Spring has SPRUNG!

We, Cathy and I and friends of ours, went to Daffodil Hill this year. Years ago, and I do mean YEARS ago, my Grandmother and I took off to find Daffodil Hill. We never found it, but had a lot of fun driving about the area. I believe she and I ended up at Fiddle Town. This must have been when I was in 7th grade,(about 1967) because she died in July of 1968. In any event, we found it this time and here are some pictures from Daffodil Hill!

I know this sign wasn't there in 1967! We would have seen this!


Here is the entrance. What I found UNBELIEVABLE, there was NO admission fee. IT IS FREE!


And free it is! This is a shot of one side of the hill. they open up when 25% of the flowers are in bloom (which in this picture is that weekend!) and close when only 25% remain in bloom.


My beautiful wife against a pretty backdrop!


And one I really like that is alongside the entry barn!


There are more, but I also have a LOAD of pictures from the back yard, so if you wait a few hours, those too will be uploaded! Enjoy!

Soon to be SPRING 2008

I await for the longer days and the sunlight that warms the ground and makes all the flowers bloom. It has been a nice winter. A good amount of rain in the Valley and the flowers are JUST as excited about Spring as I am!

So, OFF to the backyard and shoot some early pictures! More to follw as the days get warmer and the season opens up for beauty in the summer!

I love the movement of light across the branches and sifting through the leaves, and the bright illumination of the center in this picture!


Singled out by sight alone, yet so alike!


And what can we say about the interaction of plants and insects? BEAUTY AND GRACE!

Been reading again!

Ok, It is back to words again. I swear I think I am onto something then it it back to words. Well lets start with the issue of Origin. Yes he does say that all things come back to full circle where they started, that being God. The issues raised by him are, from what I can see two separate parts:

Pt. 1 The pre-existence of souls
Pt. 2 How Free will plays into this
Pt. 3 All creation returns to God


Pt. 1 The pre-existence of souls

As for the pre-existence of souls, Origin says we “drift from the Divine” and slip to lower levels. The futher from the Divine you fall, the lower your ranking, with the lowest ranking being Satan. It follows then that our souls come to us (in our bodies) because we have fallen, or drifted away from contemplation of the Divine, and the only way to return is to return to contemplating the Divine.

If all things exist in the mind of God, and we remember that potency and efficacy are the same in God, then souls can exist prior to their physical (and I use that word “physical” lightly) creation, though only in the mind of God. They do not exist as an ephemeral event, but in their full potency as that alone is how God operates. The moment of creation and the moment of thought in God’s mind are one and the same event. We make the distinction between the two for we live in time, but God does not. It all exist in the now. So, if I exist from all eternity in the mind of God, do I not “pre-exist” in the reality of God, for nothing in God is potential (Aquinas Summa).

If permitted to read into the mind of Origin, that souls do pre-exist in God, all that we are and will be are clear to Him, even our free will choices are known unto Him prior to our entry into time, thus from the moment when God thought of us, we have lived, died and been judged. Yes, we did pre-exist as Origin says, even using scholastic philosophy, we could come to the same conclusion. Now the question arises are we then predestined to live as God has seen us. No, God never made our choices for us, we live as we live making good choices and bad, all God has done in the simplest terms is think of us as we would be, but for Him that is a reality. So, we have lived our whole lives prior to physical birth, but only in the mind of God.

Origin never stated in De Principi that we as individuals pre-existed, only the soul pre-existed, separate from the body. In that sense, we are only in the mind of God as spirit, as matter would not be necessary, for God knows in the immediate what will be in the future. There is no need for us as body/soul to be pre-existant, for it is our soul that makes us unique from other animals, and the uniqueness that makes us who we are as individuals. Choice, an action of the will/spirit would be existent in the soul, thus no need for a body prior to existence. As for the choices we make, those are already known from the moment we were in the mind of God. He chose to love us despite our failings. God’s love is an overpowering event and to limit that love would be to limit the mercy of God as well. Mercy and justice are but one act in God, for God can only act in one way. He allows the rain to fall on the just and the unjust. All contrary actions to the will of God will be punished, but to say that God would create to only destroy is also contrary to God’s nature.



Pt. 2 How Free will plays into this

Origin spends some time in De Principi (book 3) going over the idea of free will. His understanding of free will is different from our understanding today, but well within the range of being the same in the basics. That we, as individuals are responsible for our actions, both good and bad, and that we bear responsibility for these actions is a common thread.

