Three Things

Well, hello. It's the first Wednesday in March, and apparently I have a few things to say. 

My last blog can be found - - - > here if you missed it. 

My latest piece for The First can be found - - - > here if you missed it. 

There are a handful of moments in literature that will always, so long as I have my mental faculties, come readily to me in a variety of situations. As I was driving the kids home from school this afternoon, I realized with pretty incredible clarity (that usually doesn't find me on the afternoon drive home) that I needed to sit and type out what is, basically, my mission statement. It is a three-part ordeal, and here's where the aforementioned literature references enter the picture. 

In Twilight, Bella has a pretty recognizable line early in the novel that even those who've only watched the films will likely recall. She says: 

About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him - and I didn’t know how potent that part might be - that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

This, above, is essentially the thesis statement of the entire novel and the entire series. I love these lines for a handful of reasons, one of which is that I love the word irrevocably. It is a beautiful word that rolls off the tongue nicely and is heavy with meaning. I will never hear or read this word without thinking of these lines. 

The other moment in literature that came to mind this afternoon can be found in The Bronze Horseman. Alexander, in the middle of one of his epic conversations with Tatiana, asks her these questions: 

Ask yourself these three questions, Tatiana Metanova, and you will know who you are. 

Ask: What do you believe in? What do you hope for? What do you love?

Tatiana's answer to these questions is wonderful in the context of the novel, but I won't delve into here as it is not pertinent to the matter at hand. As always, I highly recommend this series by Paullina Simons to any female who has not read it. It is historical fiction in its finest form.

These moments were in my head this afternoon not only because of the theme of three, but because they are clarifying moments in these book series I love so much; they are the elusive thesis moments about which English teachers harp and students fret. I had such a moment myself today, and naturally I will now share it with you. I am actually writing this all down for the same reason I write most things down: for my own benefit, to sort through some things in my head, and also so my kids can read it one day when they long for my advice. 

Nearly everything I share on social media can be boiled down to one word: freedom. 

I believe we are designed by our Creator to desire freedom. First and foremost, freedom in Christ, which is freedom from our sins and, eventually, freedom from death and our aging, mortal bodies. 

I believe we are designed to desire freedom from tyranny. 

Finally, I believe we are designed to seek freedom from reality at times, as reality can be harsh, and thus we turn to art, to music, or, most often in my case, to books. 

That's the sum of my adult life, of all that I write, of most of the conversations I have both in person and online. That's the sum, to the extent that I can say anything succinctly, of what I want to teach my kids:

 - - > Love and fear God, and let His directives guide you in your dealings with people because people are hard to love, even, at times, the ones you really, really love. 

- - > Pray for but remain deeply suspicious of government, all government, even the guy you think is great and for whom you voted. The nature of government is to grow and seek more and more power. This is an unchanging truth. Never forget it. 

 - - > Read books. Read all sorts of books. Lose yourself in books, especially when the pressures and heartaches of reality are weighing on you heavily. 

Live your life every day in such a way that you encourage others to seek these same freedoms for themselves. 

I hope this finds you at the end of a pleasant Wednesday. I cannot promise routine epiphanies, but I shall continue to report back to you, reader, as they find me. 

AZ