Special Snowflakes

"Special snowflakes."

I’ve heard that term used in derision, to mock people for thinking they might be special or deserving of special consideration.

I laughed a little when I first heard the name because it was admittedly clever. But then I thought about it more and was reminded of the 1995 movie (and 1905 novel), “A Little Princess.”

The movie – which pits a girl, Sara, against her cruel caretaker, Miss Minchin – culminates with this exchange:

Miss Minchin: “Don't tell me you still fancy yourself a princess? Child, look around you! Or better yet, look in the mirror.”

Sara Crewe: “I am a princess. All girls are. Even if they live in tiny old attics. Even if they dress in rags, even if they aren't pretty, or smart or young. They're still princesses. All of us. Didn't your father ever tell you that? Didn't he?”

The point, of course: All of us are special, and no one can take that away from us.

This notion is especially important in our Catholic faith, that we have extraordinary worth as God’s unique creations and as His children (thus princes and princesses.) And snowflakes, as beautiful and one-of-a-kind as they are, pale in comparison to us, made in God’s image and likeness.

The church recognizes our inherent dignity and works to protect it. Those in the pro-life movement in particular go into full gear each January to remind us of the value of every human life, from conception to natural death.

Yet I don’t think we’ll ever fully grasp how special we truly are.

Author C.S. Lewis attempted to explain in “The Weight of Glory.”

"There are no ordinary people,” he wrote. “You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit. . . . Next to the Blessed Sacrament itself, your neighbor is the holiest object presented to your senses.”

So I will happily acknowledge that I am a “special snowflake,” along with every human every created.

And like the “Little Princess,” Sara, I’ll recognize that we’re all princes and princesses. Our Father did tell us that.

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.