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HL #3736 Rise Above Yourself
Posted February 3rd, 2011 by Normand Bo...
Dear Gloria
in http://www.heavenletters.org/rise-above-yourself.html, last paragraph:
"Now you can admit that you are not always right. You cannot say you are never mistaken. You cannot say you have reached your full growth. You can be wonderful and good and wooly and wise, and still you have room to grow, and grow you will because you want to reach your full stature, and you want to stand tall, and you want to be all I want you to be in thought, in love, and in deed, altogether a beautiful example of what I have wrought".
I can't find any translation for wooly that makes sense. Is "wooly and wise" an idiomatic expression? I can't find it on the Web, neither Wordnik, nor dictionary of idioms.
Thanks
That's strange, Normand.
That's strange, Normand. When I google "wooly (or woolly) and wise" in quotes, a few instances come up, but they are inconclusive. So this collocation is a known one but obviously very rarely used.
Googling "wise and wooly (or woolly)", more is to be found but no definition, just different forms of using the expression.
I think if you bear in mind the different usages of "wooly", perhaps some intuitive sense of the meaning of these words will arise. But waiting for Gloria may be an even better idea.
Strange indeed, Jochen I
Strange indeed, Jochen
I still don't get any of your instances and Wordnik says: "We don't have any matching examples for "woolly and wise", but we're constantly adding material, so please check back soon."
The only translations I get for wooly is: "looking like wool, curly, confused". Doesn't fit very well with the sentence.
Let's wait for Gloria.
If you put quotes around a
If you put quotes around a phrase when you google it, you get better results.
And you are right, the different (but related) meanings of "wooly" don't seem to fit.
This is the definition I
This is the definition I found: Lawless and uncultured.
My feeling had been that it was used lightly. How did God use it? I'll have to come back.
"Now you can admit that you are not always right. You cannot say you are never mistaken. You cannot say you have reached your full growth. You can be wonderful and good and woolly and wise, and still you have room to grow, and grow you will because you want to reach your full stature, and you want to stand tall, and you want to be all I want you to be in thought, in love, and in deed, altogether a beautiful example of what I have wrought".
Okay, I'm back. In my words, I think God is saying : No matter what we are, we can grow. No matter if we're good or bad, naughty or nice, we can grow.
I don't know what you're going to do for a translation.
Wouldn't "holy" or "wholly"
Wouldn't "holy" or "wholly" make more sense? Because there is a sequence of meaning in "wonderful and good and holy/wholly and wise" while the "wooly" does break this sequence?
There is an expression
There is an expression "woolly and wise." I believe, that woolly is the opposite of wonderful and holy, though, as I understand it, it's just an expression and is not meant too seriously. That's my connotation. What to do.
I do use the quotes when I
I do use the quotes when I search with Google.
Oh, that's great. Perhaps we
Oh, that's great. Perhaps we are accidentally finding out about some secret filtering in your country.....
It might be connected to the
It might be connected to the red phone in Washington DC!
Dear Normand and Jochen, you
Dear Normand and Jochen, you seem to think that there must be an expression: "wooly and wise", but I don't think there is. The three other words have all a positive meaning and I figured that it must be that also "wooly" has one.
So when I found the following explanation it made sense to me, however, I had a hard time finding an appropriate word in Dutch, but now I think I have. In English it might be "compassionate".
figurative) Of thinking, principles, etc, based on emotion rather than logic.
Although the expression does
Although the expression does exist, Luus, you are probably right. Just take some positive meaning you associate with "wooly" that fits in with "wonderful", "good" and "wise".
But Gloria maintains that it
But Gloria maintains that it might have the opposite meaning! Read her comment.
I did. My intuitive sense of
I did. My intuitive sense of the sentence and the context is just a little different. I never assume I'm right, though; I just make suggestions. In this case, I don't see how a negative connotation of "wooly" would fit in here.
Dear Gloria, where are you?
Dear Gloria, where are you?
I'm here, beloved Normand!
I'm here, beloved Normand! Probably not knowing how to answer!
"Now you can admit that you are not always right. You cannot say you are never mistaken. You cannot say you have reached your full growth. You can be wonderful and good and woolly and wise, and still you have room to grow, and grow you will because you want to reach your full stature, and you want to stand tall, and you want to be all I want you to be in thought, in love, and in deed, altogether a beautiful example of what I have wrought".
Here's what I think: Take it the way you see it, dear one. It is your translation.
I think I have a tendency to argue!
As I look at the quote now, I would advise: Simply take out the word woolly.
Does that work?
Loving you all,
Gloria
I think this is the wisest
I think this is the wisest solution.