So...

I haven't been blogging much in the last 3 weeks... not since I turned 18. Not that I think I'm too old for it now or anything, don't worry. Some of my non-blogging has been due to play practice and performance taking up most of my creative energies. Some because I haven't had much to blog about since the play ended. Mostly it's probably because I have a facebook now so when I want to spout about something I put it on my facebook. But I still miss blogging, I miss getting the brilliant post ideas, the hammering out of the words, the anxious wait for comments, I really just adore it. The writer in me loves the words and the and the freedom to express myself, and the sister in my loves the opportunity to express an entire thought without being interrupted. :-)

I have anything of terrible interest to tell you about but here's an update of my life:

What's happened this week:
After a long search (I've been keeping an eye open since fall)I finally bought a dress for Banquet yesterday. It was agonizing because I found a dress I LOVED but well... I'm too practical to spend $200 on a dress I'd wear once :-( I found another one that I liked a lot but there was one problem: I had vowed to not wear pink, it seemed too typical for me. Guess what color this dress was? Pink guess which dress I bought? You guessed it, the pink one. It's princessy and poufy and all around fun. I'll post pictures after banquet on May 8th.

What happened today (or more appropriate, what failed to happen):
Geometry. Why can I not understand axioms and postulates???? ARRRGHHH! *pulls hair out* I also looked at maybe taking some classes next year at a local tech school. School never ends does it??


What's up for me in the coming weeks:
Next week Joe and I will be in Cincinnati, Ohio for NCFCA Region 6 Regionals competition. If you didn't see our duo before here's the video of it (this was taken a couple of months ago, we're much better now.)

What I've been Reading:
Now that I've actually had time to read I've devoured 2 books for history and 4 for pleasure in the past 2 weeks. For School I read: Journey to Topaz, which was an interesting story about a Japaneses family during WWII it amazed me how honorably they stood up to such
injustice: being imprisoned when innocent of any wrong doing. I'm also reading about the Vietnam War which is very interesting and very sad. For fun I read the first book in the Lemony Snicket's A Series Of Unfortunate Events I have a feeling I'm going to become as addicted to them as Becca is. I just finished The Highwayman's Footsteps which was an interesting spin of the poem The Highway Man by Alfred Noyes well written, good story, clean, my only problem was the author's addiction to ending chapters with cliff hangers and foreshadowing. It's wouldn't be so bad except that every single chapter ends that way and there are 60 chapters, usually about 2 pages long. Drove me nuts.


What I've been Learning:
I learned that sometimes God answers right away, even before you had know that you asked. Sometimes when you ask for something and are very specific and lay out your entire little plan for God he smiles and nods and then says politely "No, I know better than you do." Sometimes you wish for something and then you forget about. Of course low and behold months later you get it you wanted and complain to God because of course it's NOT what you thought it was. Then God reminds you in his own ironic way. *sighs* Be careful what you pray for...


What I've Been Thinking About:
How odd being 18 is. I was going to blog about it the other day and Joe said: "You're blogging about that AGAIN??" Have I been obsessing over it? I just thought that this is a pivotal point in my life and I thought my dear blog readers might like to share it with me. I have been 18 for over 3 weeks now. A jam packed 23 days of new experiences, new feelings, new knowledge and a better understanding of God. I guess I've just realized that I can't stop time. The play is over and as far as I know I will never act on the stage again, this is something I just have to hand to God. I do have to Graduate on May 16th and I do have to move on after that and agree with the noble (ha!!) lyrics of High School Musical 3 "High School won't last forever". I have a life waiting for me planed out by God. I need to move into it. I might put my heels down but I'll move slowly and surely.


Fact:
This post is too long.

"Life is either a daring adventure...or nothing."

I hate change. Okay, too strong of a word for you? Greatly dislike, do not prefer, detest, would rather not have to deal with, it is not my favorite thing in the world. In plain English?

Don't like it.

I just don't like it. I always knew I didn't like it, but yesterday I realized how utterly deep my hatre- excuse me, great dislike for it is. You see a very terrible thing happened.

I lost my hairbrush.

Yeah I know that isn't so unusual. Especially for me, I lose things very often. But you have to understand, I liked my hairbrush, I use it a lot, it was exactly the kind I like, I'd had it for a while, it fit my head and my hand, it was perfect.

Then I lost it. You're going to laugh at me because of this, but it's true, I seriously went through some mental distress when I couldn't find my hair brush. It's not like there wasn't a hairbrush around, I simply borrowed Susie's for a couple of days, but it wasn't MY hairbrush.

