Disney

Love is an Open Door

Elsa Anna and hedreichWorking with the under 10 set has helped me to see that there are still major lessons to be learned from Disney’s blockbuster Frozen. And seeing some of the nastiness of the social media offerings over the last couple of weeks leaves me no alternative but to remember out loud what my Grandmother taught me, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all”. I’m sure there are grandkids all over the country who were taught the same thing. So why have so many of us forgotten?! At the risk of sounding pious: social media musings cloaked in semi-anonymity are not exempt from this rule.

There was a song from Sting a few cold war moons ago in which the recurring line told of the Russians loving their children too.  He continued with, “we share the same biology regardless of ideology”.  Sting’s not from the US but it would seem his grandma taught him that we can agree to disagree– in peace. Love really is an open door that we can choose to walk through when we eschew hateful rants and remarks. Kindness leaves bridges in tact no matter what our beliefs, and choosing love over hate makes us all winners every time. Without that door we are walled up behind our ideologies and ideals lofty or base, depending on who’s rating. Not hate or bitterness but Love
is an open door.

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Starting Over

hedreich and olafAmazing how time really does fly when you’re having fun. Except for a moment or two, this was just the greatest summer! I saw Elsa and Anna and Olaf at Disney, hit water park slides, amusement park coasters, rode trails,  swam lakes, saw knights and medieval instruments of torture, had friends and family visit and visited with friends and family. All this fun I had in the company of the world’s most wonderful 10 year old. And then, almost without warning, Summer was over and there were a host of new starts. A pair of Harry Potter-esque glasses and a new school for my 5th grader. Fitting an ‘upright’ into the car for the school orchestra’s newest bassist.  The search for a Boy Scout troop as he earns his Arrow of Light. For me, finding a single-mom-student-budget car to replace my wheezing mom-mobile before she leaves us stranded on the road. Getting rid of the post-divorce trauma poundage. Training for my first 5k ever. Oh and starting the last semester before getting on the licensure train to graduation and certification. Talk about the dog days of summer being over!

The sudden cold snap reminded me that we are not frozen, stuck in any one stage of life. Seasons change. After a very, VERY long season of difficulty and challenge, it seems that my day to day challenges resemble more closely a spring than an impending fall. I am deeply grateful for a moment of respite and even more grateful for a loving Father who safely guided me through the darkest of times.

For the first time in forever, I’m enjoying starting over.

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