Who owns whom?

This Sunday in church Pastor Corey showed a video from an organization called Simple Living. Following the video we had a lively discussion about giving. Why do we give? How much do we give? In what ways do we give? On perusing the Simple Living site a question from one of the entries popped out at me. "Who owns whom?" This is an excellent question to ask ourselves, particularly at this time of year when we are impelled, encouraged, dare I say coerced into buying more stuff for people that they may or may not need or want. In addition, we get to add to our collection of stuff perhaps leading to a basement, attic or storage room that looks like the picture above.

"Who does own whom anyway? I confess that every year I fill up the back of my station wagon with things that I no longer need, want or use. Why then do I have to do this all over again the next year?

I like the idea of Voluntary Simplicity. In my own way, I've been working toward this for some time but I have a loooooong way to go.

A few weeks ago I happened to see a preview of an upcoming Oprah episode on "The Secret Lives of Hoarders." I have a very dear friend who feels overwhelmed by her possessions and I thought that I might gain new insight and understanding into her
struggles by watching this show.

The entire two part program was about this woman, Sharyn, whose 3,000 square foot house was full of 75 tons of garbage, and enough usable items to fill a 10,000 square foot warehouse!


Unquestionably there is more going on here than a yearly trip to the Goodwill. Still, it really made me think. For many reasons, this year in particular I have felt overwhelmed by the flood of consumerism that washes over us during this time of the year. We have so much and so many people have so little.



Truly, I'm not anti-gift giving. I enjoy both giving and receiving thoughtful and loving gifts. However, I find myself being more pleased with the simplicity of this....



....or the experience of this....


...than I am with this!


Have a blessed season and may you receive exactly what you need!

Sevilla, Spain: Real Alcazar

One of the highlights of Seville, aside from the amazing tiles everywhere (but more on that later!) is the Real Alcazar, the royal residence built within the palace and started by Pedro I in 1364 using craftsmen from Granada and Toledo. As with Granada's Alhambra, the outside is very unprepossessing and the inside dazzling!

The main entrance is the Puerta del Leon or Lion's Gate for reasons which are fairly obvious.






















After passing through the Puerta del Leon you enter a long, rectangular courtyard lined with cypress trees, palms and other shrubs and flowers. Ahead of you, through a stone archway is the Patio de la Monteria, where the court met before embarking on one of their many hunting expeditions.



Here are two pictures of the literally faded glory of the facade of the Palacio Pedro I. Can you imagine what it looked like in the 14th century when all was fresh and bright?





















Pictures taken from the Patio de la Monteria....





In this photo you can see La Giralda, the bell tower from the Cathedral, another another one of Seville's famous buildings.

The entrance hall to the Palacio Pedro I, complete with secret passageway. That's my friend, Laure, peeking around the corner where the king used to scurry away (can you say that a King scurries?!) from one royal assignation to another.







Here are photos of the Salon de Embajadores, Ambassadors' Hall built in 1427.









The interior of the Real Alcazar has many patios, including the Patio del Yeso (Plaster Patio). Patios generally have either a fountain or, in this case, a water channel.



























The Patio de las Doncellas (Patio of the Maidens) has exquisite plasterwork. This is where you see the expertise of the artisans from Granada.




















Check out the beautiful detail in the following photos.








Here's a look from the interior of the palace to the gardens outside.




Before exploring the gardens we visited the rooms of Charles V. What struck me the most about these rooms were the amazing azulejos that decorate the halls and the chapel of Charles V. They are truly stunning.



























The gardens of the Real Alcazar are extensive and quite beautiful as you can see from the following pictures.













Sometimes you find interesting surprises......





















Los Baños de Doña María de Padilla, located under the Patio del Crucero. For an interesting story related to this see the Real Alcazar link at the top of the page.