Day 23: Fantasia: Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony: Movement 1

 

Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony: Movement 1

Scored by: Ludwig von Beethoven

Preformed by: Leopold Stokowski and The Philadelphia Orchestra

The complete Fantasia version of The Pastoral Symphony can be found here.

This is the 5th segment in Disney's Fantasia. It was originally scored by Ludwig von Beethoven between 1802 and 1808 and typically runs about 40 minutes long. However, when it comes to Disney's Fantasia arrangement, about 20 minutes or so of the score is lost. Yet it is beautifully animated, albeit not without some controversy with the Centaur scene in Movement 2 which has been slightly censored due to the change in racial views and depictions. If you would like to view a side by side version of the movement please click here. When Beethoven wrote this score (officially called Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op 68), he wanted it to tell a story through music. Its 5 movements tell the story of a countryside that starts with a beautiful morning, animals and humans playing in the fields then has a storm roll in and finishes with those in the countryside being grateful the storm wasn't worse. The story told in Disney's Fantasia starts with a family of Pegasuses (Pegasai?) frolicking and learning how to fly on Mt. Olympus. It then flows to a group of Centaurs and Centaurettes looking for their mates with the cherubs playing matchmaker. Once they are all happily paired up they start to have a party for Bacchus the god of wine. That is until Zeus breaks up the party and Apollo ushers in the new night. 

What is your favorite segment or movement of Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony? My favorite segment of The Pastoral Symphony is The First Movement or Allegro ma non troppo. If I close my eyes and just listen to the music, I hear happy memories of times gone by when I grew up in the hills of Arkansas and visits to my family in Tennessee. When I watch it, I love how there's a story about a family of Pegasus and how it shows the youngest Pegasus, the black sheep of the family, learning how to fly last and stay upright while on their way to a grand gathering in the mountains. It's such a playful happy scene that you can't not smile at its tender sweetness. It also shows a playful satyr and his unicorn friend frolicking and having fun too. The animation is perfect even with the baby Pegasuses but one (the black sheep) changing color when they dove in. The Pegasuses's colors stand out against the soft pastels of the background, even though they are similar in color. The mother Pegasus is white as snow and the father Pegasus is dark as night, with their children being pastel but one who is as dark as his father, "the black sheep" if you will. I love the subtle message that everyone does things in their own time, when they are ready, and in their own way and can still be accepted by their family. 

So until next time, Keep Cooking with Character. 

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Day 22: And then we hear the Ave Maria, with its message of the triumph of hope and life over the powers of despair and death.-- Deems Taylor

And then we hear the Ave Maria, with its message of the triumph of hope and life over the powers of despair and death.-- Deems Taylor

This comes to us when Deems introduces the final segment of the program, which is a double song feature of "The Night on Bald Mountain" and "Ave Maria". 

In "The Night on Bald Mountain", Chernabog, the king of all demons, comes to life and lets his scary demon minions run free for the night creating a nightmare for all to see. At first light, there is church bells and the sight of many people going to the sunrise service singing the oft sung "Ave Maria", causing the demons to return to the darkness they came from. 

Have you ever felt like nothing is going right, like nothing will ever get better? Perhaps you've hit rock bottom, like no one or nothing could ever pull you out to the top no matter how much people try to help or that you want to. Feeling like you're in a hole that you'll never get out of is no fun. You take 2 baby steps forward and life seems to knock you back about 5 or 6.  It feels like you'll never get ahead. You feel like you're grasping at straws for any sense of normalcy and things are totally hopeless. A bunch of dark feelings take over your normally rational self. Yet no matter how dark things may get or appear, there's always hope. 

Even when we may not believe it in the moment, especially when our inner demons have such a strong hold of our thoughts, there is always hope and a desire to not be in the dark situation we may be in now. Hope comes from the simplest of things. It could come from seeing a gorgeous sunrise or having a wonderful dream of the future. It could come from a song on the radio or hearing a friend say "Don't give up. You got this!". Hope comes from many places if you'll let it. My personal favorite is finding Hope through Birdsongs. 

