Dreaming of Silver Roses

Ken Gire records some dialogue from the courtroom scene from the 1994 movie “Nell” in the opening of his book, The Reflective Life: Becoming more Spiritually Sensitive to the Everyday Moments of Life. (In the translated version of Nell’s speech) Mr. Guire writes,

You have big things-

You know big things-

But you don’t look into each other’s eyes.

And you are hungry for quiteness.

I’ve lived a small life-

And I know small things.

But the quiet forest is full of angels-

In the daytime there comes beauty-

In the nighttime, there comes happiness.

Don’t be afraid for Nell.

Don’t weep for Nell.

I have no greater sorrow than yours.”

About this speech Mr. Guire writes,

Nell was right.

We shouldn’t weep for her. We should weep for ourselves. For we have big things, know big things, yet our nights are filled with anxiety, our days with drudgery, and in the forest around us we see only trees. We have big things- megachurches, multimedia resources, ministries that reach around the world. We know big things- the doctrines of the Bible, the differences between the denominations, the datelines to Armageddon.

But we don’t look into each other’s eyes.

And we are hungry for quietness.

We are starved for a life that not only senses the sacred in the world around us but savors it. We are famished for experiences that are real, realtionships that are deep, work that is meaningful. -Ken Gire, The Reflective Life, pg.9-11

Filed under: Christianity, Uncategorized, kids, life, relating well, relationships, wonder, writing on July 12th, 2008