There’s things I’ve done I can’t erase
Every night we fall from grace
It’s hard, with the world in your face
Try to hold on, try to hold on. . .
~ Bon Jovi, ‘Keep the Faith’
I believe in the Holy Trinity, and I believe in the Blessed Virgin.
I believe in God, and I believe in science.
I believe in Valium, and I believe in lithium.
I believe in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” and I believe in “New Girl.”
I believe that a cat can quell a panic attack, and I believe that a dog can keep depression at bay.
I believe in The Beatles, and I believe in Sara Bareilles.
And I believe in Hoagy Carmichael.
I believe in Pope Francis, and I believe in the Dalai Lama.
I believe in Kurt Vonnegut, and I believe in Jack Kerouac.
I believe in “The Philadelphia Story,” and I believe in “Love Actually.”
I believe you will never be a first class human being until you learn to have some regard for human frailty.*
I believe you must be fully and utterly broken before you can begin to heal.
I believe this cannot be done alone, without the support of people who do not judge, but only love.
I believe those people (if you are incredibly blessed) can be the family you were born with; but that often you must seek out that family amongst friends and strangers.
I believe in very old movies, and I believe in slightly younger cartoons.
I believe people want to help you, if you will only let them.
I believe you have to have faith in something: in God, in natural law, in your mother, or simply that the sun will rise and there will be another day.
I believe that the good in this world will prevail; that love still trumps hate.
I believe in the power of forgiveness, and I believe in the existence of grace.
I believe in wishing on rainbows and shooting stars; and I believe that four leaf clovers really are magical.
I believe in love.
And I believe in all of you.
*Which is a line straight from “The Philadelphia Story”
© Ruby Tuesday and A Canvas Of The Minds 2012-2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Ruby Tuesday and A Canvas Of The Minds with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
A Canvas Of The Minds 
What a beautiful and deceptively elegant post, Ruby. I’m inspired to, among other things, watch The Philadelphia Story (and High Society after it) and tell you that you are one friend/one-time stranger that has been of great support to me as I’ve navigated some depths these past years. And you still do. Thank you for the smile this brought at the close of a hectic day!
Sid, you are such a beautiful soul. I cannot begin to tell you all the ways and reasons and times you have helped me and inspired me to keep going. And I’m not sure we ever were strangers. To borrow from The Great Gonzo, “There’s not a word yet; For old friends who just met. . .”
I think you and I may fall into that category, even though we “just met” almost two years ago. I’m so glad I could make you smile. 😀
I wish I could believe in everything you do, but I’m still on my own journey. Your message inspires me to keep searching for faith and meaning in my own life.
Jason, believe me, I get it. I still struggle (often). And for many years the only faith I had was the faith that because of my poor mental wellness, every day I made it through was going to be a tremendous struggle. But there’s that line, isn’t there, in ‘Livin’ On A Prayer’? (Yes, I am unapologetically going back there.) “You live for the fight when that’s all that you’ve got.” Anyone who knows me will agree on two qualities: stubbornness and fight.
And Jason, I suspect you have a lot of fight in you, and perhaps a little more faith than you know, because you read the post, and you made the comment. On the days you can’t feel the faith, try and let the fight make up for it. The fight to better your situation, whatever it may be; the fight to find your own happiness, not what the world or your peers or social media tell you should make you happy; the fight to find some measure of peace within yourself, because you deserve it. You are worth it. I speak from a purely secular place when I say that you were created in the universe a completely unique being. To paraphrase Mister Rogers (going there, too), there is no one in this world exactly like you. You are special, just because you’re you.
As far as finding meaning, I have this cat. (Of course she has a cat.) This cat was brought into my life because he is the cat I didn’t know I needed, and I was the only human that he knew straight off had the qualities he knew he needed. I try to find meaning in my life every day, but if I can’t find it in anything else, I know I can find it in the way I care for and am loved by this amazing ball of fluff.
I’m not saying go get a cat, obviously. But sometimes there is tremendous meaning that you just don’t see. Say hello to your neighbors, be patient with those who may be struggling (yourself included), and be kind to everyone. Absolutely everyone.
Wow, I think this is longer than my actual post! Be well Jason, take care, and know that faith of any kind is a journey, an act of bravery (not submission), and at the same time both the easiest thing you will ever do and one hell of a hard trick to pull off. That is my personal experience, anyway. 🙂 So may I also have faith for you, that you will get to where is right for you?