Character and Controversy

I've been quite busy, as usual (not something I consider a good thing), and decided to take some time to just sit and watch a couple of videos.

Sometimes, I feel a need to experience something vicariously without actually having to be involved in any significant decision making processes. Movies can be good for this kind of get-away. The only decisions are whether or not to put it on pause when you need to move away from the screen.

The two I settled on were "The Tale of Despereaux" an animated G rated film staring a plucky little mouse and "Seven Pounds" a drama staring Will Smith. Both were well worth the rental fee.

Despereaux inspired me towards courage, honor, the value of fighting to overcome oppression, forgiveness from the heart, and the integrity that is revealed in common courtesy. It also highlighted the reality of how we respond to grief and loss in ways that can be easily misunderstood and may deeply effect those around us. All things I need to be reminded of at this particular juncture of my life's events and circumstances.

Seven Pounds allowed me to experience the raw emotion around the very difficult topics of grief and loss. Sometimes we're so wrapped up in "doing the right thing" that we don't allow ourselves to feel the emotions we're experiencing. We find ourselves reacting and behaving in ways that are uncharacteristic of us. I suspect I'm not the only one who has this type of reaction to loss and grief from time to time. I think it's a form of denial. I'm told that denial is a safety valve of sorts, putting things on hold until we are able to process them appropriately. This film also highlighted the reality of the dangers of isolation; physical or emotional. We need the perspective of those around us when we are going through difficult things.

I was surprised to find the themes of grief and loss, forgiveness and character in both films. I simply chose one because it seemed to guarantee a light hearted laugh and the other because it seemed to be inspirational...

I had signed up to join a Grief Share group this coming Monday evening. Coincidence? I don't believe in coincidence. Some One guided my choices.

I'm going to give you a link to a site that does movie reviews from a conservative Christian perspective: http://www.pluggedinonline.com/

If you'd like to see another perspective than mine on "The Tale of Despereaux" follow this link: http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0004407.cfm .

If you'd like to see another perspective than mine on "Seven Pounds" follow this link: http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies/movies/a0004409.cfm .