The dream to see beyond where you are right now to someplace better is in the heart of everyone. So no matter what stage of life you were in when you first saw The Wizard of Oz, it wasn’t difficult to imagine life in her pig tails and prairie dress. She was stuck in black and white but yearned for a world full of color. That’s where we first find “Over the Rainbow”. The song comes near the beginning of the film as a young Dorothy is pondering a place where she won’t get into trouble as she can’t seem to escape it in her tiny Kansas town. What follows is one of the most popular songs of all time winning the Academy Award and the hearts of fans for generations. You want to dream along with Dorothy when she leans against a haystack and sweetly sings, “Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue / And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.” The second verse is what really gets me. She plans to make a wish and be far away in a place where “troubles melt like lemon drops.” I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t daydreamed of such a sense of peace and joy. At the end of the song, she makes it all sound simple. “If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow / Why, oh, why can't I?” It’s something so intangible, but completely within her view. I know how that feels, and I bet you do too. May we never lose that sense of wonder to look beyond what we can see and hope for something better.

-J. Jones