Of friendship and snow.

WE FINALLY HAVE SNOW!!! I'm pretty happy (rather obviously) about that! The first snowfall was absolutely beautiful, but I want to tell this all in order so that will have to wait a minute. ;)

My sister and I stayed over at our friend's house Sunday night so that we could go to her choir concert. It was quite fun! We had a great and hilarious time decorating their tree and playing Apples to Apples that evening. Apples to Apples has got to be the best, most entertaining game ever!

Her mom, who is a librarian, and I also decided to start our own good literature in libraries crusade. We're going to go through the Bethlehem Books catalog and others, find all the good, interesting books, and once a week request the library to order one! She feels quite strongly that we need more good books in libraries, and I definitely agree! And like she said, you can't just sit back and say, "Oh what a shame, I wish something could be done about it" - you need to be the one making the change! It reminded me of the quote from Edmund Burke, "The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." So true.

Tuesday was the beautiful feast of the Immaculate Conception. The same friend of mine stayed over, and we spent the afternoon helping prepare the food for the reception after Mass. It was so much fun! And it was quite nice, because I have some friends who are a few years older than me, and in the past few years they haven't been around as much, being busy with jobs and new lives. It's a normal part of growing up, but I missed them! Lately, however, they've been around more, and I'm also older, so it's easier for us all to talk and be friends again. I'm thankful for that!

So I think we all had an enjoyable time trying to tape table skirts to the punch table; making evil smelling, fishy tasting salmon dip; washing lots and LOTS of dishes; changing the music from Josh Groban to Mannheim Steamroller, much to the chagrin of one of our friends; laughing and having weird inside jokes...it was a good day.

Mass was at 6 pm, and the Master Choral beautifully sang a lot of Palestrina pieces, including his "Dixit Maria" Mass! Afterward we had a reception in the church basement, at which I served punch, as usual. I always like serving punch...it gives me something to do other than just wander around, and I get to talk to lots of people! Then we cleaned up the kitchen and did even more dishes. *sigh* ;) After a while, my sister, friend, and I all decided to go outside.

We ran up the stairs, pushed open the door, and shrieked loudly as a huge gust of snow blew in our faces. Then I saw how much snow had fallen, and began dancing around in it with joy! I'd been wanting snow for weeks. But as the snow spell cast itself over us, our shrieks and laughter gave way to silent wonder. It was absolutely beautiful. Snow had been falling all day and it was still coming down, thousands of beautiful white dots against the gray sky. Since it was 10:30 at night there wasn't much traffic, and what there was muffled by the snow. My friend pointed to the lamppost, which was shining its light on a snow-covered pine tree.

"Look!" she said. "It's like Narnia!"

And it was! We just stood there for about 15 minutes, drinking in the silent beauty, laughing at how much snow was in our hair, trying to watch it come down and getting it in our eyes. The night of the first snowfall of winter is magical. For one thing, it's so bright. The snow and the sky are both white, reflecting so much light, and it's like an odd, surreal version of daytime. If it's still snowing, that makes it even better. I love the sound snow makes as it falls. It whispers quietly of all the secrets of every winter the world has ever known.

The roads were a bit slippery as we drove home, but my mom grew up in the Midwest and is used to driving in that sort of weather, so we were fine. Besides, we had only about 12 blocks to go.

We drove past a huge house near our neighborhood that I absolutely love. It's brick, has leaded windows, and has an actual courtyard with gargoyles guarding the door! It's pretty incredible and looks like something out of a Jane Austen movie. This house has the most amazing, magical Christmas light display! Two trees flank the front door, and they had twined white lights through all the bare branches. That would be lovely on it's own, but the touch of magic and surrealism comes from the large white balls of light caught in the branches! It's incredible...I will definitely try to take a picture of it sometime so you all can see it.

Then we got home and my friend, sister, and I spent most of the night laughing hysterically over the craziest inside jokes and the many, many funny things we were saying! That was a wonderful day!

And as I mentioned Christmas lights, I thought this would be a good time to post the video of the choreographed lights to the song "Wizards in Winter" by the TransSiberian Orchestra! Enjoy!

