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“Happiness can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light.” ~ Albus Dumbledore

“What are we believing that is costing us our freedom, our happiness, and our awareness of our own true nature?” ~ Byron Katie

The outcome of the election three weeks ago was devastating for many people. I had to grieve and process my emotions but a few days after the election, I woke up and realized and felt that no matter who lives in the White House, no matter what my income level, or circumstances in life, I can feel joyful and reject fear. I can sing and pay attention to the welfare of my neighbors. I can continue to create and build deeper relationships with people. I can find ways to help others. And that is the best way to stand up to the bullies. If I don’t pay attention to their attempts to intimidate me or others, that’s how I resist.

I’m a former teacher and I have observed that bullies only feel powerful when those they try to intimidate cringe in fear. If they meet with indifference, or love and joy, they don’t know what to do. They become afraid themselves. 

So, I’m not going to cry and become depressed. As one woman I saw on TikTok said, “We’re going to be okay. We lived through a Trump presidency once, we can live through another one and we are going to okay.”

This is what I have learned from A Course in Miracles, “Only love is real.” Everything else is illusion. If we live in happiness and love, we take away the emotional weapons of those who want to spread fear and hatred. 

You know me, I love stories that demonstrate this. One is Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury. The Autumn Circus has come to town. But instead of being a source of fun and joy, people’s lives are being destroyed. The main characters of the story are Will Halloway and Jim Nightshade. Mr. Dark, the owner of the circus wants to capture these boys because they have found out too much about what they’re doing. Jim nearly succumbs to Mr. Dark. When Will begins to fret and even cry, his father tells him to laugh, that’s what the dark people can’t stand, joy and laughter. 

Basically the same thing happens in The Witches of Eastwick, (1987) novel by John Updike. Three women conjure up the perfect man, only he turns out to be an evil devil or warlock. He begins to abuse them. At one point one of the women falls over a banister and is about to crash to her death. Another of the women begins to laugh and instructs the others to do the same, at which point the woman’s fall slows and she floats above the floor. It is through happiness and joy that we defeat the darkness. It’s through loving others, no matter who they are, that has the potential of changing us and them.

Consider the places you can find joy and connection with nature, with your friends, and with your family. It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe exactly the same things they do. There is no doubt that you will have something in common with them on some level that will allow you to connect and build a relationship upon. Think of the activities that bring you joy. Do those things and stay away from doom and gloom media. The more you cultivate happiness, the better off the world will be. 

I’m traveling a lot this holiday season, recording Story-Power and videos for a new YouTube channel that my sister and I are starting titled, Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters coming in 2025. Watch for more news about that. 

So I don’t know when I will be posting here. I hope you are doing well and looking forward to a festive holiday season.

Blessings to you all,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2024

The Space Between Time

Lucinda is the author of The Space Between Time, an award finalist in the “Fiction: Fantasy” category of the 2017 Best Book Awards. It’s now available on the Hoopla App linked to your local library.

Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, after the last few years, most of us have. In The Space Between Time, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her three-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime.

The Space Between Time is available in all ebook formats at Smashwords and for Kindle at Amazon, or you can find the ebook at iBooks or Barnes and Noble. If you prefer a physical copy, you can find a print-on-demand version at Amazon. Stay tuned for news when the audiobook version and sequel are published.

Lucinda is also the host of Story-Power a podcast where she and her guests discuss their creative endeavors, and/or the stories that have changed their lives. It’s available here on Sage Woman Chronicles and on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and YouTube podcast apps. Please rate and leave a review. It helps people find me.

Rita Gau’s review: Recently, I finished reading a book titled, The Space Between Time, by my friend, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time. It kept me captivated, which I have not experienced from any other book for the past couple of years. I loved all the little gems of meaningful and what I call spiritual statements throughout the book. You know, those words that make you pause and think, and sometimes have an “aha” from or a deeper awareness about something. And it was entertaining and informational about some of the history in the 1800’s and yet, contemporary. It also reminded me of the importance of “living in community” and how important it is to help one another and be engaged in your community. Thank you Lucinda for a wonderful, entertaining and captivating book!

Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.