Summer!
What a lovely season! The sweet smell of honeysuckle and freshly cut grass float through the air, the vivid colors of wildflowers spring out through the weeds, the rains and nights are warm, the sunsets superb, thousands of fireflies flit through the trees, trees and gardens are laden down with growing fruit...in short, there is so much going on, I cannot possibly describe everything that I love about summer.
We've been grilling dinner nearly every evening, eating on the back porch at twilight, and then sitting back for half an hour after we're finished to simply soak in the beauty of God's creation. Did I mention I love this season?
I think God is amazing. May I say that again? I think He is AMAZING! I think sometimes He is up in heaven simply thinking up ways to prove His love for me. Sometimes the tiniest things: a single flower, a gentle rain, a sudden, cool breeze, an exquisite butterfly resting in a muddy road...they each seem to be a little message from God saying "Hello, my dear. I love you so."
I'd rather say these little tokens of love are working. I am enamored! Such beauty and love! Blessed be God.
Anyway, besides my summertime reminisces, I have been thinking of yet another subject entirely. It has to do with my book (surprise!) and with my villain's emblem. No, I won't be launching into another story of my villain. I simply wanted to point out the symbolism behind both the emblems of my evil king and my heroic king.
My villain's symbol happens to be an eight-pointed sun set in a purple back round. You may find this odd, because not only is the sun beautiful and providing of light to all, and, moreover, purple is a royal color.
The good king's emblem is one of rebellion however. It stands in stark contrast to the other. It is a four-pointed star, identical to one found in a compass rose. The colors here really have no ulterior meanings (white star, blue back round).
Whereas my villain's sun was not chosen for any particular reason, the good king's star has one important meaning behind it which I will point our here, and possibly even in the book, if I can, without insulting my readers' intelligence.
It is a simple process of nature, but one that is perfect to apply to my plot line.
A star, as you well know, rises after the sun has gone down. This serves as a perfect symbol for the rebellion, whose goal is to dethrone the evil king and crown the rightful heir. The rebellion's symbol serves not only as motivation, but as a statement of their goal: A star can only rise when the sun has sunk beneath the horizon.
Anyway, it struck me that in the middle of summer, with the sun giving so much vitality and life and cheer to so many things, it seemed appropriate to explain a small aspect of my villain/hero's individual symbols. If you see any other symbolism between a star and a sun, or have an different interpretation of mine, I invite you most whole-heartedly to share it!
Though, perhaps I cannot be quite so subtle in incorporating meaningful, good lessons into my writing as some literary, Christian masterminds, I can't help but try. Hopefully I will improve with time and constructive criticism!
I seem to have gotten slightly off track now, starting off with talk of summer and ending with suns, but no matter. Thank you for your kind tolerance of my random ramblings! I am so very fond of both them, and you! Have a blessed summer.
“May the road rise up to meet you,
may the wind be ever at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the hollow of his hand.”
--An Irish Blessing
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