Thinking about World War II

I've had a fascination with World War 2 and the surrounding era for...well forever pretty much. (Probably comes from having three older brothers. :-) Anyways, I am so happy that I've finally decided to move my story in the 40s/50s era. It's giving me a good excuse to do lots of research and get in the mood. I wish we had womans clothing like World War 2 now! :-)

Anyways...just thinking about World War 2....
Miss Pickwickian

(Pictured above- Daniel Craig in Defiance 2009)

Veiled Freedom - J.M. Windle

Veiled Freedom by Jeanette Windle
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.





Rating: 8
Readability: 8
Impact: 8

Read it again: Probably
Recommend it: Certainly!



I picked this book up on a recommendation. I read 50 pages or so at the book store, but once it came home it sat on the shelf. I was sick this last week and took it back up.
I am always interested in well researched, good fiction. After reading Sigmund Brouwer's amazing Fuse of Armageddon (on modren day Israel) this book (centering on Afghanistan) really caught my interest.

I would have enjoyed a little different take on the climax and ending, but I thought the book was pretty awesome. :-) It certainly made me come away with a very different view of Afghanistan. I think the author does an excellent job of giving a balanced view. She doesn't even agree with herself but presents several point of views with different characters. It really gets you thinking.

It didn't make me laugh and cry (like Fuse of Armageddon), but I do highly recommend it. I wished she pulled a few things to more (the plot was mildly predictable...no big surprises) but I certainly thought it was an amazing book.

Once you read it we can talk about what I did and didn't like about it. ;-)

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Fields of Glory - High Kings

An amazing song...

The first several times I didn't listen to well and I thought it was about soldiers or something. I think I might like it better that way. It's awful cool song to be just about football...




Enjoy,
Miss Pickwickian

Two More Songs - Me

So here are two of the songs I've been working on. I've been writing way more then I've been posting so you'll probably see a couple over the next week or so. Hope that isn't too disappointing. :-)

When it was Impossible

He’d never really known her well although he’d known her long
Maybe he’d thought of her more than once or maybe I am wrong
He’d swear it wasn’t jealousy that made him doubt her choice
Maybe it was the way he smiled or maybe his quiet voice

He didn’t think that man was the one but he might convert
He told the truth when he told himself he didn’t want her hurt
It grew on him so gradually until he thought it true
He was finally at ease to be the man she never knew

That man didn’t turn wicked like at first he might have thought
It bruised but didn’t break her heart like it would if she’d been caught
Although he might not have cared for her once upon a time
He realized now he’d seen her fall he was ready for the climb

She’d never really known him well although she’d known him long
Maybe she’d thought of him more than once or maybe I am wrong
He’d always been too worried of what he might say or do
It was when it was impossible they learned each other true

©Miss Pickwickian

I have several versions of this one and I haven't even tried to deal with correcting all the stresses yet. :-P The original version was all "his" and "hims", which sounds better then "that man" but makes it confusing when there are two guys involved.

I showed it to three different people and all three thought it meant entirely different things. All of them made sense when I went back and read through it. It was kind of cool that way, but I really wanted to get my point across too.

I tweaked a few lines to make it more clear. I think it sacrificed some of what I liked about it, but understandable is always good. :-)

So, if you still didn't understand, let me know. My basic idea was this dude knows this girl (no romantic sort of relationship at all) and then this other guy comes out of nowhere and gets friendly with the gal. The dude (that's the dude that grew up with her) is uneasy about it, but okay.
They are both finally relaxed enough to act normal around eachother. (No need to be nervous to somebody who you know is probably going to marry someone else.) The guy turns out to be a mild jerk and it doesn't work out with the gal. Through seeing the gal get hurt and mature the dude finds out he really does care (and could let himself care even more) about the gal.

I wanted the last line to be "It was when it was impossible they learned to see each other true", but I couldn't get it to line up correctly. We'll see if I can make that clearer in the finished version or not.

Hope any of that made sense.

Moving on....

