Dear God,

What Would Audrey Do?

...wasn't sure if it would turn out to be fifteen bucks well spent; I mean, for a fluff piece, of all things, what was I thinkin'?

Wrong again.

Of course, there was the whimsy with the play of words with a modern Christian acronym march right from the start -- but truth be told, I'm easy, it had me at wah  (with the ballet pink typesetting coming in a close second); yet, to turn out to be better than I could ever imagine; only the iconic heights of an adoring actress -- combining the illusions of a princess at work, while masterfully veiling the real woman in mystery -- could match it.

What would the essence of All Good do -- whether on the big screen or comfortably at home, when nobody is watching.

Pamela Keogh weaves reality with fantasy, and spins a tale surrounding Audrey's life, as if we were lucky enough to be walking the streets of Paris, or New York, or Switzerland, or Hollywood right there along side her...oh my goodness, what?

what?

How can you dare ask such a thing?

Audrey who?

Seriously?

HEPBURN, my dear fools, HEPBURN.

The thing is, she is everything we imagined her to be, for real (oh goodness, I guess I should settle down a bit, as I'm only half way through).

Too excited for my own good, I have skipped ahead to a list elaborating the things she loves, which includes: her two sons (having children was her most important work), dark chocolate (ahead of her time, as usual, that with the basic little black dress), to laugh, dogs, winter, the color white...the occasional scotch ("J&B neat, no more than a finger, after 6:00 p.m.").

and to be fair, the things she hated: garlic (so sad, but won't hold that against her), red flowers, prejudice, unkindness, violent movies, thinking of the past, formal exercise (that ta girl!), talking about herself, small-minded people, watching her old movies...goodbyes.

Audrey was one of the very first who used her stardom to do good, and became widely known of her ambassadorship for UNICEF, and travelled the world, many times coach fare, bringing aid and humanitarian supplies to places we dare not go and coming home with a greater awareness and mission to teach the rest of us; more important, it was not that she did these things, but how. 

She did so quietly, without notice for years for the most part -- unlike the star power and celebrity of today, making a near spectacle of themselves, jetting around the world to save the day.  Audrey did it before it was vogue and had no personal interest to gain; her intentions were pure, it was always about being of service; it was always about addressing what can I give, how can I love my fellow human being more.

The thing is, she remarkably lived a life -- albeit far from perfect (you'll just have to spend fifteen bucks for more on that) -- but without question, a life well deserving of the title of the book in, What Would Audrey Do? For her ability to align with what Jesus would do seems to precede her, as if He paved the way for this beautiful creature to roam, to affect change, to let her light shine, to touch the hearts and minds of EVERYONE who was lucky enough to meet her, to illuminate the big screen with my fair lady along with a huge, humble, unwavering grace -- which to this day, is yet to be matched.  And to use her stardom for good while smoking two packs of ciggie's a day! even...unheard of...she truly must have been half Audrey half Angel.

We can find Spirit working around us, through us, in many ways; sometimes, it comes in the form of cultural icons who have blessed us with their presence, who have distinctively left the world a better place from when they came (bearing in mind her childhood -- again, WWAD is calling your name, as I can't give it all away); Audrey is that Spirit incarnate.

My wish upon a star this peaceful Sunday morning, is that each of us will find our purpose under Heaven and do it, quietly, without expectation for attention or commendation, but just out of the goodness of our heart (like the good old days).

amen to that, G