A very long catch-up post.

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't get a chance to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving on the day...I've been so busy for the past several days! So, I hope you all had very happy Thanksgivings, saw family and friends, and ate lots of good food - I know I did!

And a week late (but it's never the wrong time to give thanks!), here is what I'm thankful for. I'm so thankful for the love of God for all of us; my wonderful Catholic faith and all of the beautiful mysteries it contains, especially the Holy Eucharist; the communion of the saints; my family who loves me; my wonderful friends - near and far, those I see often and those I've never met; for wonderful books, beautiful music, and amazing dancing; for the talents God has blessed me with; for freedom; for hope for a better future; for this wonderful life and the hope of heaven.

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This is going to be a post in several parts, since it's been so long since I've posted anything at all! That's mostly due to the fact that I was sick for about 3 weeks (one week of which I had the swine flu) - I'm still getting over it, in fact, and we've also just been rather busy with I'm not exactly sure what. lol

Well, I've finally come to the conclusion that I should stop telling people about all my plans for the future! They all sound amazing, and then about 2 weeks later I've changed my mind. It happens with embarrassing frequency. :P So let's just say that I'm not so sure anymore that I want to get into dancing professionally. It's such a toss-up, as I really do love dancing, but looking at it from a spiritual point of view, I'm not sure it would be the best choice for me. I'm not saying that choosing a dance career would be a bad choice for anyone - certainly not! It would be terrible if their were no dancers in the world. I'm just not sure that it would be the right choice for my life. There is a part in me that wants a dance career so badly, and there's another part that is telling me that I might regret it in the end. There would probably be a very good chance that I would end up losing my dedication to God and my faith, and that's not a chance I would want to take. Making the right choice can be awfully difficult at times. Can you all please pray that, when the time comes, I'll be able to make it? Thank you so much!

Because, after all, I don't need to make a decision quite yet. I still have another year of school after this one, and then we shall see! And like my dad always tells me, if you're sure to always keep God first in your life, there's no way you can go wrong. That's what I mean to always try to do, by the grace of God!

If I don't dance, however, I know what I should do. I'll go to college (I'm thinking Christendom), get a degree in Theology, probably get married, and write beautiful things. I'm also still thinking of the religious life. You never know! But I really believe that, when you're choosing a state in life, it's very important to remember those words of Our Lord: "What profiteth a man if he should gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?"
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I wanted to share these three absolutely beautiful songs with all of you. I've always thought that heaven will sound a bit like all of them.



Anima mea, mane!
Quanta qualia conventus gaudia erunt.

My soul, wait!
How great and how wonderful the joys of the meeting shall be.

Te lucis ante terminum,
Rerum Creator, poscimus,
Ut pro tua clementia,
sis praesul ad custodiam.

Procul recedant somnia,
Et noctium phantasmata:
Hostemque nostrum comprime,
Ne polluantur corpora.

Praesta, Pater omnipotens,
per Iesum Christum Dominum,
qui tecum in perpetuum
regnat cum Sancto Spiritu.

Amen.

To thee before the close of day,
Creator of the world, we pray
That, with thy wonted favor, thou
Wouldst be our guard and keeper now.

From all ill dreams defend our sight,
From fears and terrors of the night;
Withhold from us our ghostly foe,
That spot of sin we may not know.

O Father, that we ask be done,
Through Jesus Christ, thine only Son,
Who, with the Holy Ghost and thee,
Doth live and reign eternally.

Amen.

And this may be the best one of all.

In paradisum deducant te Angeli; in tuo adventu suscipiant te martyres, et perducant te in civitatem sanctam Ierusalem. Chorus angelorum te suscipiat, et cum Lazaro quondam paupere æternam habeas requiem.

May angels lead you into paradise; may the martyrs come to welcome you, and lead you to the holy city of Jerusalem. May the ranks of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, the poor man, may you have eternal rest.

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I'm re-reading the Fr. Finn books, and I think you should all read them too! :) The basic premise of the stories - boys at a Jesuit boarding school in turn-of-the-century Kansas - might not sound like the most appealing, but trust me, they are wonderful books. Every time I read them, I come away strengthened in my faith by the examples of the characters. These books are touching, humorous, and filled to the brim with a love of God and mankind. Inspirational reading at its best!

