Doing the impossible

Have you ever done something that someone else would consider to be impossible? What was it? How can this be applied to a character or to a situation?

Tiny Baubles

Round and shiny, smooth and hollow. Glossy; pink, silver, green and purple. The holidays are a time to reflect (no pun intend

ed) on... 

Hmm. What do we reflect on during the holidays? Love and charity? Peace on earth and good will toward all men? Isn't that what the songs and stories tell us are important? 

Take the song I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day:

I heard the bells on Christmas Day

Their old familiar carols play, 

And wild and sweet the words repeat

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

I thought how, as the day had come,

The belfries of all Christendom

Had rolled along the unbroken song

Of peace on earth, good will to men.

And in despair I bowed my head: 

"There is no peace on earth," I said,

"For hate is strong and mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good will to men."

The pealed the bells more loud and deep: 

"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;

The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,

With peace on earth, good will to men."

Till, ringing singing, on its way,

The world revolved from night to day,

A voice, a chime, a chant sublime,

Of peace on earth, good will to men!

(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1867)

What a wonderful message! Christmas bells are a reminder to us that God is not dead, that the wrong shall fail, and that there will be peace on earth! 

I'm a bit of a magazine addict. I've read upwards of about 22 holiday-themed magazines this season so far. I have yet to read one with even a small focus on peace on earth and good will toward all men. Nope. It's all about Stuff. 

What is it about Stuff that we love so much? Holding it in our hands? Feeling and caressing it's wonderful warmth? Carefully stowing it away in a secret hiding place, simply to know that it's there until the time that we need it? 

My grandmother longed for nothing more that a pair of ice skates for Christmas one year when she was a young girl during the Great Depression. She hoped and dreamed about these skates for months beforehand. When Christmas morning came, she was miraculously surprised with the perfect pair of beautiful skates that her parents had scrimped and saved up for. Overjoyed, she ran outside and enjoyed them on the nearby lake.

When she was finished, she left them outside to dry off. When she went to retrieve them, someone had stolen them right off of her front porch. My grandmother was absolutely devastated, to the point that she had tears in her eyes when she was retelling this story almost 70 years later. The heartache penetrated the air, causing pangs of sympathy for everyone within hearing distance.

I honestly can't recall the last time that I received a holiday gift that was so incredibly precious to me. Although each and every one means so much, I can really only name about 5 of the 30 or so gifts that I received. And I doubt that I'll remember any of them 69 years from now. No one will feel sorry for me if the new black boots (my second pair) or the paperback version of Digital Fortress (that I'll probably never read) somehow gets lost or destroyed. I likely won't even feel sorry for myself. 

How did we get to this place where baubles are more important than the supposed "true" spirit of the holidays? Why is it that leaders who claim to be Christian are so focused on making sure that everyone has enough credit available to them for purchasing gifts this season but are completely neglecting their duties for creating peace on earth? Why are we so anxious to trade cheap, breakable, immemorable Stuff for living in a world where our children's children will be safe, will love everyone of every color and creed, and have clean air to breathe? Are we really that selfish?

Question of the Day

Pick a personality of some kind. One you've read about in a book, someone interesting who you know in real life or even a friend of a friend. If they were a superhero, what would be their powers?

Question of the Day

Pick one of your favorite characters from a book. If you were to meet that character, what trait would you likely find most striking/intriguing about him or her? 

Remember: anything goes! Personality, physical attribute, past experience...

P.S. I'm new at this. If you have a better question for tomorrow, let me know!

Welcome to the Paper Box

Brain buzzing with excitement.

Ideas flying by, most of them hardly pausing long enough for a portion of them to be captured.

Twists and turns, plot points, and climaxes growing like vines, zig-zagging and clinging.

Beautiful faces with long, thick histories singing sirens' songs.

Love, passion, mystery, and mayhem drenching the skin in their sweet wetness.

Fantasy and fiction morphing with reality. Painfully.

Writing is an art, one that is quickly forgotten without constant interaction by the artist. However, pen and paper are no longer crucial to this endeavor. The wonderful, glorious, overused Internet is now the preferred medium for many. Fortunately, all the important places (home, Starbucks) are now wired and are available in less time than it takes to find the dusty quill under the couch. 

Welcome to the Paper Box.

This is a place for aspiring writers (even those with no writing experience - read: me) to find inspiration. To interact through thought and key. To boldly go... anywhere without plagiarism. So dig deep within your writing soul and find what's interesting, what's intriguing, and what's missing. We gladly take ideas, advice, and friendly criticism. 

Enjoy!