cast a spell

Spoiler alert: from A Curse Dark as Gold
Conversation between husband and wife, Charlotte and Randall, following a discussion about the "curses" from the Rumpelstilskin character.

"I'm no cunning man, but I can cast a circle of protection as well as the next fellow.  The one I laid down at our wedding has held up pretty well."

I backed away, "You cast a spell on me?"

He followed, drawing me back in.  "Shh.  No.  I put my arms around you, like this, and promised to protect you.  I swore no harm would come to you.  I've seen you do it, too--to everyone you love.  You have amazing strength, you now, when you put your mind to it."

"No," I said.  "no, no, no. . ."  But as I whispered that one word, I knew he spoke the truth.  I had felt it, all these months.  That sense of peace, that overwhelming security--the strong wall that pushed all my troubles back a few paces.  It was real.  And it was at work on me, now.  I held his arms tightly and let myself draw in just a bit of that Randall calm. 

"I did William [their son], too--we both did," he was saying. . .

This was such a beautiful passage.  I re-read it several times.  I wasn't sure if I liked this book up until this point.  This was it's saving grace for me. 

In the various fantasy and fairy-tale worlds, here was a "spell" that contained no magic.  The spell of a marriage is that: "we build our marriages with endless firendship, confidence, integrity, and by administering and sustaining each other in our difficulties." (President James E. Faust, The Enriching of Marriage."

I wish at this point I could read Fanny's Dream over my blog.  It is a picture book about a girl named Fanny who waits in the garden for her fairy grandmother, who never comes.  But Heber Jensen does and says, "'I'm not a prince and I don't live in a castle.  But I have one hundred and sixty acres, a little log house, and dreams of my own.  I need a wife who will work by my side, through thick and thin, sweat and joy, and be glad for good food and great company.  Will you, Fanny?' Even with all that moonlight it took Fanny an hour to give up her dreams.  She shook Heber awake.  'I don't do windows.' 'Okay,' said Heber.'"

And so they work hard together, tell stories in the evening, and once a day Heber "made it a point to wait on her at least once a day, as if she were a princess and every so often he wiped the grime off the windows."  They have children, lose their house to a fire, rebuild and work at their family. 

One night while out in the garden, Fanny's fairy godmother finally does show up, ready to whisk her away but Fanny tells her she doesn't want her help.  As she goes back to the house Heber asks "Who were you talking to out there, Fan?' 'My fairy godmother, Hebie.' Heber laughed, 'Oh, sure!  And I'm the Prince of Sahiba.' 'Close enough,' Fanny winked, 'close enough.'"

Happy 9th Anniversary, to my Prince of Sahiba, who made this video and woke me  up at 2:30 a.m. to watch it.  We could not stop laughing and then tearing up--a perfect blend of sap, smoldering glances, awkward kissing angles and spinning.  We think it will rival Twilight.  It brought back memories of Tim spending hours at the BYU computer lab compiling a wedding video on PowerPoint to show at our reception.  It wasn't in our wedding budget, but he knew I really wanted one.  It was a wonderful surprise--just like this video.  With all the excitment of vampire romance this weekend, it's great to know I have the real thing sitting by my side in the theater (twice in two days).

A few wedding flashbacks (more on the video:)):

Comments

[Lindsay Hepworth]

Love it! Way to go, Tim. Happy Anniversary.

[Rachel]

Quite a catch you have there Mrs. Brook. Thanks for being you. your blog cheered me up in just the right way today.