After finally deciding the hairbrush was officially LOST, I bought a new one.

Which didn't solve anything. The new one was... well it just didn't feel right, it was too big, it felt weird on my head and it... was just not my hairbrush.

Now you all officially think I'm the most trivial person in the world. I just spent. 1...2...3...227 words talking about my anguish over losing my hairbrush.

Pitiful, I know. I do have a point, I promise.

The point is, I was upset because something steady in the life- namely my hairbrush - changed. This made me realize how much I don't like change.

We were watching You've Got M@il last night, Kathleen Kelly said something I thought was interesting: "People are always telling you that change is a good thing, but all they're really saying is, that something you didn't want to happen at all, has happened."

In some ways I really agreed. Find me someone who truly LOVES change and I'll faint. What human wants what they like to change?

The again (I say that a lot, has anyone noticed that?) what would life be like without change? Change is life, change from a baby to a adult, and then to, you know, an old person. Change from a carefree teenager to a "young adult" with responsibilities and a job and weird feelings and and expectations thrust upon you. I fit into this last category. It seems like yesterday I was a child,(and I'm sure a great many people reading this blog believe I am still a child) now I have a job, and like it or not, and I'm graduating this spring, and I have to think about higher education.

I have to grow up.

I'm immature, I'll admit it, I still clutch my baby blanket to me when I'm upset, I dearly love to sleep in on Saturday mornings, and yes, I will purposely avoid work because I'd rather read my book. But deep down inside, I don't want to grow up. I don't want to have to worry about bills and the economy and gas prices, I don't want to go to bed at the same time every night, because I'll always have a full day tomorrow, I don't want to read only textbooks because I don't have time to read anything fun. I'm not ready to give up on childhood ignorance. I don't want to have to think about all the unborn babies that die everyday legally, I don't want to think about the fact that with the way the economy is going I could not have a job next year. I want to still pretend that Mommy and Daddy will always work things out.

But I can't do that anymore because, honestly (sorry mom and dad) they can't fix everything anymore. I have to think about these things. I have to grow up, I have to mature, I have to... well, I have to change. If I planted my feet in right now, locked my bedroom door for 5 years, and refused to grow-up I suppose I might accomplish it, then maybe I'd be happy.

Then again (there I said it again) I'm sure I would be miserable, I would be a idiot 23 year old who couldn't face life, and therefore I would have missed out on every wonderful thing life does have to offer. Now I'd have to be a real idiot to do that, because growing up is something we all have to do but would like to put off. We know eventually it's going to be good for us but we don't want to do it. It reminds me of when I was learning to read. Boy did I put up a fuss! Everyone told me I would like, nay, love reading! I agreed with them and I knew, someday I would have to learn. Still I put up a big fuss while mom tried to teach me. Why? Because It was HARD.

Hard.
That was my only reason.
I simply did not want to out any effort into it.
How more selfish and self-centered can a person get?

Yes, I was a yellow belied coward. Now, if there's anything I hate being called, it's a coward. So, yes, I learned to read, and yes, I'm going to become an adult one of these days, mainly because I don't have choice, but also because I know that I know that I also disagree wit this quote, "People are always telling you that change is a good thing, but all they're really saying is, that something you didn't want to happen at all, has happened." Because weather we realize it or not, we want change, it's hard but we want it because we would be miserable without it, so in that essence, change can be, and is a good thing, Why?

Because there's a God, who, strangely enough, cares about me.

Yeah, little ol' me.

And he's declared that: "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose."(Rom 8:28)

Somehow all these things I greatly dislike will turn out okay because even though Mom and Dad can't fix everything anymore God still can. We won't always see how they worked out for good or understand, sometimes we do, I.E. learning to read was one of the best things that's ever happened to me, I understand that now. So if we understand it or not that promise is always there, it's a promise from God, and he doesn't break his promises. It's a nice thought.

Another thought I find comforting is that life is an adventure. Adventure means "an exciting or extraordinary event or series of events". Adventures consist of, for the most part, hard times, and fun. I like fun things, I don't like hard times. But hard times give us the fun, so if I do have to start worrying about the stock markets and gas prices I vow that I won't let those worry lines crease my face. I will make my way bravely through the hard times. If I do have to go to collage then I'm going to learn about something I like, something FUN! Because I think life is too short to live unfulfilled and God didn't create us to live life that way.

