A few weeks ago Gabe read an article about Michael Oher for school. We talked about the article and then I decided to show the boys the movie Blind Side.
Eli was so mad at me for showing him such a sad movie. In fact, he is now questioning all of my movie recommendations because of it. Today I was talking to the boys about another movie based on a true story and Eli said he wasn't watching it if it is anything like Blindside.
Me: "Why don't you like Blindside?"
G: "Eli thinks it is a sad story"
E: "I don't think it is a sad story...it IS a sad story"
Me: "Only at the beginning, but the middle and the end are awesome"
E: "It doesn't matter. There are sad parts so the whole thing is sad"
I then tried to explain to Eli that just because the beginning was sad doesn't make the whole thing sad. There are so many times in our lives that somewhere along a journey something sad or bad happens, but that doesn't make the entire journey bad.
I searched for an example of this,
for him,
to prove to him this point,
and a few words in to my story I realized my story for him, was really going to be a message for myself.
My friend Terri died Friday morning.
And I'm sad.
I find myself, eyes welled up with tears thinking about how sad her situation was.
But in my words to Eli, I reminded myself not to dwell on the sadness of her long, painful fight against cancer because that is merely a small part of her story, I need to celebrate her whole story.
Along her journey she touched so many lives, it truly amazes me as I read story after story, and recall many of my own of the way Terri impacted the lives of others. Even in her death, in her husband's announcement of her death, her mission to share Jesus with everyone she met was carried on in his beautiful summary of the Gospel. "Terri believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the
world and she was baptized in His name (I know, because – thanks to Terri – I
was there, and got baptized on the same day) for the forgiveness of sins and
the receipt of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, she has been bought with
a price by our Redeemer – Jesus, the Superhero who conquered death - and she is
doing a Snoopy happy dance in paradise right now." Her husband made sure that at the end of a letter addressing her death, he pointed all who read it to the one who gives us life.
A few months ago Terri posted a video of herself dancing and praising God. She had been home just a few days after having a brain surgery to remove a tumor, and she was up dancing simply because she could! She was so joyful and wanted to let her followers know she was Ok. In her typed comments on the video she said "Jesus is so gracious and amazing. Remember that folks, it will save your life."
This makes me smile when I think of her.
Comments