Sunday, October 29, 2017

Lagniappe






Good evening. 

Today is the fifth Sunday in October. This month, I've crafted four coherent blogs, each of them held tenuously together by a theme of sorts. With this in mind, I am giving myself a free pass to ramble for a few minutes tonight & call it a day. You've read & no doubt loved four blogs this month, so this one's just extra, a little lagniappe, & thus I am relieving myself of the pressure to find a theme around which to weave a narrative about last week's chaos, this week's plans, or my feelings. Themes are for people who have more time than I do at the moment. 

I have a lot to say about a handful of things, including: 

(1) My new boots, (2) The bedskirt I bought this weekend, (3) Reagan's brief vomiting stint this past weekend, (4) Last week's Fall Festival, (5) How much I hate Halloween, & (6) Martin Luther. Also on my mind: This past weekend's weather & LSU's upcoming game against Alabama. 

I just cannot spare the time today to rigorously address any of the items on the above enumerated list. Such is my life these days. I did buy a pair of boots; pictures of the boots, as well as pictures of the bedskirt I bought over the weekend, will hopefully be featured in next week's blog. 

The only thing I'm going to take the time to say tonight is this: Tuesday is of course a big day. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his Ninety-Five Theses to the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. Five-hundred years later, the reformation he kickstarted on that day continues to, you know, have a pretty significant impact on my life, & perhaps on yours, too. While Luther was not British, he was heavily influenced (& certainly emboldened) by a handful of British men we have discussed in class, so we're going to take a British lit timeout on Tuesday to celebrate the life of a German man whose gumption everyone, Protestant or not, ought to admire. 

I have always admired Luther, & not just because I have some disagreements with the Catholic Church, & not just because I am a fan of making lists. In addition to his gripes with what was, at that time, a too-powerful, too-political Catholic Church (if you disagree with me on this, brush up on your history), Luther was full of wisdom about a variety of topics. While his influence on the interpretation of scripture is probably his greatest legacy, his writings are full of extra tidbits, lagniappe, if you will. Oh look; I have inadvertently stumbled onto a theme. 

Luther was a German professor of theology, a composer, & a father of six. He was a learned & no doubt a busy man. I mean, I only have two kids, & I know nothing about the composition of music, yet I certainly would not be able to find the time to spark a reformation even if I were stewing with angsty rage over the practices of the church. Granted, Martin Luther had no Internet access distracting him, likely did not manage anyone's blood sugar, & probably didn't spend a great deal of time searching for new boots.

Were I to compose a list of complaints, at the moment the subject of said list would likely be birthday parties for small children --->

(1) Where does it go from here? You're going to have to fly them to the moon by the time they turn twelve.

(2) Am I the only who just wants to read?

(3) Saturdays in the fall are for college football. 

(4) Capri Suns are Satan's drink. 

(5) Bouncy houses are germ factories. 


I could probably add more to the list, but I don't think I could get to ninety-five.

On Tuesday, I plan to protest Halloween (a day that has potential but has, like everything else, become an overly commercialized candy nightmare for people who make no insulin & their parents) by spending all day celebrating Martin Luther with students. In preparation for the day, I've read & reread many of Martin Luther's words. The quote above (& repeated below) received an Amen! from me:

One learns more of Christ in being married and rearing children than in several lifetimes spent in study at a monastery.

In fact, studying in a monastery is perhaps the exact polar opposite of being married & rearing children. Rumor has it it is incredibly quiet inside monasteries, everyone uses the restroom all by themselves, can bathe themselves, & solitary, contemplative reading is a routine part of one's day.

If you remember nothing else I've said, &/or you're unfamiliar with Martin Luther & his many wise words, remember this: Making a list can change the world. With that in mind, here's what you can expect in a week's time:

(1) Pictures of my new boots, (2) A pictorial rundown of the Fall Festival we attended last Thursday, (3) Numerous tales of how wildly successful this Tuesday's Martin Luther Day was, & (4) My emotional reaction to the result of this week's LSU game against Alabama. I mean, I know. I know what's going to happen. I am emotionally prepared. Also up next week, (5) Lies we tell ourselves.

Y'all have a great Martin Luther Day on Tuesday & a great week.





Geaux Tigers.
AZ


No comments:

Post a Comment