October 2015

There he stood by the picnic table, all 38 inches of his three year old body, waving the garden hose from side to side and over his head.  The spray from the hose scattered in many directions as he dramatically sang,  “Let it go, let it go…….”  For the moment, my grandson felt he had the powers, just like Elsa in the movie, FROZEN.  For months now, he has spent part of most days playing “Anna and Elsa,”  pretending to control weather and people with the wave of an arm.  He is Elsa, I am Anna.  He pushes me away when I come toward the picnic table, just as Elsa pushes Anna away in the movie so as not to hurt Anna with her powers.  

“Go away!”  he yells.  “ I don’t want to hurt you.”

Having powers  is exciting.  Creating what you want or doing anything you want to do makes you seem important.  It sets you apart from others.  People may envy you.  However, it doesn’t always make you happy.  Even my three year old grandson recognizes that.  There is something missing in Elsa’s life.  She is sad because she can’t reverse the damage she accidentally caused with her powers.  Now she lives alone where she can use her powers without restriction but there is no one there to nurture.

Aren’t we all like Elsa sometimes?  It would feel so great to just “let it go” and do anything we want without taking others into consideration.  If we could just go off by ourselves, who would care about what we were doing, what we looked like or what we were saying.  We wouldn’t know how many hearts we had “frozen.”  Being considerate of others is so much work.  Apologizing for mistakes we make is so humiliating.  Staying “uninvolved” would be so much easier…..until we began to feel lonely.  

Just like Elsa, we would eventually realize we need other people.  We have love in our hearts and we need to share it.  We don’t need to be afraid to show it even if we make an occasional  mistake.  Like Elsa, we will discover that “only an act of true love can melt a frozen heart.”  Love is what brings life back to our environment, our communities and our hearts.  That source of love doesn’t come from the wave of one’s arm.  It is a gift from God.  We all have the gift, not just a select few.  Let’s bring happiness back to our world. 

Playing “Elsa and Anna”  with my grandson always ends with hugs and giggles as it should.  If only life was always that easy! 

 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 and 13

4Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance…….

13Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.