Dear World,
I recently re-read the Chronicles of Narnia, and I was surprised by how well C.S Lewis presented difficult themes throughout the books. Death, suffering, and redemption are all interwoven throughout the stories, the themes themselves unavoidable in our own world, too. I most especially related to the Eustace’s character in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader whose love for comfort turns him into a dragon. Later Eustace meets the Lion Aslan who instructs him to peel off his dragon scales in order to turn back into a boy.
The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart. And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I’ve ever felt. The only thing that made me able to bear it was just the pleasure of feeling the stuff peel off.
So much of life is the brave act of tearing away at the things we thought we needed. It’s a perpetual act of letting go till we finally get to the heart of the matter. Although the “peeling process” is often painful, the end result is freedom. This last year was a tearing away at the shows and festivals I thought were absolutely necessary for me. I had to ask the deeper questions of who I am outside of my life as a touring musician. It took Eustace tearing away to realize who he really was.
Then he caught hold of me – I didn’t like that much for I was very tender underneath now that I’d no skin on… After that it became perfectly delicious and as soon as I started swimming and splashing I found that all the pain had gone from my arm. And then I saw why. I’d turned into a boy again
I am realizing above all I am firstly a daughter, a sister, and a friend before a singer.
As we reflect on what was torn away from us this past year, may we have the courage to realize that who we are was not lost.
Yours,
Marie