In early 2019, I was in a really rough spot in my life, the worst I had been to that point. I knew it would get better, even though I didn't know when or how. I lived about 50 miles from work and my friends. I felt so alone, cut off from everything and everyone, not having many of the modern necessities did not help at all. Those feelings were constant, and always close to the front of my brain. What helped give me hope during that time was a pair of Cardinals, a male and female, who would chirp and sing whenever I would go outside in the yard to blog under a tree. I would always make sure to say hello and thank them for their beautiful song. Sometimes they would be joined by a Blue Jay or a Mockingbird. It may seem trivial to some, down right silly to others, but to me those birds were my lifeline to hope and the drive to keep going. I am thankfully no longer in that situation and in a much better place, but I still turn to the birds and their songs to lift my spirits and listen to their words of wisdom. They might not speak the same language as us, but their tweets, chirps and melodies all have a way of speaking to our hearts if we let them.  

So until next time, always remember that Hope triumphs over all and Keep Cooking with Character! 

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Day 21: He was a great nature lover, and in this symphony, he paints a musical picture of a day in the country. --Deems Taylor

He was a great nature lover, and in this symphony, he paints a musical picture of a day in the country. --Deems Taylor
 

This quote comes to us when Deems is introducing Beethoven's "The Pastoral". Deems talks about the liberties Walt Disney's Animators took with the symphony, changing the countryside setting Beethoven wrote about to that of Mt. Olympus.

Before I started this week's quotes, all I knew of Beethoven was that he was a classical composer who went deaf later in life and his scores are some of the best known and prettiest in the world. I had no idea he enjoyed going out into the Austrian fields outside Vienna to decompress from the pressures of living in the city. 

Nature is all around us. Even in the city, it's there, though not as grand as being out in the open countryside. Do you know of any nature lovers or are you one yourself? Where do you or they love to relax and go? I myself am a nature lover who lives in the big city. I love hearing the different birds, seeing the big blue sky, seeing pictures in the sky, smelling the rain when it is near, the rustle of trees swaying in the wind. I'll admit it is extremely hard to find nature in the busy city sometimes, but it's there. Yet there's something about going into the countryside that is so relaxing and freeing that the hustle and bustle of a big city doesn't have. If you've never had the chance to experience going out to the country or up in the mountains as a way to relax or just enjoy nature, I highly recommend doing so. I know of at least 3 or 4 places off the top of my head that are perfect. Pictures never do the mountains or countryside justice. It's best seen and experienced in person.

So until next time, enjoy nature in all its forms and as always Keep Cooking with Character! 

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Day 20: Well, that isn't quite what I had in mind.-- Deems Taylor

Well, that isn't quite what I had in mind.-- Deems Taylor, Fantasia

This comes to us when The Soundtrack makes his first sound, which is a grating flop down the musical scale. Deems kinda asked for it when he asked for The Soundtrack to give any kind of sound.   

Have you ever had something happen that wasn't what you wanted? Perhaps someone answered a question of yours with an unexpected answer. Have you ever said this quote to anything? I find myself saying this quite a bit. 

It's a well-known fact that things don't always go our way. Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes we get answers we like, other times we don't. How do you react when you get an answer you don't like or have in mind? Do you get mad or frustrated? Perhaps you just laugh it off like Deems did because it was rather funny. 

How we react to things shows others how we are and it shows our personalities.  Some prefer to laugh their way through life. Others take the straight-as-a-pin more serious route. Some choose to control their anger in the situation, others choose to lash out. Some choose to diffuse a hard situation; others choose to make it even harder, whether they realize it or not. Some help people, others don't. Yet the common thread is we are choosing to react, which is not always the best but it happens. Reacting in a positive manner will almost always give a better result than reacting in a negative manner.

So until next time, react to things with a light heart and as always Keep Cooking with Character.

