To What End? The Purpose of Our Relationships

I love the Broadway musical Wicked. For those readers unfamiliar with the story, it is based on the best-selling novel, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory McGuire which runs parallel to the classic novel by L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Wicked tells the story of Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Their friendship causes them to face their opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, their reactions to the Wizard's corrupt government and ultimately, Elphaba's public fall from grace. The plot is set mostly before Dorothy's arrival from Kansas and includes several references to well-known scenes and dialogue in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz as a back-story.

Wicked is running here in the Phoenix metro area at Tempe’s Gammage Auditorium throughout the month of July, 2009. Find out if Wicked is coming to your area and check this musical out. In the meantime, I wanted to share the lyrics to a song from Wicked. The song is sung between Elphaba and Glinda, just before the finale. I've shared the lyrics to Defying Gravity from Wicked in an earlier post.

For Good

(Elphaba)

I'm limited
Just look at me - I'm limited.
And just look at you
You can do all I couldn't do, Glinda.
So now it's up to you
For both of us - now it's up to you...

(Glinda)

I've heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don't know if I believe that's true
But I know I'm who I am today
Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

(Elphaba)

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You'll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend...

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a sky bird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I've been changed for the better?
But because I knew you

(Glinda)

Because I knew you
(Both) I have been changed for good

(Elphaba)

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the thing I've done you blame me for

(Glinda)

But then, I guess we know
There's blame to share

(Both) And none of it seems to matter anymore

(Glinda)

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood

(Elphaba)

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

(Both)

Who can say if I've been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better

(Glinda)

And because I knew you...

(Elphaba)

Because I knew you...

(Both)

Because I knew you...
I have been changed for good.

This song has inspired me at a time when I have been feeling challenged by my relationships. Some of my relationships seem static and difficult. I have begun to wonder if it would be in the best interest of both of us to move along.

Indifference and Apathy: Disease of the Spirit

"The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of inhumanity." -- George Bernard Shaw

Hate is the other side of love and shows at least energy and passion. Probably most of us feel surges of hate at some time or another, especially toward those we love the most. We can deal with this if we realize that these moments will pass and be forgiven.

But indifference and apathy can become a disease of the spirit so pervasive that their darkness envelops everything. Then life is stifled and throttled at the root. If we don't value the people around us, they will feel our lack of caring as striking at the heart of their humanity. If we have no time for life, then life and those close to us will drift away from us.

The world is a place of splendor and love. We can connect with it if we reach out beyond self-concern and replace indifference and apathy with the energy of living and loving.

Saving Yourself

FORGIVE THE PAST!

LIVE THE DAY!

LOOK FORWARD TO TOMORROW!

"Forgive the past by releasing the pain it will only hurt you and others.

Live the day by forgiving the past and looking forward to tomorrow, you can't change either without changing your actions today.

Look forward to tomorrow by building and sharing you love to help you achieve your goals."

LEARN TO LOVE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU CAN LOVE OTHERS!

My dear friend Cliff wrote this for me the other day. He is aware of the struggle I'm having releasing the past, f0rgiving, and moving on. I'm grateful to have a friend like Cliff.

Healing Through Forgiveness

For every person in your past with whom you feel unhealed but unable to go back and resolve, there is someone standing before you offering you the opportunity to practice the healing you believe you missed.

-- Alan Cohen

How to Get to Forgiveness

One is as one is, and the love that can’t encompass both is a poor sort of love.
- Marya Mannes

I have struggled to find the way to forgive myself and others. Forgiving isn’t easy. Writing this blog isn't easy. I am carrying so much resentment and hurt around with me. In fact, when I’ve been deeply hurt or victimized by someone else, I may feel I can’t forgive. Yet, for my own peace of mind and in order to let go, I may finally try. It’s been suggested by my therapist that forgiveness is easier under certain conditions: a positive connection with the person we want to forgive, a deep relationship with the Universe, and lots of time.

Forgiveness is often preceded by grieving fully; we must first heal from the harm that was done to us. Through the honesty, power and wisdom gained through personal growth we are gently lead through the process of forgiving ourselves and others. Many of us have also experienced the Universe’s unconditional forgiveness which gives us a model. I acknowledge my responsibility for my actions, I let go of resentment, I grieve, and, finally, I forgive. Today, I will let go and let God.