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. […]
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 […]
One day Doris’s doorbell rang, and she opened her door. That was her call to adventure. Can you imagine something so mundane changing a life? Lots of movies work this way. Especially romantic comedies. In movies, they talk about the “meet cute,” a mundane moment where the romantic leads meet. In The Holiday, the character played by Kate Winslet meets her romantic interest played by Jack Black when he rings her doorbell and she doesn’t know how the technology works to answer it.
Seemingly everywhere I go, I encounter ordinary people who’ve accomplished extraordinary things. Profiles in courage, towering love, and passion, these people’s transformational stories all have one thing in common––they lifted themselves out of their own pain by lifting up others. But before they could do that, they discovered and embraced the art of being themselves, […]
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.
Doris gets a little help on The Road Back to her Ordinary World after receiving the reward of adulation because of her gifts of hospitality, positivity and baking.
