BreakPoint Blog
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Are there any Lewises left? I've been noticing something lately: Whenever I post a passage from C. S. Lewis anywhere, the general reaction is a particularly warm and personal one. People speak of wishing to meet him, talk with him, sit down and have tea with him. Comedian Mike Nelson (of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" and RiffTrax fame) once spoke of "the warm embrace of C. S. Lewis." I used to think that the reason Lewis is still one of the most popular Christian writers, nearly 40 years after his death, was his unique blend of reason and imagination. That's part of it -- but I realize now, it's not all. The qualities that shine through even Lewis's most detached and formal work are a warmth, a humility, and a generosity of spirit that still affect readers powerfully. That inspires a question for all of you: Do we have any Lewises today? Are there any Christian writers whose work draws our hearts to them, as well as our minds -- and through this, draws both hearts and minds nearer to Christ? |
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Orthanc you, Jason, for honoring this fool of a Took as you have.
All I know is, I think Moria now than I did before.
You’ll be my Palantir the cows come home.
Next time I’m in Portland, in true Frodo fashion I’ll give you a high four.
(Saruman, but I couldn’t resist).
Me as the less famous, quieter brother? Something I can aspire to, I suppose, by being more disciplined and less lugubrious.
Gina as Sayers? Definitely. I look forward to the publication of new classics.
I suppose you can be my online Auntie, but I only have one true Auntie, and I love her to the moon and the stars and back. I went to respond to your last comment on the other blog post we were discussing but my internet went down then my computer crashed.
*If anyone is interested in contributing to the "Anthony Loreno Needs a New Laptop Because This One's a Piece of Garbage" fund, I can be found on Facebook. Donations can be made via check, money order, or PayPal. On a sidenote, never EVER purchase an Acer computer of any kind - no matter what the sales associate may tell you, they're awful.
I don't always calm down before I type or speak as well, as is evident from past posts. I sometimes have a difficult time controlling what I say and sometimes I can be a little too blunt. I guess we can all get a little defensive when it comes to something important to us. Gina sometimes needs to rap my knuckles a little as well. Like I said, I didn't realize I hit a nerve, and I meant what I said when I stated that I'm grateful you and your unborn child were saved. So I'm sorry as well, Ellen. Truce? :)
Why offer Gina special thanks? It's part of her job.
I made that mean statement -- with which I don't agree -- to demonstrate the extreme to which the mindset "it's part of the person's job" can lead.
Since I'm almost twice your age, Anthony, perhaps you can consider me an Auntie rapping your knuckles. ;) An Auntie who doesn't always calm down before she types... I apologize that I typed in anger last night.
"They're easy to follow when they use their TURN SIGNAL!"
My favorite book of his, though tragic, is "A Grief Observed". The most traumatic death that I had to go through was the death of my mom's mom, my Grandma Ginny, in Jan. 2007 when I was 20. For years I mourned and grieved and refused to accept that she was gone. I was my grandmother's only grandchild, and while I still love my dad's mom dearly, it was Grandma Ginny I spent the most time with - our bond was thicker than blood. Aside from my own mother, she was the one person I loved the most in this world. She was also the first person I watched pass away as I held her hand. Though the experience was a peaceful one, I felt like I had lost everything in my life.
I turned to "A Grief Observed" and found comfort, and also felt ashamed of myself. Lewis lost his wife so young, and my grandmother was 85, almost 86, and in poor health. One quote in particular still stands out to me, and it helped me move on with my life somewhat:
"We cannot understand. The best is perhaps what we understand least.”
I spent so much time trying to figure out why: Why did she have to suffer the last 10-1/2 years she was on this Earth? Why should God allow this wonderful, selfless, active, God-loving and faith-driven woman to lie in nursing care and be forced to use dialysis as a way to continue to live? It occured to me when I went back over "A Grief Observed": maybe what we don't understand, shouldn't be understood, or questioned. God has a plan for all of us, and for whatever reason, that was His plan for me, and my grandmother. I take comfort in knowing I'll see her again someday, but I do still miss her terribly. But at least I had Lewis (and God, and my family) to get me through.
Special thanks goes out to Gina, by the way, for introducing me to Lewis in the first place.