Sometime ago I was a contestant in the Princess Game. No, I’ve not kept secret my competing in a reality show. Ella one of our favorite kids had invited us to play her new board game.
I, Snow White, lost repeatedly to Ella and Cinderella, aka Uncle Jerry.
As we prepared to leave, Ella asked me to come upstairs. At the top of the steps she whispered, “I want you to have my b.” Never had a runner up in a contest received such a special gift. Ella had many soft, silky blankets she called b’s but this was one of her first.
I lost the Princess Game but I floated home feeling like a queen, my prize the little worn blanket.
Regardless of the distressing events in the world that day, that night I slept peacefully with the b, symbolic of profound love and trust, at my side.
The next morning, with coffee in one hand and the b in the other, I realized it was covered with drawings of children, children of many cultures. Each tan, brown, white and black baby floated on its own little cloud. Despite their racial differences, each cloud was the same and each child was content. None were looking around comparing and competing to see who had the bigger or better cloud. Then I looked more closely and realized each child on Ella’s b had wings. Each child was an angel.
I wondered, ‘When do we change? When do we start comparing clouds and accumulating them, thinking one won’t suffice? When do we decide we need bigger and better wings? More importantly, when do we forget our wings altogether?’
It seems we slowly trade our wings for things. We buy the illusion that security can be purchased through the right schools, cars and zip codes while wearing the latest haircuts, clothing and styles. We’ve social security for our later years, security systems for our homes and Homeland Security for our country. Somehow we forget that real security is an inside job.
If we remembered regardless of class or color that everyone is created in God’s image, hunger would be inexcusable and poverty unacceptable. Corporate, political and personal misuse of power would cease. People would be seen from the bottom of our hearts not for their impact on the bottom line. Differences would be embraced rather than used as the basis for wars.
All too often instead of thinking for ourselves and considering the complexities of life, we listen to sound bites, mental fast food, and follow leaders, who seem at times to want us to forget our wings. Labeled and separated into liberal/conservative, rich/poor, educated/ uneducated, black/white, we become vulnerable, more easily controlled and pitted against one another. Left unchecked our attitudes and stereotypes further separate us.
True security isn’t found in possessions or positions, looking like Cinderalla or being born a Rockafella. It doesn’t reside in winning board games or war games, contests or conquests. Nor is it found in turning over our minds to politicians and the media.
Real security comes from remembering that like the winged children on Ella’s blanket, we’re all divine inside.
-Dawn! the Good News Muse, 10 December 2010
* Enjoy a short, free audio story inspired by Ella where my cd's available at my site Imagine the Shift.
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