So even if I have to grow up I refuse, absolutely REFUSE to get somber and worried and old seeming. My life is going to be an adventure. I'm going to join Helen Keller in the belief that "Life is a daring adventure, or nothing."

The best part is? In my book adventures always have happy endings, because I have a God who cares about me.

You want to know what? I found my hairbrush (under a pile of clothes, where else?) Also, if you actually read this whole thing kudos for you! Thanks for listening.

"When It's Dark and it's Cold..."

Now I'm going to be honest. I deal with being fearful, overly fearful. Since I'm human and female this is not an unusual thing, but it's something that, lately I've realized, has been taking up too much of my time. I'm constantly worried about this or that, breaking this losing that, messing up something important etc. The annoying thing is, when I'm worried about something I get stressed, and then I usually mess it up anyways.

Now if I worry this much about little things you don't even want to know what happens when there's actually something to worry about. Take for instance this Sunday afternoon: Debi Katie L. and I went to a play a friend of mine was in. It was in a town about 90 miles away. We had a pleasant drive up and the play was really well done. About halfway through the performance Mom texted Debi "Call and leave immediately after the show. Bad Weather."

Needless to say, I was more than a little worried.

We started home in a light rain.

It turned to ice.

Then hail.

Then it got dark.

Then we got lost in the hills of southern Wisconsin.

On icy roads.

In December.

In the middle of nowhere with no cell phone reception.

I was slightly freaked out:-)

We finally stoped at a T in the road and Debi and Katie poured over the map.

"Where are we?"

Debi put in a CD and this song started to play:


Now I love this song, it's so simple and heartfelt I've heard it many times before but This verse had verse suddenly had new meaning to me:

When it's dark and it's cold
And I can't feel my soul
You are so good
When the world is gone gray
And the rain's here to stay
You are still good
So with every breath I take in
I'll tell You I am grateful again
And the storm my swell
Even then it's well and You are good.

As I listened to this I suddenly felt peace fill my soul. God is good. He'll take care of us and he didn't need me freaking out.

By some miracle we got through to Mom and eventually got home, we took the scenic rout but we got home safe and sound to our warm and dry home.

When the sun starts to rise
And I open my eyes
You are good, so good
In the heat of the day
With each stone that I lay
You are good, so good

With ever breath I take in
I'll tell you I'm grateful again
When the moon climbs high
Before each kiss goodnight
You are good

FREE ADVICE!!!! Episode 2

Let's say you want to read "The Hound of the Baskervilles". Maybe you want to read it because you like Sherlock Holmes, or just like mystery in general. Maybe you read it because it's a classic and you thought it would be smart to have it under your belt. Maybe you just saw it on the library shelf and thought. Aww, why not?

Let's say you progress through the book at a good pace, remembering how much you like Dr. Watson and how much Sherlock Holmes's stuck-up brilliance drives you nuts. The mystery has you totally mixed up and you have no idea what's going on. Finally one night you snuggle in bed hoping finish the last few chapters and find the solution to the perplexing problems all before falling asleep.

Let's say you decide tonight would be a fun night to try to read by candle light. (This is something you've wanted to try for forever.) You realize, to avoid hurting your eyes too much you must hold the candle chest high with one hand, and hold your book the same height with the other hand, that way shining the best light possible on the page.

Let's say, for pure amusement's sake, that as you get to the climax of the book (right where the huge hound is chasing the nice guy through the foggy moor) you absent-mindedly lean forward.

Let's also say that your candle has been burning for a long time, and while giving off a warm steady glow has also been accumulating a pool of melted wax below the flame.

Let's say as you lean forward in anticipation your hand tilts too and the nicely pooled melted wax shifts and ever...so slowly... drips down the side of the candle.

Let's say, just for fun, that you are sitting cross legged in Indian style. So the dripping hot wax just might hit your ankle, which just happens to be bare. May I remind you this is very hot wax.

Let's say, although completely engrossed in your book, (thus the leaning) you do become distracted by the burning hot wax hitting your innocent bare leg.

Let's say it's possible that, gives the suddenness of the distraction, and the intensity of the book you overreact a tiny little bit. You shriek, throwing your book in the air.

Let's also say, since wax is hot it therefore presents a burning feeling, which is painful. You therefore hop about the room on one foot trying to get the hardening wax off your other ankle.

Let's say it's still early enough so that your family hears your yells and comes rushing to your room prepared for the worse, only to find a shame-faced girl. When they see this girl they roll their eyes and sigh.

On the other hand... let's say not say that. It's late and nobody hears.

