Blessed are….

In my fantastical adventurous Portals Series, there is an enemy to magic. It is not dark magic, for even sorcery has a place in my fictionalized world of portals and realms even as some look down their nose at it. It is rather an ideal, an entity called evil. Evil is twisted, created from the magics of the four Bearers, yet it rejects the Bearers. It takes magic and consumes it, denying the world of light and elements, natural and even darkness that the ancient powers brought forth to create the realms. Without magic, life becomes void. Realms are consumed, like Rhadamanthys the Druid’s realm was in The Last Druid, and battles are fought in which some lose everything, like in my latest novel Heirs to the Realm. Yet, the Portal Seeker and the other descendants of Douglagal strive to counter this evil, casting it out of the realms and continuing to show the light and love and hope and peace and joy that comes from the magic that created them. But yet, it is there, as it always is, taunting them even as it never wins.

However, there are blessings as well. There are lives that are changed, heroes that discover they had magic within them, and stories that continue even after the words have been finished. There is hope that one day the fight against evil will be done, the world will live in peace, the marginalized will have a happy ending, and love will continue to conquer all. The blessing were always there. It just took an adventure and some magic to find them.

I often tell others my stories are inspired by real life. And in this real life, evil still exists as well. It has existed since the dawn of time and it will continue long after this world is finished. But in the “real world,” evil is more insidious. It is more nuanced. It is more intertwined into the makings of the world. It is that evil and the ones who continue to perpetrate it that are written into my stories as the antagonists, the villains, the adversities to fight about.

But my heroes in my stories are also inspired by real life. I look to those in the world, in my community, in my circle of friends who continue to fight against injustices, continue to work to help those who can’t help themselves, those who become the voices fighting against the tide. They are the volunteers who help the ever increasing lower income population with food and housing and other expenses as a part of the Norwalk Ministerial Association. They are the ones speaking out against the tide of legislative bills seeking to repress the LGTQBIA+ community. They are the ones who continue to just put one foot in front of the other when dealing with obstacles that would sideline others. They inspire the qualities that become each of my characters…. ordinary people become extraordinary, looking to help others in their times of need. But they are also those that need to be inspired and blessed as well.

The tiny church I attend in my little swath of the Midwest is working through the Gospel of Luke each Sunday. This past Sunday was Luke’s take on the Sermon of the Mount, the beatitudes that start with “Blessed are…..”. Most anyone who ever has attended a Christian church regularly knows that Matthew starts with “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3, NRSV)

But Luke… Luke shakes things up a bit. Instead of writing that they are poor in spirit, he just mentions “Blessed are the poor.” (part of Luke 6:20, NRSV). This is a reminder that those on the fringes of society, the poor, the homeless, the marginalized, the outcasts are still loved and should still be respected. They are blessed, just as we all are blessed. All of us have that magic within us, given by some sort of higher power (be it a deity or whatever else you believe in) to make things happen. But we have to recognize that everyone has that blessing. Everyone has that capability. Everyone has the right to write their own story and be recognized as having that story.

“God forbid you ever had to walk a mile in his shoes ’cause then you really might know what it’s like to sing the blues.”

~ Everlast, “What It’s Like”

It’s not about what we have or have not. It’s not about where we have gone or what we have done. It’s not about chasing achievements or gathering possessions. It’s about finding the story to write that showcases the magic we find. It’s about learning to love all, even those that have nothing to give us. It’s about bringing peace to the war-torn and calming the anxieties of those who may not know where their next meal is coming from. It’s about extending a hand of hope to those who are desolate and thinking of ending their own stories on a tough chapter or giving a helping hand to those who are grieving over another’s story having ended. It’s about working together to find the joy, the love, the peace, the hope and the magic that makes this world turn. And it’s about realizing that we all are blessed.

Blessed are…..

You fill in the blank.

Stay magical, dear friends.

Write your own story.

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