If Only For A Moment

I woke up at 5:00 this morning to watch the Royal Wedding.  Not because I have any affinity toward the lives of Prince William and his new bride, but because my friend had a party at her house and I thought that was too good to pass up.

She served us breakfast, tea and coffee, fancy cupcakes, and gave us each our own tiara to wear for the event.  And as I turned my focus to the TV and saw the pageantry, the gown, the trees in the church, in typical fashion for me, I started to over-think the situation.

I thought of the cost involved  with this wedding, the excess, and my thoughts started to suck the joy out of the moment.  Because I was torn between thinking  that this was either a beautiful fairy tale wedding or an offensive display of wealth and materialism.

Am I allowed to enjoy the moment?  Is it ok to be a part of something so beautiful, if only for a moment, when there is so much pain and suffering in the world.  Is it ok for me to forget my troubles for a couple of hours, or is that too much of a luxury.

A few days ago, many people lost their homes, their lives in a massive tornado.  Even as I watched the wedding this morning, the ticker tape at the bottom of the TV  flashed the bad news of the day keeping my reality in check.  How could  I possibly get caught up in silly fairy tales?

So as I struggled all day with this, I realized that ultimately I know there is very little I can do to alleviate all the suffering in the world.  I have only my own little corner of it to hopefully do some good and I need the fairy tales to lift me up and give me the strength to do it.