a cup of earl grey

strong simmering heat

steamy scent

dark temptation

deep breaths and

longing eyes

fill my insides

with yearning

for a taste

too hasty to wait

hands move

fine chine meeting

thirsty lips

the tea tilts

as i take a sip

the last drip drops down

tastebuds on fire

scorching exhilaration

racing through my veins

a bittersweet experience

a momentary thrill

ending in nothing but

frayed nerves and

a burnt tongue

...

Pieces from...

The Fiery Crags
by
F. W. Boreham.

"So love blazes the trail for love, smooths the path of love, brushes away the obstacles that might entangle the feet of love. That is why, when men find themselves confronting the most stupendous issues that they are ever required to resolve, so many subtle voices, human and divine, direct with steadfast insistence to the cross."

Spoon Food...

As wikipedia puts it:
"A spoon is a common eating utensil, or item of cutlery, somewhat like a small spade, with a bowl-shaped end on a handle, that occurs in a number of sizes and forms. Its main purposes are for conveying food to the mouth and for stirring, though it has a number of other uses."

So besides shoveling food into our faces, they also serve a variety of other wonderful purposes:


- Spoons can make fantastically pretty pieces of jewellery.
- Spoons can substitute as an instrument for the musically impaired.
- Spoons can also become an essential part to exciting, fast-paced card games.

[...they can also double as a spork, which may seem sacriligious to those fanatical spoon devotees...]

While generally spoons are easily accessible for purchase of the common people at affordable prices, there are always those lucky few whose mouths are somehow magically filled with a nice set of silver cutlery right from birth.

.... ...................... . . . . ............ .. . . . ........ .. ........ .. ..... ........................... .. .. . . ................... ..................

An accidentally amazing phenomenon which occurs sporadically to amuse those fortunate enough to possess the ability to speak properly, that has nothing to do with spoons but for the fact that it contains the word spoon within its name, is oh so mysteriously called a....

Spoonerism.
These delightful 'tips of the slung' are words or phrases in which letters or syllables get swapped!

EXAMPLES:
- it's roaring with pain [it's pouring with rain]
- wave the sails [save the whales!]
- soap in your hole [hope in your soul]
- trail snacks [snail tracks]
- this is the pun fart [this is the fun part]

One can even tell an entire story in this spooneristic style:

Beeping Sleauty (an excerpt)

by Colonel Stoopnagle

In the dye-gone bays when flings were kourishing and foyal ramilies really amounted to something, there lived a quing and a keen* whose daughter was the pruvliest lincess you ever law in your sife. She was as lovely as Spritney Brears and Rulia Joberts wolled into run. Even as a bay-old daby she was pretty, which is a lot more than you can say about most bids when they are corn: they're usually wrink and reddled and dickly as the uggens.


....i am still at a loss as to why it is called a spoonerism.


.. . ............. . . ............. . . . . ................... . . . . ........... . . ............................ . .. ........... . .. . .......... .. .............. . . . .. . . ................... . . . . . .. .. .....


This brings me to ...Spooning.
As Ryan would not accept the challenge of blogging about this controversial subject, I have taken the task upon myself.


To some this idea of cuddling with another person similarly to spoons in a drawer seems entirely innocent.
To others...dangerously sexual.
So it seems as though there is surprisingly not much to say on the subject...
Typically, though, it occurs between close friends or perhaps to avoid hypothermia in a cold situation.
However, I simply send this warning: be careful of what goes on in the kitchen drawer boys and girls.



and that's about all i have to say about that...i'm going to go have a bowl of soup...



..................... .. . . . . . . . . . ............. . . ....... . . . ........... . ........... . .. ...... . .. .............. .

perhaps in light of one of my many faults or mistakes, my mother once told me...


"bethany, you've mastered the art of imperfection."


i'd have to concur.