I'm also reading "The Quiet Light", by Louis de Wohl. I'm really enjoying it, and when I'm done with the review I'm writing of it for "The Latin Mass" magazine's book review column on the last page, I'll post it here!
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I can't believe we're already into Advent! I can't wait to start decorating the house. I have some things planned to post on here close to Christmas, so stay tuned! :)

Okay...I gotta do this one! :)

Rose and Elena both did this...theirs were SO funny that I just had to try it too!

First, list twelve characters from any fandom, then answer the questions below.

1. Blanche Brier

2. Edmund Pevensie

3. Arwen

4. Jane Eyre

5. Elizabeth Bennet

6. Fitzwilliam Darcy

7. Tom Playfair
8. Horatio Hornblower

9. Rose Brier

10. Sherlock Holmes

11. Ratty from Wind in the Willows
12. James Herriot

1. Who would make a better collage prof, 6 or 11?
Hmmm...I gotta say Ratty. Mr. Darcy would find it too tempting to insult his students, and besides, all the girls would be absolutely swooning! Not much studying in that class. ;)

2. Do you think #2 is hot?
Edmund is not hot, but he's for sure a bubble! :D

3. 12 sends 8 out on a mission. What is it? Does it succeed?
James Herriot sends Horatio Hornblower on a mission...hmmm. It would probably have to do with saving some shipment of animals, and I'm sure it would succeed!

4. What is or what would be 9's favorite book?
Rose Brier loves G.K Chesterton and all good books!

5. Would it make more since for 2 to swear fealty to 6, or the other way around?
Yeah, I can't see Edmund swearing fealty to Mr. Darcy, or vice versa!

6. For some reason, 5 is looking for a roommate. Should (s)he room with 9 or 10?
Elizabeth Bennet should room with Rose Brier, fo sho! They would have an amazing time, and it would just not be right for her to room with Sherlock Holmes...lol.

7. 2, 7 and 12 are going out to dinner. Where do they go and what do they discuss?
Edmund, Tom Playfair, and James Herriot - that is a good combination! Well, they'd want to go somewhere with a LOT of good, normal food...probably some nice little local restaurant. They would talk about animals, Tom (especially!) and Mr. Herriot would be very eager to hear about Edmund's battles, and they'd have an altogether jolly time!

8. 3 challenges 10 to a duel, who wins?

Sherlock Holmes would never duel with a lady! :O

9. If 1 stole 8's most precious possession, how would (s)he get it back?
Hmmm...what would Horatio's most prized possesion be? Well, whatever it was, I'm sure Blanche only took it by accident (or it was put in her backpack to frame her...), and Horatio would ask very politely if he could have it back.

10. Suggest a story title in which 7 and 12 both attain what they desire.
Faith and Love

11. What kind of plot device would you have to use if you wanted 1 and 4 to work together?

The fact that they're both quiet, shy, but strong as steel. Kindred spirits of a sort?

12. If 7 visited you for the weekend, how would it go?

We would have a lot of fun and some very interesting conversations! And I would NOT sing to him. heehee

13. If you could command 3 to perform any service or task for you, what would it be?
Thou shalt give me all thy clothes and jewelry! :D

14. Does anyone on your friends list write or draw 11?
Ratty? Erm...not that I know of!

15. If 2 had to choose sides between 4 and 5, what side would (s)he choose?

Hum. Somehow I see Edmund siding more with Lizzy than Jane.

16. What might 10 shout out while charging into battle?
I agree with what Elena said...he would not shout, he'd stealthily sneak!

17. If you had to choose a song to best describe 8, what would it be?
Ooooh! Ummm...hmmm. I have no idea, beyond something about being very devoted to your Duty.

18. 1, 6 and 12 are having a dim sum at a Chinese Restaurant. There is only one scallion pancake left, and they all reach for it at the same time. Who gets it?

I think Mr. Darcy and Mr. Herriot would be gentlemen and give it to Blanche, who probably didn't even try to get it that hard.

