Olivia is at the age where she is completely enchanted with all the "princess type" movies and stories. Now that Nathan and Clare are in school, it is a huge deal for her to pick what kind of movie she would like to watch without having to negotiate and bargain with Nathan and Clare in order to watch her favorites. Cinderella is definitely one of those favorites. She loves the "big dresses" as she calls them. She loves that Cinderella gets to go to the ball and she finds her prince. She is fascinated with the stepsisters and how "mean" they are. Olivia has her own little dress and shoes and she loves to role play and act out the movie on her own. She waves her wand, puts her feet in her dress-up shoes, dawns her pinkest dress and curtsies to her "prince". Then she twirls and holds out her hand for me take it and we dance together around the living room. We spin and laugh. I can still see the twinkle in her eye... still feel her hand in mine. What could be better than this?
We've watched the movie over and over, and as I've watched it, I have become fascinated with the characters and what they have to teach us about ourselves. Here is Cinderella, a beautiful young woman, faced with a step-family type situation. Her stepsisters don't accept her, are jealous of her beautiful looks, and make sure that she is the one that wears the rags and does the "dirty work" around the house. Sweeping out the chimney, washing the floors, and washing and ironing all of their clothes fill her days. And then there is the invitation to the ball. The stepsisters are invited. Cinderella is not. And it is Cinderella that prepares the lavish gowns for her stepsisters, all the while wishing that she was the one going to the ball. She longed to wear a magnificent ball gown and feel what it would be like to dance with the prince. Cinderella wants to be happy, but her circumstances aren't at all happy. Enter the Fairy Godmother who asks her what is making her so sad. And as Cinderella explains, the Fairy Godmother announces that she will indeed attend the ball and she will have the most beautiful dress to wear. She will be able to participate in what her heart has longed for. A pumpkin magically turns into her carriage and mice magically turn into horses that will draw the carriage and deliver her to the big event. A gorgeous blue gown and glass slippers that cause everyone to notice her changes everything for Cinderella. She has till midnight, and then, her perfect evening is over.
We have all found ourselves in situations that are less-than-perfect. We have all had to do things, and work at things, that we just didn't want to do. We all, at one time or another, been taunted, teased, and been disturbed by the voices in our mind that tell us: We simply don't belong here. You are less than someone else. You aren't allowed to feel beautiful. You will never fit in. Give up on love and happiness because they aren't for you. There are other plans for your life, and they don't include what you dream about, or long for. And then something changes in us. A new thought emerges, a new plan develops, a fresh path is laid before us.
There is a striking similarity between the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary's life was changed dramatically when an angel announced to her that she would bring forth Jesus. She would give birth to a child who would grow up to teach us how to love and make a happier world. All Cinderella really wanted was to feel loved and happy, and her Fairy Godmother delivered that message to her. That she would be able to attend the ball after all. She would feel beautiful, dance every dance, and eventually, she would find her prince. The glass slipper that every girl in town tried to "make fit" would only fit her foot. Mary, many times portrayed in a blue dress and veil, was invited to dance with God. Her glass slipper was giving birth to the Christ Child. Everyone before her talked about it. Prophets knew this time would come and change history, and everyone wondered who would "wear" this glass slipper. Who would be chosen? And it was Mary. The most unlikely girl. The girl who was nothing special. The girl who was young, ordinary, and simple of heart. Mary was the girl who probably longed to do something special with her life. In the story of Cinderella, her prince goes after her. He is bound and determined to find the girl who had worn the glass slipper. The prince knew this girl was special. The prince knew in his heart that this girl had to be his forever. The prince is the symbol of everything that is love and happiness and forever. God is our happiness and our forever love. God sought out Mary. God saw how beautiful and worthy Mary was to be the mother of Jesus. God found her and ever-so-gently delivered her to The Dance of a Lifetime. Cinderella rode to the dance in a carriage. Mary found her way to the dance by following the path of her heart. Horses delivered Cinderella to the big event. Faith in God delivered Mary to the single biggest event known to us all. Giving birth to the one who would lead us to our dance was Mary's glass slipper. Just as Cinderella's glass slipper eventually found her, ours will too.
