"If you want to make God laugh, make plans..."

This was the key line from a great movie we watched the other night, "Bella." I can't really explain what the movie was about, except how it made me feel...no matter how messed up our world or our lives may seem at times, there is still hope and love and the possibility of life and redemption. I would recommend it to any movie-goer, but keep in mind that it is not a smash, bang, action-packed type of movie, and be ready for a bit of introspection. And bring some tissues...

This morning after arriving to work and discovering we only had three children today, two of which left early (!) I picked up a book on our shelf of child-related books I'd been wanting to read, and within the first couple of pages read some things that reverberated so well with what I'd already been thinking about, I just had to write it down and share...

(From: "I Love You Rituals" by Becky A. Bailey)

"I have noticed a growing undercurrent of change. Viewed from a small perspective, this change could appear disruptive or negative; yet from a bigger picture, its beauty is unfolding. From a microscopic view we see increases in juvenile delinquency, suicide, rebellion, depression, apathy, and drug addictions. In young children, we see enormous increases in hyperactivity, impulsiveness, power struggles, demanding behavior, and willful fits of displeasure when they do not get what they want. In young adults, brilliance and genius are budding, yet a moral compass is missing. Busy, frantic parents chase dreams and miss moments with each other and with their children. Others work to make ends meet and spend little time with each other: Material goods seduce us more than kindness. News headlines offer tragedy after tragedy, so that denial becomes a defense against hopelessness. But under all these struggles, all these cries for help, is a rumble, a wave building in the ocean of life, ready to crest and carry us all forward. This rumble is our intense, true desire for connection with each other: We long to belong. We strive to offer and receive unconditional love. This desire to be loved and loveable unites us all. "

Isn't that awesome?! And so true! There was a lot more I could have shared, but I didn't want to lose you too quickly, so I'll save it for another time :) It's so easy to look at circumstances, from being stuck in traffic, to a life-claiming accident, and try to blame someone else, saying that they caused this thing to happen, burrowing ourselves deeper and deeper into a negative way of being; when in reality people don't have the authority to determine what happens in our lives unless we give them that authority. We need to live for a greater positive purpose, heading closer and closer to true Love.