19. What would be a good pickup line for 2 to say to 10?

When I hear "pick-up line", I think romantic...not gonna happen between Edmund and Sherlock Holmes! :O

20. What would 5 most likely be arrested for?
Lizzy would probably be arrested for speaking impertinently to a member of the nobility. :P

21. What is 6's secret?

He has many. *mysterious nod*

22. If 11 and 9 were racing to a destination, who would get there first?

Rose, I'll betcha...she has kind of longer legs...but if they were in boats, Ratty would win no sweat!

23. If you had to walk home through a bad neighborhood late at night, who would you feel more comfortable walking with, 7 or 8?
Oh my goodness, if I could have both Tom and Horatio, I would have no fears whatsoever!

24. 1 and 9 reluctantly team up to save the world from the threat posed by 4's sinister secret organization. 11 volunteers to help them,but it is later discovered that s/he is actually a spy for 4. Meanwhile, 4 has kidnapped 12 in an attempt to force their surrender. Following the wise advice of 5, they seek out 3, who gives them what they need to complete their quest. What title would you give this fic?

Blanche and Rose are the couple of saviors of the world from Jane Eyre's sinister plot...oh come now, they wouldn't be reluctant to team up, they're the closest of sisters, they'd be happy! Ratty turns out to be a turncoat, and Jane has kidnapped Mr. Herriot. However, Blanche and Rose follow Lizzy's wise advice and they seek out Arwen, who gives them what they need to save the world. And that, my friends, would be titled The Girls Save the World. ;)


Like Rose said, what, that's it??? I want more! :)

FOCA - The Worst Choice We Could Make

This is the essay I wrote for this year's Knights of Columbus Respect Life essay contest. So far, it's won 1st place in my grade level at the regional level! Now it will go to be judged at the diocesan level, and if it does well there, it will continue on to State.

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In the early part of 2009, a lot of media coverage was given to the Freedom of Choice Act (commonly known by the acronym FOCA). There hasn’t been much media coverage of it in recent months, but it seems to have reappeared in objectionable proposed legislation in the National Health Care Reform. It’s important that the pro-life community knows what dire effects this legislation would have for unborn children, and how we should go about fighting it.

Like the national Health Care Reform, FOCA has a very disturbing agenda that would have many terrible consequences for the unborn. One of the worst things would be the reversal of the Health and Human Services Federal Refusal Rule, which protects physicians who object on moral grounds to providing abortions or birth control. With this rule gone, doctors would be faced with a terrible choice: give up their hard-won practices, or go against their Hippocratic Oath and kill unborn children.

The bill also suggests making contraceptives cheaper and more easily obtainable on college campuses, and eliminating funding for abstinence-only programs in schools. This would cause so many young lives to be ruined – both the unborn babies, who would not even have a chance at life, and their mothers and fathers, who in later years may very well be haunted by remorse at the thought that they had killed their own children.

FOCA also proposes cutting down the laws requiring minors to have parental consent for an abortion, and suggests increased funding for Planned Parenthood, federal funding for abortions in all 50 states, and federal funding of abortions in other countries. These propositions would make procuring an abortion so much easier and spread more death to children in the womb, and in the end the parents would suffer, particularly the mothers. The pro-abortion agenda never speaks of the terrible guilt and mental anguish, usually leading to depression, that many women eventually suffer at some point after an abortion. There are also numerous health risks involved for the mother, as an abortion is a very invasive surgery.

What can we do to stop FOCA from taking effect and making such monstrosities possible? There are many ways to take action! Writing letters to statesmen and the newspapers is one powerful means of educating the public on the truth of the matter. The Internet is becoming a very important tool. You can do a lot of good through forwarding pro-life emails, and if you have a Facebook or blog, they are very good places to fight for the unborn.

Finally, we must never forget or underestimate the power of prayer. If we pray and trust that the side of the True and Good will win in the end, there can only be certainty in our hearts that the pro-life cause will triumph. There are many ways of using this subtle but powerful weapon to counteract the enemy: participation in the Forty Days for Life program, spiritually adopting an unborn child, or offering Masses, rosaries, and Holy Hours for this intention.

