A Perfect Family Lineage

Posted by Jean P. Purcell

The Dickens name is in my ancestral line, but I have no idea if it comes from male siblings of Charles Dickens. I think it probably does not, or someone would have traced the family line by now. An oddity is that my paternal grandmother, a Dickens, had a Dickensian name, Dora. Also, I remember that I once in a European city I passed by a huge head sketch that hung in a bank window, and I turned around quickly because out of the corner of my eye I had recognized my dad's profile!...the nose, the brows, the hairline, high forehead, and abundant dark hair, all creating a strong resemblance to my dad. Then I noticed the label for the sketch subject, and it said Charles Dickens.

That really does not matter beyond family curiosity, I suppose. I have thought that the relation would have been a good story, if true. Yet, l have heard so many stories of how claiming connection to famous people can actually hurt more than help that it gives me pause. 

Who would want to write as a distant relative on the generational heels of an Uncle Charles Dickens? There are Dickens in the UK that truly are directly related to the great author, yet the only writer among them, a woman, writes in a different style and genres than her great-great-grandfather.

The theme of family names and connections can open doors, or so I've heard. But no one should count on it, because the likelihood of painful comparisons later might arise, to one's face or behind one's back. One way or another, the weight of family names carries something. No one can be perfectly sure about exactly what that something might be.

It is so good to be proud of family character and achievement. Yet, what about instances where that does not happen? What if there are imprisonment, rumor of fraud, or other assumed lapses of character in the background? Whether to a slight or a great degree, who wants to broadcast that and risk exclusion? 

That's how things work "down here," as Clarence, George Bailey's angel in It's a Wonderful Life, might say.

God's Favorites

 

You likely know that I am heading to place of God's different measure. He has no favorites as we consider the term. He "is no respecter of persons." It is written that whether Jew or Greek, whether from one tribe or another, whether male, female, rich, poor, or in between...God is not looking at all of that.

He "looks upon the heart," and I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, of Moses and Sarah, of Gideon, Aaron, and Joshua, as well as Miriam, the God of Ishmael and his mother, the God and Father of Jesus Christ. Except for the last name, the others were very flawed. Yet, they kept seeking God.

Our standing with God matters, so Jesus bridged that gap to introduce us to the heart of God in a new way. 

When my daughters grew up, I had to learn that what I had or had not done as a mom or a "career woman," (which I wasn't), did not matter to God. Can you believe that I found that reassuring? i did, for the world had told me something different, had judged me by what I did under titles and who I knew, or did not know.

I used to picture God giving me a large umbrella to hold over my daughters, to bring them out of the storms of life. I wanted them to be only with people and events that would be happy and good for them. 

Later i realized that God did not give a parenting desire to me, only. He holds His protecting hand over all of His children, and He has good plans for them, for their future and for hope. And now that i have grandsons, the lineage of Christ will continue, I pray. Each will seek and settle that with God on his own, with family patience and encouragement.

I cannot help writing philosophically about such things, and I accept that I am likely of no blood relation to Charles Dickens, though the family stories go way back. However, the kinship that I, and all his fans, feel with him is real. It is of the heart. 

Dickens took note of those who were proud, those who considered others to be less worthy than themselves, those who considered themselves very lowly. He made each one, in individual ways, to change, become softer or sturdier, as needed, to soften, forgive, and share. There's a good end to a story.

From Charles Dickens, John Grisham, and Others, difficult ease makes it work

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the  epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was....."' The rest of the quote adds up to one long paragraph whose lines may appear to be simple or easy writing, while being far from it. That's how classics come to be, making the difficult appear easy to the point of the obvious. Yet, it was Dickens who thought of writing it that one memorable way in a form to earn rapt attention. Millions of readers have remembered the opening words of A Tale of Two Cities because Charles Dickens opened his story with a distinctive form of balance, imbalance, variety and similarity.    

The feeling and passion of Dickens enter at the first line. Since he shows such passion, we immediately sense the importance of his subject. Every writer hopes to uncover the rare quality of that first paragraph of A Tale of Two Cities or the words describing a character as "Bah humbug" describes Scrooge. The latter says so much more than could be said through many words. To find that elusive, perfectly fitting kind of expression is what every practicing writer wants. 

It's likely that you and I can tell within the first paragraph of any new read whether or not it is our kind of book. If the style or flow suits what we're looking for, we willingly spend time with it. In fiction I can go from John Grisham, C.J. Box, Mary Higgens Clark and others, to Dorothy Sayers, J.R.R. Tolkien, James Patterson and others, knowing there will be either a good story or a good story plus mind-expanding writing. 

Mainly, I think that you and I love to find the style that reads smoothly yet not too simply. We want clarity along the lines. And if you're like me you want to be intrigued. The likes of Jane  Austen, Charles Dickens, and Charlotte Bronte lead the fiction expectations of English readers.

Our brains adjust to and forgive hiccups, especially in the case of translations into English. I willingly adjust to tiny errors in books by Qiu Xiaolong, a Chinese writer now living in the U.S. His stories include historical and sociological views of life in Shanghai. My eyes are opened so that I feel that I can almost touch the laundry that hangs high and low across narrow passage-ways. I bear with ubiquitous poetry lines and references far outside what I call familiar, because the writing flows toward its goal regardless of how much, along the way, I don't know where the author is taking his story and me along with it. 

