All My Love, Gennavieve

Deck the halls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la, la la la la! Hints of Christmas first arrived in Oxford after Halloween. Since then, Christmas has exploded throughout the city. Each day, I notice new decorations in stores, another tree in the city center, more lights strung along the street, and the tempting aroma of more holiday treats. On the little street above my flat I counted over 14 trees! It is magical. The city kicked off celebrations with a light festival and lantern parade. The parade showcased classes of primary school students displaying homemade lanterns honoring the 50th anniversary of CS Lewis. I saw Aslan, Mr. Tumnus, and the White Witch. They were extravagant and lovely. I also went to a carol service in the Sheldonian Theater with a group of friends. It was a beautiful venue and a lovely time, singing carols with several other students. So many Christmas trees throughout city center! Even the library made a Christmas tree of books! May the excite

To explain lessons learned outside of academia requires a face to face conversation. This post is simply representative of my academic learning. Here are a few quotations which have stood out from my tutorials this term. One can surely guess one area I studied because of the titles of the authors' work. "A student who is trying... to learn a mature Christian approach to the world will have to take some pain, including the pain of doubt or of indecision." (Cornelius Plantinga Jr. Engaging God's World ) “Nursing, if it is to be done efficiently, requires, more than any other occupation, abundant leisure I colorful surroundings, sufficient money to spend on amusements, agreeable food to re-establish the energy expended, and the removal of anxiety about illness and old age.” (Vera Brittain, Testament of Youth ) “Loneliness is not a longing for company, it is a longing for kind. And kind means people who can see you who you are, and that means they have enough in

A few years ago I was blessed to travel to England as part of a high school exchange program. Unfortunately, all of my photos from that trip were erased because of a computer crash. Yesterday, I traveled to London and was able to redeem some of the photos. I spent a lovely day exploring the tourist attractions and enjoyed re-experiencing sights, capturing the moments God blessed me with. May you know the redemptive nature of our savior Jesus Christ. All my love, Gennavieve