When the valiant efforts of those actively fighting this terrible agenda are united with the prayers of thousands, we can have hope that a great change will come. Our country, and one day our world, will come to realize that every human life is a treasure from God that’s not to be wasted; that immaturity and irresponsibility are things to be fought, not encouraged; and that America must return to her promise of giving all her citizens life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. If we stand strong and fight against FOCA and whatever other anti-life bills are put out there, we will see this day soon.

Reminiscing...

Today my sister and I were doing lots of reminiscing about the summer intensive *insert dreamy smile*. I realized that a lot of really cool things of various natures happened that I haven't mentioned yet (see my other post here). I'm just going to write them down as I think of them.
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There were so many things that happened that made us feel like we were in a dance flick! When we were sitting outside the theater waiting for our parents to get us after one of the dress rehearsals, it felt like we were in a movie, the way we were surrounded by nicely-dressed dancers, all talking and laughing and texting their friends! And the really cool part was that we were part of that group!

Another funny, movie-like thing that happened was at the performance, when my sister and I went out into the lobby to go and watch the second half (the dance we were in started the performance, so after the first half our level went into the theater and watched the second half). We were waiting around outside, looking at the things for sale from the ballet school, when I noticed the two guys working the drinks counter watching us.

Guy 1: Oooh!
Guy 2: I like the makeup!

We of course had heavy stage makeup on. It was so funny!

Oh, the picture above is me with my hair done for the performance! I kept the flower.
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Sitting in the dark theater, watching the beautiful dances of Tech 4 and 5 with the other lower-level students, is something I will never forget. After the last performance, I overheard another girl say to one of her friends, "Oh man, I cried during the entire thing - it was so beautiful! When I see a dance like that, I wish that all the people who think I'm weird to be so into ballet could see it. That's why I do it!"

This is awesome, I thought. It was such a nice feeling to be surrounded by people who share this same passion. The beauty of the last two dances had moved my sister and myself to tears as well, and it was wonderful to think that the other students were feeling its beauty just as we were!

I very much wish that you could see the recording of the dances, or that I could post pictures, but the pictures all have the name of the school on them in a watermark and for safety reasons I'd rather not say where we were. However, I am thrilled to have found all the music for the Tech 5 dance! I LOVE this music. I've never heard anything quite like it, and the choreography fit it perfectly! Below, I present for your listening pleasure three selections from the album Steppe by Rene Aubry!

Sagitaire (this song opened the dance)
Magda (this tango section was my favorite part - I love the music and the dancing that accompanied it!)
Steppe (the last part of the dance...my favorite music! Go to 1:25 - that's where it started in the dance.)

So beautiful.
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We had to leave pretty early every morning, and I didn't always have time to make my bed before we left. One day I went into the bedroom after returning to the hotel, and I saw my rosary carefully arranged on the blanket.

"I didn't do that," said Mum. "The lady who came to clean did!"

I thought that was pretty cool, and the cleaning lady probably did too - I'm sure she doesn't often find a rosary in someone's bed.
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The second night we were there, we went swimming (as we did almost every night). We decided to walk around the whole atrium in the 5th floor hallway. Since this would be really confusing to try and explain, I posted a picture of the hotel! I love that hotel so much...it's beautiful, the workers are all very friendly, there's always gorgeous piano music playing, they offer a complimentary cooked breakfast every morning, and it has glass elevators! In fact, that picture was taken when I was in the glass elevator.














So we were standing in the 5th floor hallway, overlooking the breakfast area (the tables you can sort of see at the top of the page). The only sounds to be heard were the peaceful piano music and the water fountain, and since it was a Monday night, no one was around. No one, that is, except one hotel worker, sweeping around the tables. The scene was like something out of a movie - the peaceful piano music and the aerial view of a man sweeping the floor between the symmetrically placed tables. I wished I had a video camera!
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I'm probably going to think of other things and need to add another post, but here's a few pictures!



















Me in first arabesque. (I'm not sure how to get rid of the underline...?)




















My sister doing the splits.















