Long time, no see

If blogs were houses, this one would be the house on the corner that the family moved out of a couple months ago; freezing inside, somewhat dusty and moldy, completely barren, and starting to give way to the elements. Life, the holidays and Facebook have effectively diverted my attentions elsewhere.

No longer; it is a new year, and I haven't given up on this little diversion just yet. I have just been refreshed by prolonged contact with 'purt near everyone in my extended and scattered family, and am eyeing the coming year with a sense of optimism and purpose.

To that end, I plan to go back to the 'notes on the refrigerator' school of blogging. I may post the occasional essay. but like as not, it will just be 'thoughts for the day.' After all, what's the point of being brilliant if I don't share (he said, tongue firmly in cheek).

We'll begin our journey into my mental processes with a quick thought about the Twilight series. As many know, author Stephanie Meyer is a Mormon, and I've just pieced together what I believe is a bit of Christian symbolism included in her books, unintentional or no.

The "good" vampires, the Cullens, are "vegetarians" — living on animal blood, and not human. This isn't a new idea; Anne Rice did the same thing in Interview With A Vampire. But in so doing, the vampires in both books are rebelling against their created nature, and choosing a moral path rather than a natural one.

In the same way, Christians rebel against their created nature, and live according to a moral path rather than a natural one. There are a hundred temptations we resist each week that our natural impulses tells us to give in to. They can appear small; white lies, excessive venting about why we're angry with someone, and other little moral shortcuts. Or, for some, they can loom large: fighting the urge to drink or smoke; resisting the urge to cheat on one's spouse, or any of the multitude of demons and compulsions being fought at this very minute around the globe. Either way, it is a seemingly natural drive that we, like the Cullens, resist because we are heeding "the better angels of our nature."

Now whether or not Meyer intended to be that deep is a question for further debate.