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Day 19: Now, watching him, I discovered that every beautiful sound also creates an equally beautiful picture.-- Deems Taylor

Now, watching him, I discovered that every beautiful sound also creates an equally beautiful picture.-- Deems Taylor
 

In this quote, Deems introduces The Soundtrack at the start of Act 2. The soundtrack is a string that goes through various changes to show many different types of instruments and tempos. The Soundtrack string goes from a fluid round line to sharp prickly lines as needed. 

Have you ever noticed this when you're hearing a soundtrack or music in general? Some of the prettiest pictures come from the instrumental songs. Deems got it right when he said this quote because we usually think of beautiful music making beautiful pictures. When we hear a beautiful sound, like that of a harp, we tend to think of angels or another ethereal being. When we hear a more harsher sound, say a flat note played by a trumpet, we think of frustration or for lack of a better word a fart. Each sound has a way of giving us a picture. 

Life has its own soundtrack, though we may not always notice it. Birds, for example, are the best at creating it because of their songs they sing. If you go outside and just listen to them each one has a different song that means something to the birds. The way people walk or do things has their own music too. Everything has its own beat even though it's not always in a standard metered form that's found in most music. We only have to pay attention to it. 

So until next time, listen to the soundtrack of life and as always Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 18: You know, it's funny how wrong an artist can be about his own work.-- Deems Taylor

You know, it's funny how wrong an artist can be about his own work.-- Deems Taylor

This comes to us when Deems is introducing Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker Suite segment. 

It is little known outside small circles that the great composer Tchaikovsky did not really like his work on The Nutcracker Suite. Yet it went on to become one of his most famous pieces, thanks in part to it being a now seasonal tradition to see the ballet at Christmas. However, in Fantasia, The Walt Disney Animators chose to illustrate it in a very different way, keeping the essence of the ballet and the music. 

Do you know of any artists? Have they ever said their artwork was not that great but when you looked at it it was outstanding or better than they thought? Perhaps you know a writer who sometimes struggles with the quality of their writing or ends up with a writer's block because they don't think it's good enough. Maybe you know a photographer who does not believe in their work, yet are a wonderful photographer who captures so much life in their photographs. The artist could even be a painter who doesn't like their newest painted piece because of a very subtle shade that to the untrained eye is unnoticeable.  We are our own worst critics and artists are the most critical of all because of the details they want to input into their piece. Yet we need a lot of encouragement and reassurance because we sometimes cannot overcome our inner demons that say our work is not good enough even if it is. Don't be alarmed if your artist friend seems to need a bit more reassurance more than usual about a piece. It's all part of the creative process. 

So until next time, love and support your artists and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 17: Then the music begins to suggest other things to your imagination.-- Deems Taylor

Then the music begins to suggest other things to your imagination.-- Deems Taylor

This quote comes to us when the narrator, Deems Taylor, introduces us to the first music segment: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johan Bach, an instrumental song that is animated by the Walt Disney Animators. 

Do you ever listen to music? Do you listen to it because it's required for school or because it's playing in the background? Perhaps you just listen to it for fun. What kind of styles do you like to listen to: Classical, Pop, Country, Show Tunes, Rap, Christmas, Gospel, Bluegrass, something else? Do you ever close your eyes while you're listening to it and let it take you on a journey? What kind of journey does it take you on while you do?

Music, even ones without words, has a way of painting a picture. Each piece of music we listen to has its own beat, its own life, its own story, its own personality. It has a way of energizing us or making us fall asleep. It also unlocks feelings and emotions, or forgotten memories. It also has a way of getting our imaginations to run wild. In making Fantasia, the Disney animators let their imaginations run wild in giving wordless music more of a story and heart. When you hear the same music with your eyes closed do you see the same stories or perhaps something different?

So until next time always listen for the heart of the music and as always Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 16: Pinocchio: I've Got No Strings

 

I've Got No Strings

Sung By: Dickie Jones as Pinocchio, and Patricia Page, Mae Questel and Mel Blanc as The Dutch, French and Russian Puppets

Composed By: Leigh Harline

Lyrics By: Ned Washington 

This song comes to us when Pinocchio decides to join Stromboli in his Marionette show instead of going to school.  

