What's Your Favorite Fairy Tale?

In the midst of trying to catch up on email, work, and personal responsibilities, I discovered a blog post from A Quid for the Quill stating that Sunday, February 26 was Tell A Fairy Tale Day.  Quid's blog meandered through several aspects of fairy tales, but what struck me the most was her question:  What is your favorite fairy tale?

She invited us to recall them, admitting that her favorites didn't make the Disney big screen.  I knew the answer to this question, immediately.  My favorite fairy tales were not done by Disney either. Two of them you might be familiar with, but I'd be surprised if you know the third, and probably my favorite as a child.

Golden Press published a beautiful series of Hans Christian Andersen stories illustrated with 3D puppet holographic images.  I owned two of these books, The Wild Swans which Juliet Marillier used as part of the basis of her book, Daughter of the Forest.  The other Golden Press book I loved was The Snow Queen.  I no longer have my copy of The Snow Queen, but I read my original copy of The Wild Swans to my granddaughter a few months ago.  She fell under its spell, which thrilled me to no end.

But, as a child, the fairy tale I probably read the most was Snow White and Rose Red.  Maybe you didn't know that these two characters co-starred in a story, but they did.  Both found love without the help of seven dwarves. and a bear (who really was a prince) played a large part in their story.  Not too long ago, I pulled out my fairy tale volume of The New Junior Classics (which isn't so new anymore) and discovered my memory of the story contains gaps.  The story didn't enthrall me like it used to, but then, I'm  not ten years old anymore, either.  It still lives in my heart as a story that filled my mind with wonder and imagination.

As for Disney?  From the classics, I prefer Sleeping Beauty.  Of the more recent titles, my favorite is Beauty and the Beast.

What's yours?

Reminders

This week, I'm not going to write a post, I'm just going to share some points that are on my mind:

1. Stop and smell the roses.
2. Never underestimate the power of prayer.
3. Call your mother, father, daughter, son, whoever it is that you've been meaning to call.

I'm dealing with things more important than putting out a new post this week, so please know that the list above is important.  Don't wait.  Act on the ones that you've been sliding on.

And a huge Thanks to all of you who are praying for my mother.  Your prayers are being answered.

For Those Who Provide Maximum Effort

Maximum Effort.  That was the original Hollywood title for the 1949 movie, Twelve O'Clock High.  Even though the words "maximum effort" occur in the movie numerous times, the actual title only occurs once, and if you're not alert to the scene, you might miss it.  So why did they change the title?  Well, just read the two, and I think you can understand.

How do I even know this?  Because the training program, Situational Leadership, uses this movie to teach and reinforce the leadership approach introduced during the first day of this course.  Every time I teach Situational Leadership, I get to share the movie with a new group of people.  I've taught it several times, so I know exactly when Gregory Peck says, "Twelve O'Clock High" -- an amazing in-flight battle scene, with our American bombers fighting Germany's quick agile fighter planes.  The battle scenes come from actual footage shot during World War II.  I can't watch those scenes without wondering about the gunners.  What happened to them?

Whether you watch this movie on your own or seek the opportunity to explore the leadership techniques taught in Situational Leadership while enjoying the movie, I suggest you take the time to watch Twelve O'Clock High.  History buff or not, I hope you'll find a new respect for these men, and for the men who stand in harms' way today, protecting our freedom.  The people of St. Louis got it, showing up by the thousands to show their appreciation to Iraq war veterans.  I hope this is a sign that our country hasn't forgotten the sacrifices made on our behalf by the young men and women serving in our armed forces.

Thanks to all who stand up and accept this responsibility!