Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind. But then, one winter's night, an old beggar woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold. Repulsed by her haggard appearance, the prince sneered at the gift and turned the old woman away. But she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old woman's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress. The prince tried to apologize, but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart. And as punishment, she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there. Ashamed of his monstrous form, the beast concealed himself inside his castle, with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world. The rose she had offered was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his 21st year. If he could learn to love another, and earn her love in return by the time the last petal fell, then the spell would be broken. If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time. As the years passed, he fell into despair and lost all hope. For who could ever learn to love a beast?
~ from the opening lines of Beauty and the Beast
I have had two outings thus far today. The first was the 12-year-old blessing ceremony of my goddaughter’s brother. He is turning into a fine young man thought there is still an innocence about him that is endearing. He is learning the above lesson the way we all do: one relationship at a time. Some of us see the beauty within quicker than others. I could not help but look at David as he stood in front of the congregation and see what a handsome young man he is turning out to be. Within a few year, he will be a hottie as they say.
While a men’s blessing party was going on for him, his sister and his mom and I went to see Beastly, the new movie that has a bit of a spin on the old Disney tale. The hot and popular boy in school publicly humilates the Goth girl who turns out to be a witch and casts a spell on him that makes him as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside. His dad hopefully falls victim to the witch at the end of the flick. There are some neat characters who love the boy despite his moods and bad attitude and they are the ones who help him find the courage and strength to do the right thing. One of the most touching moments in the film is one between the beast and the witch when he pleads with her on behalf of his friends. He is learning the biblical passage that being ready to lay down your life for your friends is the most important mission.
I don’t know why some young people today are so mean. Are we really raising a generation of children who are self-centred and obsessed with hanging out with the popular gang at all costs? At one point in the film, one of the Beast's former female cronies admits things are much better without him because she was always so mean-spirited when he was there. When I said we earlier, I meant we. It takes a village to raise a child and we all have a hand in ensuring that children become great citizens with loving and gentle hearts. The world needs people with beautiful "insides." I am hoping that David learned that today as the men from his church community gathered around to mentor and bless him this afternoon.
Peace,
Suzanne
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