Chose Love

Fell head first into love
Far too giddy to see my way
Lost myself in emotion

Never thought of love
You chose love for me
Love that could set free

Never stopped to reflect
Ran in my own fantasy world
Out of our own control

Never thought of love
You chose love for me
Love that could set free

Did not know it back then
Where you fall you must climb back up
You came to pull me out

Never thought of love
You chose love for me
Love that could set free

Wasn’t looking for you
Caught up in this life’s own drama
You just pulled me away

Never thought of love
You chose love for me
Love that could set free

©Miss Pickwickian

I worked a lot with the stresses on this song, but I still don't think they are all correct. It doesn't flow as nicely as a poem, but I think it could make an okay song.

I like to think of love as a choice, since a lot of love should be action which we choose to do (we choose our thoughts too, but you know). Anyways, I was thinking about the way we use "falling in love" and I was just thinking....well buck up and climb back out!
So yeah...

I know this song is mildly similar to the other, but that is why they are posted together. I also thought this one could be about our relationship with Christ. We "fall in love" with sin and he pulls us up. He chooses to love us. He chose to die for us.

I thought of the chorus this way too.

"Never thought of love
You chose love for me
Love that could set free"

We can never think of love, real love, without Christ. It is binding, but like serving Christ, it makes us truly free!

Hope you enjoyed them. Comment. :-)
Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Love in the Media and Two Songs

Today's media is saturated in the culture's definition of "Love". I recently listened to an excellent lecture on Biblical Womanhood by Voddi Baucham. He had some excellent points on love. What it is and what it isn't.

I've attempted several times before to write some lyrics for what I think a real sort of love is like. They've all been less then mediocre. Never really felt like I got my point across. I have two more in the rough, maybe I'll post them tomorrow. We'll see.

Anyways, I just wanted to put that out there.
How often do we think of the biblical definition of love? How should effect art that Christians create? We should be able to show true love, which is really so much better then what the culture struggles with.

Here are two songs that have come to my attention recently. I like different aspects of both.



Chris Cagle's Look What I Found

(Brett James/Don Schlitz)

For so long, I searched in desperation
For one love, that would always be true
I came close, but there were always complications
I finally decided there was nothing I could do
So I gave up
And I let go
And as soon as I did
Wouldn't you know

Just look what I found when I wasn't looking
Look what I found when I was just being me
I turned around and love was mine for the taking
Look what I found when she found me

Now there's a lot of lonely people out there waiting
And there's a lot of lonely people searching too
But if you've got too many expectations
You might miss the one who's right in front of you
No telling when
No telling why
She'll say hello and you'll know
You'll never say goodbye

Just look what I found when I wasn't looking
Look what I found when I was just being me
I turned around and love was mine for the taking
Look what I found when she found me

And every single day I'm still surprised
When I turn around and I look into her eyes
I'm a like a kid who won a prize
Look what I found
Just look at what I found

Just look what I found when I wasn't looking
Look what I found when I was just being me
I turned around and love was mine for the taking
Look what I found when she found me


There are a lot of things that are awesome about this song. It seems like often in life when we relax and trust God about our right person coming along, they do!
I also love the line "Look what I found when I was just being me". These lines stuck with me too, "But if you've got too many expectations, You might miss the one who's right in front of you."

This song actually talks about several things I tried to incorporate on some lyrics I was writing several weeks ago. I was excited to find in on my Pandora station this week.


The second song also popped up on my Pandora station, song by Johnsmith. Johnsmith is certainly not my favorite singer, but I looked up the song and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was written by Darrell Scott. (Darrell Scott wrote a lot of awesome songs, some that Tim O'Brien performs, and is also a rustic Bluegrass artist. He has played with many well known bluegrass and country singers including Sara Evans, Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, etc...)


I couldn't find a recording of it, so here are the lyrics.

