The Great In You!
Update On My Novel
As I push well past the halfway point on the update to my novel, most of my changes involve making the connections deeper among the characters. Upon watching the Cardinals elect Pope Leo XIV, I understand why.
I realized there is just one thread that connects us to one another: God. Regardless of your beliefs or how “religious” you are, someone created us and because of that, we all are connected to one another. We are all in the ultimate club, led by God.
It is a challenging membership at times. But our struggles unite us. We all go through them and can relate to one another because of them. Think of your favorite book, movie or song and you will find a piece of you in it.
As we weave through the ups and downs of our days, they may seem disconnected and disorienting in the moment. Only when looking back, when far enough away, can we see the beauty of God’s plan, coming together, with perfect timing. No one creates better plots than God.
Looking back, I see God’s perfect timing in my life. Perhaps you do as well. All of our ups and downs led us to precisely where God wants us. We are all united through this journey. I felt a warmth and hope in the world as I witnessed the Cardinals electing a new pope.
Upon the death of Pope Francis, many Catholics across the planet made their way to Rome. A subset of them were one hundred and thirty three Cardinals who were to vote for a new leader of the Catholic Church. They did so knowing that one hundred and thirty two would go back to being a Cardinal and one would become the pope.
Across seven continents and 70 countries, spanning every type of economy, government and political system, the Cardinals made their way to Rome and gathered in the Sistine Chapel. They did so solemnly and calling for the Holy Spirit to guide them, looking for the good in one another to vote for their next leader.
This is quite a different process than how political positions are chosen. In that world, mud slinging, viral words and accusations are used to bring down opponents. The voters participate and amplify it all. The media creates stories of this destruction to monetize every part of it.
That is a false reality. That isn’t our story.
The real stories, the great stories, exist from our inherent human connection to one another. The Cardinals coming together to elect a pope showed me this beautiful reality. It is this human connection and the love of one another that brings out the best in one another. This connection unites us and supersedes any perceived differences due to country, government, race, economic status, political party or any other category created by the mud slingers. This human story is worth knowing and one that I am telling in my novel.
The election of Pope Leo XIV by the one hundred and thirty three Cardinals shows me that God wants us to recognize the good, even the great, in one another. The great in you!
Peace.
P.S. Thanks for sticking with me for 52 weeks!
Right on, Charles. We need that connection.
Today's trend of being in authority of oneself, needing no one, has been accompanyied by a rise in suicide, the ultimate expression of hopelessness. We are beginning to reverse that trend, but slowly. Keep up with your writing. It always makes me feel whole.