WEP AND #IWSG DECEMBER - WEP BREAKING NEWS - THEN 'OVER TO YOU', MY FAVORITE MOVIE - THE SONG OF BERNADETTE

 Hello there!

Welcome to my last WEP entry. What's that? As many at the IWSG have been involved with WEP over the years I'm placing this information before my WEP entry which is below if you'd like to read it and call it my IWSG post. 

I'm not insecure about closing down WEP; I think the team has done a great job, been selfless in the interests of our writers for such a long time. But all good things must come to an end, even something as good as WEP.

Thisis our final WEP challenge, as after 13 years, WEP is closing down.

 Thisis partly due to the stressors on the team which have been relentless sinceCovid and are ongoing, and partly because of the drop in the number ofparticipants this year.  We know many WEP members are experiencing theirown stressors in the form of health challenges in themselves or family memberswhich impacts their writing time.

 Aftermuch consideration, the WEP team concluded that this is the time to finish. Notexactly on a high, but not exactly at the bottom of our game.

 Forthirteen years we have been a light for many struggling with their writinglife, and many of you credit WEP with the improvement in your writing andconfidence when submitting your work to publishers. This is what WEP set out todo and we can be happy in that we achieved the supportive writing community weset out to create. I know we could have done better in some areas, but due totime constraints we could not follow every avenue we would have liked.

 Thankyou to all who have visited our website over the years and offered us words of encouragementand thank you to those who took up the challenges which made the hard work rewarding.Our wonderful judge, Nick Wilford, attests to the quality of WEP writing whenhe judges each challenge, so it’s not just us.

 Aspecial thank you to those of you who have been with us for the whole journeyand we’re sorry that closing down WEP will have a great impact, but all is notlost. More info on the WEP website.

 THEFUTURE OF THE WEP ANTHOLOGY

 The WEP anthology is going ahead at this stage, for publication in May 2024, but as yet we do not have enough entries to take itforward. The end of December is the close of submissions, but if you intend tosubmit, please send Nila your information. We need at least 14 more submissions tomake the anthology viable. It will be a precious keepsake, so if you want tosee your story included for perpetuity, gain a publishing credit, send it in!

The awesome co-hosts for the December 6 posting of the IWSG are C. Lee McKenzie, JQ Rose, Jennifer Lane, and  Jacqui Murray!

  Be sure to visit the
Insecure Writer’s Support Group Website!!!
~*~ WEP ~*~ WEP ~*~ WEP ~*~
Now, for Over to You, we have been asked to base our story on our favorite movie. 

From the WEP Challenges Page: So...will it be a romance? action-adventure? familydrama? horror? Or will it be a comedy? tragedy? thriller?

I'm not absolutely sure how to categorize my entry - it's mostly fact, partly fiction, part essay with pictures...whatever...please enjoy,

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

I watched The Songof Bernadette with my sister when we were very young. I remember we bawled oureyes out afterward, and to this day it’s a movie I can’t forget.

The Song of Bernadette  is a 1943 American  biographical drama film  based on the  1941 novel of the same name  by  FranzWerfel . It portrays the story of  BernadetteSoubirous , who reportedlyexperienced  eighteenvisions  of the  BlessedVirgin Mary  from February toJuly 1858 and was  canonized  in 1933.  

The novel was extremely popular, spendingmore than a year on  The New York Times Best Seller list  and thirteen weeks heading the list. The story was alsoturned into a Broadway play, which opened at the  Belasco Theatre  in March 1946. 

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Roman Catholic, but I was profoundly touched by this movie. I do believe in miracles however. In these troubled times, we need all the miracles we can get!

A Song of Miracles

Based on a true story

In the quaint town of Lourdes, nestled amidst the rolling hillsof southwestern France, a sense of serenity lingered in the air undisturbed bythe echoes of the past that reverberated through cobblestone streets andancient stone buildings.

Lourdes, SW France
Amidst this peaceful setting lived a fourteen-year old girl named BernadetteSoubrirous. She was an ordinary peasant girl, but the richness of her spiritmade her extraordinary. Little did she or the townsfolk know her life wouldsoon become entwined with the miraculous.

Bernadette Soubrirous
“Bernadette! Go fetch some firewood,” was her mother’s cry each evening. “Stop your dreaming, silly girl.”

Bernadette did not mind the menial task or the sharpness ofher mother’s tongue. She loved to ramble beside the river, admire the wildlifeand discover secret grottos nestled in its rocky banks.

It was an ordinary day when it happened.

Bernadette wandered along the banks of the Gave Rivercollecting firewood for her family. Distracted by a strange breeze and a changein the light, she discovered a hidden grotto. Intrigued by its mysterious aura,she felt an inexplicable urge to linger. It was as if an unseen force beckonedher to stay.

Before her eyes, a vision appeared. Abeautiful lady clad in white stood on a rock niche. Bernadette fell to herknees. When she looked up, the lady had disappeared.

I will come to this magic grotto every day, Bernadettewhispered. As God is my witness, I will see you again.

