Sinner to Saint

Today is the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom Jesus expelled seven demons, the woman caught in adultery to whom He says, "Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more." Mary Magdalene is penitent, who anoints Jesus, the woman who washes His Feet with her tears and dries them with her hair, the first person who sees the Risen Lord. "He is Risen!" An apostle to the Apostles. Mary Magdalene is completely transformed by Christ. Sinner to Saint. I feel this transformation in myself--I am no longer the same person after knowing Jesus. I am still a sinner but with His Grace a saint-in-making. 

I was thinking in the context of stories, when that shift occurs in characters and how best to show that internal illumination. I'm not sure I succeeded in BOUND, that mirror moment when there's the tiniest shift in Rebecca's heart but it changes everything and she knows it too. I didn't realize until now that it's a sheer act of grace. And Rebecca would never put it in those terms. It is my wonderful instructor, Nancy Butts, who gave me the gift of "titanic echoes." God rest her soul. She died in a tragic accident involving a train. Please pray for her and her family. She loved taking long walks with her dogs, decorating for Christmas, and writing stories. I have all her letters and a couple of her books too, my favorite being Spontaneous Combustion. They are a treasure. But I am sad there will be no more. Requiescat in pace, dear Nancy. May we meet again in heaven and share our love of the Greatest Story!