My class in our awesome pointe shoe picture! My feet are right in the middle on the lower edge.
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I miss the intensive - I can't wait for the auditions in January! :)

Also, just a side note: I'm now thinking that, after high school, I will try out for the secondary company of the ballet company whose intensive I attended (man, that was confusing! lol). I think I'd always regret it if I never tried to have a career in ballet, and there's NO way I'd be ready to give it up in just 2 or 3 years!

Wow...I'm actually dressing up for All Saint's Day this year! :O I dressed up two years ago, and thought, "never, nevermore, oh never!", but this year I got a strong craving to dress up! I have a lovely colonial-style dress that one of my best friends made about 5 years ago. After she left for the convent this fall, she gave it to me. I'm wearing a piece of sheer dark blue cloth over it as a cloak, and a crown on my head, as I'm portraying St. Elizabeth of Hungary.

So yeah...I thought, what the heck, and who cares if I'm the oldest! Dressing up in a pretty floor-length dress will make it worth it. ;) Plus, I get my food free at the Holy Name Society pancake breakfast for being in costume! I'll hopefully post pictures on Sunday!

I hope we'll all be well enough by then, though! I had a sinus infection most of last week, and I'm still coughing and have a croaky voice, but my sister might have swine flu! She has a fever of 102 and is coughing a lot and really tired. Could you say a prayer that it's not too severe and that we don't all catch it? Thanks so much!

Casablanca, Jane Eyre, and the Parable of the Vineyard

This is a post I've been wanting to write for quite a while now!

WARNING: It will have some spoilers for Jane Eyre and Casablanca!

It all started about a year ago, when I finally saw the movie Jane Eyre and then read the book. One of my friends had scared me off from reading the book, saying that it was terrible because Mr Rochester tried to marry Jane when he already had a wife. However, a few years later my family decided to watch the movie, enjoyed it very much, and then I read the book. I was greatly impressed by it - I found it to be very religious in a very good way.

However, I've heard a lot of people complain that they don't like it because it's "immoral". I don't find it immoral at all, and I'll tell you why. I'll warn you that I haven't read the book in a while, so some of the finer points may be slightly off, but I'll do my best.

Nowhere in the book is Mr Rochester's wrong behavior condoned. At the beginning of the book, we find him a rough, somewhat bitter man. He swears, he doesn't bother to be polite to people, but Jane likes him nonetheless and sees that there is a better man underneath his scaly exterior. She likes him in spite of his sins, not because of them.

When the full extent of his wrongdoings is revealed and Jane discovers he was about to commit bigamy, she wastes no time in removing herself from his house. She won't let him touch her, not even to say goodbye. He belongs to another woman, even if this woman is out of her mind. Jane knows what is right and wrong, and like the strong person she is, she leaves him, even though this cuts her to the heart and makes her feel that it will kill her.

Mr Rochester pleads with her to stay; he even offers to live with her as brother and sister. Jane knows that this will be too much of a temptation and she steadily refuses. Nowhere does Charlotte Bronte give the impression that Jane was wrong in doing this. We know that she has made the right choice, even though it's almost unbearably difficult.

In the end, we can love Mr Rochester because he is redeemed. During the fire that consumes his home, he has the perfect chance to simply let his wife perish in the flames. Everyone would think she had simply been trapped, and he then could marry his true love. But no. In his moment of redemption, Mr Rochester risks his own life to save the life of his wife, who ends up flinging herself from the roof. He suffers for his sins as the fire blinds him and robs him of one arm, but he has changed. The true, noble man has broken through, and he ends up with his heart's desire - his Jane; a family and home of his own, not haunted by fearful memories; and he even regains his sight.

We watched Casablanca a few weeks ago, and during a conversation with one of my friends over text messaging a few days later, I discovered some parallels between these two stories. She had just watched it also, and had several problems with it - namely, Ilsa's love affair with Rick so soon after the supposed death of her husband, Ilsa going to Rick the first night she and Laszlo are in Casablanca, and Rick himself. I was going to copy down what I replied in my texts, but I forgot and deleted them. :P Oh well, I think I'll remember.

