Today I went to an event with my office where we saw a Christmas movie while a live orchestra played the soundtrack. It was a really interesting event, especially because the orchestra played so well with the movie. I was amazed that they kept in time with the movie so well. Then, I saw that the conductor had a small screen in front of him and that he had the movie playing in front of him with some music cues that helped him to keep in time with the movie.
It was sort of like a wizard of Oz type of moment. It just wasn’t as amazing as I thought it was. However, that didn’t change how special the experience was for me because something else happened watching the movie. Although many of us had seen the movie before, when there were funny parts to the movie, people laughed. The experience of being in the same auditorium with people laughing changed the experience of watching the movie. The gags and jokes made me smile a little more and I enjoyed them more because I heard the laughter of others around me.
It makes me realize that my ideas from earlier this week are on the right track. I am not just me. In my lifetime, I belong to this one body, but it’s been many bodies over the years, it’s been many minds, and the spirit continues to grow and change. In the same sense, I’m not just me, I am part of a life force that is ancient and eternal. That life force is why I feel a connection to everyone else in that auditorium when they laugh. It’s why I know I am not alone and it’s why I’ve always known God is.
My faith saved me. May God’s peace reside in all of our hearts.