He spends time on the concept of the “hardening of the heart”, that is spoken of as one without the grace or presence of God in them. The most used example in the Greek Text is that of Moses and Pharaoh. In the story we all know Pharaoh’s heart is “hardened” by God against Moses and letting the Hebrew People go. It is important to remember two things in this story from Genesis. One, that it was written many years after the fact as a faith response to an historical event of great importance to the Hebrew People. Two, the “hardened” heart of Pharaoh allowed for God to show his power and greatness to the Hebrew People through the guise of Moses. Most importantly, Pharaoh relents to the power of God (shown through Moses) and lets the Hebrew People go. No matter the fact that he regrets this and tries to get them back, he, Pharaoh, fails in that attempt and dies in one of the greatest shows of the power of God through Moses in the parting of the Red Sea. So even the “hardened heart” brings glory to God and in the end fulfills the plan of God set forth for his people, the Jews and later the Christians.

Origin also stresses on the workings of grace to help make choices, this would be the opposite of the “hardening of the heart”. I would prefer to look at it in this light, either you have the grace or not, that would be the influence on the will. Mind you Origin talks about grace as knowledge and instruction. He believes that grace is acquired though action, a sort of Letter of James idea. It is an interesting concept, but grace is also freely given. I do agree with Origin that one who learns their faith, deepens their understanding of their faith, will by that act, gain grace as well as knowledge. Knowledge does set us free, on so many levels in this life, thus making the use of free will an easier act. For informed minds can make informed choices. It has long been held by the Catholic Church that an informed conscience can make decisions that are contray to Church Law and not sin. The key being the informed conscience. The idea is that no one can make one violate their conscience, as that is wrong.

Part 3..sorry I am still working that one out. I am reading right a book on the composition of the soul in the thought of Origin....so give me some more time. I am getting there!


Pt. 3 All creation returns to God

Origin has a valid belief when he says that God will bring all back to Him, as all cannot ever leave Him. What Origin is expressing in his apokistanse is that God by His creative nature, also nurtures. A good nurturer chides and corrects but always loves and brings back.

End of the Year Recap...in Pictures!

So where to start with pictures?
January was so long ago, I can't remember what I did, and then there was February and March, then April and May. June followed closely by July and August. I remember some of September and November. December I remember Christmas and something about a cruise. ANYWAY..here is a recap of some of the events of 2007 in pictures. If I messed on some of the dates, oh well, it is my blog and I can do as I wish! ENJOY!
Spring finds me in the back yard taking pictures..so, here is the glass wind chime:



the yard all set up for a gathering of friends:



Me looking for friends in Italy:



Me lost in Italy!



Ahhh July in Philly and looking at the Liberty Bell!



July also means FRESH BACKYARD PEACHES!!



A new member of the family...SweetTea

(Photo by Cathy)


and a jealous onlooker, Weinette



September was Cathy's Surprise Birthday Party!

(Photo by Cathy)


November was Thanksgiving and the gathering of the Grey Head Drinkers:

(Photo by Cathy)


December found the end of an era!



and the beginning of a new Era!



And to end the year...our Cruise


Many things to give thanks for and many things to be grateful for. I hope you have enjoyed the pictures this year and I look forward to more pictures and writing in 2008!

Almost Christmas

Well it is close enough to say Merry Christmas, as I am sure I will be busy enough tomorrow and may not be able to post. So, from our house to yours, we wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year as well!

For those who do not know, that is Sweet Tea that Cathy is holding. She, Sweet Tea, is celebrating her first Christmas with us. Weinett has taken to her quite well and they are a loving pair who enjoy playing and running about like weenie dogs.

Cruising in Mexican Waters

We got back Saturday from our Mexican cruise. It was a LOT of fun and we all enjoyed the trip. Here are some shots to show what we all saw! Where to start? Ok, Cathy in Puerto Vallarta:


Of course me doing the "Captain Morgan Stance"!


All of on the catamaran in Cabo,


Sunrise in Mazatlan:


Sunset at sea. (in case you can't read the picture!)


and what trip would be complete without a FLOWER picture!

December already!

So, it is already the 2nd of December and here we are getting ready for the end of the year and the beginning of 2008! My how time flies when you are alive! I bet if I was dead, I wouldn't even know or CARE what year or month it was. ANYWAY...a bit more serious here, November passed and with it Thanksgiving. Below are pictures from the backyard from Thanks giving as well as from inside the house.

The winter flowers are doing well and the bees are still about. These are snapdragons and the bees are really busy here!



I really do not know the name of this, but when in college we referred to them as "wild camellias", in that they are like wild roses with few petals and full of pollen. In any event, here is our rendition of the flower.


But inside the house there were also flowers! Cathy bought two bouquets from Costco (where else to shop you may ask?)and David arranged them in this styrofoam "pumpkin" we bought. They were a GREAT center piece for the serving table!


