Above my bed hangs a picture of a beautiful castle all set aglow. The castle itself is white with blue towers spiraling towards a perfectly midnight blue, star filled sky complete with a glowing full white moon. The castle even has it’s own moat complete with crocodiles to guard against unwanted intruders when the gate is drawn. The castle is a dream and is in many ways the focal point of the picture. It takes up over half of the scene and is clearly the object of desire, but what intrigues me, what really gets me excited is the small round coach off to the side. It is pulled by four glorious white horses racing towards the castle entrance. It is of course Cinderella. Though you can’t see the girl herself your heart knows she is there and she is why I love this picture. It makes me want to swoon. It makes me want to dream. If Cinderella were a true story I imagine her night at the ball would have looked much like this photo. Everything is perfectly set, a night clear and beautiful, a castle towering and somehow graceful, and a prince waiting for a chance at love but woefully disappointed again and again and again. I still want to be the girl in that coach. I still want to be Cinderella whisked away to the ball.
The picture hanging above my bed is simply the beginning of the tale. A long story is soon to follow full of glass slippers, dashed dreams, heart breaks, a long search and of course the happily ever after. Cinderella’s story isn’t unique. She isn’t the first blushing beauty searching for true love. She isn’t the first to be disappointed and she isn’t the first to be rescued by prince charming. I think most girls do themselves a disservice when they tell their story. They imagine themselves as no Cinderella. They imagine that their lives are much more mundane but I don’t think this is true. A romance is always a magical thing if only for one reason, it reminds me of the King that searches for my heart. He will search the ends of the earth with the glass slipper looking for me. He will forge into the darkest wood to deliver the kiss that saves me from death. He loves my heart, he desires my soul and I think the whole of the world feels the pull of his love. I believe our love stories weave and overlap not because we are mundane creatures unable to find new material but because our hearts long to tell their own tale. I believe our souls long to tell the whole world that a great romance is taking place every day. There is a prince that longs to know you, a King who hopes for your love and will reach to the ends of the earth to gain it. Romance is no simple thing. It’s a beautiful, hope filled thing that springs new every morning, full of grace and promise. Books remind us of this romance and they make my heart race in desperate anticipation for the day I won’t have to wait anymore. Until that day I will keep reading and I hope you will do the same!
