Snow White's Table: Humming the Tune

On Easter Eve i had a dream about Snow White, about that tale and that feeling there being an important guide in my life. In the dream it said that in writng too, "Snow-White-ness" is the stuff to focus on.

Something about the Walt Disney Snow White movie in particular, it always moves something inside, a certain feeling there. And so i woke up Easter morning fresh from the dream with two sweet "Easter gifts". One, the song from the movie, "Whistle While You Work" was cheerily humming in my head. The other thing was a surprise. I've been drawn to how Brother Lawrence's "heart prayer" (here). A heart prayer (well most other folks call it a breath prayer really) is a short personal prayer that "calls us back" to God's presence, see here) was simply "Thank You God". The surprise was that after this dream i found i was automatically saying that prayer, as i turned over to my other side before getting up i found myself saying "Thank You God" that i could lay on both sides (sometimes pain prevents that). And it was just something about that prayer finally coming more automatically after this Snow White dream, well it just kind of healed something. They must be connected. Then later that day i turned on the radio only to find that song "Whistle While You WOrK" (the Louis Armstrong version) was playing. I couldnt believe it. The co-in-see-dance made me treasure all the more this stuff about "Snow white-ness". There truly feels to be precious treasure there.

Well, i'm sure this will kind of unravel over time. I think it already has been all along really, just weaving in and out, and it feels really nice and warm inside to be returning to it a bit. I was poring over some vintage cookbooks the other night, which give me that "Snow White" feeling too. So did mixing up batter for some yummy banana bread, something about things like this. This "Snow-White-ness" draw just pulls like a magnet.

Its funny, it hit me tonight that the very first picture i posted on the very first blog was this one at left, which is of Snow White's mother as she is praying for a child while she sews. That wasnt the reason i posted that image then, it was just an image i was really drawn to. But seems this "snow-white-ness' draw has been here from the beginning.

Looked up the tale today, and some qoutes stood out, from here. First, at the beginning, that opening scene with her Mother. Don't have any words, but have always felt something special there. And for some reason the ancient feeling there reminds me so much of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8 too:

t was the middle of winter, and the snow-flakes were falling like feathers from the sky, and a queen sat at her window working, and her embroidery-frame was of ebony. And as she worked, gazing at times out on the snow, she pricked her finger, and there fell from it three drops of blood on the snow. And when she saw how bright and red it looked, she said to herself, "Oh that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the embroidery frame!"

Not very long after she had a daughter, with a skin as white as snow, lips as red as blood, and hair as black as ebony, and she was named Snow-white"

Then there is this really moving scene at the end. It reminds me so much of Christs rescue of us, and how we are drawn to fairy tales for such a real reason becuase undermeath is the deeper fairy tale. Before putting in that qoute from Snow White, wanted to qoute Genevieve Kineke from her "Fairy Tale Re-dux" post. A gospel reading and its message of rescue had reminded her so much of a fairy tale, and she had this to say:

"So as I was listening, it hit me anew that the Bride was awaiting her redemption, yearning for her Bridegroom to free her from the darkness of sin. Isn't this the story line in most fairy tales? Doesn't the damsel await her redeemer -- his kiss, his glance, his betrothal to awaken her from her slumber or to take her from drudgery or crushing circumstances? Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Rapunzel, etc. Children have always loved such stories, which means they have resonated at a deep level. The bride is incomplete without her designated bridegroom. His love completes her and yet He, in a sense, needs her as well. "

Okay, i'll forgive her for not mentioning Snow White lol. On with the qoute from the tale...

he dwarfs, when they came home in the evening, found Snow-white lying on the ground, and there came no breath out of her mouth, and she was dead. They lifted her up, sought if anything poisonous was to be found, cut her laces, combed her hair, washed her with water and wine, but all was of no avail, the poor child was dead, and remained dead. Then they laid her on a bier, and sat all seven of them round it, and wept and lamented three whole days. And then they would have buried her, but that she looked still as if she were living, with her beautiful blooming cheeks. So they said,

"We cannot hide her away in the black ground." And they had made a coffin of clear glass, so as to be looked into from all sides, and they laid her in it, and wrote in golden letters upon it her name, and that she was a king's daughter. Then they set the coffin out upon the mountain, and one of them always remained by it to watch. And the birds came too, and mourned for Snow-white, first an owl, then a raven, and lastly, a dove.

Now, for a long while Snow-white lay in the coffin and never changed, but looked as if she were asleep, for she was still as white as snow, as red as blood, and her hair was as black as ebony. It happened, however, that one day a king's son rode through the wood and up to the dwarfs' house, which was near it. He saw on the mountain the coffin, and beautiful Snow-white within it, and he read what was written in golden letters upon it. Then he said to the dwarfs,

"Let me have the coffin, and I will give you whatever you like to ask for it."
But the dwarfs told him that they could not part with it for all the gold in the world. But he said,

"I beseech you to give it me, for I cannot live without looking upon Snow-white; if you consent I will bring you to great honour, and care for you as if you were my brethren."

When he so spoke the good little dwarfs had pity upon him and gave him the coffin, and the king's son called his servants and bid them carry it away on their shoulders. Now it happened that as they were going along they stumbled over a bush, and with the shaking the bit of poisoned apple flew out of her throat. It was not long before she opened her eyes, threw up the cover of the coffin, and sat up, alive and well.

"Oh dear! where am I?" cried she. The king's son answered, full of joy, "You are near me""

"You are near me". Are there any more magical words to hear?

(Top image from here, next image from here, and last two images from here)