Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Sarah Williams

This is the name of a character in one of my favorite movies, "Waking the Dead." It's a little-known indie flick that came out right as I graduated from college, so it's a favorite not because of its artistic sensibilities but because it happened to appear at a turning point in my life. Sarah Williams (Jennifer Connolly) is a young American Catholic woman trying to help political asylees from Chile. Sarah's unshakeable beliefs are girded by her bold, sometimes illegal actions. Her lover, Fielding Pierce (Billy Crudup) shares her convictions, but they argue about his very different, much more mainstream, way of helping.

Sarah dies - her fiery death is the first scene in the film. And Fielding agonizes over the path he's chosen. (You haven't seen agony over life decisions until you've seen this film.)

Sarah Williams is also the name of an American poet who wrote "The Old Astronomer to His Pupil," which includes these famous last two lines:

"Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light;
I have loved the stars too deeply to be fearful of the night."

What a wonderful connnection for a character to have.
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Here are some lists:

THINGS I WORRY ABOUT:
  • finances
  • financing a new place to live
  • finding a new place to live

THINGS I DON'T WORRY ABOUT:

  • when I'm nursing Minkie (Paloma), I don't worry about *anything.* It all disappears as if I had been practicing meditation every day for twenty years. (Or so I imagine.)
  • my career
  • the fabulousness of my husband and marriage

THINGS MINKIE TAUGHT ME TO LOVE:

  • shadows on the wall
  • vertical lines of books on a shelf
  • smiling into a mirror to make someone else smile
  • being efficient while she's napping