Inspired by the Movies

On Friday, I had a movie binge night! I picked up two movies, “Miss Potter” and “Illusion.” I asked the manager of the store what his thoughts were on the movie "Illusion." His response was, “No one has rented it and he has not watched it,” this intrigued me to take a chance. I am glad I did, for the last two days the story has stayed with me and has had me musing over the plot.

Donald Baines, a legendary Hollywood film director was on his bed dying as a young man interviewed him. As he was answering the questions, he started to have flash backs of the son he never knew, the offspring of a one-night stand. That night while sleeping he was given an opportunity to view different times in his son’s life.

What captured my musings is how tapes run in our minds concerning what we perceive people are feeling towards us or saying about us when in reality the tapes are not true. Baines kept saying, “I did not say that!” or “I would never say that!” But his son thought since his father never wanted to know him that he did not approve of him.

Kirk Douglas played Donald Baines, this was a perfect role for Douglas. This movie resonated in my heart because of working with people in the care home who are in their last days and how they react to those close to them.

From an email devotional here is what Henri Nouwen has to say about dying:

A Grateful Death

When we think about death, we often think about what will happen to us after we have died. But it is more important to think about what will happen to those we leave behind. The way we die has a deep and lasting effect on those who stay alive. It will be easier for our family and friends to remember us with joy and peace if we have said a grateful good-bye than if we die with bitter and disillusioned hearts.The greatest gift we can offer our families and friends is the gift of gratitude.

Gratitude sets them free to continue their lives without bitterness or self-recrimination.

By the way, “Miss Potter” was an absolutely delightful movie! It is going down as one of my top favorites to have a good cry over. I went to bed sobbing—I had my quota of being moved to tears! Thank you Kirk Douglas and Beatrix Potter. Kirk left me with musings to live life well and Beatrix inspired me to be creative.

Please remember that I was the only one to rent the movie "Illusion" and my young adults told me that "Miss Potter" was too sappy. I live life different from the crowd, thank goodness God and Murray love me for my romantic nature!

My prayer is that I will leave behind a legacy of being grateful for the life I have been given and that those close to me will be free from bitterness or self-condemning thoughts that I might cause.

Kirk Douglas is the same age as most of my good friends at Prairie Springs. Some of the most amazing people I know are in their nineties.

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