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. 😀