You know, sometimes material things strip us of our vision; all the clothes, shoes, delicious foods and parties, and of course, Starbucks coffee, cloud my eyes from time to time, leaving me blind. But today, a woman sitting in the pew in front of me during mass simply deteriorated those clouds and filled my eyes with bright sunshine, illuminating my surroundings, therefore allowing me to see things I’ve never been able to see before. Okay, so I’m not going to be dramatic because I know you don’t want no drama; I just wanted to share a little inspiration in hopes that it might inspire you all in some way or another.

Ariel from Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” purposefully sacrificed her beautiful voice in order to transform her body to fall in love with a human prince. What Disney forgot to mention from Hans Christian Andersen’s tale, however, was the fact that the young aquatic princess yearned to become human in order to possess a human soul as well, one that lasts eternally even after death (mermaids lived for hundreds of years, but when they died, they disintegrated and became sea foam).

Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” fanpop.com

I know this piece of information sounds super random, but I have reasons for writing it. First, I adore “The Little Mermaid” story. Second, it reminded me of the woman in mass.

When I first saw her sit down, I analyzed her outfit immediately. In addition to sporting a faded denim jacket with a sewn-on Native American woman’s head looking down in meditation, her head was wrapped in a tattered scarf while ancient-looking glasses rested upon her nose. I couldn’t see her pants, and I wasn’t about to stand up and look over the pew to catch a glimpse because that would be super creepy, not to mention cheeky. Honestly, I thought this woman was a hot mess.

But then, mass commenced and the choir began singing.  I couldn’t help but notice the woman waving her hands around; I thought she was crazy. But soon enough, I realized that she was mute, and while reading the lyrics in the song book, she utilized her body in order to express her appreciation and love for what she has been blessed with through sign language. Failing to have a voice failed to prevent her from demonstrating her love, turning potential words into graceful movements.  She reminded me that outside appearances aren’t nearly as important as the soul. This may be cliche, but shante, it stays.  Although she didn’t purposefully give up her voice like the little mermaid did, she still signaled her admiration for a part of another world, one where her love may exist eternally.

I remember when I used to never sing in church, because I thought it was lame and found my voice to be nasty to the max. But, after learning some things I found that through one’s voice, the soul manifests itself into passionate prose, sweet song or anything in between yet all the way to the extremes. And through this manifestation that composes internal rhythms, one can harmoniously fill the world with beauty. And who doesn’t appreciate Beauty? Even the wildest Beast can’t help but admire and eventually love what was previously foreign to him.

Like this woman, utilize what you have to your advantage; when playing your cards right, eventually you can get nearly whatever you want.  And knowing how to get what you want (good things, of course) while having these desires last eternally is a nice skill to have. :)

Amen to that.