For 12 weeks now, we've been attending a class called Financial Peace University...a video series by a guy named Dave Ramsey. It's been a decent class...mildly entertaining, but mostly stuff my parents taught me from childhood. Don't go into debt for anything other than a house, live within your means, shop for bargains, etc. Very common sense stuff with a little investing advice thrown in.
Ramsey emphasizes diversification in one's portfolio. OK...fine. But since I don't do much with the money around here (other than spend it), I decided to apply that principle to my "portfolio of life." My primary investments are in my mind and heart...through language studies, reading, writing, memorization, etc.
As you faithful readers already know, I made a resolution to memorize something new each month this year and so far have kept up with that. But for May, I decided to apply Ramsey's advice and DIVERSIFY! I memorized 3 poems: one about surety, one about love (take a deep breath, Rhonda...it's gonna be OK), and one about death. Hmmm...maybe that doesn't technically qualify as diversification since all 3 are poetry. Oh well. What's done is done...no regrets. So here they are:
Psalm 46
A Psalm of the Sons of Korah
God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear
Though the earth gives way
Though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea;
Though its waters roar and foam
Though the mountains tremble at their swelling.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God
The holy habitation of the Most High;
God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved!
God will help her when morning dawns.
The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
He utters his voice, the earth melts.
Yahweh of Hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Come behold the works of Yahweh
How he brought desolations on the earth!
He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the chariots with fire.
Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations.
I will be exalted in the earth.
Yahweh of Hosts is with us.
The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Sonnets from the Portuguese - XXXVIII
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
First time he kissed me, he but only kissed
The fingers of this hand wherewith I write;
And ever since, it grew more clean and white,
Slow to world-greetings, quick with its "Oh, list"
When angels speak. A ring of amethyst
I could not wear here,plainer to my sight,
Than that first kiss. The second passed in height
The first, and sought the forehead, and half-missed
Half falling on the hair. O beyond meed!
That was the chrism of love, which love's own crown
With sanctifying sweetness did precede.
The third upon my lips was folded down
In perfect purple state. Since when, indeed,
I have been proud and said, "My love, my own."
Holy Sonnet #6
John Donne
This is my play's last scene, here heavens appoint
My pligrimage's last mile; and my race
Idly, yet quickly run, hath this last pace,
My span's last inch, my minute's latest point,
And gluttonous death will instantly unjoint
My body and soul, and I shall sleep a space,
But my ever-waking part shall see that face,
Whose fear already shakes my every joint:
Then, as my soul to heaven, her first seat, takes flight,
And earth-born body in the earth shall dwell,
So, fall my sins, that all may have their right,
To where they're bred, and would press me, to hell.
Impute me righteous, thus purg'd of evil,
For thus I leave the world, the flesh, the devil.
There you have it. My own personal application of Dave Ramsey's advice. At least the class wasn't completely wasted on me!
4 comments:
Before I become my obnoxious self, I must say that your love of learning is such a wonderful thing. I am amazed at how many songs, poems, Bible verses you have put to memory. Growing up, my church was very big on Bible Memory Association, a nation-wide program that was headquartered here in St. Louis. Ever heard of it? By the time I graduated from the fifth youth book, I was learning 10 to 12 verses a week. It's amazing how many I can still recall--only by God's grace, since it's not something that I've worked on in later years.
So, poetry. I teach it every spring, since April is "Poetry Month," but I have to tell you, I don't get a lot of it, expecially the deep stuff. It's pretty, and I love the flow of the words, but maybe I'm too practical. Here's my Cliff Notes version of the Browning poem: "After he kissed me on the fingers, forehead and lips, I knew I was in love." Call it intellectual laziness, I dunno. Altho' when you remind me that the Psalms are poetry, well, I love the Psalms, so maybe there's hope for me.
Here's a poem that I know by heart and but don't know what it means. It's found in "Love that Dog," a short little children's book that I like and usually read every year. Maybe you can help me with this one. It's called Red Wheelbarrow by William Carlos Williams. Here's how it goes:
So much depends
upon
a red wheel
barrow
glazed with rain
water
beside the white
chickens.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN???? :-)
Rhonda, Rhonda, Rhonda...this is why I love you! You make me laugh every time!
Your Cliff notes version is PERFECT!! See...you DO get poetry!! And you had to exert your intellect in order to come up with the translation. You are a deep well, Rhonda. :-)
As for that thing you quoted...I don't call that poetry. I call that post-modern gobbledy-gook (it's a technical term we use in "the biz"). I am very much a traditionalist...surprise, surprise!
Oh, and YES. I am familiar with BMA for sure. And thanks for the accolades...that was REALLY the point of the post, you know!
Stroll down memory lane, shall we?
So did you ever go to Miracle Camp in the humidity capital of the world, Shreveport, LA? What an experience (shudder). A true phenomenon: I would pack DRY clothes in a suitcase and - after a 12 hour bus ride - unpack damp clothes. And that's why they called it Miracle Camp!!
But I digress. We sang a song down at Miracle Camp called, remarkably, "Miracle Camp." I would find out years later that the tune was from the anthem "God of Our Fathers." In fact, for awhile, I thought that someone had changed the words to that great camp song. (Yes, I lived under a rock.) Here are what I thought were the original words:
Miracle Camp, we gather here again.
Miracle Camp, the place that God did plan.
Through many years, Thy wisdom did design
This lovely place for fellowship divine.
Lori, if I had committed this song to memory, as I bet you would have, I could share the other verses right here, right now.
But, perhaps it's better this way.
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