Saturday night, Jared and I had finished our chores and we looking to find something to do. We made the decision that a movie would be fun and would double as date night for the week. After contemplating what had just come out, what was remaining in the dollar theater, and what was new, we decided that we should see Cinderella (Disney 2015).
I was not expecting at all what I felt while watching that movie.
The story line followed that of the original animated feature, though with a bit more depth and you get to meet Ella's mother and father. I loved that it was beautifully filmed and written so well. But what got me what how much of an emotional & spiritual mirror it became to me.
If anyone knows me, they know my mother is the best seamstress in the world. All my childhood, even into my adult life she has rescued me and blessed me with hand made dresses and clothes. My appreciation has never faded, but was was ever so reminded of my wonderful mother and my love for her.
It is when Cinderella walks down the stairs. Expecting that since she was able to provide her own dress to go to the ball, that her stepmother would let her go. As we all know, her step mother was not at all planning to let that happen. After destroying her dress, her step family left Ella in emotional turmoil. She runs to the garden to only meet an elderly woman that asks for milk, and of course Ella readily complies. After sloppily draining the boil of milk down her throat and dress, the woman asks Ella why she is upset, and then reveals that she is her Fairy Godmother. After an entertaining transformation of the coach, footmen, driver and horses, all that is left to be transformed is Ella's dress.
It is in that moment that Ella refuses to let her Fairy Godmother to change her dress completely, but that she remain in that dress because it was her mother's. Her Fairy Godmother asks if Ella's mother would mind if she spruced it up a bit, and change it to a charming blue. Ella responds in the affirmative and the change begins.
In this beautiful moment Ella slowly spins, revealing the flow of the voluptuous skirt and as she stops butterflies flutter and land along the neckline. I could not console my swelling heart! I cried and remembered the beautiful moment when I put on my wedding dress my mother made me, for the first time. I remember twirling in it, knowing that my mother made that dress for me, and that I was no doubt a princess.
Now fast forward to the strike of midnight when Ella runs to her coach, hoping to escape, she runs into the King. Here she stops and tells him that his son loves him. To most, that is just a sweet moment, but when you see the prince curl up with his dying father, it means so much more. Me and my husband are only 60 days away from getting sealed, and with that has come a long journey of gaining a stronger relationship with our Father in Heaven and as a couple. That moment that Ella explains that the prince loves his Father reminded me of how much my husband loves not only his earthly father, but how much he loves his Heavenly Father. I think it is important, that as his eternal companion, that I recognize that love that he does and support him in showing that love for our Heavenly Father.
Now the last thing that impressed me was the fact that from the first time, to the last time they meet and the slipper fits, the prince calls himself an apprentice, that he is learning a trade. The trade being King. I think that we all are apprentice gods and goddesses, and I loved that at the end he expresses that he is still working on it, and hopes she will love him even though that is all that he is now.
Jared asked me a similar question when we talked about marriage. He asked me if I would accept that he had things to work on still before we could be sealed. That he needed to learn and grow more, and if I could commit to him while he did so. Not discounting that I too had my own self to sort out. But we recognized that we both were just ourselves, imperfect apprentices. But with time, and if we have as Cinderella's mother said, courage & kindness, we can achieve all that we need to, to become Kings & Queens.
