Alone in this serene and tranquil house I reside. My German roommate is in a time zone that trails the east coast by five hours. These vacations have somewhat become an annual adventure for him - I couldn't be more thrilled for the brother. As for me, nightly lonesome DVD watching abounds; Murphy cozied up right beside me on a huge golf pillow; and candles burning at each end of the couch permeating fragrances of waterfalls and some fruity-natured nectar.
Three DVDs I've been wanting to watch were calling my name. First up was, "Love Song for Bobby Long." The storyline was pretty deep and incredible; acting was better than your average flic, but the language was deemed unecessary by me (curse words = bad). All in all, a really well-done movie that benefited from some great on-screen chemistry by its actors. Second DVD was "House of D." A coming-of-age drama it was labeled; I concur. Indie films are jewels in this world to me. Low-budget, powerful storylines, and acting that just oozes talent. This film was no different. It warmed the heart and lulled me into a peaceful slumber as the credits began rolling - the perfect end to an evening secluded from the world. Before I give a ghetto summary of the last film, I feel I should preface it with some happenings of the day.
It was a bit of a rough morning you see. Woke up and had no rhyme or reason to really do anything other than sulk in whatever ghetto mood that had arisen between my peaceful rest and the morning sun. I needed my time with God; alone in a setting to which my thoughts would just drain out of me. I'm in a spiritual rut it seems. I'm allowing certain things to consume me and veer me off God's straight and narrow. Needless to say, today's introverted theme carried whatever sorrows or sadness out of this heavy-ladened heart. The sound of a haunting trumpet backed by an orchestra somehow provided the perfect backdrop to dig down deep and affix my eyes on Christ. Countless times I have been in a valley, but never has He left me alone. His ever-present hands were holding me gently as each tear fell; hope was a driving force to a better tomorrow; and faith as my safety harness as I began yet another trek back up to His beautiful face. So thank you God for track 13 (Time To Say Goodbye - Con Te Partiro) and 15 (Pavanne), and a repeat button to boot. More music to add to my ever-growing list of songs that will facilitate me reaching out to God in times of despair.
Now on to the last DVD, "Because of Winn-Dixie." What an amazing movie. I'm not your typical 28-year-old male I suppose. I dig romantic dramas/comedies, sentimental dramas, family dramas, feel-good movies (although you couldn't tell by the way I mope around sometimes - hehe), or basically anything heart-warming. This movie, adapted from a best-selling book, was one of the best films I've seen in the past year. I'm always captivated by films to which many themes and underlying messages are of sweetness, goodness, kind-heartedness, and any other words that fall into this category. I was so into this movie from beginning to end. It made me laugh, get teary-eyed, and I think there were even times where "awww-ing" could be heard - Murphy was there, so perhaps he could attest to this unconventional noise made by yours truly. You know every so often we need to be snapped out of the daily routine of this world and just really listen to what God is trying to tell us and teach us. So in this movie, this dog Winn-Dixie, brought together this eclectic group of people in this little podunk of a town called Naomi, FL. His love for this little girl named, Opal, was a clear picture of God's unwavering love for us. No matter what we do, the love is always there waiting for us. But I guess in Winn-Dixie's case, it was in the form of a hairy and wet-dog smell kind of way. There were a couple of lines in the movie that I have taken with me. At one point, Opal said that this small town they were all living in had been so accustomed to sharing sadness that they were perhaps scared to share joy with anyone. I feel as if I'm guilty of that. There's so much joy to be shared because I'm a child of God's, yet I find some way to deprive myself and others of that. It's so immensely frustrating, but at least I know what His joy feels like and I know He'll always lead me back.
***SPOILER ALERT*** (Don't read the next paragraph if you plan on seeing it - I doubt you will anyways after my ghetto review)
The other line from the movie occurred after Winn-Dixie had run away. One of the characters, Gloria, in attempts to console Opal, told her that in life we cannot hold on to anybody that wants to go; you can only love what you've got while you've got it. This is so amazingly hard for me to do. I guess that could be a caveat to any relationship. You give people all you have while they're in your life and don't look back when they're gone because it'll kill you inside. That's the very thing that's consuming me right now. I miss the people that have touched my life - I long to touch their hearts the way they have touched mine.
In anycase, this movie was the perfect ending to a day where I found myself clinging onto God like a child to his parents on the first day of school. So many great parts to this movie. Thank you God for showing me your face in countless ways today. I love you...
~KH
"I feel better, so much better, since I laid my burden down - Hallelujah!!!"
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