This is all part of the intrigue of what minds and language can do in capable hands. We can be in familiar and foreign territory at emotional and other levels. From a still place we move with characters that seem alive and in our imaginations are living, acting, and reacting. And in Qiu Xiaolong's world, today's Chinese leaders issue new dictionaries of allowed and disallowed phrases. Listening to U.S. Conversations and arguments I relate to our version of the Chinese dictionary of approved/disapproved phrases. "PC" is here, too.

What words and style give reading meaning? You and I ultimately decide on the books we choose without wondering about others' approval. We know what we like, what we want to recommend, and the living authors whose next work we are eager to read. 

Good Friday-When Darkness Precedes the Light of Victory

The Friday that Jesus was crucified is called good Friday. Why, when the skies grew dark, the earth trembled, and it seemed that Christ had been defeated? In the gloom of Golgotha, called The Place of the Skull  and Calvary, the Lord Jesus was lifted up, nailed onto a heavy cross as a failure and a mockery of hope.  

     The Lord of all creation had been stripped, beaten, and spat upon. Lifted up, he bled and his tongue ached with thirst as soldiers gambled for his robe, untouched by the struggle above them. People below Him watched the stark exhibition of the grip of darkness. Or so it seemed, as the Lord of lords, King of kings, Ruler of rulers, and Leader above all nations hung on display. 
     Others, obsessed by worldly matters, considered that Friday (if they noticed it at all) as good riddance of a growing and unsettling delusion. They thought it good that the Man would live no more to trouble anyone.   

  

The crucified ones would be pronounced dead before evening. Who knows how many crosses stood on the shadowy dung heap outside the city of Jerusalem? Considering three specific crosses, holy scripture tells that the Lord, the Center, hung below a sign nailed as an after-thought: "Behold, the King of the Jews." 

     At one side of Jesus hung a criminal who denounced Him in sinister rebuke.

     On the other side, a thief clung to a personal hope: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."

     The suffering Savior answered: "... this day you will be with Me in Paradise."  The willing, though dying, criminal would be redeemed, by faith in the Lamb slain for the sins of the world.

     
On Sunday, Resurrection Day, followers of Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God, would rejoice in the light dawning upon them on that third day. Joyous Easter followed a dark and hopeless  "good Friday"; the victorious radiance of God in Christ had defeated death forever...for any who would believe on Him, Jesus. 
     When good appears to be defeated, believers scan gloomy skies for rays of hope that God will reveal in His timing. Thanks be to God! Believers have on any dark day a "good day." We live in the goodness of Christ on the Cross. 

    

   

Copyright (c) 2013 Opinari Writers- Jean Purcell

New Year's Relief for Citizen Newshounds

A new globe icon in the Ambox style (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

January 1, 2013

If we do not need to follow news and analysis for professional reasons we can drastically change the landscape of our thinking for the better in 2013. 
     The scope of frustration, even anger, experienced by regular people that zealously follow news makes the point. 
     Having lived under the influence of the nation's capital city for a long time, I have received most news from The Washington Post. Now it has become...well, an odd kind of challenge: the enjoyment has gone. In recent months I have realized that I find even the top section, A, to contain less news and more editorializing within news items. That's a significant drift; yet, I've continued to read the paper daily... almost religiously. 

Even a favorite WashPost book reviewer recently disappointed, barely questioning the reasoning behind a new book about the personal life of Charles Dickens that makes wild claims of exceptionally bad fathering and other personal weaknesses or differences. The question of why his children loved him and most did well in their lives, on their own, was not raised.         
     There are TV news programs to do without as well, unless one enjoys hearing what is spoken only for the benefit of those who agree.

What if we newshounds take a break from our unnecessary over-attention to reading or watching news reports for a while? We might take many deep breaths of relief. I have a deep suspicion that the life our our minds would improve under influence of increased meditative, appreciative, enjoyable, and peaceful thoughts ...rarely found in the news.
    Dear Reader, I hope you are having a good new year's beginning. Special thoughts to all who are in hospital. This includes, in our family, a loved one in Florida. Hoping for a good recovery soon. We continue to follow updates from family and friends.  


Copyright (c) 2013 Jean Purcell and Opinari Writers. If you enjoy this blog, join, tweet, facebook, like, or recommend it. 

What Christmas is about...Charlie Brown and friends

Snoopy and Charlie Brown (Image source: Amazon.com)

Charlie Brown is a famous little guy from the drawing board and wisdom of artist Charles Shultz. In 1965, the cartoonist permitted Charlie and friends to tell their Christmas story in "Charlie Brown's Christmas," where our little hero bemoaned the commercialism at  Christmas.

Recently, Colorado Springs, USA, drew attention to its own Charlie Browns and friends. The city labeled local Christmas workers of the Salvation Army "panhandlers" and pushed them off their usual Christmas cheer spot.

The Salvation Army remained ready and soon the downtown Wyndham Hotel heard of their plight. "There's room for you with us, on our property, at our inn,"  the Wyndham said.

As Salvation Army's bells and donation kettles moved to a welcoming place, lots of Christmas hospitality extended again, around Colorado Springs, through the bell-ringing, kettles, and generous donations of shoppers. Many proud recipients of that hospitality will enjoy especially prepared holiday warmth, food, and toys for the children among them. Many will enjoy the goodness of friends.

It's the Charlie Brown, Linus, and friends... thing to do.  

Here's to your Christmas joy no matter how small the tree or the gifts. Here's to your Christmas cheer no matter how many or how grumpy the cynics.  (watch-7 minutes, 24 seconds)

Copyright (c) 2012 Opinari Writers. Do you like this blog? Join, Tweet, FB, Like, or Recommend it? Thank you.