Proof of heaven- eben Alexander

True love casts out all fear. I was reminded again of this verse reading the new afterword in the book. Wanted to write this down before I forgot. I really like this verse and it was one of the verses that spoke to me when I became reacquainted with Christianity. 

More about the book after I've finished it.

A cat, a hat, and a piece of string-Joanne Harris

Love most of Joanne Harris' books. There's always something mischievous and mystical going on in her stories. This book is a collection of short stories and every story begins with how she obtains the inspiration for the plot. The stories are creative and entertaining. I especially love the stories about Hope and Faith, two elderly ladies at a home for the aged.  There were two stories which featured Hope and Faith- one was about how they were barred from an excursion by a staff who was a bully, but through Chris' (a kinder staff) cleverness, was able to transport themselves to a beach with the use of candles, sand, etc. It made me kinda sad at the part when faith and hope would go through travel brochures but knew they would never be able to go to the places they saw in the brochures. 

The other story was about how they outwitted the bully by setting off a false fire alarm and locking the bully up.

It does frighten me a little to think of the future. Would I end up like Faith and Hope in a home for the aged? The idea of home for the aged is pretty much akin to an orphanage. One is abandoned and has to live amongst non-blood relations and adopt them as family. 

Stories are like Russian dolls; open them up, and in each one you’ll find another story.

Fitzgerald

https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/2432116-the-beautiful-and-damned

Fitzgerald always wrote such beautiful prose...

The light

There is a light that shines above,

A light that we sometimes fail to see.

Some call it the guardian angel,

Well, some just fail to believe.

In a world where darkness threatens to engulf us,

We need a little light,

To remind us that we will be safe 

That the darkness will never win.

Sometimes when fear is planted in our hearts,

We foolishly wander away from that light.

But the light, it stays and continues to burn,

Like the North Star,

It will lead us home. 

Into the light

The judges sit in their ivory towers

With a wave of their hands

We are put to death.

Don't you dare judge

What you know not of.

The torments that have wretched our desperate souls.

Can you ever be sure

The difference between good and evil?

Can you ever be sure that your eyes are not blinded by the darkness that surrounds you?

Are we ever wise?

Or are we just fools

Pretending otherwise.

In this world, the once great divide

Between black and white

Is no longer clear.

Sometimes we fall,

Deeper and deeper we fall

Into that bottomless pit,

And sometimes the fire below consumes us.

We are just here for a while

We are just waiting for a glimpse of heaven

For that light, for that light,

We await in ernestness. 

For that light to save us from our eternal damnation.

For that light, into that light 

I seek your face

Verse 

C                       Am

Lord I seek your face

C                        Am

Lord I seek your grace

F                         G

In the darkest of place 

                         C         Am

You shine your light on me. 

C                           Am

Lord I'm on my knees

C                           Am

Lord I seek your peace 

You lift my sorrows and my grief

It is in you that I believe.

Chorus

Lord, I just want to praise your name forever more.

You have seen me through my darkest hour,

I have been tossed about in the storm,

But you were always there,

You held my hand and healed all my wounds. 

Lord, I just want to praise your name forever more. 

Ephemeral things

He has gained the whole world,

The world lies small and battered

In the palm of his hands.

And yet, his sorrows are abysmal,

The shadows that hang over his eyes,

Have blinded him. 

He has forgotten what beauty is,

He has not seen the look of love,

In a lover's eyes. 

All the things acquired and gained

Are but ephemeral.

With a gentle touch of the creator's hand,

All will crumble and turn into ashes.

And maybe then,

He will remember what was once important,

Maybe then he will examine his own heart,

Maybe then,

It wouldn't be too late.