Let's say you get the wax off your leg, turn your bedside light on, blow out the candle and sensibly finish your book (there was a reasonable explanation, as there always is.)

If this hypothesis was not just "let's say" but the gospel truth, let us hope that you go to sleep a wiser person.

Let's hope.

Thankful Thursdays #18

I am thankful, that even in this changing time of political upheaval, God is still the same. In 20 days, the U.S. will be picking a new leader. Whoever that leader is I'm glad I know that God will never change, he will take care of me no matter what happens, my obedience to him is all that matters. In God I know what is right and what is wrong, no matter what carnal man may say.

"We may safely assert... that no civil rulers are to be obeyed when they enjoin things that are inconsistent with the commands of God... All commands running counter to the declared will of the supreme legislator of heaven and earth, are null and void; and therefore disobedience to them is a duty, not a crime."

Jonathon Mayhew From a sermon in 1750

C.S. Lewis's The Screwtape Letters..

(For those haven't read The Screwtape Letters, this is written by a demon and when he refers to the "Enemy" he's talking about God.)

"The humans live in time but our Enemy destines them to Eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants to attend chiefly to two things, to Eternity itself, and to that point of time which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches Eternity. Of the Present moment, and of it only, humans have an experience, analogous to the experience which our Enemy has of reality as a whole; in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with Eternity (which means being concerned with him) or with the Present-wither meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving of the present grace, giving thanks for the Present pleasure." ~Chapter 15, The Screwtape Letters

I was reading this for school today and this particular paragraph jumped out at me. I guess I just never though of it this way... present is our only connection to eternity.The present goes by so fast, that I forget to enjoy and give thanks for every day God gives me, I forget to praise him for the connection he gives me with him, the ability to spend eternity with God.

Grammar, To Being or Not to Being

Remember the English assignment from the beginning if the school year?? Well I've written more assignments since then, but nothing too interesting. Last week's chapters assignment was to write a piece supporting a subject, but completely mean to oppose it. I was to write something by meaning something else. It's an interesting venue of the written word. Although often used in sarcasm, C.S Lewis used it in his classic "The Screwtape Letters" which I am currently reading. By writing from the view of a demon, and through that trying showing evil to be good he was actually showing how sickly evil, evil really is! I'm not aspiring to be be C.S. Lewis, but when I learned this venue was to be used in my assignment I decided to enjoy it by attack a pet peeve of mine, (a pet peeve I am ashamedly guilty of..) BAD GRAMMAR!



Hey’s me is so happy your is reading this here wrote paper. I is written it to speaks to all you that good grammer ain’t worth at all the work and trouble and all that. You who wants to messy with pronouns and nouns and verbs and proper tenses. Why you worry about the difference in seen and saw? What matters is it was looked. Was were what were the problem with it if it was that a way or were that way. Past present and future make none big deal, ain’t they the same? and in that there thought whats with capitalization and punctuation all big trouble i’s say I could be ,any trouble to figure which of whole much tenses to use when you is written when you’s could just wrote what you feels like and let the reading person figure out what you’s meet hisself that’s how come i’s going to being start a club for non-grammulacerists calling
“grammer ain’t worth it none”

Care’s to join i?

“grammer ain’t worth it none” is a corperation of “spillin shud bee otlaud”

Saturday Mornings

Saturday morning, I love my Saturday mornings. I do one of my favorite things on Saturday mornings. I look forward to doing it all week. My shrieking alarm wakes me up at 7:15 on week days I roll over and push the snooze, and I daydream about Saturday morning, the day I do not set my alarm. The morning I SLEEP IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, sleeping in is one of my favorite things to do. I know you are all laughing at me, and thinking me terribly lazy, but think what you like. I enjoy my sleep.

So last night Mom told us we had to move wood this morning before it snowed, so that means, no sleeping in. *sniff* *sob* So I wasn't exactly happy about it when Mom woke me up this morning. I really don't like moving wood. But I kept on thinking about the convention. One of the meetings we sang a song about rejoicing in the Lord, and I'd decided when we were singing that the point of the song, at least to me, was that if you rejoice in all circumstances, it will all work out, so I decided to try it out this morning. Now I wasn't terribly happy, but I didn't complain, even inside. Complaining inside is my normal occupation during wood moving. So at first, it was pretty hard, I had to work all by myself in the basement and it was moving really slow, besides the fact that Luke almost hit me with wood a couple of times. There was only Mom, Luke and Debbie upstairs, Joe and Susie were over at the neighbors, covering their roses so they wouldn't freeze, Dad's leg is hurt so he couldn't help. The moving process was going veeeeeeeery slow, But we plugged away. It had started to snow, when our neighbor got home, (remember 'the biologist' Wood girls?) well, he saw us in all our pitifulness, and offered to help. Do you know how much help a young strong guy who likes hard work is??? Lots and Lots of help, thank you Lord for Mr. Morse. Sisters came over about half way through and then we really flew and believe it or not we finished the load of wood in about 2 hours. Now we have a whole Saturday to do just as we please. Well, we can't sleep, but, we can watch old movies together and drink hot coco. Well, if we have any that is.

