I Wish You Love

I wish you shelter from the storm
A cozy fire to keep you warm
But most of all
When snowflakes fall
I wish you love

"I Wish You Love" is a popular love song featured in many films and covered by numerous artists throughout the decades. The music was originally written by Leo Chauliac, with French lyrics under the title "Que reste-t-il de nos amours?" by Charles Tenet. The English lyrics were written by Albert A. Beach, and while they are not a translation of the French, both the English and French poetry capture the nostalgia of love. Though typically considered a 'break-up song' - "I Wish You Love" is a delightful way to usher in the New Year and a gentle snow storm - reminding us of romance and hope during the coldest days of the calendar.

I wish you bluebirds in the spring
To give your heart a song to sing
And then a kiss
But more than this
I wish you love

And in July a lemonade
To cool you in some leafy glade
I wish you health
And more than wealth
I wish you love

Lyrics: http://www.lyricsmode.com/

Photo: a curve on a North Carolina mountain road - reminding us of life's twists and turns. We never know what surprises will unfold on the road ahead. Photo credit: http://www.gotocarolina.com/

© 2009 J. Dana Trent

Doubt

Update:
Doubt has been nominated for five academy awards, including best actress (Meryl Streep) and best adapted screenplay.

John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Prize winning play comes to life on the big screen in the film Doubt. Father Flynn (Phillip Seymour Hoffman), a Roman Catholic priest in the Bronx, is confronted by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), a nun determined to bring to light Flynn’s possible indiscretions with a young male student. Sister Aloysius is convinced of an inappropriate relationship between the priest and the boy, though her character foil, Sister James (Amy Adams) is not. The result: an odd dramatic triangle between Flynn, Aloysius, and James in which the viewer easily feels the push and pull of guilt and innocence, doubt and certainty, confession and concealment. One leaves the theatre utterly not convinced of anything - which is, after all, the point.

http://www.doubt-themovie.com/

© 2009 J. Dana Trent

Facebook Dropout

Facebook has become so popular in American culture that the term is now used as a noun AND a verb.

I confess: I'm a Facebook dropout. I closed my account a few weeks ago, when the energy it took to manage it became overwhelming. Sure, I could have limited my Facebook time; but it seemed seemed important (and addictive?) to to receive my friends' frequent status/photo/profile updates.

I don't miss the online social network, save for keeping in touch with a few cherished friends I haven't seen since high school. Now, I contact them via email, telephone/cell phone, and there's always the ancient sentimental virtue of letter writing! (Gaze at Fragonard's portrait of a glowing young girl with a love letter, and it will inspire you to rediscover the lost practice)

For now, I'll continue my Facebook-free journey along with several friends who have also become recent dropouts ... support group, anyone?

NB: Dean of Duke Divinity School L. Gregory Jones wrote an insightful piece on Facebook friends for The Christian Century.
http://www.christiancentury.org/article.lasso?id=4964

Photo: The Love Letter, by Fragonard, c. 1770, oil on canvas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.
Photo credit: http://www.abcgallery.com/

© 2009 J. Dana Trent