Hello out there in Blogsville. Hope every single one of you is doing well. Are we all enjoying *Luke Week*? I know I am. Thanks to bloggers like: Nob01, Granny-Wan, Hansgirl, Stooge, and anyone else that I may have forgotten to mention, Thanks for Your Fantastic Entries. Now without further ado, I would like to follow suit, well sort of.

You all know how much I love the Romance of the Saga and all it stands for and what it eventually brings to us; the heroes, the Galaxy's only Hope for freedom and peace; Luke and Leia.

Like all stories, there is a beginning, a middle (where connections are made), and an end (where completion is reached; finally it comes full circle).

The connecting point is where it binds the story together, where it all just makes sense. Am I making sense? Anyway, what I'm getting at is that Luke, Leia, Anakin, Padme', and even Shmi are all connected beyond their biological relation. What joins them is a simple symbol of affection, a gift of adoration; a trinket of love given by a *pure heart* (thanks, Granny-Wan )
The Japor snippet.

That small token of devotion engulfed not just two hearts but, the Hope that was yet to come (Luke & Leia) and the Hope that someday a love would return (Shmi).

This came to me, an epiphany if you will, while reading some of the OT & PT books and watching ROTS (several times). In the scene where Padme' is giving birth, she reaches out to touch Luke and brushes his brow with a closed fist. That got me thinking to my own experiences with Child Birth. The atmosphere is very sterile, you even have to remove all jewelry, even wedding bands. Notice in that scene, Padme' is no longer wearing her pendant, so where is it? Is it possible she has it in the palm of her hand? I believe it is, because in the novel version of ROTS she hands it to Obi-wan before her last breath of life is extinguished, " Obi-Wan. There is good in him, I know....there is still..."

Those words were then echoed some twenty plus years later all beginning in quiet conversation between a brother and sister, " Leia....do you remember your mother? " Luke ROTJ. As they continue on with their private commune Luke says, " I have no memory of my mother, I never knew her."Finally, Luke delivers the painful truth that surrounds their true identities and their family history. As Leia begs him to run away, far away where he can never be found, Luke repeats his mother's plea,
" Because...there is good in him. "

Like Leia, who exclaims that she has always known that Luke was her brother,
" somehow...I've always known." Luke too has always known his mother, Padme'; for the Force connected them and bound them in an unbreakable bond. So as Padme' touches her newborn son, grasping her only connection that she has of her true love, that encased all the good that remained within his once *pure heart*, she bestowes her own precious gift to her first born; her memory.

" I made this for you, so you'd remember me. I carved it out of a japor snippet. It will bring you good fortune." Anakin says, as he gives the small pendant to Padme`.

"It's beautiful, but I don't need this to remember you." Padme`.

I truly believe that, Padme` didn't need to remember, she always knew. Yet, the children, a pure love's creation of a New Hope needed to know...to remember , " I know there is good in you. " Luke to Vader in ROTJ. In order to return a Lost soul to his rightful place and re-connect a missing link to a broken chain, compassion or as some might say unconditional love had to be there, always. " I am Jedi, like my father before me. " Luke to the Emperor.

The Sith may have been half right about his Darth Plagueis story, in a way. The Unlimited Power to defy death can be attained, but only for oneself.
Darth Plagueis never reached this power, for he or no Sith is *Pure at heart* ( Shaman of the Whills). For this skill or ability can only be acquired through compassion (Unconditional Love) NOT greed.

And so in conclusion I leave you with this, " Have faith, my love, everything will soon be set right. " Anakin Skywalker....thanks to the Faith of true Love, a Hero was born and a Jedi was redeemed; ending a journey of darkness and restoring the Light to a Legacy. Thanks Luke!

Hooray for Luke Week! TGIF...~Angel~