Between Sleep & Awake…

The movie Hook is one of my all time favorites. The original story of Peter Pan may have been intended for children, but this story of the grown up Peter can speak straight to the heart of us grown-ups. In the movie Hook, “Peter Banning” is an emotionally disconnected, workaholic, with a lovely wife and two beautiful, young children, who have all come to visit “Granny Wendy”. Peter has forgotten everything about his days in Neverland…Granny Wendy has not. The story deals with facing fears, the price of priorities being out of order, the value of listening, learning, and letting go… of remembering the good and the bad and choosing to embrace Joy… and of the power of Love.

Here’s what got me to thinking about that movie. And, please know I am aware that my brain works very strangely. But….there is a scene at the end where Tinkerbell is saying goodbye to grown up Peter Pan, and she says, “You know that place between sleep and awake, that place where you still remember dreaming? That’s where I’ll always love you. That’s where I’ll be waiting”. I just love that….

Now, to try and connect my thoughts…

The past couple of weeks, waking up has felt strange. In those early morning moments, the transition from asleep to awake starts out with the expectation of a normal day, and I find I want to stay there. I don’t want to be fully awake…it may all still be a bit fuzzy, but I’m pretty sure I don’t like the way things are out here…Abort! Hush now brain…let’s go back…back to Neverland!!

But, my eyes open. The reality of where we all are in this crazy time of isolation settles in, and yet… it doesn’t feel real. And in this moment, wanting “normal” so badly, I’m learning I have to figure out where to land. I could totally panic, allow worry and cabin fever to take over, have bags of junk food and box wine delivered… and just crawl right back into bed and fall asleep with a half eaten Twizzler hanging out of my mouth. But this I know… worry and cabin fever do not support good choices or good mental health.

So where do I put my thoughts? What do I do in that place between sleep and awake… if I don’t want to “lose my marbles” (another short quote…you just gotta watch the movie, if you have not)? It seems I must do exactly what Granny Wendy told Peter Banning…I must remember!

I must remember where I have been, remember who I am, remember Who I belong to. I belong to an unchangeable, unshakable, all merciful, and all powerful God. In the calm and in the chaos, in the normal days and in the very weird and uncertain ones, He is always there. I can find Him in the sleeping… and in the waking… and everywhere in between. That brings me peace… and helps me hang onto my marbles. 🙂

I will end with one of my favorite scriptures that seems so fitting…and then I’m gonna see if Hook is available on Netflix. Not gonna lie…sure wish I had some Twizzlers…

This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope.

It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23)