It's a very simple song that kids can learn. Yet if you really think about the lyrics, it's a little bit deeper than it appears. Pinocchio sings of the strings that used to be attached to him and the freedom he has from not having them anymore. The marionettes still have their strings and sing of a longing to have that kind of freedom. The Dutch marionette wants Pinocchio to woo her and stay with her. The French marionette loves how he speaks and wants to cut her strings for him. The Russian marionette already has a marionette friend but wants to go with Pinocchio instead.

Strings. The strings Pinocchio sings of are physical. I don't think the little marionette realized he was also speaking of a metaphor for the things that tie you down for whatever reason. The strings could be something like having a job or going to school or having whatever obligations that life gives you. The strings could also be more deeper such as your personal beliefs or your views on life. It may sound like a bit of a stretch, but it shapes how you react to things or do things. Let's say you have a bunch of friends that want to go do something, but you don't feel comfortable doing it. That discomfort is a string that prevents you from joining your friends. It may be well found it because your friends may be doing something they are not supposed to or they may be doing something you don't like. It may also be not well founded like an irrational fear preventing you from joining in. Either way that would be a string that's pulling you back.  

Pinocchio had at one point both types of strings: the physical kind that marionettes have so the puppet Master can manipulate their joints and the metaphorical kind that sometimes caused him internal conflict. Through his naivety in the song, it shows us that the less you're tied down the more carefree you are. It also shows us that there will always be others who are jealous of those who aren't tied down with things or strings. Another thing it shows us is that there will always be others who will try to pursue those with no strings so to speak so that they too may live the same life. The last thing it shows is that no matter what even if you live a "no strings attached" life there will always be some sort of strings attached to you whether by accident or intentional.

So until next time, always remember to live your life to the fullest and Keep Cooking with Character! 

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Day 15: I may be live bait down there, but I'm with ya. -- Jiminy Cricket

I may be live bait down there, but I'm with ya. -- Jiminy Cricket, Pinoccio

This comes to us as Pinocchio and Jiminy are trying to escape Pleasure Island. Before they got the idea to jump from a cliff into the ocean, the only known way off Pleasure Island was for the little boys who ran amuk on the island to turn into speechless donkeys. 

Even though Jiminy knew there was a chance he would be eating by a fish because he is a cricket (an insect fishermen use to catch fish with), he still stuck by Pinocchio, because, not only was he Pinocchio's conscience, he was also Pinocchio's best friend. Do you have a friend like Jiminy, one who would do anything for you whether you asked or not? Perhaps you are the friend like Jiminy and would go out of your way to make sure your friends are well cared for and on the right path. Jiminy Cricket is a wonderful example of how a true friend should be, even if at times he had his doubts in Pinocchio. 

True friends like Jiminy are very hard to come by, especially once that are as insightful as a good conscience. They won't ever lead you a stray nor will they ever put you in harms way. Plus if you ask them for something for help in anything they are right there lending a hand even if they don't have either the time or the funds to do so. They also ask for nothing in return except for you to treat them the same should they ever need help. They would never tell your deepest darkest secrets if you told them to keep it a secret. They may have their doubts about some of your life's choices, but they will stick by you to make sure you're safe, even at an arm's distance. If you have a friend like this, hold them close to your heart, don't let them go, for they are as rare as they come, and never take them for granted. 

So until next time, always treat others the way you want to be treated and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 14: You might tell her the truth.-- Jiminy Cricket

You might tell her the truth.-- Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio

This good advice comes to us when Pinocchio is locked in a cage and  doesn't know how to ask The Blue Fairy for help.

Have you ever had to tell someone something or answer a question, but were not sure how to fully answer it? Did you answer it with the truth or a lie? The hardest thing to do in life is to tell the truth, because not everybody wants to hear it nor do they like to hear it. Some actually love to hear the truth, even if it hurts their feelings. As humans, we don't like our feelings hurt or that we are told we are wrong in our thinking.