Loves Not Through With Me Yet
Darrell Scott

Oh, I have seen the young girls cry

Thinking love has passed them by

They’re struggling with a heavy load

But if love’s not here, it’s down the road

And I have seen the young men run

Just like their father’s father’s son

They take the love and leave the shame

Oh, but one day love will call their name and say

Can you love without needing

Lift it up as a silent prayer

Can you open your heart without bleeding

Take that open heart everywhere

Can you hold a place within your breast

For someone you’ve never met

Well then, love’s not through with you yet

Well, I have climbed to lover’s lane

I felt the joy, I felt the pain

Asking for another’s soul

Thinking they could make me whole

Now I heard a voice from deep inside

Saying you’re not blamed for love you tried

Oh, you may think that love takes two

But love’s a gift from you to you

Can you love without needing

Lift it up as a silent prayer

Can you open your heart without bleeding

Take that open heart everywhere

And I have tried without ceasing

To give love without regret

I know love’s not through with me yet

Can you hold a place within your breast

For someone you’ve never met

Then love’s not through with you

I said love’s not through with me

I know love’s not through with us yet

I'm not sure what Darrell Scott meant exactly by it all, but I think it is a really cool song. It gives a lot of things to think about and, I think, has a lot of truth to say.
Wish I could find a recording of it.

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. I always enjoy hearing your opinions and ideas.
Thanks,
Miss Pickwickian

Keep Putting Things in Your Noodle!

About a week ago I had a busy, stressful sort of day. Odd animal issues (sheep delivery with a vet, bottle babies, etc...), busy life, and an event at church in the evening.
Anyways...it was pretty crazy and I just wanted to lay down and take a nap. I had the time to write for a moment, but I was just too dead to accomplish anything. I wanted to do something utterly brainless.
You know when you feel like this? You just need to space out if you aren't going to be asleep?

Well, I only had an hour or so before we had to take off for the evening, so I sat down and tackled my "Westminster Catechism Study" book. Something I did not want to be doing at the moment, but really needed too.

Gradually my brain stopped complaining and yawning and I found myself genuinely interested in what I was doing. Within a half hour I had a dozen things I wanted to write about.
I noticed this actually happens a lot to me. And most often during a theology or history book!

I get so full of ideas doing studies that it is very hard to keep concentrating. I try not to allow myself to grab the keyboard and start typing frantically.

Sometimes we don't need to space out (sometimes we do...but it's not good to let yourself to be dumb too often ;-). Sometimes we need to go learn something or maybe do something with our hands.

Next time I get writer's block I'll pick up my Catechism study book. Weird? It works!

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Still thinking about perseverance....

"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death."
~Albert Einstein

"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired discouraged men who kept on working."
~Anonymous

"Energy and persistence conquer all things."
~Benjamin Franklin

"Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."
~Douglas MacArthur

Peter and Andrew - Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

I Limp - Me

I Limp

Life is never as it cries
It may whisper comfort here
Even as it still denies
I can’t stand the fight and blood
I have wrestled through it’s lies

Everywhere there’s broken walls
There is rubble standing high
There are eyes that watch the falls
They will mock my splintered bones
My own brother curses call

Broken heart with ceaseless prayers
My mind bleeds upon a rock
Seven years I clime these stairs
My own soul’s song hid itself
Seven years I conceal tears

All the darkest night we fight
A grim adversary strikes
But with dawn a brighter light
Wrestler stops and sings the words
“You have striven in the right”

Limping in a fair sunrise
Sunsets are all finished now
With the pain old sinner’s die
Dreams are gone but just begun
I can see a golden sky

© Miss Pickwickian


This song was originally intended to go a different and more clear direction, but it didn't. :-)

My first inspiration was a passing comment in a sermon on "Plowing with Purpose .
The comment was about Jacob and how God really brought on his trials (obviously since God is sovereign) and it was sort of come to culmination with Jacob's struggle.
God brings us difficult struggles and trials, but he does it for a purpose. And although we may limp away, we have been claimed by God.

I like the title "I Limp" for a variety of reasons. In the very rough, rough draft it was actually in the song, but the stresses weren't coming out right so I had to change it. I don't think it is that great of a song title, but I like the image that it gives.
God has brought us through trials. We are banged up, but we are stronger. We are Christ's.
I'll probably change it to something more suitable, but I'll enjoy it for now...