Sorry this is so long, I always get an urge to write when it storms, the problem is my wrists always hurt when it storms too. I guess my point is, when I'm happy about things, they go better. That's what I learned this morning. Very fundamental lesson, but a very true one.

*WARNING THIS POST CONTAINS THE DREADED WORD!!*

Algebra, yes the dreaded word. The dreaded subject. The dreaded everything else and the worst of all horrible school subjects. "It pierces my soul!!!"

He he, no, I'm not that bad, and that last quote is a joke. Just so everyone knows it's from Persuasion. Today I started Algebra I. Finishing Pre-Algebra with an A on the final test helps boost my confidence in my brain. But I know the actual Algebra will be harder, but I think I can do it. I don't know if every knew, but last fall I knew as much math as a fifth grader (no pun intended.) 7 months later (the present) I am now almost where I should be in math knowledge. I don't know quite how it happened. God must have done something to my brain to make it more hmmm.... smarter, I guess. Mom also found this cool math program called Math-You-See that is easy to understand and kid-friendly. Thank you to every one who encouraged me all year, I couldn't have made it through those rough spots with out you. I would have given up. I still can use prayers and encouragement as I attempt Algebra I!!! So keep it up.

Hope you all aren't bored with my description of my brain-impediment. Just wanted to express my thanks!!!

Cheerio,

~Me~

Gal. 2 scripture

Erica and I are doing a Bible study together reading Galatians. This is just a thought I had about being a light to the world. Maybe I'm way off with it... you can decide.

Gal 2:14 b says
If thou, being a Jew,livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

Sounds like "be ye in the world, but not of it." It's true, if we look, act, talk, dress, like the world and have their same problems why would they want to be like us? How am I a witness for Christ if people look at me an see someone just like them. Why would they want to be like me? How can my light shine? How could we tell people that it's better to be God's child, if we are not?Or at least don't look like one?

Lydia

P.S. Shortest post to date I think!

If I only had a green nose

This is one of my very favorite children's books. Believe it or not, I feel very encouraged when I read it. The object of the story is that Willy Withit decides that painting your nose is the "new thing" so all of the sudden EVERY wemick MUST have their nose painted green. If you have a green nose "you are classy you are keen, you are awesome, you are GREEN!"I know, cheesy. The whole idea is actually very much so.At the beginning of the book Punchinello thinks it's so too, but after being called a few names, and being pressured by peers. Punchinello gets his nose painted and struts around with it in the air like all the other green noses. Now I know this sounds very silly, but it's like that in this world too, only instead of green noses, it's fashionable clothes, sports cars and lots of other things, not necessarily BAD but not useful at all. Especially when it's worn just for attention, or because we worry about what other people will think about you if you don't have "the essentials". Who needs a green nose, who needs fashionable clothing? The people who have their convertibles and stylish jeans may look good, but it's just as bad as if they had orange noses. the book just helps me see that it is just as ridicules. It reminds me of a song we had on a christian kids tape once, the chorus went like this: If everybody does it, we don't./ If everybody has it, we won't./ If every body's going, we'll go the other way. /If everybody does it, we don't. Now that's putting it a bit blunt, but it's true. I should be in the world but not of it. I should not be dictated to by the fashion world of Paris, or the latest fad, but by my conscious. Cheerio, Lyd-bee

