JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

Walking into the Wardrobe

October 2nd, 2005 · 3 Comments

Around the time I saw Darren Barefoot’s link to The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe trailer, my family had started reading through The Chronicles of Narnia, sitting on the sofa together after supper to listen to a chapter or two before bedtime. Thursday night we finished The Last Battle. I think both Ted and I had tears in our eyes. Abigail’s started reading them by herself and has sped through five already. The set we have is the same set Ted read as a child.

Like Abigail, I read the books for the first time by myself at age seven. Back then, I don’t think I saw much in the stories beside strange creatures and English children. But this time as an adult, I am seeing inside these Chronicles and seeing inside myself with wide eyes.

The past few years have been difficult ones for my faith. There’s been tearing and wrestling inside my soul. Reacting to revelations and painful situations, I wandered and I wondered whether my faith had been a fantasy, whether the spiritual beings of my belief were as imaginary as unicorns and fauns and wardrobes that lead into other worlds. I wanted to walk away from it all and say goodbye to God.

But now thanks to C.S. Lewis’s storytelling, I’m enchanted by God again. I find myself drawn to the Narnian Lion. I love the symbolic illustrations painted by Lewis’s imagination. Is Jesus as gentle as Aslan? Is he as compassionate? Is he as present? My own picture of Jesus through recent circumstances is more fierce beast than understanding friend, more devourer than deliverer.

The Chronicles are challenging and changing me. The stories are becoming a part of my story. Like the children in the stories – and the three in my family – I find myself growing fond of this catlike King, longing to throw my arms around his mane in an act of intimacy, gratitude and affection. Instead of walking away, I’m walking into the wardrobe, taking steps towards God. Thanks to fantasy, I’m finding a faith that is real to me during my days… and in the nights we spend snuggled on the sofa listening to the story, kids cuddled in my lap.

As an Aslan fan, I’m also intrigued to hear the (beloved) song of that name written by Kendall Payne (review of her opening act show ) which I’ve seen mentioned in blogs recently.

We are definitely looking forward to the movie! In anticipation, we’ve found the BBC’s late 1980s version of a few of the chronicles, While lacking a budget and modern special effects, the films are still fun. Thanks to Darren for letting us know the new movie will be here in December!

bonus link: See Jay McCarthy’s reviews of C.S. Lewis books, including The Chronicles of Narnia

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Scene around town

October 2nd, 2005 · 2 Comments

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Falling into the season

September 29th, 2005 · 4 Comments

The catalogs have come with their cover models adorned in long skirts and turtlenecks, swathed in suede and scarves, burdened with coats and boots, announcing the arrival of autumn. September has seen temperatures in the sixties and seventies, still considered summer for Seattle, with blue skies to boot. Yet the morning air brings a nip with it, an omen of cooler days to come, and the kids no longer envy the sun since they now stay up later than it does.

I recycle the catalogs, resisting the fall fashions. Cowl necks were never flattering on me. And I refuse to be excited by fleece. But maybe I’m in denial.

Summer is my favorite season. I’ve made myself a number of traditions for celebrating it, from trips to Port Townsend to crafts with the kids. I can’t believe it is the end of September. Past the official equinox. The kids read my calendar and announced autumn’s arrival to me on Thursday last week, remembering the occasion when they woke that morning, declaring it as if it should be celebrated. I pretended I didn’t hear them.

But last weekend Ted and I realized it was time to put away the outdoor furniture. Ted suggested we plan one last supper outside, yet by 5 pm it was too cool on our deck for dining. It didn’t make sense to keep the table, chairs and grill outside if we weren’t going to be using them.

In preparation, I took a broom and swept the floor of the garage. I saw the pieces of summer return to me, in bits brought by the bristles. I found a few sunflower seed shells, reminders of the chipmunk that had hid a cache between our bicycles. A stalk of silky lambs ear flowers that had missed the garbage can. I thought of the tiger lilies, daisies, iris, lavender and poppies, flowers that had come and gone in the warm months, leaving brown stalks behind, snips of stems that asked for spring to come again.