Soon, whispers of an ethereal presence spread. Some of thetownsfolk doubted Bernadette’s visions, while others believed, but there was anundeniable sense of magic in the air.

“Maman,” Bernadette said after seeing the vision several times, “I have witnessed a beautiful ladybathed in light by the river, who spoke to me with a voice as gentle as thebreeze.”

“Enough of your silliness, my girl.” Her mother tossed herbright red hair. “Go fetch more firewood or you will go hungry tonight.” Shegrabbed Bernadette’s arm. “And stay away from the river.”

Bernadette, true to her vow, repeatedly visited the grotto despite her mother's warning.

The citizens of Lourdes stopped her in the streets as she made her way to the river. 

“Come with me. See the lady for yourself,” she told them.

On one visit, the lady asked Bernadette to drink and wash ata seemingly non-existent spring. Bernadette obediently dug a hole in the ground with her fingers and smeared her face with dirt.

“Ha! See! A charlatan, a trickster, an imbecile!”some onlookers cried, but their ridicule changed to wonder when water began toflow from the hole, and later to exaltation when its miraculous healing propertiescured the sick amongst them.

Even more people flocked to Lourdes to witness thesemiracles for themselves.

The news of Bernadette's visions reached the ears of thetown mayor, the sceptical Alphonse Lacade. Intrigued yet doubtful, he decided toinvestigate for himself.

“Do you truly see visions?” he asked Bernadette, trying todiscern the truth behind her extraordinary tale. “I see sincerity in your eyes andyou exhibit an unwavering conviction in your voice. I am truly baffled. Thistale cannot be true.”

“My tale is true,” she said. “I know they say I’m just apoor girl who has never suffered. Why was I chosen to receive visitations from theLady? I cannot explain. I only believe.”

The mayor doubted.

Many did not.

Soon the Massabielle grotto, became aplace of pilgrimage. People from far and wide travelled to witness the miracleswhispered to occur in Lourdes.

“Help me. Carry me to the waters,” the sick and blind cried.

“I need solace,” wept a young mother, clutching herchildren’s hands as she took her turn at the stream. “My husband has died. Themysterious Lady's presence comforts me.”

Bernadette watched in wonder as miracles occurred, overcomingscepticism and scrutiny.

Jennifer Jones as Bernadette

The hoards believed what they were seeing and spoke toBernadette. “We have witnessed the inexplicable: the blind seeing, the lamewalking, and the hopeless finding newfound hope. Bernadette, your song is oursong.”

The grotto transformed into a sanctuary of faith andmiracles, with countless pilgrims kneeling, praying, watching and spreading thegood news.

“The whole world needs these miracles,” they told eachother. “Look at Brother John. How long has he lay abed? Now he walks.”

Soon the kneeling believers were joined by men in robesstanding behind them, watching those who could not walk, walk, those who couldnot see, see. They were a delegation of priests of the Catholic Church,cautious and measured, sent to investigate the authenticity of the young girl's apparitions.They spent hours questioning Bernadette and examining the witnesses, anddeliberated over the inexplicable events unfolding in Lourdes.

In the end, after countless interviews and miraculous healings, the Churchrecognized the supernatural occurrences as genuine.

“We cannot doubt when before our eyes we see the lame walkand the blind see as Jesus promised. These visions are indeed a divineintervention. Even the mayor is now humbled by the inexplicable beauty of thesemiracles that have unfolded in his small town. We must see to the Lady’scanonization and build a sanctuary to The Lady of Lourdes.”

The Sanctuary to The Lady of Lourdes

The Song of Bernadette echoed throughout Lourdes,immortalizing the faith and resilience of a young girl who, against all odds,became the vessel for miracles. The grotto, once a hidden gem, now stood as asymbol of hope, drawing pilgrims from every corner of the globe.

The priests declared she must enter a convent. “You mustspend your days in reflection and prayer with the Sisters of Charity of Nevers.” 

And so, in the heart of Lourdes, amidst the timeless hillsand the flowing Gave River, the melody of miracles continued its song, carried on thewings of belief and the echoes of a song that transcended the boundaries of theordinary.

Bernadette herself refused to take the miraculous waterswhen a tumor grew in her leg. On her deathbed, she sorrowfully maintained thatshe may never see the lady again. However, the lady appeared in her room, smiled,and gestured to Bernadette. Bernadette joyfully cried out to the apparitionbefore she took her last breath.

The last words Bernadette heard: "You are now in Heaven and onearth. Your life begins, O Bernadette."

 

 

TAGLINE: Do you believe in magic? The miraculous? The humblebeing exalted?

 

Are people still being healed at Lourdes? According to the Catholic Register - Throughout the years, at least 7,000 people have reported experiencing supernatural healings at Lourdes, but a mere 70 of those cures have been recognized by the Catholic Church as miraculous — the latest, which took place in 2008, was declared in 2018.Thanks for visiting. See you for the next IWSG post.Denise