Black Beauty

This is Chapter Two from Black Beauty

The Hunt
Before I was two years old a circumstance happened which I have never forgotten. It was early in the spring; there had been a little frost in the night, and a light mist still hung over the woods and meadows. I and the other colts were feeding at the lower part of the field when we heard, quite in the distance, what sounded like the cry of dogs. The oldest of the colts raised his head, pricked his ears, and said, “There are the hounds!” and immediately cantered off, followed by the rest of us to the upper part of the field, where we could look over the hedge and see several fields beyond. My mother and an old riding horse of our master’s were also standing near, and seemed to know all about it.
“They have found a hare,” said my mother, “and if they come this way we shall see the hunt.”
And soon the dogs were all tearing down the field of young wheat next to ours. I never heard such a noise as they made. They did not bark, nor howl, nor whine, but kept on a “yo! yo, o, o! yo! yo, o, o!” at the top of their voices. After them came a number of men on horseback, some of them in green coats, all galloping as fast as they could. The old horse snorted and looked eagerly after them, and we young colts wanted to be galloping with them, but they were soon away into the fields lower down; here it seemed as if they had come to a stand; the dogs left off barking, and ran about every way with their noses to the ground.
“They have lost the scent,” said the old horse; “perhaps the hare will get off.”
“What hare?” I said.
“Oh! I don’t know what hare; likely enough it may be one of our own hares out of the woods; any hare they can find will do for the dogs and men to run after;” and before long the dogs began their “yo! yo, o, o!” again, and back they came altogether at full speed, making straight for our meadow at the part where the high bank and hedge overhang the brook.
“Now we shall see the hare,” said my mother; and just then a hare wild with fright rushed by and made for the woods. On came the dogs; they burst over the bank, leaped the stream, and came dashing across the field followed by the huntsmen. Six or eight men leaped their horses clean over, close upon the dogs. The hare tried to get through the fence; it was too thick, and she turned sharp round to make for the road, but it was too late; the dogs were upon her with their wild cries; we heard one shriek, and that was the end of her. One of the huntsmen rode up and whipped off the dogs, who would soon have torn her to pieces. He held her up by the leg torn and bleeding, and all the gentlemen seemed well pleased.
As for me, I was so astonished that I did not at first see what was going on by the brook; but when I did look there was a sad sight; two fine horses were down, one was struggling in the stream, and the other was groaning on the grass. One of the riders was getting out of the water covered with mud, the other lay quite still.
“His neck is broke,” said my mother.
“And serve him right, too,” said one of the colts.
I thought the same, but my mother did not join with us.
“Well, no,” she said, “you must not say that; but though I am an old horse, and have seen and heard a great deal, I never yet could make out why men are so fond of this sport; they often hurt themselves, often spoil good horses, and tear up the fields, and all for a hare or a fox, or a stag, that they could get more easily some other way; but we are only horses, and don’t know.”
While my mother was saying this we stood and looked on. Many of the riders had gone to the young man; but my master, who had been watching what was going on, was the first to raise him. His head fell back and his arms hung down, and every one looked very serious. There was no noise now; even the dogs were quiet, and seemed to know that something was wrong. They carried him to our master’s. I heard afterwards that it was young George Gordan, the Squire's only son, a fine, tall young man, and the pride of his family.
There was now riding off in all directions to the doctor's, to the farrier's, and no doubt to Squire Gordan's, to let him know about his son. When Mr. Bond, the farrier, came to look at the black horse that lay groaning on the grass, he felt all over, and shook his head; one of his legs was broken . Then some one ran to our master's house and came back with a gun;presently there was a loud bang and a dreadful shriek, and then all was still;the black horse moved no more.
My mother seemed much troubled ;she said she had known that horse for years, and that his name was "Rob Roy"; he was a good bold horse, and that there was no vice in him. She never would go to that part of field afterwards. Not many days after, we heard the church bell tolling for a long time; and looking over the gate we saw a long strange black coach that was covered with black cloth and was drawn by black horses; after that came another and another and another, and all were black, while the bell kept tolling,tolling. They were carrying young Gordon to the churchyard to bury him. He would never ride again. What they did with Rob Roy I never knew; but 'twas all for one little hare.

Believe it or not, I cried when I read this.Later you figure out Rob Roy was Black's half brother. His poor mother... I know they're horses, but it's still very sad. I do like that book a lot. Makes you think... I'm not against hunting, but in moderation, and not taking risks. Also later in the book you meet young Gordon's parents. Such kind people. Why should they lose their only son?
Sorry this is on such a somber note. Once in a while you just have to remember life is a fragile thing. A gift from God, not to be wasted. Last night we watched the movie A Man Called Peter about Peter Marshall, (Catherine Marshall's husband). I've read Mrs. Marshall's book about his life and it really impresses me. His whole life belonged to God... Sorry to ramble. Just some thoughts. We tend to forget who gave us the breath of life and why he gave it. Our every breath should be for the glory of God. He gave us this time on earth to do that.
I don't know if that all made sense, Sorry!
Lydia