 

When I think of this quote, I am reminded of another quote from the 1940s movie "Meet Me in St Louis" which starred the late great Judy Garland. It comes from Marjorie Main's character, Katie the maid. She said "A lie is a lie and dressing it in white don't help it". So it really is better just to tell the truth. 

Pinocchio found out the hard way that it is better to tell the truth from the start then tell a whole flock of lies. He didn't want to tell The Blue Fairy exactly what he did to get him into that cage. So he lied and his nose grew. Luckily, after Pinocchio told her the truth, The Blue Fairy saw just how sorry Pinocchio was for getting them into that position and his lies. She decided to help him out just that one time. 

Not everyone is like The Blue Fairy. Sometimes people are. Others, if you tell a lie once to them, will never forgive you and they will move on. Rightfully so, because when you tell a lie, you break the other person's trust and trust that is broken is not easily gained back, if ever. So it's just best to be truthful from the start and save yourself and others the massive headache. Yet I also understand how hard it can be, because we don't want to hurt someone else's feelings. We don't like seeing people sad, mad, angry, or showing the darker emotions that are also part of life. So we tend to sometimes sugar coat the truth or flat out lie just so we can spare the other the possibility of hurt feelings, which is counterproductive because people need to learn how to handle the truth in a constructive (hopefully positive) way.

So until next time always tell the truth and Keep Cooking with Character!  

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Day 13: Look! Pretty!-- Pinocchio

Look! Pretty!-- Pinocchio, Pinocchio

This simple quote comes to us when Pinocchio has found a little flame on top of a burning candle that ignites his index finger because he is made of wood.

Have you ever looked at something and thought it was pretty? Did it fill you with happiness and joy or did you look at it with an appreciation but felt nothing stronger? Were you the only one that thought it was pretty? 

Sometimes the most prettiest things are the most simplest looking. Take the flame of a candle for instance. Its flame is that of shades of oranges and reds that dance with heat atop a white cotton wick that is set within the candle made of wax which can be a simple white wax, like in Pinocchio, or it could be more elaborate, like a carved candle that shows a multitude of different colored waxes inside. As the dancing flame melts the wax, the wax then drips down the sides of the candle until there is nothing more of the candle but the little silver stand that the wick was on, unless if it's a jarred candle, which it makes a little indentation until all of the wax has melted revealing that little silver wick-stand. Some may see it is just a candle or a source of light and nothing more. Others can look at it with an appreciation of the work that went into making a candle because it takes a lot of patience to make a candle, especially one that is hand-dipped. 

Life is full of the prettiest of things if we just know how to look at them. They say "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" which is kind of true. What one person may find beautiful, another person might not. That's okay. We know what we like and what we find pretty or beautiful, likewise what we don't. 

So until next time don't forget to take the time to appreciate the pretty things you see in life and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 12: A conscience is that still small voice people won’t listen to. That’s just the trouble with the world today.-- Jiminy Cricket

A conscience is that still small voice people won’t listen to. That’s just the trouble with the world today.-- Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio

While the Blue Fairy is talking to Pinocchio, she mentions a conscience to which Pinocchio asked what one was. Jiminy Cricket pops out of his hiding place to explain what it is, rather angry at the state of the world.

Everyone has a conscience. It tells you right from wrong; don't do this or go do that. It also has a way of stopping you before you do something really wrong that could get you in trouble. Sometimes people ignore their consciences for whatever reason and that is not the smartest thing to do. If you listen to your conscience, it will steer you to the best route possible. If you don't listen to your conscience, there is a chance you will go down a path that you in your right clear mind would not want you to go. It will become harder for you to get where you want to go or who you want to be. The hardest time to listen to your conscience is when everyone else is doing something and they want you to join in but you may not want to join in or do it. It is okay to say no to everyone else and just march to the beat of your own drum and what your own conscience says. 

