Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Tough Questions

So there we were watching a Harry Potter movie, The Prisoner of Azkaban. That’s the one where Sirius Black and Harry get into a whole lotta worry with the Dementors out in the woods near Hogwarts (among other perilous situations) and we were all glued to our seats. Grandson, Sam, is currently in the thrall of the wizardly Harry. Sam’s sister, Anna, who is 7, sat next to me on the sofa. She’s not so much in thrall, but more in shivery awe of all things high drama.

We had our jammies on and a blanket over our knees with a big mixed bowl of bite sized chocolate pieces for comfort. A perfect stay over at Grandma and Grandpa’s, right?

Well . . .

At the crux of one scene where a Dementor swoops in to suck the souls from Sirius and Harry, Anna only just peeked out from the blanket all popeyed. But she was listening – I could tell. And right there in mid-horrible movie scene, she turned to me and asked . . .

“Grandma, what’s a soul?”

Ho, boy. How is it that children can blindside you like this? Somehow they ask a universally difficult question and with complete confidence in you, the beloved elder, they expect the right answer.

I sent up a swift prayer and said . . .

“Your soul is the essence of who you are.” I tapped her lightly on the cheek. “It’s the life force deep inside of you that makes you Anna. It’s a gift God has given to you – just for you. It’s what you are in your heart and it never dies.”

She smiled and let out a little sigh. “Oh.”

And then Harry and Sirius were rescued and we snuggled back down under the blanket and had another bite sized Snickers.

That conversation made me think of how and why I write. A soul baring of sorts, a bit at a time. So that others can know me better and relate to me as a fellow soul. It’s how we understand what’s unique about each other and, conversely, what we have in common. It helps us live together.  

I have things to tell that are different from what you have to tell. My say is different from your say in a way that draws me to you – or not. There’s that, too. But all together it makes for a wonderfully interesting world of sights, sounds, and experiences.

What little bit of your soul do you share with others? Not just you writers, but all of you. Do you have your say as often as you’d like?

How would you have answered Anna?



Image: Free Digital Photos



8 comments:

  1. You did a fine job of explaining soul to Anna. I never thought of soul in writing, but as we write, we do share our soul with others.

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    1. We do, Marion. Where else do we have to draw from, really? Thanks for the support. =0)

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  2. I feel more like Anna as I read your blog... waiting for your answer. Not that I didn't know what a soul was, but I don't think I could have expressed it as eloquently as you did. Not just to Anna, but how you went on expressing to us, your readers.

    Susan, I keep thinking as I read your blogs, Oh, this is my favorite one! That's what I'm thinking today.

    You, my friend, are a great writer. You have a soul that shines so bright and I'm so glad to be one who is so aware of it. Once again... thank you!

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    1. Oh, Cindy. I wish I had better answers to life's big questions. But maybe we're not any one of us assigned the exclusive duty of answering all of those tricky bits. We just have to hope when we do bump up against a tough question God gives us the grace to speak well. And you shine pretty bright yourself! God Bless you.

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  3. It's what makes us, 'us!'

    Nobody has the ability to boil life down to the basics more than a child. Or to put you on the spot! There's that.

    Happy Wednesday.

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    1. Happy Wednesday to you, too, Rhonda. Seems like I'm "on the spot," quite a bit with the grandkids. I keep waiting for old and wise to kick in, but some days - I wonder!

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  4. Once again Sue you have proven my theory correct. There is always a need for Grandma love and my kids have had a better childhood because I work :) Thank goodness for the grandmas!

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