11/09/2023
Since the launch of The Aslan Foundation, some have asked, “Why Aslan?”
For our family, the vision of beginning a foundation came far before the consideration of what it would be named. But when we reached that point, it became a challenge with many factors to consider. What name could encompass everything we felt this foundation could be and represent?
Having a family of readers, books and stories made up the fabric of my children’s lives, and it was in the series of books by C.S. Lewis where we met Aslan, the Great Lion, a representation of all that is good.
All that is good.
My heart hurts when I think of the journey of Andrew’s mental health struggles. As a parent, I have faced no greater challenge in my life than to continue to breathe when my youngest child no longer does. And with the death of a child, it is difficult, or more accurately, at times impossible to believe anything can be good in a world where children die.
And yet . . .
In the fictional realm of Narnia, fear, evil and the darkness of winter only rule temporarily. “Wrong will be made right, when Aslan comes into sight. At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more. When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, and when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” – The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe, C.S. Lewis
Aslan brings hope. And that was it: Our vision in one word – Hope.
Hope can transcend pain. To have Hope is to believe that help is on the way. Hope is a confident expectation that no matter how dark it seems, there is going to be light at the end of this dark season of despair. Hope is believing that brighter days are ahead. Hope tells a heart that all is not lost.
The Aslan Foundation – Hope starts here.
