For I, Yahweh, your God, I grasp you by your right hand; I tell you, ‘Do not be afraid, I shall help you.” Isaiah 41:13

I am in desperate need of peace. The First Reading from today’s Mass are the words my soul is aching for. I ache for that promise of love. A covenant between myself and someone bigger, someone in charge: God.

There is a reoccurring pattern of fear being synonymous with a lack of peace in my life; a lack of silence. I need to actively seek out silence if I want to make room for peace. Where in my day can I make room for more silence? For me, that’s often during my lunch hour. Today I used it to go to Mass. At times, I go to the library (picture above, along with my lovely friend Chanelle).

Fight for that silence, fight for that peace. It will come, I promise, but only if you desire it and seek it. God’s love and peace will not be forced upon you.

My day was filled with annoyances, some small, some big, but grace carried me through it. In moments where I just thought I couldn’t muster that smile, I couldn’t keep working, I couldn’t slow my anxious breath, He grasped me by the hand.

It all comes back to making that room for silence. When we create healthy habits, we’re far more likely to give ourselves the chance to grow in virtue. My habits to foster silence have included starting each and every day with a devotional and some scripture (the daily readings) as making sure there is at least one day a week where I go to meditate/pray the Mass before, during lunch, or after work.

Take a moment and pick some small way where you can cultivate silence in your day. Something small. This is key; If you pick many habits, or unattainable habits, they will never become habits. You will beat yourself up as soon as you skip a day and are far less likely to keep fighting to cultivate that silence.

Christmas season is almost upon us. Advent is a time for us to quieten our hearts, an invitation to be especially mindful of silence in our lives. Between the Old Testament and the birth of Jesus Christ, there was roughly 400 years of silence from God. The season of Advent reflects this silence and is a call to prepare ourselves to receive the joy and the peace we all desperately want.

I don’t mean to suggest that I loved you the best, 
I can’t keep track of each fallen robin. 
I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel, 
that’s all, I don’t even think of you that often.

It’s a wonderful rainy Sunday morning and I’ve just been reading for the past 3 hours. Everything is so beautiful and still on a Sunday morning. Here are 10 books I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good read (in no particular order).

1. Special Topics In Calamity Physics – Marisha Pessl

2. Night Train to Lisbon – Pascal Mercier

3. Flowers for Algernon – Daniel Keyes

4. Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card

5. Demiann – Hermann Hesse

6. Hunting and Gathering – Anna Gavalda

(if you read in French, definitely read number 6 in French)

7. The Secret History – Donna Tartt

8. The Sun Also Rises – Ernest Hemingway

9. I Capture the Castle – Dodie Smith

10. The Shadow of the Wind – Carols Ruiz Zafon

(ph harold knight)

Danced like a fool with some great pals last night and going on a day road trip with two of my friends later today. Summer’s off to a great start.

(ph Vogue Uk March 2006)

Ends up I have a dry socket. The dentist told me I should have come back to the office earlier due to the pain. Well hello, how am I supposed to know the degrees of pain I should feel when getting a tooth pulled out. Pain is pain. I assumed it hurt getting a bugger yanked out. I didn’t get to see my regular dentist, but this one was kind of cool since he was able to chit chat in German. Felt like I was with Oma & Opa ♥. (Oh Germany, how I miss you…)

(ph: johannasaurus/flickr)

Oh dear, I get to go into a budget lock-up today. No connection to the outside world for three or more hours. Good news is, my mom made it back from Paris despite a moment of panic over a stolen passport and wallet (it was finally returned) and called me this morning to let me know she brought me back some goodies (including some chocolate she picked up in Switzerland!!!).

(ph: kasia struss for ?)

My apartment was listed Tuesday and gone yesterday. Here I was stressing that it would take weeks, if not MONTHS for it to fly away. I underestimated the value of my little Amélie Poulain living quarters. I will really miss it, but just thinking of the place I’m moving in with my TWO walk-in closets in May cheers me right up 🙂 Plus, I’ll be living in the heart of downtown once again (not that my 15 minute walk to downtown is that bad…) Hope everyone is having a lovely week. All the runway shows that are streemed online have been keeping me visually feasting for the last two weeks ♥

PS. I ordered online a latin textbook to continue learning even though I am no longer taking classes. Nerd award?
(ph ?)

