Cinderella

My day started with my friend Jen from the school office running into my room and telling me to call my husband right away.  Derek crashed on his way to school and knocked out his front tooth.
Poor kid.  He was lying on the sidewalk trying to get a hold of me.  It was Pirate Day at school and I didn't have my phone with me.  I am so grateful for the beyond wonderful people I work with who immediately went into action to cover for me so I could go and rescue Derek.  He crashed by my sweet friend Patty's house and I told him to go knock on her door.  Luckily she was home and she dropped everything to take care of him until I got there.  I walked into the house and he was safe and she was getting him ice and I was so grateful.  I got him settled at home, made an appointment for the first dental appointment that was available and ran to the district office for a meeting.  I ran back to the school for pirate day, and then headed back to take Derek to the dentist in Lehi because that was the only place available today.  I got him checked in and we sat in the waiting room while the last 20 min. of the original Disney Cinderella was on...and that is where I lost it.  Sobbing in the waiting room...it was not pretty.

 Sobbing for a few reasons.  First of all because life just is life.  I am always running short and the whole thing about being there for my kids v.s. working and being grateful for a job and insurance and everything that goes with that security is always on my mind.  So much guilt for so many things.  But those little mice were trying so hard to get that key to Cinderella so she could just run down to try on that glass slipper.  Crying because those birds started to drop the dishes on horrible Lucifer the mean cat to help Cinderella too because they love her so much.  They love her because of all she has done for them.  They love each other.  They would do anything for Cinderella because she would do anything for them.  There is nothing selfish or wrong with caring and helping your friends.  Cinderella calls for Bruno the dog who is sleeping and the birds don't skip a beat to go and get the dog, and the horse realizes what is going on and gets the dog up.  The dog gets up the stairs just in time and Cinderella gets down stairs and when the slipper breaks, she produces the other glass slipper.

Recently I have been reading a lot about how irrelevant fairy tales are.  It is all over social media and in conversations I have in the world.  I love fairly tales.  The summer after I was in 4th grade my family had this big red book of fairy tales that was over 400 pages long.  I wanted to read every fairy tale in that book and I spent my 4th grade summer reading it.  I finished it and I internalized it.  Fairy Tales are part of who I am.  Cinderella is one of those stories I love, and so many people love because of the themes that resonate with so many people.  Identifying with oppression and coping with loss and still being a beautiful person inside no matter what life throws at you.  Enduring to the end, hoping for a better life, kindness, compassion, friendship, service, love, never losing hope, treating animals and others with love and respect. Identifying fairness, developing empathy, distinguishing Christ like Characteristics of Cinderella contrasted by the unkindness and selfishness of the stepsisters.  Having faith in things hoped for.  No one ever has to explain to children that Cinderella is the person we should try to be more like.  Children know it when they see it.  Truth is like that.  We know it.  It is there in plain sight in front of us.

While discussing all of this with my husband Jeff tonight he had a very wise perspective;  "Cinderella did need to be rescued.  Some times in life all of us may need to be. But just as a princess might need to be rescued by a prince, a real man will need a princess in his life to save him too.  They save each other.  There is nothing wrong with that."