Veterans’ Day was yesterday, which made for an interesting break in the middle of the week.  It often feels like normal work weeks are hard to come by, but a midweek day off feels a bit like a mid-week weekend (if that makes any sense): it keeps the week in two complete chunks.

Tuesday was a weird one for me: classes went well, but other parts of the day distracted and discouraged me a bit.  So I decided to take the day Wednesday to stay away from email and relax.  So I slept in (until about 6:30) and then made my way to Zippy’s, where I usually eat breakfast on Sunday.  It was a different experience, the midweek crew.  But it was nice to sit and read and write with a good cup of coffee and a warm breakfast.  The rest of the day involved, more reading, groceries, and a trip to the Pali Lookout, which just reopened a few days ago.  The weather matched the location perfectly, as the whole day has been blustery and overcast.

Today I finally finished my reread of The Four Loves by C. S. Lewis.  I started rereading it (for the first time in many years) because of series on cultivating friendship for chapel.  It’s such a great book.  I feel like I underlined at least one sentence per paragraph.  I think I’ve probably internalized a lot of Lewis’ thinking about the world and faith, and this reread was a reminder of that.  The book almost reads like a journey, starting with the big picture and then moving through affection, friendship, and eros until finally arriving at charity.  And that final chapter on charity is actually shorter than you expect, which is okay because the whole book hints all around it.  And even though the Augustinian connection near the end of the book is more of a negative example, there’s a lot about the ordering of love to mull over.

That makes two Lewis books over the last couple of months.  Just prior to Loves I read his Reflections on the Psalms (for the first time).  It took an approach to the Old Testament poetry that I found both surprising and refreshing.  I’m glad to have his voice in the mix of my life.