Author: Maria

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Formidable Women: Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe

rosemaryEver since I wrote My Badass Book of Saints, people are crazy wild to send me links to amazing, courageous women in the news. I so appreciate it, and feel like I could fill two more volumes with stories of women filled with courage and grit. Formidable women. You know, badass.

Today I’m over at CatholicMom.com with one of those stories, the story of Sister Rosemary Nyirumbe’s efforts in making peaceful change in Uganda by empwering women and girls with the knowledge of their dignity.

Here’s a little piece of my story…my favorite part where I get to dance a little:

I spoke with Sister Rosemary during one of the lunches at the CPA conference. I shyly approached Sister, but she put me at ease instantly. She was holding her phone with one hand, and waving the other animatedly while dancing in her seat. Her smile captured my heart long before I got close enough to hear the Alur music blaring from her phone.

“Do you know this music?” she asked me, not expecting my positive response.

“Of course,” I said, as I danced around her. That seemed to delight her more. I explained that I’m from the Caribbean and our music shares those rhythms.

After a little giggling and some more music and dancing, we settled into a comfortable conversation about her efforts to educate as many people as possible about the plight of the women in her care and St. Monica’s efforts to provide healing and hope. I noted immediately that Sister does not focus on the women’s victimization, but rather their dignity.

Please follow the link to read the rest.

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Peacock Feathers and Flannery O’Connor

peacock feather

I noticed today is the anniversary of Flannery O’Connor’s death. Although I’ve taught her stories on and off for the last 30 years, it’s only in recent years that I’ve taken a serious interest in her — actually — in her life.

I’ve read The Habit of Being, the collection of her letters, and really started to gain an appreciation for her deep faith. It led to my choosing to feature her in my book, My Badass Book of Saints. I found great inspiration in her life — her dedication to her craft, her dedication to her faith, and most important, the way in which she lived with lupus. It helped me a lot after my husband’s diagnosis with Lou Gehrig’s disease.

I found in her a kindred spirit, and a delightfully quirky person known for training a chicken and raising peacocks.

A few years ago when a friend and I were sitting in Atlanta with nothing to do,  we decided to go on an adventure, a pilgrimage to O’Connor’s home. We thought it would be a good idea to drive all the way to Milledgeville to visit Andalusia.

Did I mention we’re writers?

So we did. Haul ourselves all the way to Andalusia. There was something special about walking around the grounds knowing that O’Connor might have gotten her inspiration from the same paths we walked. We took a tour of the house and saw where O’Connor wrote in the mornings, and sat in the afternoons.

We laughed outside as we studied the peacocks penned up in the back yard. They made a lot of noise, and we wondered what the allure was.

On the way out we picked up a couple of peacock feathers, a little souvenir of our afternoon.

Mine sits on my desk, a reminder to be bold and seek adventure. To write. To live. To laugh.

 

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Review: Pixar’s Inside Out

[Disney Pixar’s Inside Out has been in theaters long enough for me to be a little loose with a spoiler; it’s not earth shattering, but it does give away a small plot point. Reader beware.]

inside outI always look forward to the Pixar movies — they just don’t disappoint. My all-time favorite is Up, followed by The Incredibles and Brave. I know, how could I leave out Toy Story? Hey. It is what it is. I like them all, except Wall-E. I found that one to be a little too preachy — kind of like the ending in Happy Feet, but I digress.

Other than that, I think Pixar hits homeruns on all the features, and even the shorts (didn’t you find Lava delightful?).

How do they do it? How do they produce tender, touching, get-you-right-in-the-heart films? Easy, they tell stories that appeal to the child in us, through the lens of an adult.

As adults, we understand bitter sweet.

Whether or not we can articulate it, we understand that life is complex and that we can entertain a multitude of feelings and emotions at the same time.

I noticed something in the credits all the way at the end (yes, I am Marvel- conditioned to wait and hope for a final scene). The writers dedicated the movie to their children, with the wish they won’t ever grow up. That’s sweet, but inevitable.

See what I mean?

Inside Out explores this co-existence of conflicting emotions. The story arc then moves us through how the characters come to terms with this conflict. It works because as human beings, we struggle with conflict daily.

Disney Pixar happens to do this masterfully with clever characters, and animation that is at the top of the industry.

The story itself is funny and engaging.

a young girl, Riley, moves with her parents away from everything she knows and loves and settles into a new place filled with unknowns. We see her emotions come to life in her brain — five rather funny manifestations of Joy, Sadness, Disgust (she’s my favorite), Fear, and Anger. The emotions sometimes fight to gain control of the board that drives Riley’s actions, and other times, they work together to get an end that is best for Riley.

Joy, who was the first emotion on the scene when Riley was born, has a hard time letting go of her control, wanting everything to always be happy for the little girl. When it backfires due to an ever-present creeping Sadness and the emotions spiral away from the control center, Riley’s safety is compromised, and the emotions, isolated and at odds with each other, must work together to find their way back where they belong.

Their adventure toward the control center is filled with clever references to thought processes, including a hilarious explanation for earworms and a funny gag about deja vu.

Because the other emotions are driving Riley, they are making a mess of things, and the core values driven by her memories are collapsing. She’s losing the love for her friends, her passion for hockey, and finally, her family.

It’s on that adventure that we experience a beautifully touching scene. Riley’s imaginary friend, Bing Bong, appears just in time to help Joy and Sadness get to the control center.

Joy’s desperate efforts to get back to the control center are thwarted and she’s sent, along with Bing Bong, into a pit of forgotten memories. It’s there that Bing Bong realizes that by staying behind, forgotten, he can give Joy the impulse she needs to return to the control center. Bing Bong shows his love to the end, and lays down his life for his friend, and Joy escapes.

Sacrificial love.

Pixar gets this right time and again in its movies — this idea of a sacrificial love. It’s definitely touching, but I wonder if they are aware of how deeply it stirs thoughts of another sacrifice.

I’d give this film two thumbs up. It doesn’t drop Up out of first place for me — but it’s definitely worth watching for the laughs.

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