Spring Break Bliss

Spring Joy handmade card (www.etsy.com/shop/ElsiesWhimsies)

 

I’ve been busy with my job (part-time middle school librarian) and my small online businesses. I’m ready for a respite: one short-but-blissful week of Spring Break. First order of business: rest. Then, read and write. Finally, do a bit of spring cleaning (maybe).

I recently watched the documentary The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness about the men at the helm of Studio Ghibli. I was struck by Hayao Miyazaki’s poignant reflection on humanity’s dreams. He labels Horikochi’s dreams of building planes (Horicochi is the protagonist of Miyazaki’s last–and supposedly final– animated film The Wind Rises) as “cursed dreams” because they were corrupted by the circumstances of his time (WWII). Then Miyazaki adds: “Animation too. Today all of humanity’s dreams are cursed somehow. Beautiful yet cursed dreams.”

It is indeed true that society and circumstances often corrupt our noble and beautiful dreams and even use them to enslave us. When that happens, we must find the courage to stand against the onslaught and remain free and true to ourselves, no matter the cost. We must seek the higher path and stay on it. We must fight for our soul’s freedom and escape society’s bog of fear, pride, greed, hate, anger, and ignorance. Only then will we have the chance to become better human beings–capable and free to realize our noble and beautiful dreams for our own benefit and the benefit of others. And even if we are never given the opportunity to pursue our dreams, even if we die before we can begin to try, we’ll have had the satisfaction of having fought the good fight and of having remained free and true to ourselves and our calling.

One of the characters in the book A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Oseki, is a young pacifist poet who is conscripted against his will to serve in WWII as a kamikaze pilot. He chooses to remain true to himself and his principles and thus pays the ultimate price for his soul’s freedom.

Freedom is never free. By the same token, artistic freedom is never free. There’s always a small or big sacrifice to make. There’s always a short or long battle to fight. Sooner or later we end up asking ourselves–as Hayao Miyazaki does in the documentary–if our beautiful dreams are even worthwhile: “If you really think about it, is this not just some grand hobby? Maybe there was a time when you could make films that mattered, but now? Most of our world is rubbish. It’s difficult.”

I believe our beautiful dreams are worthwhile, even if they are “just some grand hobby.” They feed our souls and often the souls of others. In a world that’s mostly rubbish, they fill us with beauty and help us grow and become better human beings. They gift us with wings and allow us to experience imagination and transcendence. Our beautiful dreams matter because our souls and the souls of others matter.

I will now enjoy my short week of rest by continuing to live my God-given beautiful dream: to create beauty in small, simple ways and to share it with others.

“A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.” from A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Oseki

A Wanderer and a Wonderer

Today’s post is a reflection on my beliefs:

I see myself as a gypsy Christian: a wanderer and a “wonderer”. I borrow truths from here and there, and with them I continually build my own paradigm of the universe. I seek transcendence through revelation, through beauty, and through creativity.  I keep my mind open to the freedom God has given me, and, in that same freedom, I explore and question the universe.

This one thing I know: I am a beloved child of God. This knowledge is my strength, comfort, and refuge. And because I know that my Heavenly Father loves me, I can trust that He will provide and care for me in this life and the next.

My personal religious experience: The Lord Jesus is my savior, my shepherd, my teacher, my brother, and my friend. Apart from Him I am nothing and can do nothing. He rescued me from the pit of destruction many years ago. Without Him I would be dead, gone, and forgotten. He gave me back my self, my soul, and my dreams. Through the Holy Spirit, He gives me the strength and the purpose to carry on day after day.

This I believe:

Love is the most important and powerful force in the universe. Our main goal should be to love God. Loving and taking care of others, ourselves, and our planet are ways of expressing our love for God.

Wisdom should be one of our principal goals, but – like love – wisdom cannot be taught. Charity and knowledge can be learned from teachers, models, books, etc., but love and wisdom are chosen paths in the continuous experience of everyday choices and spiritual growth. We must choose to love and seek wisdom and to live our lives accordingly.

Joy and peace grow out of humility, gratefulness, and communion with God.  But all graces (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, and the like) are part of the fruit or evidence of the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives and are ours because of God’s unfailing love.

God has given us gifts and placed beautiful dreams in our hearts. Gifts and dreams He knows will make us experience fulfillment and happiness. But it’s up to us to develop and use those gifts and to respect and pursue those dreams. We will be blessed if we do, for we will be walking in God’s will and living the abundant life Jesus spoke about: A life of value and significance. A life that is a blessing to others. A life full of love, joy, and peace.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” – Mother Teresa