Back to Narnia

I had an in-depth conversation this weekend with a good friend of mine and fellow author, James Peercy.  He’s an author of fantasy (https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/7540755-james-peercy), and although I have not ventured into the realm of fantasy writing (yet), it’s one of my favorite genres.  I, of course, love Harry Potter (as expressed in previous blog posts such as https://jackiesmith114.wordpress.com/2014/01/24/i-believe-in-dragons/).  I’m also a fan of Tolkien’s world and although I haven’t read the books, I’m really enjoying my journey into Westernos in Game of Thrones.  My favorite fictional land, however, to this day remains CS Lewis’ magical Narnia, Aslan’s Country.

I think there comes a time in all of our lives that we need a Narnia: a land of magic, a land of redemption, a land of beauty.  In it’s golden age, Narnia is a land untouched by greed or a thirst for power.  Its inhabitants live and coexist peacefully with love and respect for one another.  Narnia is, I believe, as close to my idea of Heaven as anything I’ll ever see on this Earth.  Except, perhaps, the Isle of Iona, but that’s another blog post.

This weekend, I decided to revisit Narnia in the form of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader movie.  As I was watching, not only was my love and adoration for Ben Barnes renewed, but I found myself thinking back to the conversation I’d had with James.  We’d spoken of all the things in life that cannot be explained, all the mysteries that remain unsolved, and all the wonders that have yet to be made known.  I thought, “How fortunate the Pevensie children were to discover a place like Narnia!  What I wouldn’t give!”

But then I remembered something else.  The Pevensie children didn’t really discover Narnia.  CS Lewis created it and gave it as a gift to the world so that we all might discover.  This amazing, wonderful, magical land is a product of one man’s creative mind, and in that moment, I realized how extraordinary that really is.  So many wonders of the world are God-given, it’s true, but just think of all the amazing things man has done in his short time here.  We’ve walked on the moon.  We’ve crossed oceans.  We’ve discovered the gift of flight.  The truth is there are very few, if any, things that we are not capable of.  That’s a terrifying thought, but it’s also, I think, a very profound thought. If we put even a little bit of thought into it, we could do amazing things, not only for ourselves, but for our planet and for all who inhabit it.  Instead of wasting energy fighting or obsessing over petty things that really won’t matter in the end, why not focus on the good?  On making the world a better place for future generations?

The human mind and the human spirit are incredible.  We were, after all, created in the image of God.  I think that means a whole lot more than we were created to look like Him.  We are capable of so much more than we’ve resigned ourselves to believe.  We were designed to do good, to make differences, to create worlds.  Maybe 2015 will be the year that we begin to acknowledge it.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

I know I’ve talked about my time spent in Scotland on this blog before.  Lately, however, I’ve been thinking a lot specifically about my time spent on Iona, otherwise known as St. Columba’s Sacred Isle.

Iona is amazing.  Anyone who doesn’t believe that fairy tales exist, clearly has never ventured to the Iona, or any part of Scotland for that matter.  It has the most beautiful white beaches, crystal blue waters, lofty hills, windswept meadows, and the most fantastic celtic crosses, some of which are centuries old.

St. Martin’s Cross

The plaque at the base of St. Martin’s Cross

Sometimes on Iona, chickens just walk down the side of the road.

As magical as Iona is during the day,  it was equally captivating at sunset.

One of my favorite moments on Iona wasn’t spent on the beach or hiking the hills.  It was one evening in the hostel after dinner.  Of all the hostels we stayed at in Scotland, Iona’s was the one that felt the most like home.  That evening, we’d made a home-cooked meal, a luxury we hadn’t been able to enjoy at any of the other hostels.  Don’t get me wrong, their food was fine, but it sort of reminded me of cafeteria food.  On Iona, however, we prepared our own meal and cleaned up afterword.  It was the sort of thing I never enjoy at home, but somehow, in that cozy island setting, it was like a scene straight out of a novel.

After we finished clean-up, a small group of us gathered around in the den.  The den was right next to the dining area.  It had a few bookshelves and a small nook next to a giant window that overlooked the vast fields leading down to the shore.  Jeb, the leader of the group and our youth minister, brought out his guitar and started strumming.  My sister and I each settled down onto one of the couches with the books we’d purchased at the airport (yes, we took our own books, but really, who can resist an airport bookstore?).  She read Matched by Ally Condie.  I’d selected Insatiable by Meg Cabot.

I actually really enjoyed it.  Sadly, the sequel did not end the way I wanted it to.  Oh well.  You can’t win them all.

Jeb played a number of songs that evening, but the only one I remember is “Breakfast at Tiffany’s.”  I remember it because every one of us in the room stopped what we were doing to sing along.  It was just one of those magical moments.  No computer.  No television.  Nothing but pure simplicity.  Books, music, comfortable couches, and a sunset over the sea.  I don’t think I’ve ever been more content.