Weekly Newsletter: Behind the Mask

     I attended a Halloween wedding and found it to be a wonderful experience. The groom dressed as Frankenstein, and the bride dressed as the bride of Frankenstein. In my discussions with them, I discovered them to be jovial and good-natured. I shared some jokes and humorous stories and the bride in particular displayed a great sense of humor. The groom, however, was difficult to read. The reason? His Frankenstein mask hid his facial features and all I could see was the monster’s face. When I mentioned to him that I couldn’t tell if he enjoyed the banter, he said kindly, “Trust me, I’m laughing behind this mask. You are very funny.”
    We wear masks of different configurations as we go through life. Stone Eleven encourages us to include laughter as the notes of our songs. It’s important not to allow the masks to hide the laughter that resides in our hearts. When we become too serious, our masks of importance hide our fun-loving nature. When we become too judgmental, our masks hide our childlike ability to trust, love, and accept.
    The masks of the wedding couple were shed after the wedding ended. Let us remember that we may try to mask our feelings and bury our joy, but it can’t be blotted out entirely. It may be hidden for a time, but the ability is always there just waiting for us to pull away the façade and show the world the joyful, playful, fun-loving children that The Divine intends us to be.