So until next time always remember to listen to your conscience and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 11: You must learn to chose between right and wrong.-- Blue Fairy

You must learn to chose between right and wrong.-- Blue Fairy, Pinocchio

This bit of advice comes when the Blue Fairy is explaining things to Pinocchio and how his newfound life should go in order for him to become a real boy. 

This lesson is one that everyone has to learn as they grow older. Sometimes the line between right and wrong is easy. Other times it's not. Have you ever been put in a situation where you had to choose between the right and wrong answer? Did you pick the right answer or the wrong one? Perhaps you're putting off a decision because you're not sure which one is truly the right answer. 

As children, we're usually taught that "this is the one right answer to this issue or this problem" and "every other answer is wrong". This is dangerous thinking because for some issues there is no real wrong answer and for others there's no real right answer. I can think of some more current events where there was no real right answer, but there was no real wrong answer either. Sometimes there's just no answer at all and while frustrating that is okay too. We humans always want the right answers every time straight up and hate when we don't get it. 

There are some definite right and wrong things morally. The biggest right moral is to treat others the way you want to be treated. The biggest wrong that can be done is to kill someone. All life is precious no matter how small or what they look like. There are so many things that are easily right or wrong if you use common sense. If you're not sure if something is right or something is wrong, ask somebody, get a second opinion, but ultimately what you decide is right or wrong is up to you. 

So until next time, I hope that you are able to easily choose between right and wrong and as always Keep Cooking with Character!

 

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Day 10: I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that... about a wish coming true. Do you?-- Jiminy Cricket

 I'll bet a lot of you folks don't believe that... about a wish coming true. Do you?-- Jiminy Cricket

This question is posed at the start of the film just after the iconic "When You Wish Upon a Star" song. 

Have you ever made a wish? Was it out loud or just to yourself inside your heart? Was it on a birthday candle or maybe on a star? Was your wish something small, like say the light changes at a stoplight or getting a good parking spot? Perhaps it was something larger, like for a new sibling or maybe better job, or the love of your life to just fall in your lap and he or she be just perfect from the get-go. Did your wish come true or are you still waiting for it to  happen?

Wishes don't always come true for whatever reason. Yet there are always smaller little ones that seem to happen more often than not, like all the lights being green while you're driving, getting that prime parking spot when you need it, getting graded on a curve in school, or my personal childhood favorite going to lunch early or movie day in class. While we don't always think that wishes don't come true, they do when we least expect it. Sometimes when they're not granted in the way that we hope, they will be usually for the best. Sometimes when they're not granted at all, that also is for the best, though we may not like it. Yet we should never give up wishing, for that means we have the hope for something to happen. If you fall in the non-wishing crowd that's okay too, because it takes all kinds of people to make life work.

So until next time don't be afraid to wish on a star and as always Keep Cooking With Character!

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Day 9: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: With a Smile and a Song

 

With a Smile and a Song

Sung by: Adriana Caselotti as Snow White

Written by: Frank Churchill

Lyrics by: Larry Morey

This song takes place just after Snow White collapses from fear and exhaustion after being driven from her family's castle. Some of this week's quotes are said within this video of the song. 

Have you ever needed a song that just picks you up and puts a smile on your face? Perhaps you've had a really rough day and you just need that reminder that it's only a moment in time which will pass. This song, while extremely short, reminds us that even though you're going to go through bad times, it's best to do it with a smile so it's not nearly as bad as it seems. The lyrics may sound a bit naïve, as Snow White was for a majority of the movie, but it still has a good message behind it: even though time keeps moving, a smile, a good song, and a light heart will get you through anything.

So until next time, always remember "Only you can fill the world with sunshine" and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 8: Oh, they do look delicious.-- Snow White

Oh, they do look delicious.-- Snow White

This cautious quote comes to us when the queen dressed as an old witch offers a basket of red apples for her pies. 

