Belief

The definition of belief is the acceptance of truth of something: acceptance by the mind that something is true or real, often underpinned by an emotional or spiritual sense of certainty and trust: confidence that somebody or something is good or will be effective.*

I just watched Julie and Julia. It's a terrific movie about Julia Child and her quest to get her cookbook published and a young woman named Julie, who is a bit lost, and doesn't know what to do with her life. She decides to write a blog about her efforts to cook all of Julia Child's Recipes from How To Master French Cooking in one year. It was, for me, a story about believing in oneself.

There are so many similarities to my life that I don't quite know where to begin. I have been lost. For a while. There were so many things I wanted to do with my life, but other things got in the way. There were so many ideas I had about where I would be, and what I would be doing when I reached forty. But life doesn't always turn out the way you planned. Mine certainly didn't. And for a long time I have been sad sometimes, disheartened and angry at other times. But mostly I have wondered what I want to be when I grow up. What I wanted when I was twenty and thirty isn't what I want now.

So, what do I want. Well, I want to do something inspiring. For myself. For others is a bonus, but mostly for myself. Writing about love is inspiring. Partly because I haven't found it yet. Partly because it's universal, and partly because it makes me feel good. But it's the belief that fairy tales are real, that they exist, that keeps me going. And meeting people who have their own fairy tales to tell, real fairy tales, the proof of the myth...That keeps me searching for the next one.

But there is another kind of belief that is powerful,and beautiful and precious. It is the overwhelming feeling you get when someone else believes in you. The first person to believe in my Love Stories project was my friend Felicia. Then there is my friend Doug, who really pushed me try to make it happen. But the person whose belief has meant the most is my mother. And it is her belief in what I am doing coupled with my own need to see this through that makes it all worth it.

Here's what I have found so far...

I believe in fairy tale love. I believe it is more prevalent then we think. I believe that love is powerful. I believe that when someone else believes in you it makes you powerful. I believe that love is precious, and sacred and should never be taken for granted.

I believe in me. I may falter sometimes, and I may lose my way. But I believe...


*Definition from Encarta World English Dictionary