Well, first off, I looked the problem my friend had with Ilsa falling in love with Rick right after she had heard that her husband Laszlo was dead, especially since it turned out he wasn't dead at all. I pointed out that, as far as Ilsa knew, Laszlo was dead and gone forever.

Rick was a very different sort of man in those days than when we meet him as the owner of a saloon in the beginning of the movie - he was brave, idealistic, and fought for the same things that Laszlo did. Ilsa loved Laszlo very much, but as far as I could tell, he was quite a bit older than her, and she was very young when she married him. She loved and admired him, but Rick was someone of her own age, who rather similar to Laszlo himself. She wanted to try and forget the sorrow of her husband's death, and being young, and, as my mum pointed out, IN PARIS, she fell in love with Rick.

Was this the most virtuous and correct thing she could have done? Probably not. But do we always do the most correct thing? No, we don't, and movies usually try to mirror real life. But before you're shocked and it seems that I'm condoning immoral behavior in movies or out of them, keep reading and you'll see.

When Ilsa got the letter informing her that Laszlo was alive, she left Rick immediately, even though this caused her, like Jane, considerable pain and heartbreak. She knew she had to return to her husband, and that in doing this she would probably never see Rick again, but she left him anyway.

Fast forward 10 years. The war is almost over, and the Nazis are hunting down the people who have been helping the Jews and other persecuted minorities. Laszlo and Ilsa end up in Casablanca, and out of all the saloons they could have walked into, they walk into Rick's.

This brings us to my friend's other objection: Ilsa going to see Rick the night after they arrived in Casablanca and she saw him again. Well, this was not a good move on Ilsa's part, but I can nonetheless see why she did it. She really loved Rick , and love can blind people. The interview was unsatisfactory to her, though, for she found him very changed - he had become a bitter, self-absorbed man. She left quickly, even though he wanted her to stay. It was also a blind move of Ilsa's when she went to Rick the night Laszlo went to the secret meeting, but once again, though not a good act, it was understandable.

At the end of the movie, however, we see that Rick has recovered his nobility - like Mr Rochester, his moment of redemption comes. He chooses virtue over love, and urges Ilsa to go with Laszlo. He sees that Laszlo needs her more than he ever will, and besides, Ilsa is his wife. Ilsa still loves Rick and doesn't want to leave him, but she loves Laszlo too and know that, in the end, it will be better for her to go with him.

So now we come to the parable. Matthew 20: 1 - 16 (Douay Rheims version)

T

HE kingdom of heaven is like to an householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.
2. And having agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing in the marketplace idle.
4. And he said to them: Go you also into my vineyard, and I will give you what shall be just.
5. And they went their way. And again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did in like manner.

6. But about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing, and he saith to them: Why stand you here all the day idle?
7. They say to him: Because no man hath hired us. He saith to them: Go ye also into my vineyard.

8. And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard saith to his steward: Call the labourers and pay them their hire, beginning from the last even to the first.
9. When therefore they were come that came about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.

10. But when the first also came, they thought that they should receive more: And they also received every man a penny.

11. And receiving it they murmured against the master of the house,
12. Saying: These last have worked but one hour. and thou hast made them equal to us, that have borne the burden of the day and the heats.
13. But he answering said to one of them: friend, I do thee no wrong: didst thou not agree with me for a penny?

14. Take what is thine, and go thy way: I will also give to this last even as to thee.

15. Or, is it not lawful for me to do what I will? Is thy eye evil, because I am good?
16. So shall the last be first and the first last. For many are called but few chosen.

This parable states clearly that, even if someone has sinned greatly and for many years, if they truly repent and change their life they will be saved just the same as someone who has followed God faithfully all their life. This may not seem fair to us down below, but who can know the mind of God? We have to trust that this is the best way, and it is certainly a very comforting thought for a converting sinner.

So that is what makes Jane Eyre and Casablanca good stories, even if the people in them are seriously flawed at the beginning. They repent; they have a redeeming moment; they realize the error of their ways and convert to a life of goodness. We are all sinners, some more than others, but everyone has a chance to see the error of their ways and change them. That is one thing can be learned from this book and this movie.