Sacrament (PG)

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jen
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by jen »

Red.

That ws absolutely beautiful.

I won't embarras you by saying that you have a wonderful gift. That your writing is superb and that I am so delighted and provileged to be able to enjoy it. I would never want to make you uncomfortable by saying that you weave words with a skill that reminds me of an excellent harpist. It's quite musical.

So, since I am not going to say any of that stuff, let me say that I love the wisdom and compassion in this fic. It is the balm that heals souls, and relationships. Lovely!

Brava.

:hearts: :flowers:
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redwinter101
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by redwinter101 »

Oh jen! That's so lovely - really. Thank you. You've left me on :cloud9: .

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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by lorig »

:flowers: Oh Red, that was lovely. I was so excited when I saw this.

:gasp: I started to panic in the beginning, but I knew you would make it right... :yahoo:


I loved the contrast in Mick's character between both visits with Father Matthew. What a wise old man!!

Wonderful, just wonderful!! :clapping:
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redwinter101
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by redwinter101 »

Thanks, lorig. You're such a sweetheart. :hearts: :hearts:

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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by GuardianAngel »

Sorry, Red. I am WAY behind on my reading and feedback.

I adored this. Absolutely adored it. I enjoyed Mick, the bronze St. Jude and Father Matthew so very much in the bronze anniversary. So very happy you revisited. It makes sense that Mick would.

I agree with you, Mick can be a fighter. Since he has admitted to himself that he loves Beth and he wants her he'll fight now. He won't just let her go.
Matthew paused, taking a deep breath, tightening his grip on Mick's shoulder. "Mick, please, listen to me. God doesn't lay traps for people no matter who you are or what you've done. Every day is a new chance to live well, to be happy and to enrich the lives of those around you. That's a precious, precious gift. Release the past, let your burden go and live, Mick. Take your chance. Don't waste it by waiting for it to come to an end. I chose a different path, but I've seen enough to know it takes courage to take a risk on happiness. Are you brave enough for that?"

Mick turned to face the priest, a smile behind his eyes, pulling him into a close embrace. A simple touch once his undoing, now a sacred act of connection. "You know what? I think I am."
That felt so good, it hurt. My chest expanded and my throat closed. Mick's 'Aha' moment. I also love that Father Matthew presented it as a challenge. How could Mick resist? I wanted to hug the priest myself.

My heart went out to Beth. How awful to be in her position. She has to let him go - to work things out. But the waiting....the doubt. Gah! But it was worth it in the end. The payoff of him coming back to her on his own! *sigh*

Just wonderful.
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redwinter101
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by redwinter101 »

Oh honey! Don't apologise. I'm so happy you took the time to catch up - and that you liked this. Adored is such a lovely word. :cloud9:

Mick's Aha moment - I love that. :biggrin:

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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by PNWgal »

I find myself woefully behind in my reading and feedback. So...I'm starting here, with one of my recent favorites.

Being a fan of any fic that contains Mick and a priest, I adored this. The story ebbed and flowed with your usual flair - this is definitely one that when I got to the end, I checked twice to make sure there was no more. :biggrin:

What a difference between the Mick in Bronze...
Mick felt the sorrow rise within him, mixed with shame. He turned to the priest, held his gaze for a moment, his face telling the other man what he could not put into words. Then he buried his head into Matthew's chest, his hands gripping the lapels of his jacket, his knees twitching as he tried to curl into a ball, to make himself small enough to disappear into this embrace.
...and this Mick.
Let me tell you this, Mick. All those years ago, you were a man close to death but when I look at you now, I see a man full of life. I can't tell you why your life has happened like this, but I can tell you it is certainly a life worth living, if that's what you're asking."
Mick turned to face the priest, a smile behind his eyes, pulling him into a close embrace. A simple touch once his undoing, now a sacred act of connection. "You know what? I think I am."
Stronger, happier, in love, and more at peace with who and what he is...but still he doubts and comes looking for answers. And answers he gets - I just fell in love with Matthew the more I read.
"God's plan is a cop-out for people who are afraid to live their lives. That way whatever goes wrong, there's always God to blame, right?"
"Mick, please, listen to me. God doesn't lay traps for people no matter who you are or what you've done. Every day is a new chance to live well, to be happy and to enrich the lives of those around you. That's a precious, precious gift. Release the past, let your burden go and live, Mick. Take your chance. Don't waste it by waiting for it to come to an end. I chose a different path, but I've seen enough to know it takes courage to take a risk on happiness. Are you brave enough for that?"
More people should heed this most excellent advice.

And then back to Beth, confident now he can live for the now and not dread the end.

So lovely. :cloud9:
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redwinter101
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by redwinter101 »

:hyper2:

It's so lovely of you to take the time to come back and comment - thanks so much. And I'm a sucker for Mick and religion too (er, shocker...).

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jen
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by jen »

Red

Just came back for a reread of this lovely piece. It is fascinating to appreciate new treasures in a beautifully written fic on subsequent readings.

When I first read, this, I was captured by the story, and I raced past some of the emotional richness you set the stage with immediately
She'd felt it growing, spreading, a distance, a remoteness between them. Mick smiled his sad, sweet smile and told her she was imagining things, that everything was fine, that he'd never been happier, but she heard the lie catching his words, saw the flicker as he couldn't hold her gaze. There was a quiet desperation to the way he held her when they made love, so tender, as though they might break under the weight of hopes and dreams. Unfamiliar fear kept her from confrontation; she'd always stepped forward to face trouble head on, but now, she had too much to lose. In lonely silence, she clung to the moments they shared, analysing every word, every gesture, every touch, searching for clues, waiting and hoping Mick would draw her close once more.

