CHRISTMAS DAY 14 - IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE

IT'S A WONDEFUL LIFE

by Gena Roe

Today I watched my favorite movie of all time: “It’s a Wonderful Life”. It shows the life, starting with childhood, of an ordinary man just living his life the best he can. He’s a good man, with a good family, and good friends – and then he falls on hard times. He becomes despondent, and in a moment of weakness considers taking his own life – and at that very moment he is given an incredible gift: he gets to see how the world would be if he had never lived. Through this he can see the amazing influence his life has had and the blessing he has been in the lives of those around him – simply by being a good man and living a good life.

   At the beginning of the movie it starts out with the prayers of family and friends of George Bailey, praying to God on George’s behalf. I know that feeling, that feeling of utter despair. I too have doubted whether life was worth living and I too have doubted my contributions to this world. And too I have felt the prayers of family and friends on my behalf – especially this past year. And just as these prayers for George were answered, so were the prayers for me answered also. Not that I’m anything close to a George Bailey, but I’m a good person living a good life – and I am blessed with amazing family and friends that surround me, care about me, and watch over me – and pray for me.

   What a tremendous gift it would be to see the influence we each have in this world, in the lives of those around us. And although we aren’t going to have our own “Clarence” appear to show us our impact, it is a gift we can GIVE this time of year. One of the greatest gifts we can give is the Gift of Gratitude. We can express to those we love the amazing impact that they have had on our lives – and what a great gift that would be, to both them and to ourselves.

   Because the truth of the matter is that it IS a Wonderful Life. We don’t need a Clarence to show us. We are blessed to all be in this big beautiful world together, all at this precise moment – so that we can enhance and enrich each other’s lives. And we do! I know that my life is so richly blessed by the amazing people that impact my life every single day. And I hope, even if only from reading my blog, that I am somehow making a moment of your life better too.

The Opening Scene from "It's a Wonderful Life"

(This is just the first 2-minutes of the film)