I swept around the boxes of concrete on the floor, remembering that the girls and I had yet to make our annual stepping stone for the garden, a tradition I started the summer my oldest turned one, six years ago. There’s a stack of blue plastic buckets for the mix and a box of molds and decorations. Since we make one each year, I’ve started stocking up on supplies.

In the pile by my broom, I discovered a feather, left by the neighborhood pheasant which had accidentally run into our garage one weekend afternoon. It was gray with vibrant red accent, colors both ordinary and magical. The bird’s visit was a rare one and the feathers seemed like treasures, collected by the girls in Ziploc bags. I was reluctant to throw this last one away.

Tuesday afternoon I mixed and poured the concrete in the kit. I helped the girls press their hands into the mold, adding my own weight to theirs. It was a frustrating process of getting the mix to the right consistency so it will hold a handprint. After a few attempts, and a number of paper towels, we decided it was finished.

Later I stood up on the deck, now strangely empty and bare of furniture, as a house is when movers come. I looked down below at the stepping stones we had made on the walkway. I saw the girls’ handprints in the cement, the impressions they had made in a moment.

I thought of the feather. I thought of fall. I thought of saying goodbye to summer.

Today we will take out the stepping stone from its mold and put it in the garden where it will be through fall and winter and spring, until another summer arrives. My girls will be a year older then, and so will I. Together as we tidy the beds, we’ll look at how little their hands were once, and marvel at the ways they’ve grown, measuring themselves against the marks preserved in the concrete circles.

As I say goodbye to summer, two images remain. One is the stepping stone. The other is the feather. Impression. Heaviness. Intention. Lightness. Flight. Surprise. It is these two contrasts that are qualities of the heart, necessities of the soul. It is these two ways that changes come. And it is these two ways that memories are made.

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Acorns

September 29th, 2005 · 28 Comments

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Updated blogroll of local bloggers: Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County and a few Seattle ones too

September 29th, 2005 · No Comments

I’ve updated my blogroll in the sidebar of this blog, including my lists of local bloggers. The Technorati feed Mike Houser created has been helpful for finding new local bloggers or even reading stories about the island such as this message in a bottle found at Agate Pass. Other blogs I’ve discovered through Bainbridge Buzz and Philippe Boucher’s blog.

I’ve posted the updated lists of Bainbridge Island blogs and Kitsap County blogs below in this post.

Keeping up with Bainbridge blogs: Bloglines

For a while I’ve wanted to create a site that would compile Bainbridge blogs. Chip Gibbons encouraged me to look at Bloglines. I put together a page where Bainbridge blogs (I know) are listed. Please feel free to use it to keep up with the Bainbridge blog community. Blogs can be read one at a time or all blogs can be read together, selecting posts that have been published within the past 24 hours, week, etc.

Bainbridge blogs list

movers and shakers

Orange Zen (Janelle Hill) once of Bremerton, has moved to Virginia and Grotto of Procrastination (Emily Julia) has moved to Seattle. I know I’m not the only one who misses I Love Bainbridge Island which disappeared suddenly. Mixerguy’s Blog returned, with new podcasts. Fletcher Landing, Making Trouble and Roe Day Oh are all new additions to the island blogroll.

Jonathan and his wife Heather had moved to the island when three days later he was offered opportunity to be a Stuntman on the tv show Lost filmed in Hawaii. It’s a fascinating story that involves his blog (which still says Bainbridge Island on it!) And I think I’ll still be reading his blog for his insights into the television industry and society.

I’d also like to highlight a few Seattle blogs I’ve enjoyed:

Classical singer Anne-Carolyn is based in Seattle (at the moment) and blogs at the concert.

Rhymes with Drowning is a widower’s intense chronicle of his journey.

Mommy blogger Linda is Keepin It Real.

New Northwest Books showcases new reads.

And the Olympia area has a community OlyBlog

Bainbridge Island Blogs

Attention Citizens of Earth! (Ed Hager)

Bainbridge Beat (anonymous)

Bainbridge Book Moms (group blog)

The Bainbridge Bulletin (anonymous)

Busker (Chris Holmes)