Greetings Dear Reader,
One of the stories that have enchanted me since I was a boy
is that of Beauty and the Beast. The storybook
I had as a lad told the tale with its original challenges and ending. It is not the ending that Disney gives
us. Were Disney to end most fairy
stories as they were written, it would not be the “happiest place on earth.”
Still, I love the story.
I think that even then before the darkness had purchase, I knew that
there was something different about me.
Belle has always been my favorite “Disney Princess” and the why of it is
sometimes elusive. As I have come to
grips with my own darkness, however, I begin to see why Belle is so dear to
me. The answer is not a simple one.
That brings us to the purpose of this series of Thoughts and
Questions. I am endeavoring to understand
the things I love and learn how to be more honestly loveable. I spent so much of my life trying to be loved
instead of trying to love that I sometimes have difficulty knowing how to love
others properly. A dear friend told me
recently that I make others feel genuinely listened to and heard.
I know that it is part of the light hidden in my darkness
that does this. I have always been that
way. I like to listen to others. Still, I have always felt like the
beast. I have felt unlovable my entire
life. Only when I began to seek to love
rather than to be loved did I begin to see clearly those that do love me.
As that becomes a pattern instead of an effort, it makes me
wonder how I can love more deeply. I
keep coming back to this story in that effort.
I feel the sadness of the beast and that I relate so deeply to it. It is not self-pity or anything like
that. It is my desire to love others even
in the state I am. It is my desire to
allow others to see that love of Christ in a way that reflects my understanding
that if Jesus loves me, he loves everyone.
In order to do that, Dear Reader, I need to walk through the
story, not reading into it. I need to
take the lessons it teaches in stride with the truth I know and see where they
merge. I would treasure your company as
we talk through this tale together and ponder how it relates to a tale as old
as time. If you have not read the
original story, I recommend it with the warning that it will not fit your
Disney image of the tale. In any event,
I value your thoughts and questions as we journey together.
Prayer
of Saint Francis – Sarah McLachlan
Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Every human story is part of the great story that leads
to the Father getting everything back to Good.
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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