My Halloween Costume!

This year I chose to do my own take on a classic costume. I call him Bro-thy Gale.

Something that you need to understand about me is that I am a big fan of anything OZ! The books, movie, musicals, spin-offs, miniseries, I’m there and in love with it all. And for the most part it has all been good. L. Frank Baum has created a masterpiece in and of itself. That’s not even looking at all the political stuff that is represented on its pages.

But why a boy form of Dorothy Gale? And where did I get such an idea?

Well the idea came during one of my night classes. I was bored out of my mind so I started to think about what I could be for Halloween. My thoughts turned to Dorothy and I thought what if I did a modern boy version of Dorothy. I could call him Bro-thy (or Brorothy) and his catch phrase would be, “Dat Witch be crazy!” (We’ll get into my perceived Blackness another day!)

The idea of Dorothy Gale in search of her home while in a strange land and helping friends with their goals in pursuit of her own has always been so cool to me. We are on our own journey and searching for our home… where we feel comfortable. I know that my home is with God. But we can experiences pieces of home while we are here on earth. That’s why we get to live in families and have our own, to simulate what it was like in heaven. I am able to feel that in my own home in Nebraska, because it is a building/ haven where the Spirit dwells. But what I have found out more than anything else is that it is the people that make a home a home, not the building. And that feeling extends beyond just family. I have had many friends that have helped me feel at home, and therefore feel like family.

Neal A. Maxwell said, “Friends, like family, are forever.” I believe that to be true!

It would be almost pointless for me to try and list everyone who has made a difference in my life and have become family. The list would go on and on, and knowing my memory, I will likely forget someone… or lots o’ someones. But I am grateful for the people that have made my journey well worth it.

One of the things that drove the point that I can feel at home, not bearing on where I was, be with whom I was is the song You are My Home from the musical The Scarlet Pimpernel! (This is my song with my older sister. It’s perfect for our relationship.) But in the musical it is between a sister and brother who have been through a lot growing up and they realized that no matter what, if they had each other, they would be home. *Give it a listen if you don’t know what I am talking about* It is the people in my life that help me feel pieces from my home above.

If I could embody some of the things that Dorothy Gale represents, I feel like I would be on a good path. (This is looking at her through L. Frank Baum’s eyes, although Gregory Maguire didn’t really paint her in a bad light, and I haven’t read very many other books about her) But she seemed honest and innocent and well-meaning in all that she did. The fact that she tried to help her companions on their quest speaks volumes about her character and her upbringing.

This journey that we are on, although it is an individual one in many aspects, is meant to be shared! We can all become better if we just try and learn how to love and help one another. There was a line from a hymn that kept replaying in my mind. I was around people talking about another person. This person that they were talking about has recently opened up to me about some personal things about how tough their life really is. It’s not my place to tell their story to others, but all I thought was “In the quiet heart is hidden Sorrow that the eye can’t see.” (Lord, I would Follow Thee, Hymn №220) Because I was privileged to their story I knew that those people would regret what they were saying if they knew. How often do I say something about people without knowing the full story? Too many times to count.

Learn to share your journey and find the pieces of home in this life!

And remember, “Dat Witch be crazy!”

God bless, until next time!