Cloning and having a soul

I just finished reading the book Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro.  I've never been one of those who reads all of the most popular books that are out currently.  Sometimes it takes me years to get to some of those books if at all. I found this by chance while looking for something to watch on YouTube. I watched a snippet and decided that this would be interesting to watch.  Then I went to my local resale shop and found both the book and the DVD. 

When the first sheep was cloned back in 1996 and Dolly arrived on the world's platform, I was amazed. Somehow, I felt that maybe we trying to fill God's shoes in the creating department or on the verge of it anyway.  Then I began to wonder if the sheep had a soul or if any being that was created in the lab had a soul. Does it or doesn't it? Isn't there something magical that happens at conception? 

The story centers around three characters, Kathy, the story teller, Tommy, and Ruth. Kathy narrates this sordid tale about their secluded existence in a place called Hailsham. The children were treated very well at this home for clones, unlike some of the other centers around the country we hear about in the story. All of the children are the same age, which piqued my interest more deeply as I read. It is hinted to them what their short lives will consist of but it is never out in plain sight. They are lied to, tricked, and manipulated so that they will be resigned to the fate for which they were created. 

They were encouraged to be creative and if they became good enough their "art" was taken to Madam's gallery.  Everyone aspired to have their work at the gallery even though they would never get to see it on display. If a student doesn't do well creatively they are made fun of by the other students. Why did they have such an intense focus on being creative?  Hint: It has to do with the soul. 

If you never read another book then this one should be your last. I was enthralled by this novel and how it played out.  Throughout the story I kept asking myself what I would do if I were in that situation.  The author kept my mind twisting and turning the whole time, not wanting to look at the horror of their lives, but peeking nonetheless. 

Look to the Sky

Sometimes we have to look beyond ourselves for answers.  Besides, if we knew everything then why would we search to know the mystery that is called life?

Don't be afraid to live and to do it passionately. Love deep. Cry sometimes. Be thankful. Don't get upset over small things. Sometimes God is in the strangest places.

Looking for your face

From the beginning of my life

 I have been looking for your face

 but today I've seen it.

Today, I've seen the charm

 the beauty

 and the unfathomable grace 

of the face that I was looking for.

Today, I've found you

 and those who laughed and scorned me yesterday

 are sorry they were not looking as I did.

I am bewildered by the magnificence of your beauty 

and wish to see you with a hundred eyes.

My heart has burned with passion and has searched forever

 for this wondrous beauty that I now behold. 

I am ashamed to call this love human

 and afraid of god to call it divine.

Your fragrant breath like the morning breeze 

has come to the stillness of the garden.

You have breathed new life into me. 

I have become your sunshine and also your shadow.

My soul is screaming ecstasy.

Every fiber of my being is in love with you.

Your effulgence has lit a fire in my heart and you have made radiant for me the earth and sky.

My arrow of love as arrived at the target 

 I am in the house of mercy

 and my heart is a place of prayer. 

Rumi

Plants, Nails, and missing God

Today, I was at a photo shoot with a client.  We went to the Botanical Gardens on this cold, cloudy day. The wind is blowing steady while the last remnants of lifeless brown leaves hang on till their strength gives way.The days seem short, dark, lifeless. After the session was nearly over my eyes focused on a tree made with nails. In the midst of the nails was a plant of some sort. Blooming, green, and full of life. Among the rust and impenetrable metal a plant was determined to live. Sometimes life is this way. We find ourselves in places so confining that it may seem fruitless to dare to hope for survival. Any yet, we somehow find the strength. 

I had to cross the street to get to my car. The Cathedral was only a few steps away.  It has been a long time since I have gone to worship and I miss it. Maybe it is more the quiet place that I miss. Being still and knowing that I am not alone.  I desperately wanted to sit down and listen to that still quiet voice that speaks to us in times of solitude. The door was locked. Tomorrow I may not have the strength to go... 

Shelley Galbreath: Small Devotional Tackling Big Issues

Shelley Galbreath is an inspiration to me.  A petite woman with a big heart. We reach for God in many ways. Shelley does her reaching through her writing.  When I first met her, I was awed that someone with such a gift ended up working with me in an office full of constantly ringing phones. I am so glad that she did. She wrote a book called, Discouraged Mom's Devotions to Go. It is a small pocket sized book of encouragement. Haphazardly, I opened the book and the first page I see is about forgiveness. Oh this book is talking to me already.  As I read through her book, I realize that there are so many areas in my life that really needs work, especially forgiveness, which seems to be the hardest.  We never fully acheive the "godliness" in life that we would like, at least I haven't. However, we should never give up trying.  This book is small enough to keep in your purse or car to pull out whenever you need to read something uplifting and only have a few minutes.  I keep mine beside my bed.



Shelley is currently working on her first novel.