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the lyrics. I didn't want the info first in this case, so I could see what you thought before I actually wrote any explanation.

I've been trying to work with stresses and such and I think I'm getting a little better with it... Hopefully!

Thanks for reading. I always enjoy hearing what you think.
Miss Pickwickian

Note: The brother cursing is strictly in reference to trials and specifically to Esau. My brothers do not curse me, in fact they are quite excellent. :-)

John Riley - Tim O'Brien

This has always been one of my favorite Tim O'Brien songs on our well loved copy of his CD "The Crossing." Unfortunately the chorus rings too true.

Tim O'Brien may have his oddities (visual and musically)...but he has an amazing voice! I love his music (especially his versions of Bob Dylan songs...but you should all know that since I've railed about it several times:-).



John Riley came form Galway town in the years of the Irish hunger
And he sailed away to America when the country was much younger
The place was strange and work was scarce and all he knew was farming
So he followed his other Irish friends to a job in the US Army

Adventure calls and some men run, and this is their sad story
Some get drunk on demon rum and some get drunk on glory

They marched down Texas way to the banks of the Rio Grande
They built a fort on the banks above to taunt old Santa Anna
They were treated bad, paid worse, and then the fighting started
The more they fought the less they thought of the damned old US Army

Adventure calls and some men run, and this is their sad story
Some get drunk on demon rum and some get drunk on glory

When the church bells rang on Sunday morn it set his soul a shiver
He saw the Senoritas washing their hair on the far side of the river
John Riley and two hundred more Irish mercenaries
Cast their lot, right or not, south of the Rio Grande

Adventure calls and some men run, and this is their sad story
Some get drunk on demon rum and some get drunk on glory

They fought bravely under the flag of the San Patricios
Till the Yankees soldiers beat them down at the battle of Churubusco
Then fifteen men were whipped like mules
And on the cheeks were hot iron branded
Made to dig the graves of fifty more, who a hanging fate had handed

Adventure calls and some men run, and this is their sad story
Some get drunk on demon rum and some get drunk on glory

John Riley stands and drinks alone at a bar in Vera Cruz
He wonders if it matters much if you win or if you lose
I'm a man who can't go home , a wanderer, says he
A victim of some wanderlust and divided loyalty

Adventure calls and some men run, and this is their sad story
Some get drunk on demon rum and some get drunk on glory


Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Thinking about Perseverance....

The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. ~Author Unknown

Alice in Wonderland 2010

The Parting Glass - The High Kings

I love the High Kings!
The Parting Glass is just one of their many amazing songs. Enjoy!




O, all the money e'er I had,
I spent it in good company.
And all the harm that ever I've done,
alas it was to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit
to mem'ry now I can't recall;
So fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all.

O, all the comrades e'er I had,
They're sorry for my going away.
And all the sweethearts e'er I had,
They'd wished me one more day to stay.
But since it falls unto my lot,
That I should rise and you should not,
I gently rise and softly call,
Goodnight and joy be with you all.

If I had money enough to spend,
And leisure time to sit awhile.
There is a fair maid in this town,
That sorely has my heart beguiled.
Her rosy cheeks and ruby lips,
I own, she has my heart in thrall;
Then fill to me the parting glass,
Good night and joy be with you all.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Death - Me

So, I having been thinking about Death recently (not in a morbid way). In a class we recently went through Isaiah 25. Here is an awesome few verses...

"He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.

"And it will be said in that day: 'Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'
For on this mountain the hand of the Lord will rest."

Isaiah 25:8-10

I love verses about Christ's victory over death. Death dies. Isn't that ironic?

We also recently watched "Meet Joe Black", which generated a lot of discussion and thinking. I really liked the movie, but obviously Death is not a dashing and compassionate Brad Pitt. (I do not recommend this if you don't have ClearPlay :-).

Anyways...that all said...Here is the lyrics still in the rough....