Also, after Thanks giving I had to return Duain to Santa Cruz. What a beautiful day it was and there for my picture snapping enjoyment was:


Lastly, not all are pretty pictures of flowers. This year we erected a flagpole in the front yard. Cathy and I thought it would be nice to fly our American Flag and honor our fathers, who both served in the US Armed Forces. I had a nice piece of granite and called a friend, Mark. His children had attended Howard School where I taught previously, and they, the family, make memorial stones. After a few proofs and ideas, we had he and his wife execute a memorial for our fathers. So to both of our fathers, we dedicated our flag pole and our flags that we fly.

Autumn

I enjoy the change of the seasons, well as close to a change as you can get here in the Central Valley of California. It isn't so much of a change, as the heat lets up and the cold starts. I enjoy the colors and the feel of the chill in the morning. Maybe not the COLD of the morning, but the brisk chill is nice. Winter has a feel and a smell all its own in the valley. The strong scent of leaves as they lay upon the ground and the change from BBQ smells to fireplace smells.

I do miss summer, and the longer days. I miss sitting outside and looking at flowers in bright full bloom. The winter flowers just don't shine with the green of summer. So as a last look at summer, before winter really sets in in, here is a last look at some unpublished pictures from this summer.


Though they are small, they are colorful. The sad part is they just weren't too sweet!


These will do so much better this coming year! I expect a LOT of pictures of them in 2008!


These did a lot better this year. I hope to plant more and get a full set of color from them!

Apokatastasis

Apokatastasis. What a wonderful language Greek is. I wish I spoke it or at least was able to read it. I am left with just a smattering of words and their meanings, and then only in the Latin alphabet at that. Yet, from what I can see, Greek is a language of defined and specific words. Words that can only be taken in one meaning and carry a significance with just the use of the word.

It takes me back to Umberto Eco's work "The Search for the Perfect Language". Yet according to Eco and his research, the perfect language of the Western World was to have been Hebrew. For it was in Hebrew that God spoke to Adam, Jacob and Moses. Or so the scriptures say. An interesting idea, especially since I have been engaged in a book on St. Jerome and his work in translating from "Hebrew" to Latin the books of the bible. (I use quotes, because it seems a lot of the translations he has used are from Origen, though the commentaries on the scriptures are mostly the work of Jerome)

I also find that the idea or understanding that Jerome has of the scriptures is strongly based in the teaching and the skills of Origen. Yet to actually know what Origen taught is almost impossible. To borrow liberally from another source "One of the main difficulties in studying Origen [is] the necessity of examining all the works that we possess before asserting anything at all about him."[Crouzel, Henri. Origen. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, Ltd., 1985 (French), 1989 (Authorised English Translation by Worrall, A.S.)] This as you can see would be a major task, as few of the works of Origen are in English. When I left Christian Brothers High School in 1970, I had just completed Latin II, when I arrived at Marello Prep, they did not offer Latin, so I took Spanish. Alas, I lack the current skill.

What I have read about Origen has led me to think about him differently. Also the two books I have completed on how books were written in the early 3oo-400AD time period has also led me to see what is "written" is not always what was. Origen wrote ideas, not necessarily exactly what he believed. The fear of being called a heretic, or worse being excommunicated, was a real and major concern for many. From Augustine in his writings asserting that he is anything but a Manachian, to Jerome swearing he was not part of the Origenist Heresy are two examples.

I need to say that I have not abandoned my attempt to understand predestination, this is all part of the journey that I am on. You see, Origen had some ideas about God that would make all the ideas of predestination moot. I see some errors in his understanding of the pre-existence of souls, but if they pre-existed in the mind of God, does not mean they existed as individual realities. I know Aquinas says that "thoughts" in the mind of God are realities, but he also says that we can project onto the creator from the created, and we think, and we have ideas, but they are not realities. God may also have ideas that he does not intend to be created at a given moment in time.

Once I get past this hurdle I may be on to the next. I am glad this is not a sprint, but a long and arduous walk. I see how easily error and pitfalls could become one in this game of thinking. I do how ever have a soft spot in my heart for the idea of apokatastasis. This word, which I started with, means a coming to full circle in the end of time. God brings back all his creation to Himself. You see, predestination would be moot, but first again I need to see what Origen meant by this pre-existence of souls.

So, to whom do I turn, yet another man who was run from his Episcopate and was a follower of Origen and used his ideas in his sermons, St. John Chrysostom. Alas I must await for that book to arrive and be read, then I must mull those ideas and see how they all fit into this puzzle. I read some of the sermons of John years ago, but I want to know how he formed his ideas, then I can see how he looked at Origen and how he got around most of the Origenist Heresy. (If there was a heresy at all with Origen! I am beginning to question that. I mean, maybe "what we have here is a failure to communicate" to borrow from the line in Cool Hand Luke.)

The 11th hour of the 11 day of the 11 month

Harry Patch, 109, is the last survivor of the trenches in WWI. He fought in the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, which is now part of The Rifles. members of the current regiment meet Harry the day before Remembrance Sunday.






Words fail me....