It’s a Wonderful Life
Every year during the holiday season, I have a tradition of watching the 1947 movie, "It's a Wonderful Life". Some people I know don't care much for this movie – well, my husband doesn't, so that leaves me watching it alone unless I duct tape him to the chair facing the tv and glue his eyes open (only tried that once…or twice…)
Here's a brief summary of the storyline:
George Bailey spends his entire life giving up his big dreams for the good of his town, Bedford Falls, as we see in flashback. But in the present, on Christmas Eve, he is broken and suicidal over the misplacing of an $8000 loan and the machinations of the evil millionaire, Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth, literally, and shows him how his town, family, and friends would turn out if he had never been born. George meant so much to so many people; should he really throw it all away? Written by Tommy Peter
The point of the story is that we often envy those who we think have done more exciting and important things with their lives. But the truth is, we don't fully understand the importance we have in the world just as we are. On the surface, George had a pretty mundane and ordinary existence, while his brother enjoyed the excitement of a glamorous career and war hero. But George played a vital role in hundreds of people's lives, and he only saw that through the gift of seeing what the world would have been like if he was never born.
What if we had that same opportunity, to see the impact we make as ordinary people? Would we redefine ourselves as something more than ordinary? Why do we only share the impact people made on us, at their funeral? Why not tell them while they are still alive to hear it?
Maybe we need to tell each other more about the difference that they make in our lives. Maybe ordinary really is a disguise for the wonderful.