Death

You can’t stop it
You can’t see it
You can’t hear it come
You can feel it
You can meet it
I hope you’re proud of what you’ve done

You can’t fight it
You can’t hide it
You can’t turn to run
You can hate it
You can love it
I hope you’re staring at the Son

He can stop it
He can see it
He can hear it come
He can fight it
He can hide it
He has the rule to make it run

It can’t fight it
It may hide it
It has bowed to one
It can’t stop it
It has bought it
It may not stand against the Son

© Miss Pickwickian

Thanks so much for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Just a Dream - Carrie Underwood

In general I don't really like many country type girl singer. I don't like Carrie Underwood.
That said, I love this song. Maybe it's part of my sick obsession with sad things. ;-)

Verse 1
It was two weeks after the day she turned 18
all dressed in white, going to the church that night
She had his box of letters in the passenger seat,
six pence in her shoe
something borrowed something *blue*
and when the church doors opened up wide she put her veil down trying to hide the tears oh
she just couldn’t believe it
she heard the trumpets from the military band and the flowers fell out of her hands

Chorus
Baby, why'd you leave me, why'd you have to go
I was counting on forever, now I'll never know
I cant even breathe
It's like I'm, looking from a distance, standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now,
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream

Verse 2
The preacher man said let us bow our heads and pray
lord please lift his soul and heal this hurt
then the congregation all stood up and sang the saddest song that she ever heard
then they handed her a folded up flag and
she held on to all she had left of him oh and what could’ve been
and then guns rang one last shot and it felt like a bullet in her heart

Chorus
Baby, why'd you leave me, why'd you have to go
I was counting on forever, now I'll never know
I can't even breathe
It's like I'm, looking from a distance, standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now,
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream

(softly at first) Oh,Oh Baby, why'd you leave me, why'd you have to go
I was counting on forever, now I'll never know
(loudly) Ohh i'll never know
It's like I'm, looking from a distance, standing in the background
Everybody's saying, he's not coming home now,
This can't be happening to me
This is just a dream

Oh this is just a dream
just a dream, oh!! [fading out]

~Carrie Underwood

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Ambiguity

Recently, especially with lyrics, I've been mulling over ambiguity in writing.

When can it be used well and when is it unsatisfying etc.?
I love written things, especially song lyrics, that give you a chance to do a lot of thinking. Ones that can sometimes have a deeper meaning beneath even though they are already telling an interesting story or point. This is one of the reasons I continue to listen to Bob Dylan (even though I can't even develop an acquired taste to his voice). Something that gives you a deeper something to meditate on.

I think this is one of the reasons Country will never be my favorite genre. It's plan and simple and enjoyable. It isn't confusing. It's obvious. It doesn't take itself very seriously. I love all those things!!! But....it hardly ever gives you another layer to chew on. (That doesn't mean it doesn't have a lot of good things to say or that it doesn't have some amazing songs!)

I've been having trouble with my own writing because I have trouble with it being clear enough even when I want it a bit ambiguous. I don't want my lyrics to only have one layer, but I want them to be understandable. I've been doing tests on different (very patient) people to see if I'm still getting my point across. As American Dream brought to light, I'm not exactly getting it all across.

What is the balance?

Does everyone even enjoy ambiguity? I sort of get the impression that a lot of people don't like it.
(The end of Great Expectations being a prime example. In my opinion a more obviously sad ending, like his original one, would have been best. What was published, however, doesn't bother me. Maybe we need to exercise our imaginations more anyways...)

Is ambiguity more of a problem because it doesn't transfer as well to movies? So many good books have been made into movies, but everyone has there own idea of what happens in the ambiguous parts.

One of my all time favorite songs is Across the Green Mountain. This song gives a lot to think about, but is this more randomness then ambiguity? I don't know. But I love it. :-)

And please don't get me wrong. Ambiguity is sometimes very annoying or extremely out of place. Some things should be stated very clearly. :-)

What are your thoughts on ambiguity?

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Some Beach - Blake Shelton

I couldn't embed it but here is the link to Blake Shelton's Some Beach.
The dentist is the best. :-)

Don't you have those days where everything is just not working for you? I always think of this song in those moments.

Thanks for reading,
Miss Pickwickian

Worth

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.
Benjamin Franklin