There can’t be a Soundtrack of my Life, without the incomparable Judy Garland and this song from The Wizard of Oz. The dreamy quality of her voice in this song, has the little girl in me excited that my wishes will be waiting for me just over the next hurtle. It is a song about dreams, but also about hope, that one day the world will be a better place for us all.
Today’s essay came to me not after watching Wizard of Oz, but strangely, after watching “It – Part 2.” (Stay with me…this will all make sense I promise!) For anyone not familiar with Stephen King’s novel, the basic premise is that an evil force is personified by Pennywise the Clown and it feeds on fear. This evil “clown” grows stronger as it goes on a killing spree and is (sorry for the spoiler) eventually defeated by the children who are now grown and learn the secret to its power. They use hope and love to defeat fear. Well, perhaps a sharp object or two as well, but you get my drift.
There are countless books and movies that use Hope as a tool in defeating Evil in whatever form it comes in. Star Wars has an entire franchise modeled after the premise. But what I’ve been thinking about a lot is that fear can sneak up on you in real life and before you even realize it, its breathing down your neck. It can pit neighbor against neighbor, entire countries against each other, and can even have you battling against yourself in some cases. Fear is a very strong motivator, and it causes more havoc than I think anyone really needs, or expects. But if you have hope, well… that is your super power!
With hope, you can face all kinds of things, evil clowns, death, even a witch who is trying to steal your ruby slippers. With hope, or faith as it is also known, you can defeat the scariest thing that life can dish out. Hope tells you things will get better, hope promises you will go on to a better place, hope guarantees that the world will be able to heal after it tears itself apart. Hope is a gift we can all share.
It is what I wish for the people I love, even the people I haven’t met,and all those that this message comes to. My wish is that hope comes into your life and obliterates any bit of fear that lingers. No matter how bad it gets, I wish that hope gives you the strength to take that next step toward your goal and that each step gets easier with time. And what I hope most of all is that there is a better future for us all just over that rainbow that Dorothy sings about.
I’m interested to know, what do you hope for? What dreams are you searching for? What would you hope to find over your rainbow? Let me know in the comments! In the meantime, happy writing and safe travels! XO
D.A. Henneman - Romance Author 