I’m starting up dancing after a long one year break. After 16 years of dancing I really needed a mental break from the dance world. I’m terrified, but can’t wait at the same time. It’s part of my 2011 resolutions. I’m just glad to be going back to a dance studio, what with work and school and LIFE… it’ll be nice to do something for moi. What are your New Year resolutions? I’m going to

1. Go to Church every week
2. Be kind to the ones I love
3. Dance my worries away
4. Polish off Debussy’s Rêverie on the piano.
(I’ve been playing it for a year and am still unsatisfied with the way I play it).
5. Drink more water

(ph ?)

Kind of craving lots of flowers all over the house right now.

My friend Ariane at thosequietnights.blogspot.com needed a model a few weeks ago and I was glad to be the lab rat she required. Here is one of the pictures from the shoot. I miss the blogsphere lately, but I’ve just been so busy. Lots of love, Pomeline.

(ph demure folk)

I watched The Virgin Suicides and am about to make a decadent chocolate cake. I might head over to the fair tomorrow and ride the ferris wheel, if not I’ll fly a kite (I’ve been meaning to do so all summer) and bask in the sun on my rooftop. Happy weekend little bunnies xo

(ph cachemireetsoie)

(ph vogueus)

(ph tim walker for vogue uk)

Go away humidity, I’m sick and tired of having an afro…

(ph josh goleman)

Picked up some lavender after work and chatted with my brother on the phone. It was a nice evening, now I need to go to bed because I clearly don’t have much of interest to share 😉 xo

(ph miles aldridge)

(ph jill thomas)

Sipping tea, watching the rain and enjoying Fernando Pessoa.

(ph carrier)

Nothing quite like buying yourself pearls when you’re hung over…

(ph africa)

You are the ray of light
When the sun seems to hide;
You are the star of might
When the sky has shut before my eyes.
You are the tree of life
When the vineyard I cannot reach;
You are the prayer of my heart
When nothing can ignite my faith.

I’m so blessed, thank you God…

(ph benjamin alexander huseby)

Worked hard all week and I plan to play even harder this weekend. Gosh, I really am a Canadian… On an other note, I got a pedi today and went for this crazy cyan blue polish and felt like a wild rebel. Conclusion: I need to do more adventurous things than choosing a different polish colour. I lead a sad, sad, sad little life, but this weekend will remedy all of that (:

(ph flickr?)

Need.Sleep.NOW.

(ph charlie)

(ph jamie isaia)

(ph glassaple)

Dressing all cutesey when its some 40 degrees Celsius and you’re melting is kind of darn near impossible. I wish I could just frolic around in my undergarments like this girl (top hat included).

(ph johnnys bird)

(ph john rea)

I want pastels and macarons with pretty gray feathers. I want a summer breeze, a bail of hay and some good beer. I want Jerusalem, Antartica and Heidelberg. I only want to have a good time.

(ph singe-parlant)

(ph ?)

(ph miss gruviera, flickr)

(ph ?)

Sometimes I feel such a surge of joy I don’t know if I’ll be able to control it, I just want to explode! When I feel this way I tend to go running through trees and fields (or alongside the canal if I’m in the city) the quickest I can, chasing after this feeling and at the same time running away from it. Life is rather wonderful. I hope everyone’s summer is shaping up to be lovely and full of running through trees and fields. I’m going to go eat some chocolate covered strawberries now (:

(ph walker for vogue us)

Sabrina, as well as Jules & Jim are my favourite movies depicting simultaneous love of two people.

(ph sabrina)

(ph yannperreau)

(ph mikushi-flickr)

(ph elle)

(ph cheapthrills)

Went shopping with my friend Eric today, he’s working in Paris for the next four months and wanted some “artsy” clothes (these are his exact words) to fit in his work environnment. Call me self-centered, but I’m shocked sometimes that not everyone shares my fascination for clothes! He was completely clueless, in the best kind of way. Plus, it gave me an excellent excuse to browse all of the men clothing, which I love doing. There’s a quality of simplicity and comfort that isn’t always present in typical “girl” clothing.

(ph vogue uk)

(ph waldemarandmax)

(ph mango)

Surrounded by boxes in a room that seems really big now that it isn’t filled with junk!

(ph deepbreaths)

(ph: personal)

(ph katrin braga)

(ph: mybedroomwindow)

(ph: cakespyv& ?)

(ph: mylittlepinkbook & lavenderbakery)

(ph: velvet)

(ph: emmylinea and?)

Enjoying some Ingrid Michaelson and kicking my arse so I finish up this essay of DOOM. Happy Saturday ‘yall.

(ph: sundsbo)

Today I shall be eating popcorn and doing homework, but perhaps I will take a stroll and stop by a cafe and people watch for a bit. Have a lovely Friday tout le monde.

(ph:?)

(ph: missbehavemag)