I had the pleasure of meeting Rev. Anne Mugane, known as Mama John, during what would be the sunset of her life. She was the founder and director of Merciful Redeemer Children’s Home, located just outside of Nairobi, Kenya. Her vision and burden had always been to reach out to the needy and less fortunate. […]
Doris crosses the threshold when she acts on her idea to bake the cakes for the bats. On one hand, it’s in Doris’s normal world to bake these cakes; however, she’s never baked honey cakes for bats before while they were sleeping in the rafters of her house. Will they like the cakes? Will they stop being so afraid? Do they even like parties or will the party scare them? This is a new world. Doris has never lived in her house with trembling fairies AND shaking bats. Will her instinct to bake new crunchy honey cakes serve her well, or will the crunchy honey cakes and the party turn into a total disaster?
As you can see, Doris is a reluctant hero. She didn’t believe that there were such terrible creatures in the world and that the bad things that the fairies talked about could actually occur. She doubts and doesn’t want to be the one to do something about it because that meant the small fairies living in her huge home would discover it was messier than most, and that her kitchen appliances and artwork were out of date.
11. Rising After All Resurrection is the climax when the hero must have her ultimate and most perilous encounter with death. The ultimate battle also is a metaphor beyond the hero’s own existence, and its outcome has greater implications for her Ordinary World and the lives of those who live with her or the lives […]
The needs of the hero when she meets her guide or mentor can be small or large. The guide can give an object, like a ring, or just simple insight, like the way the canary’s presence gives Doris an idea and the courage to see it through. This help can also come in the form of wise advice, practical training, or even just a kind word that can give the character some self-confidence. The guide’s advice always takes away the hero’s fears and doubts and brings her strength and courage to begin her quest.
Here, Doris faced the test of the honey cakes. Will the bats like them? Had she and the canary come up with a good idea? Or will it all fall apart? In this part of the story, Doris discovered her power. She realized that her ideas are worthy and that her cooking of honey cakes worked. The bats became allies, and so did the fairies. She stepped into her power as she confronted her fears and doubts and owned her identity as a peacemaker.
