and unifying force. I can’t lasso it all. You make a good argument for salvation that (perhaps, and you can ignore this!) whether a Winslow Homer print makes a guest room a better place or not, you have to collect that Winslow Homer and hang it there without proof, but trust, that you’ve upraised a corner of the goodness in all mankind. This piece will last, Jenna.
I think so. A hope, too. A written reminder or reminiscence. You are better at this than I am, but it is too, too easy to fall into the blackness, emptiness, nothingness, and settle for that being reality. Turn on the lights! They can blind us, but without them we cannot see.
Oh, thank you so very much for taking the time and energy to write this work of beauty itself! These insightful lines you wrote encapsulate the world we live in, I think: "Beauty is unfairly an afterthought, a tertiary component in a world that lives and dies by bitter fights over the others, forgetting that it was beauty that launched a thousand ships. But truly deep, resounding, radiant beauty is overlooked in a culture obsessed with appearances." That is truth.
I am a member of a wonderful relatively small church here in Texas where Christ is preached and grace is honored. But we are lacking the beauty of artistic outlets in our church, outside of being on the worship team. God gave me a vision a couple of years ago to develop a dramatic arts ministry which is meant to include the reading of poems, the playing of instruments, and the performance of plays and skits. God has been nurturing this vision as I have shared it with our elders, and it looks like some time in the early part of 2025, we may have our initial launching.
I don't think people actually realize the very need of what you are writing about. You've captured it very well, and it has made my morning that much better already!
I'm glad you shared this. I think there are many such cases where we forget to stop and take in the gifts we've been given -- whether that's inspiring music, great literature, or breathtaking art. I know I get caught up in staring at screens or in the busyness of schedules and rushing around, forgetting that I am constantly surrounded by beauty. And when it encounters me, I just have to stop and take it in and I want to share it with everyone. A sort of evangelizing force. I worry about kids being too seeped in STEM and not receiving a balanced education in the traditional arts and beauty found there. Thanks for reading and for your profound insight!
Sadly, you are so very right about where kids today are driven by the lack of artistic alternatives in the decaying public education system. I'm a retired high school teacher, and I retired about 2-3 years earlier than anticipated because of the design of the system. And don't even get me started on the evils of technology's influence on kids in this century. Once again, thank you for your insights into the beauty that God has given us to show us more of Himself. Please keep up the good writing!
Jenna,
It is always a wonderful surprise when one of your essays appears in my inbox. With great anticipation I put everything else on hold to see what imaginative journey you have written for us. You never disappoint. It is my personal quirkiness to start reading and quickly pick out a particularly phrase or sentence early in the journey that appeals to me. My mind wonders — “that is so profound” — how can I include that gem in a well deserved comment? Fortunately, I usually snap out of it and continue reading…
This is one of your finest works. I loved it on so many levels. I can only imagine the time, effort and research you expended. I wish I were able to properly express my admiration for your writing abilities. You tell beautiful stories that are works of art.
A “Thank you” seems inadequate.
Thank you, sir. I can't tell you how much this means. I don't get much in the way of feedback or new readers (usually more unsubscribe than subscribe!). I just occupy the tiniest corner of a small boat in the vast ocean. Sink or swim.
Wonderful post... there's so much ugliness in the world today that it makes seeing beauty so important now!
It's amazing what we choose to see and what we choose not to. What we choose to contribute and what we choose to take away. Thank you for reading and the feedback. Much appreciated!
This is a prayer as I see it, or praise, holding up beauty like an untended, separate field, or a room we hike off to, to remind ourselves to save each other, to note art’s healing balm, and unifying force. I can’t lasso it all. You make a good argument for salvation that (perhaps, and you can ignore this!) whether a Winslow Homer print makes a guest room a better place or not, you have to collect that Winslow Homer and hang it there without proof, but trust, that you’ve upraised a corner of the goodness in all mankind. This piece will last, Jenna.
I think so. A hope, too. A written reminder or reminiscence. You are better at this than I am, but it is too, too easy to fall into the blackness, emptiness, nothingness, and settle for that being reality. Turn on the lights! They can blind us, but without them we cannot see.
Oh, thank you so very much for taking the time and energy to write this work of beauty itself! These insightful lines you wrote encapsulate the world we live in, I think: "Beauty is unfairly an afterthought, a tertiary component in a world that lives and dies by bitter fights over the others, forgetting that it was beauty that launched a thousand ships. But truly deep, resounding, radiant beauty is overlooked in a culture obsessed with appearances." That is truth.
I am a member of a wonderful relatively small church here in Texas where Christ is preached and grace is honored. But we are lacking the beauty of artistic outlets in our church, outside of being on the worship team. God gave me a vision a couple of years ago to develop a dramatic arts ministry which is meant to include the reading of poems, the playing of instruments, and the performance of plays and skits. God has been nurturing this vision as I have shared it with our elders, and it looks like some time in the early part of 2025, we may have our initial launching.
I don't think people actually realize the very need of what you are writing about. You've captured it very well, and it has made my morning that much better already!
I'm glad you shared this. I think there are many such cases where we forget to stop and take in the gifts we've been given -- whether that's inspiring music, great literature, or breathtaking art. I know I get caught up in staring at screens or in the busyness of schedules and rushing around, forgetting that I am constantly surrounded by beauty. And when it encounters me, I just have to stop and take it in and I want to share it with everyone. A sort of evangelizing force. I worry about kids being too seeped in STEM and not receiving a balanced education in the traditional arts and beauty found there. Thanks for reading and for your profound insight!
Sadly, you are so very right about where kids today are driven by the lack of artistic alternatives in the decaying public education system. I'm a retired high school teacher, and I retired about 2-3 years earlier than anticipated because of the design of the system. And don't even get me started on the evils of technology's influence on kids in this century. Once again, thank you for your insights into the beauty that God has given us to show us more of Himself. Please keep up the good writing!