I’ve heard about the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”. It’s usually shown in the United States during Christmas time. It stars James Stewart as George Bailey and Donna Reed as Mary Hatch Bailey.
In a nutshell the story is about a guy who on Christmas Eve was thinking about committing suicide due to the problems that he is facing. Added to that he has felt trapped in his life, wanting to get out of the small town where he lives in but couldn’t because of his responsibilities to his family and the community. George, the main character has longed to go and see the world but due to circumstances throughout his life has been forced to stay and take up responsibilities that he felt no one could shoulder but him. He’s seen his peers go off and make something of themselves, travel, go to college, etc.
Through the course of the movie the viewer is taken back through George’s life, from childhood to adulthood, from one responsibility to another. George is a remarkable fellow, he just isn’t aware that he is. People in his community look up to him and respect him a great deal.
When he is confronted with a problem that seemed insurmountable, he contemplated committing suicide because he thought his life was worth more dead than alive. God sent down a guardian angel to help George. Clarence, the angel showed George a glimpse of what his community would have been if he hadn’t been born. George saw that he had touched the community more than he imagined.
I won’t give much of the ending away so as not to spoil it if you haven’t seen it. Suffice to say that the movie is a classic for good reason. It’s a heartwarming story that would surely tug at anyone’s heart.
I loved the movie for the simple reason that it teaches us that our lives are important. We matter to other people. Though it may seem that our lives aren’t exciting or that we don’t matter, the simple honest truth is that our lives matter. In one-way or another we touch other people in a way that changes them as well.
Friendship is also a prevailing theme of the movie. I loved the quote inside the Tom Sawyer book given to George. Part of the inscription says, “Remember no man is a failure who has friends”, a few simple words that ring so true. No matter how far we get in life, we have nothing if we don’t have friends and family. The same as even if we are poor, as long as we have friends we are rich.
I absolutely loved the movie because I could relate to it. In a way I feel the same way George felt. I see life all around me go in different directions. My family and friends are going through a lot of changes. From graduating, getting married, traveling the world, working interesting jobs, etc. I feel that my life has not progressed as much. There are a lot of things that I’ve wanted to do but due to circumstances I cannot pursue. It’s hard at times to see how everyone’s life is going according to plan and seeing your life not go according to how you want it.
Yet, I realize that in some ways my life is different for the better. There have been instances that I’ve been able to touch other people’s lives and made a difference in theirs. I’ve met good friends that I probably wouldn’t have if I were in a different situation. It’s a blessing.
Life sometimes does not go the way we want it to. There will be circumstances that will alter how it turns out. We all can’t live the life that we want to but we can all try and live the best lives we can. There are some people who will be lucky enough that they’ll be able to live their dreams. Those are far and few in between. Most people will live a semblance of their dream lives or pursue other dreams. That’s great too.
I’ve learned that while my life did not go how I wanted to be, there are still a lot of blessings that I’ve had. One of the greatest blessings is the chance to make a difference to people’s lives in my own small way. Through my experience with Pompe disease, I’ve learned so much that these lessons can be used to help other people.
Christmas day is almost over, but before it ends please allow me to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and to wish that each and every one of you realize that no matter how things are in your life, the mere fact that you are alive makes you realize despite all of life’s challenges all of us have wonderful lives!
* You can buy the movie on “iTunes”:http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewMovie?id=297250466&s=143441 or “Amazon”:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001M432XA?tag=imdb-avod.
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