TWO LINKS: Lots of stuff lately about that Anglican lady who is ministering to the fashion industry. But the article that caught my eye is this one from the Telegraph–completely worth reading in full:

…”So I thought, if you play this argument through, the law is saying there are good reasons why I shouldn’t be alive. And I look at my life and I think, ‘That’s rubbish.’ Even if I hadn’t had my surgery, even if I’d chosen to stay the way I looked before, that’s no good reason for me not to be alive.”

more (via Thunderstruck. It was also striking that Rev Jepson instinctively and casually uses the term “bio-ethicist” to mean “someone who says it’s okay to kill innocent humans”…. Anyway, it’s a really powerful piece, you should read it.)

And Alice von Hildebrand with a beautiful piece on friendship:

Friendship is the remnant of paradise. …

Augustine tells us that his heart was “black with grief.” He could not conceive how he could live without the one with whom he had developed such a profound bond. He wept, suffered, and shed abundant tears, but these were unbaptized tears. Years later, when Augustine wrote the Confessions, he remarked: “O madness which does not know how to love men as men should be loved.” Deeply rooted in the Faith, Augustine perceived that any true friendship or human love should be rooted in God. It is only in Him that true love can blossom. …

The question is: How deep, how profound, how total is one’s love for one’s friend? How far does the “moral” obligation go? Tell me how much you are willing to sacrifice for your friend, and I will tell you how deep your love is.

more, both practical and inspiring. I think everyone can find some measure of needed chastisement here, as well as needed encouragement. (via And Also With You; I hope to write a little bit about friendship soon, though it will hardly be as lovely as this.)