I have a friend who unabashedly loves to see cartoons and animated movies. Her list is endless: “Coco,” “ Captain Underpants , ” “Moana,” “Finding Nemo,” “Toy Story,” “Aladdin”….
She doesn’t even look for a child to take with her to the cinema. Popcorn in hand, a smile on her face, it’s the heart and soul of animation that lights her up.
Now if it were me, I’d borrow a kid, like my best friend’s eight-year-old granddaughter, and I’d enter the movies as an escort; but truth be told, I would be enjoying the fantasy world of storytelling through and through. There is something magical about animated movies. They’re transporting and they’re often about one simple word, LOVE.
This morning, as I was looking at the cover of this month’s magazine and feeling the width and breath of what love is all about, I realized we have an opportunity to think about love in a broader dimension. Yes, of course, we will always have romantic love that sets our hearts ablaze, and love for our children, our families, our pets and for our acquisitions.
A Whole New WorldI can show you the world Shining, shimmering splendid
Tell me, princess, now when did
You last let your heart decide!
I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over sideways and under
On a magic carpet ride
A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we´re only dreaming
A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I´m way up here It´s crystal clear That now I´m in a whole new world with you
Now I´m in a whole new world with you
Unbelievable sights Indescribable feeling Soaring , tumbling , freewheeling Through an endless diamond sky
A
whole new world (Don´t you dare close your eyes) A hundred thousand
things to see (Hold your breath it gets better) I´m like a shooting star
I´ve come so far I can´t go back to where I used to be
A
whole new world (Every turn a surprise) With new horizons to pursue
(Every moment, red-letter) I´ll chase them anywhere There´s time to
spare Let me share this whole new world with you
A whole new world (A whole new world) That´s where we´ll be (That´s where we´ll be) A thrilling chase A wondrous place For you and me
Songwriters: Alan Menken / Tim Rice A Whole New World lyrics © Walt Disney Music Company Artists: Lea Salonga, Brad Kane • Movie: Aladdin • Released: 1992
Today, though,
I’m inclined to invite you, the reader of the Happy Herald, to feel the
love of a whole new world. Can you engineer in your mind and heart, for
just this moment, a world where the earth and the soil is nourished?
Where the children feel safe and the animals are well cared for and
respected? Can you see a world of compassion, of appreciation - and as
long as we are playing the fantasy game, how about a
world where there is reverence for our Mother Earth? These are the
messages that are needed to awaken our hearts. These are the
lessons for our children and our children´s children. It’s time to go to
the movies and listen to the wisdom that is shared through the magic of
storytelling.
I’m sitting in love right now, reminiscing about the game I used to play with my children at night. It was just after the movie “Aladdin” came out and we all were tickled by the notion of traveling on a magic carpet. So each night as my four-year-old son and five-year-old daughter would lay down to sleep, I would tell them a story that included a magic carpet. Eyes closed, we would travel the world, seeing glistening sites and feeling the wind beneath us as we were transported to a world that was shimmering and splendid. Our hearts were open wide and our minds filled with the images that allowed us to soar into sleep and to love ourselves and each other and especially our whole new world. There’s a lot of ways to love, and a lotta loving to do. I found the lyrics to the “Aladdin” theme song from 1992. I hope you enjoy the ride as you read and sing along… and share your love throughout this wonderful month of February!