Something about this particular day was different, sharper, clearer and Beth sensed a point of finality, of decision. Mick had arrived home just as she was leaving for work; she saw pain, felt need in his grasping touch as he pulled her close.

"I love you," he whispered.

It felt like goodbye.
Poignant--and very plausible that Mick and Beth would both be tortured by what goes unsaid.

Then, there was this lovely, rich descriptive passage
Weathered, dulled by age, a little battered, the bronze figure endured. Mick smiled at the comparison; fifty years had taken their toll. St. Jude, haloed in flame, still extended an embrace to the lost and the hopeless, a pool of welcoming light spilling from the ever-open church, catching the simple lettering of the painted, wooden sign hung from the door, "All welcome, always."

Mick's hesitation was brief this time, confident in the sanctuary to be found within. The church was silent, the choir long since disbanded, the regular worshippers departed for hearth and home. The pews and kneelers were the same, much-repaired and patched, peeling varnish and threadbare velvet a testament to years of bowed heads and bended knees. On so many days he'd felt God's absence but here comfort seeped into his soul. Inch by soothing inch tension leached from sprung muscle; eyes closed, his breathing calmed until finally he could hear the silence.
What beautiful imagery you have put in placeto go with this lovely story!
You are, indeed, an artist. Father Matthew is so wise--a wonderful character. A wonderfully healing moment.

Thank you!

Jenna

:hearts: :flowers: :hearts: :flowers:
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redwinter101
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by redwinter101 »

Thanks, jen. Bronze is very precious to me and it was lovely to revisit it and come up with a much, much brighter counterpoint.

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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by allegrita »

What a joy to come back to this story a year later. So much has happened in the past year, and yet I can relax into this story and let the tension slip away, just as Mick does... let the insanity of this past year fall away... and let the comfort and peace and wisdom of this story seep into me as water seeps into a sponge. :cloud9:

Thank you for the gift of this amazing piece. Not just because you dedicated it to me, although that was hugely meaningful to me on lots of levels, but because you brought Mick back through his past, in order to help him accept the future. You and Father Matthew helped Mick believe it's okay to be happy. Thank you for for lighting his way through the darkness into a new day. I'm sure that Mick will spend many hours in the church from now on, talking with Matthew. I hope he brings Beth to meet him, too.

And finally, thank you on behalf of Beth. She didn't know if he'd come back... but she has guts, and stamina. And she has faith in Mick that he doesn't have in himself. :heart: I'm so glad her faith in him wasn't misplaced. :hug:

I want to stay here in this peaceful, joyful story for a long time. It's a wonderful place to be. :hearts:
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redwinter101
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by redwinter101 »

alle, thanks for your lovely comment. I remember the process of writing this so clearly and it will forever be linked with both the good, the bad and the crazy within this fandom.

I'm completely unable to see or imagine a future filled with unending misery and disappointment for Mick - he's been through too much, endured too much, suffered too much for there NOT to be some kind of hope on his horizon. I think the show gave us Beth, or to be more precise, Beth's impact on Mick, as that point of light and hope for the future. There will still be sorrow, there will still be pain, there will still be suffering, but I have to believe that no matter how long it takes, Mick will find some measure of peace and happiness in the future.

Anything else is just too heartbreaking to contemplate and that was a huge part of the inspiration for this story.

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allegrita
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by allegrita »

I'm so happy that MickLifeCrisis reminded me of this story. It's hard to believe that two years have passed since you wrote it!! :gasp: So much has happened in those two years. I'm happy to be back here, reading the story and all of the wonderful comments, because they remind me of what this community is about. Moonlight, of course--Mick and Beth, and the people who interact with them (and there's really no one like Father Matthew... I love him so much, he's my own personal Brother Cadfael). But also, a true feeling of community. We watch out for each other. We hold our fellows up when they're down. We offer gifts of the heart and the spirit.

Out of sadness and loss sometimes comes amazing richness and beauty. You gave me this story at a real low spot in my life, Red, and for that I will always be grateful. :hug:
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by MickLifeCrisis »

I don't think this was the story I was thinking of, but I am so glad that my search brought me to this one. Okay, it had me in tears (Me? Crying at a Red story? Go figure. :laugh: ) but they were the good kind. My favorite quotes of Father Matthew have been posted already, but I'll do this one again:
redwinter101 wrote:"Mick, please, listen to me. God doesn't lay traps for people no matter who you are or what you've done. Every day is a new chance to live well, to be happy and to enrich the lives of those around you. That's a precious, precious gift. Release the past, let your burden go and live, Mick. Take your chance. Don't waste it by waiting for it to come to an end. I chose a different path, but I've seen enough to know it takes courage to take a risk on happiness. Are you brave enough for that?"
What wise and beautiful words to live by, and they're your words, Red. Thank you.

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redwinter101
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Re: Sacrament (PG)

Post by redwinter101 »

Thanks, guys.

And if anyone wants to know what to get MLC for Christmas, I suggest hankies. :yes: :yes: :comfort2: :rose:
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