The conflictions of Mary.

The Testament of Mary. Told from the eyes of the mother of Jesus. Strangely I seem to have little sympathy for this Mary. She is painted as conflicted, living in fear, resentful of the fate of her son. The word used to describe the disciple, unnamed, The Guardian, her keeper. The disciples are described as a bunch of misfits. Mary portrays a puzzling picture. Why was her son saying these things? Doubt about the claims of his miracles. The Wedding, the storm. Lazarus far from being a figure of great jubilation, being raised from the dead, is a pariah. Set apart. Jesus was set apart too, but Mary seemed to want to have none of it, in this version of events. The New Testament is rewritten. Who will ever know the real Mary? This is a writer capable of poetic flight. Particularly in the final scene. Mary waits the final curtain, being let free. A very poignant final bow.

Jonathan Franzen –The Discomfort Zone - rewriting a personal history belongs only to you.

Jonathan Franzen –The Discomfort Zone. Rewriting a personal history. When writing about awkward adolescence JonathanFranzen excels. The title relates so well to this. He has nailed this time of wanting to fit in. He lets us into his life and times. His recollections of his parents and brothers. Looking back from the safety of adulthood. He is able to analyse why his mother reacts to the township ground rules, but is not able to accept a faith in the Christian church. Upon which so many of the townships social and moral standing is based. Jonathan relates a lot of his time in a group called fellowship, but no mention of his own faith. The reader is taken in to this inner sanctum of Franzen’s but as with many memoirists the reader is taken only so far. The tale of how he eventually meets a girl he likes enough to marry seem to be missing. Real insights into this person. A lot of time is spent on relationship blues, but unless we know the person he loves in some measure it is an exercise in anxiety ridden therapy. So nearing the end of the book it seems to abruptly leave his time as a student in Germany, sponging off his parents, and leaps into the therapy session time with relationship angst. We haven’t been let into a large slab of time that leads up to these breakups. So it feels disjointed. The details of the adolescent are not matched by detail in the young adult Franzen. Did he just run out of emotional energy for this? He finishes off talking about his deep love of bird watching that infiltrates his life. Even in this passion Franzen is conflicted about it not being cool enough. But I guess that is what adolescence it is all about, the desperate need to be seen as cool. Franzen spends years trying to work out why he can’t be cool enough. Before heading off in other directions. His ends the book with a personal recollection of finding out how much he loved his mother, but only after she dies. He recalls her deep love of seeing him, when she would say, ‘Tell me, what did you see?’ A mantra for an up and coming writer? We are so shaped by our early life, our parents, our siblings, our school years, our home town. Jonathan takes the time to return to these places and make sense of it. But rewriting history is more compelling, trying to get the answers to fit the questions created in the ensuing time. A memoirist rewrites history, as no one else can write your own inner life with more carefully constructed ‘truths’. My sense of writing a memoir is, get it on paper first. Other people’s memories will inevitably be different. But your own rewrite belongs to only you.

The voyeur in me

Affair of the Art Michael Abbot QC describes his awakening to art as a university student. Adelaide now reaps the reward of his collecting over many decades. We seem to be good at developing collectors! I take voyeuristic pleasure in being able to wander thought a rich and diverse art collection. Currently the beautifully installed Realms of Wonder. All for the price of the petrol to get there. Plus the obligatory stop at the gallery cafe. My only quibble, get the trains back on the tracks and my petrol bill will be a lot less.

All the world's clamour

Thanks for a smorgasbord of the spirit of God in action in your November edition. (Love is Playful) There are so many competing demands for people hearts, minds and souls out there. It takes a very committed spirit to find rest amongst it all. I have found the words of the psalmist most revealing. 'He (God) quiets the raging oceans and all the world's clamour'. (Psalm 65 vs.7.) This rings so true as it seems the 'clamour' of our world has always been around us. Demanding, overwhelming and pursuing us. It is helpful to share our stories in the midst of all the clamour.

The idea of church

Having just attended a very dry lecture at a gathering entitled 'What is church?' During which it was lamented about the media's poor concept of it, I was delighted to read Tory's Shepherd's insightful column. Debating the merits of what is the point of church either atheist or christian and other faiths. Looking at it from the theory stand point of view only, is doomed to failure. The point of church is to put theory, faith and beliefs into action. You can't celebrate, connect, discover and explore beliefs in a vacuum. The church is people, where ever that setting may be.

Overtaken by a toddler

Book publishing is forever changing as the digital age pushes on. With toddlers able to program iphones with ease, it is a real worry. Especially since I don't even own one. Surpassed by a toddler(!) Reading a book seems to be more and more a subversive act. As a bookaholic I cannot bear to walk into a home devoid of books. And I have seen many that are barren. Thanks to Peter Goers as a true believer of books.

The other side

The baby boomers are facing the other side. Of 50 that is. Are we turning into our parents? Mark writes of a declining interest in adventure pursuits, with a leaning toward the well-appointed hotel buffet breakfast side of celebrations. While still wanting to make new discoveries I share the love of buffet breakfasts. Having instilled this in my children from an early age! There were days of celebrating in a pub so smoke filled visibility was foggy with a hazy layer drifting across the ceiling. Our lungs have suffered the consequences. But a message to Mark, do book in for that prostate test. If women have to have invasive tests from teenage years, the least men can do is catch up in later life.

Reward and punishment

Thanks to Philip Adams for turning his light on the problematic area of justice and how to dole out judgement. Nov 2nd Human beings have been battling with this forever. An eye for an eye? A tooth for a tooth? Where does it stop. Now we have the new pope willing to acknowledge ‘who am I to judge?’ But if you have ever had anything to with rehabilitation, this always comes up. ‘But there needs to consequences’, is the constant catchcry. Reward and punishment. But what if someone needs the safety of prison and never gets high on the lure of a reward? If we were all the same it would be a very boring life. The premise of reconciling instead of retribution warrants more investigation. Peace.

All the presidents

I have heard this movie described as a good movie, that could have been a great movie. It features the civil rights movement through the eyes of a butler in the whitehouse. A potted history of the USA since the second world war. Hollywood loves to eulogise its presidents. However the portrayals can only be a snapshot of time and for me this was just a bit too shallow. But what could they do in 132 minutes? Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter are over in seconds! So not sure what happened there. It definitely plays on the heart strings and Oprah is surprisingly good in her role too.