Walking in the Light

This is my new favorite card art:

A little background. The card is Ardent Plea. Cost: 1UW. Exalted (When a creature you control attacks alone, it gets +1/+1 until the end of the turn). Cascade.

Overall, the card isn't amazing, but it has its place, like every card in Magic. Imagine Bloodbraid elf > Ardent Plea > Spreading Seas. Suddenly you have a 4/3 basher, another card in your hand, and your opponent is mana screwed. It can work out.

But what really delights me about the card is the art. That picture up there? That's Elspeth, Knight-Errant. She was born on the sharded plane Grixis, a world of death and decay. In a desperate attempt to find happiness, Elspeth walked away from Grixis and landed on Bant - a life of happiness, life, justice, love, peace - pretty much Nirvana.

Here, the forces of Grixis are invading Elspeth's new home, and she's praying for divine blessing and strength and aid as she prepares to face the evil hordes.

So why is this card my new favorite? Because it's beautiful, in every way. The art is beautiful, and so is the message. Let me try to explain.

We live in a world of the walking dead. Sin and depravity meet us at every turn. We all face on a daily basis the carrion world of the enemy. Everywhere there is hate. Everywhere there is despair.

But like Elspeth, each of us is offered the chance for salvation. A great Guide who shepherds us from the darkness of our world into the light of His. And many of us have followed this guardian guide, have been introduced into His luminescent world and the life of love He has offered us.

We live now in the cool garden of our hearts, along with He who is our Beloved. But this oasis sits still in the middle of the Dead World. And we are often called to defend ourselves and our land against the invading forces of our great foe.

Elspeth realizes she can't do it alone. She turns to that great Source of Light for comfort, strength, and inspiration. In doing so, she is our example. We are called imitate Elspeth, Knight-Errant, and shout our Ardent Pleas to our mighty King. And He will in turn bless our swords and reinforce our resolve, and equip us to face the horrors of the invading world as we fight for Paradise.

It's been a rough day. I had a bad fight with mom and we're not speaking to each other. This time, I think it will be for a long time - by my choice. I'm not going to be ready to talk to her again for a while. She said some really hurtful and unfair things. She doesn't know how deeply her words can hurt me sometimes, I think.

I got out of the car on the way to Mass. I just didn't want to sit through Mass next to her, with all this ill will between us. I walked home, grabbed my computer, my book, and my mythic deck and came to Starbucks. I figured if anything can cheer me up write now, it's a cup of tea, Richard and Kahlan, and my new lotus cobras. Which are ballin', by the way.

But it's time like these that make me wish that I had never finished undergrad, that we were all still living together. Because you guys - I know it's only you guys who are going to read this - you guys were so many things to me. You were there to help me get my mind off the bad stuff, even if you didn't know you were doing it. And even if I wasn't laughing, your laughter was always like the sun shine. I could never be down or upset around you all. You knew exactly what to do to keep my spirits up, no matter what.

But I feel like that's gone now, and that leaves what feels like a gaping hole in my heart. Yes, I know, we'll all be friends still. I'll see you a lot. All that's true. But I won't be around you guys during the darkest nights, when I need you the most. And that scares me. Because I don't know if I know how to handle everything on my own.