Have you ever had food placed in front of you that looked so tempting to eat? Have you ever said this about the food?  Perhaps you've even said it about something that is not technically edible.

 We use humans tend to eat with our eyes first if something looks really good and delicious then chances are it's going to be really good and delicious if something looks beautiful like a beautiful plate of food we will typically think it is going to be a good meal likewise the plate of food could look like someone threw up on it for like a better words we will typically think it is not going to be a good meal however sometimes looks can be deceiving and that beautifully plated dish may turn out to be one of the worst meals ever whether it was seasoned wrong not cooked all the way through or what have you and that gross looking dish may actually end up tasting like the best thing you've ever eaten. In Snow White's case the red delicious looking Apple almost killed her because of the hidden poison on it. In the dwarfs case the soup may not have looked as appetizing but it was the best soup they had ever eaten. Have you ever had a dish that looked beautiful but didn't taste that great or was it a not so great looking dish that tasted great?

So until next time don't judge a dish by its looks and as always keep cooking with character!

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Day 7: Tell us a story.-- Sleepy

 

Tell us a story.-- Sleepy, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This simple quote comes to us when it's just about bedtime and the Dwarfs have a hard time going to bed because of their exciting day Sleepy, the Dwarf who lives up to his name, asked this simple request. 

Have you ever asked someone to tell a story or perhaps you were the one that was being asked? You don't have to be a child to want to be told a story. If you read a book, you're being told a story through words. If you're watching a movie or a theater performance, you're being told a story through not only words but also through what you see either on the screen or the stage. We can learn a lot through listening to stories almost as much as than we can write at a story. Although when you're writing a story there is a lot that goes into it: character development, descriptions, the plot, what the character say, what they do, where they go, how they dress. Do you remember the first time you were ever told a story? Do you remember what your favorite bedtime story as a child was?

I grew up listening to stories: the fairy tales and stories of our family ever since day one. I don't try to hide the fact that I was adopted at birth. I fall in the "adopted and proud of it" crowd and it stems from the fact that my mother who adopted me told me the exact same story every night every time I asked for it. It was the story of how she got me. 

She would always tuck me in and sit on the edge of my bed. Sometimes I would snuggle up close next to her. Then she would start the story. She would tell how she and Daddy fell in love and got married in 1971. She started praying for a child because she could not have them and prayed nightly for a child for almost 11 years. Then one day, while she was at work, her friend that was a nurse in the hospital that I was born at called her and asked if she still wanted a baby girl. Mom of course said yes, and her friend said "Great! One was born in the hospital that morning" and I would always chime in "was it me?" even though I knew that it was. She would always say "yes it was". Then she would continue and say that they had to prepare a room for me because I was a big surprise. They had to turn my daddy's hobby room, which had a lot of airplanes and comic books, into a baby's nursery quickly. So they got everything as quick as they could and finally brought me home 5 days later. She would then tell me that the mother whose tummy I came from loved me so much that she gave me up for adoption to give me a better life than what she could provide for me at the time. She also said that even though I didn't grow in her tummy she would always love me as if I had and that would never change. 

This was the story that I heard for the first two years of my life. Then it changed a little and Mom added the part where we got my little sister. She would tell me and her that once they got me, they started praying for a little brother or a little sister for me so I would have a sibling. Then 23 months later, which she would say two years so we could understand it, our grandfather called and asked if they still wanted a little sibling for me, which they said yes. He said "great we have a little girl that was just born" that day. So we made the trip to TX and picked up my little sister who slept in a laundry basket that first night because my grandfather did not have a crib for her. Mom always made sure to answer all of our questions as she was telling us that bedtime story. She made sure we knew just how loved we were by both sets of our parents: our birth parents and our adopted parents. She also made sure that we knew when we wanted to search for them she would support us and help us look when we were ready. Out of all of the stories I've heard over the years, that first bedtime story will always be my favorite. Do you have a favorite bedtime story like this one that fills you with warmth and Love and Hope?

