Impossible things are happening everyday...

As a child, I loved what I called the "people" version of Cinderella. In my household this was Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella with Lesley Ann Warren (the 1965 version). We must have taped this version off of tv in the very early days of having a VCR, because I watched this movie countless times. Some of my earliest memories even include role-playing Cinderella with my mom and daddy before bed, when I would prance around in my silky nightgown and bathrobe trying to make it to bed "before midnight" without losing a slipper.

In the years that followed, other Cinderella experiences crossed my path. I watched other versions of Cinderella (Disney cartoon, Julie Andrews and Brandy), I attended the live musical performance and I even studied the musical score in a college class, but somehow, the magic of that Lesley Ann Warren version of the story remains in my, now twenty-five-year-old, heart.

As I've grown, a song like "In My Own Little Corner" has taken on new meaning as I value the comfort of my own little corner of the world. "A Lovely Night" frequently comes to mind when I have had a wonderful night - a night so special that is causes me to walk on air. "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful?" will remain a timeless question of love... so much more complex of a concept than one would expect in a child's movie -

Do I love you because you're beautiful,
or are you beautiful because I love you?
Am I making believe I see in you a girl too lovely to be really true?
Do I want you because you're wonderful,
or are you wonderful because I want you?
Are you the sweet invention of a lover's dream
or are you really as beautiful as you seem?

Such intense lyrics and music could warrant a separate entry for each song, but tonight I want to talk about "Impossible". The song is a duet between the Fairy Godmother and Cinderella in the process of the Fairy Godmother equipping Cinderella for the ball. While Disney's cartoon uses this setting to sing "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", Rogers and Hammerstein present the true and timeless ideal that "Impossible things are happening everyday."

Throughout the course of the song, the two woman sing that such things are Impossible, but by the end, the words and sentiments change to It's possible. What a simple and pure portrayal of a heart that has learned to have faith.

Cinderella wants to attend the ball. Her request is granted in a way greater than she ever asked or imagined it could be. Cinderella did not have to worry about her clothes to wear or her transportation, because her Fairy Godmother provided for her needs in abundance. When her child presented a request, it pleased the Fairy Godmother to provide in an amazing and unbelievable way. Cinderella learned that her Fairy Godmother was worthy of her faith and her trust.

Cinderella's life was not without trial, not without drama, and not without heartache. But because of Cinderella's faith in her Godmother, and the Godmother's love and plan for Cinderella, she who was a servant is now served; She who was unloved by her family is now loved dearly; She who sang "Impossible" and was only at home in her "own little corner" now makes her home in a palace and sings "It's possible!"