The Fairy Godmother that hushed the voices of fear, lack of self-worth, and slavery to a life that was less-than, and called forth everything that Cinderella knew she was, is also a part of us. The wand that the Fairy Godmother waved in order to change Cinderella's life completely is in our thinking. It is our ability to ride the wave of a true knowledge of who we are in God's eyes. It is our openness in believing in our own beauty, our own inner strength, and our sound faith that we are worthy of forever love. Our birthright is our pursuit of happiness, and the right to feel happy. Mary's wand came in the form of an angel who knew that this young woman was worthy of giving birth to a love the world needed. Mary allowed the powerful wave of trust to dissolve her fear of the future and wondering how this would be accomplished. Cinderella humbly wore her beautiful gown to the ball and Mary was humbly draped in the gown of peace and the crown of light. Cinderella, in her rush to return home on time, left behind her slipper for the prince to find. And eventually the prince with the slipper found her. Mary, never rushed by the world's time, left behind, just for us, the ability to allow God to find us. Just as the slipper found its way back to Cinderella, God has never stopped searching for us. It is God who has our glass slipper, and it is God who will find us. It is God who will touch our lives with forever love and eternal happiness. It is God who has the perfect future planned for us. Our happiest state awaits us. And we will know that when that glass slipper is eased onto our groundedness, our sure-footedness, and it feels perfect and right, that we have found what God has intended for us all along. Our own way of giving love to the world. Our own way of giving birth to what the world desperately needs.
Cinderella found her beauty, discovered her worth, and lived a happy life. Mary found her beauty, discovered her worth, and lived a happy life raising Jesus, supporting his ministry of love, and watching him rise above all darkness. You will find your beauty. You will discover your worth, and you will live a happy life. Let the slipper return to you when you pray. Let God find you when you pray. Let God into your heart when you pray. Let the carriage of your dreams deliver you to the Great Dance where everyone will see how magnificent you are and where everyone will feel that they were touched by love because they saw you dance with the Prince. They saw you dance with God. Don't let too much time slip away when it comes to your dreams, your hopes, and your desires. Don't wait till the last minute to try something you've always wanted to do. Don't rush back into a life that you weren't meant to live. Don't listen to any voice that steals your confidence in who you are and who God has meant you to be. Whatever will make you happy is what will bring the slipper back to you. Whatever brings gives to you more than you could possibly give is the "perfect fit".
Silent prayer will allow your "perfect fit" to be revealed to you. Being in tune with the feeling of what you love will cause your "perfect fit" to find you. Be awakened to the signs that God is placing before you and you will know if your slipper fits. Ask God to show you what will make you happy. Then shut everything off and listen. Shut the television off, shut the iphone off, shut the ipods off, shut the door, turn off the endless and wasted thinking and give your mind to God. Make room for your Prince to enter your imagination and bend at the knee of where you create, and place your foot in its forever slipper, giving you solid ground to move in the happy direction of your life. Imagine yourself walking, grounded, yet completely free, in that slipper. Feel its comfort, its roominess, its ability to support you and transport you to where you want to go. Sense the vibrations of life beneath your feet as you step into your happiness.
May an angel light your path to happiness and dress you in the gown of peacefulness. May you wear the crown of faithfulness and love, and taking the hand of your "prince", dance to the song of happiness inside your heart. Having risen up out of everything that is dark, may you be kissed by the passion of your dreams when you pray and led into the sunset of blessed contentment because you are doing what you love to do and what you long to give to the world.
To my friend-followers in Russia, Germany, Denmark, India, Malaysia, Singapore, Canada, Austria, the Phillipines and the United States, I pray everyday that you are happy, safe, and secure. Our hearts are joined, and your happiness is my happiness.
Susie
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