With that, until next time, enjoy the stories you're told and Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 6: March straight outside and wash, or you’ll not get a bite to eat.-- Snow White

 

March straight outside and wash, or you’ll not get a bite to eat.-- Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This gem comes to us when the Dwarfs just get home from a hard day's work and are about to eat the delicious soup that Snow White made for them.

Has anyone ever said this to you or you to that? This is something that is said all over the South, usually by an older relative to a younger relative. It is very rude in many cultures to come to dinner or supper with unwashed hands. It is also considered good hygiene if you come to eat with washed hands and something that is very simple to do that some people don't for whatever reason. 

I can remember being told this by many relatives who wanted to instill this good habit in me. They also would hold fast to that teaching that everyone must be at the table with washed hands before we could start to eat. It didn't matter if it was just us or if we had friends with us. Everyone had to have their hands washed and sat down to dinner. At the time, I remember hating it, because, being a kid, I was hungry, there was good eats, and I couldn't wait to try everything on the table. Looking back, I see that they were trying to instill good hygiene and patience, because some were not as fast hand washers as others. Did you ever have this kind of experience growing up? 

Don't ever forget to wash your hands before you eat and as always Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 5: He don't know. He never tried!-- Happy

 He don't know. He never tried!-- Happy, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

This short quote comes to us when Snow White questions Dopey, the youngest of the seven Dwarfs, and his ability to speak happy one of the older dwarfs who lives up to his name speaks up for him

Has anyone ever said this about you or have you ever said it about someone else? Another saying comes to my mind when I think of this quote is "You never know what you can do until you try". I do wonder what Dopey's voice would have been had he actually tried to speak and how that would fit into his personality.

Has there ever been anything you may have wanted to try but haven't? Is it a new type of food, a new music genre, or maybe a a new line of work? Trying something new is always going to be scary because you don't know whether or not you're going to like it or what the outcome will be. Yet if you don't try something you'll never know if you actually truly like it. Sometimes you might not like it at first but when you try it multiple times you may find you actually like it more than you first thought. This typically happens when food is involved.

For example, kids don't have an adventurous palette when it comes to eating. From the start, parents have to slowly introduce new foods to them to get them to eat. They say it typically takes between 10 to 20 tries to get someone to eat a food, so long as they're not allergic to it. Sometimes adults even have to try things multiple times to like a certain dish. Yet sometimes no matter how many times you try it you just don't like it and that's okay. Some people like their meals a certain texture, some like certain flavors. Either way, it makes it hard to step outside of a box to be more adventurous but you never know what you may end up liking until you try it. 

So until next time don't be like Dopey and never try something and as always Keep Cooking with Character!

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Day 4: I’m sure I’ll get along somehow. Everything’s going to be all right.-- Snow White

I’m sure I’ll get along somehow. Everything’s going to be all right.-- Snow White, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
 

This quote comes to us when the animals are talking to Snow White. She tries to reassure them that, even though she has no place to stay, she'll be ok. 

 Have you ever been in a situation where you didn't know how you were going to get out of it. Perhaps you hit rock bottom or were trying to figure out something but didn't know the answer? Have you ever had a small voice tell you that everything is going to work out even when you don't know how it's going to work out at the time? Have you ever had someone ask you if everything's going okay and you've answered like this to reassure them with the hopes that it would reassure you? 

That still small voice that tells you everything is going to be okay is one of the best voices you could have. That is the voice of Hope and can be a saving Grace. It's okay not to know how you'll get out of the situation but that you will. I cannot tell you how many times I've had to use this quote even though I had no idea how things would turn out or when the tide would turn for the better. Sometimes I would use it to reassure others. Others, I would use it to reassure myself, because sometimes it would feel hopeless, helpless, like I would never be able to get out of where I was. Yet somehow life had a way of making things work and would get me out of things even if not the way I originally planned. I can't say exactly how it will work out for you. Hopefully this quote will help you as it helped me many times over the years!

So until next time, always remember that things will turn out right and Keep Cooking with Character!

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