...

fairy tales and silent solitudes...

i confess it is one of my favourite things to simply read aloud a brilliant book or some pleasant poetry. to myself mostly. not merely to hear myself speak. but i enjoy the sounds of the words. bestowing colourful voices unto the characters. mimicking different accents. narrating the tale with great emotional emphasis. setting the tone. lyrically describing the scenery. getting lost in the story. tis all so wonderfully amusing. and while i very much look forward to one day reading mystery and adventure books to my very own children... i also admit that i have a small fantasy of sorts of my husband and i reading to each other... together. taking turns. curled up by the cozy fireplace. perhaps sharing a cup of tea. reading a story. reading the bible. it warms my heart just to imagine it.

also...this morning in church we watched the nooma video 'noise.' and we talked a lot about silence. or the lack thereof. i personally love listening to music throughout the entire day but there are always times where i just want that quiet. to clear my head. focus. and there's no better place to pause and reflect than by losing yourself in the beauty that surrounds you outside. even in the winter where everything is serenely sprinkled with snow. or paddling across a lake. or beneath the stars. i am daily dazzled by God's creation. these are the most silent places. silent in a way that it eludes the white noise of life. it provides an escape. a time to listen. although we may be afraid of what we may hear. but daily in our lives. in our homes. even while we unplug all the unnecessary of electronic devices. there is always the hum of the fridge. the sound of a car driving by. a dog barking. and as much as we have to attempt to ignore these distracting disturbances... i was just thinking on how neat it would be to build a room in your home that was specifically designed to be soundproof. a room for silence. to get away. to pray. in the quiet reverence. and maybe boldly listen for that still small voice.

frosted flakes falling from an effervescent sky,

flitting and floating on the frozen atmosphere.

this crisp, sugary cereal swirls up so high and

down to caress my cheeks, freezing my tears.

BOB: "I am surrounded by too many Christians. I live in a bubble. What should I do?"


GILL: "I know a quick but terrible solution! Quit converting your friends!!"

amidst the chaos and confusion one can feel content at the oddest times.
i feel comfortable and at ease with myself as a person.
i am confident in that i know who i am in Christ.
my life is not my own.
my life is His.
He is living through me.
i need not be afraid.
He is my reason to be brave.
i can't do anything on my own.
but with Him...anything.
it doesn't matter what it is.
where or how or with who.
i have a part to play in this grand symphony.
it may be small or insignificant.
it may be challenging or dangerous.
but it's all to His glory.
i'll do whatever it takes.
i don't need to have it all together.
i don't need to have outstanding gifts or talents.
He'll use whatever i have to offer.
i will be willing to learn.
to work for it.
to fight for it.
with imperfect excellence.
i was specifically made unique for a reason.
how can i not be glad for the way God has made me.
to envy another person would be like an insult to the Creator.
i am what i am and i don't need to try to impress anyone.
i am at peace with life and what it may bring.
to do more than just claim to have complete faith and trust in God.
but to truly believe it and live it out.
it's so relieving in a joyous way.
i want to sing and laugh and dance and cry all at the same time.
to know what and Who you're living for.
i don't feel so lost and overwhelmed.
because i know that as one person i will not be able to change the whole world.
but i can bring light to some parts of this spinning globe.
to some people.
but i also know i must have patience.
in the preparation and education.
knowing it's all going to build me as a person.
even while it may seem pointless at the time.
but i will not become complacent or apathetic while i wait.
i am surrounded with opportunities to do good.
to draw closer to God.
it's crazy to think how things in our lives shape who we become.
how we think.
passion '07:
three words...
convicted.
inspired.
determined.
something changed for me then.
i saw things in a way i had never before.
my eyes were opened to something much larger than myself.
i am a part of something bigger.
much bigger.
i could choose whether or not i want in on it.
but how could i refuse.
it all seems so unreal sometimes.
too good or ridiculous to be true.
but that's the mystery in it.
who would want to serve a predictable God that we completely understood.
He is so much greater than that.
beyond us.
how could we not worship Him with our lives.
life on earth is merely the prelude to eternity.
what we do now affects us forever.
really we should be dead in sin.
but Christ took our place!
never have those words meant more to me.
i am in utter awe.
there's no way i could be ashamed.
i am such unworthy filth.
yet He loves.
gives.
forgives.
i know there will be dark valleys.
but i always have that core assurance.
nothing else has ever tempted to lure me away.
but things have creeped in on first place.
to my own folly.
for He is my first love.
forever and
ever and
ever and
ever...

- please keep me accountable, people -