Last night I watched the profound film, Seven Pounds, starring Will Smith.  When I heard about the movie last year, I honestly did not want to see it, fearing it would be too sad or gruesome for my melancholy self.  Finally watching it, I found it to be extremely meaningful and redemptive, even though sad.  It was not one of those movies that leaves you feeling depressed and hopeless about life, even though the content is intensely serious and fraught with tragedy.  If you have no idea what movie I’m talking about, check out the synopsis.

Without giving too much away, the film is about a young man plagued by guilt and sorrow because of the death of his wife and six other strangers in a car crash at his hands.  He decides to commit suicide so that he can save the lives of others he deems more worthy of living.  The movie appears to some to be condoning suicide.  I do not feel this is the case.  If anything, the movie is a tribute to living and the value of life.  The main character, played by Will Smith, is a wealthy success, and his life is turned upside down by tragedy.  He wrongly assumes he is not worthy of living and decides he will take his life and give his organs to others.  He then births an elaborate plan to research and find out the character of possible recipients before his planned time of death. 

The tricky part is that during the process of finding worthy recipients, he finds reason and desire to live himself.  In the end he still sacrifices his life for a greather love.  He begins his quest as someone who doesn’t deserve or want to live, and he ends as a real hero, dying for another to live.  In a way he points to the redemptive story.  Let me explain.

My brother, in real life and real time, needs a heart transplant.  Twelve years ago he suffered from a complex immune reaction , which caused his own body to attack his heart tissue, leaving it badly damaged.  He has had many life-threatening conditions since that time, and he has faced each one of them with courage and a positive outlook.  He truly is a hero to me because he never complains, even though his life has been significantly limited by his health condition.  This damaged heart of his has undergone open heart surgery to repair damaged valves, and now years later, it has almost gone as far as it can go.

This puts me in a unique position as I hope for a heart for my brother.  I want him to have a new heart.  I yearn for him to have a new leash on life.  I dread the process and fear the possibilities at times, yet I cannot deny that I hope he will have a successful heart transplant.  For this to happen means that someone, someone whom I will never meet, someone who is alive now with people who love them, someone with a life and a family and hopes and dreams, will have to die.  Someone will have to die for my brother to live.  What a sobering reality.  I do not want another someone to die, but I want my brother to live.

It was in this context that I watched Seven Pounds last night.  And it is with deep gratitude that I will thank God for a new heart if and when my brother receives it.  If I ever get the chance I will thank the family of the person who is an organ donor, so that my brother will live. 

By the way, I have become an organ donor through this experience of watching my brother’s heart issues.  I figure, if I die by some tragedy, why shouldn’t someone be able to live through the gift of my organs.  It is important to let your loved ones know if you want to be an organ donor.  If you would like to find out more about how to become a donor, read about it at OrganDonor.gov.  And if you want to watch a movie that will make you think about life and what it is all about, watch Seven Pounds.  I’ve written about my thoughts on suicide here, so please do not take this movie as an encouragement to take your own life.

Well, I missed my own birthday.  My blog birthday that is.  As of February 14 2009, I’ve been blogging for a year!  It has been an extremely fun outlet for me, a place to vent, think, process, laugh, and meet people.  I’m glad I have one or two readers, but even if people didn’t read, it is a refreshing thing for me to do.  I’ve always wanted to write, and this has started me on that journey.  So, thanks for stopping by.  I’ll be up to more stuff in the next year!

We live in an upstanding town in an upstanding time - let me tell you!  Earlier this week, we read on the front page of our local paper that the police officer of the year was found, after reported missing, in Las Vegas, where he had fled with more than $2,500 of confiscated drug money.  A couple of days later, our county sherriff began joining him on the front page, because he was keeping food money reserved for the local prisoners for himself.  The grand total from the last few years of this sheriff’s scandal adds up to over $300,000. 

And guess what.  Today he is out of jail.  Because there is a 1939 law in our state that allows sherrifs to keep extra money after they have fed inmates.  Hmmm.  Not a great idea.  Not in 1939.  Not today.  So, he’s been feeding the jailbirds corndogs, peanut butter, and bologna and pocketing the leftover cash.  Maybe not against the “law”, but way far against morality and right ethical behavior.

The irony on today’s paper was not lost on me.  Top of the front page:  The sherrif has been released from jail (where he probably didn’t like the food too well).  Bottom of the front page: The charged police officer is coming back home from Las Vegas and will be handled by the above-mentioned county sherrif’s department.  Makes you feel great about how that one will turn out.  We can rest because we’re in good hands.

My daughter Anna’s kindergarten class has begun a new unit of study this winter quarter looking at different cultures in the world, and I was more than happy to take the country of Mexico to help teach.  First of all, I took Spanis

h in high school and wound up with a double major in Spanish and English in college.  Through all those years I gained an appreciation for the culture of Latin America.  After grad school, when I was living in California and working as a flight attendant, I took a trip across the border and experienced things firsthand.  Years later, when I returned to my small southern hometown, I was surprised to see the increase in number of Mexicans living here.  Before I had begun my own travels, I had left a fairly homogenous town behind.  I returned to find it a melting pot of cultures, with close to 10,000 Mexicans and other hispanics having moved into the larger county area.  There are pockets of the town that are almost entirely populated with hispanics, and the local Walmart has begun selling Mexican specialy foods and other items.  This is not an uncommon occurance in small American towns, but it was surprising to me nearly 11 years ago when I moved back to my hometown.

At that time, my newly wed husband and I decided to embark on an adventure.  We began “English as a Second Language” classes at our church.  First, we simply advertised by putting fliers up all over town, in laundrymats, grocery stores, etc.  Then, we began, not exactly sure what we were doing.  What we found was a wonderful experience of sharing life with people of different cultures.  We had an amazing turnout for the free classes, and they continued for two years, until having small children prevented our being able to continue to run them.  We had a few students from China and Japan, but an overwhelmingly large portion of the students were here from Mexico, working hard at minimal paying jobs to send money home to their families.

I am not naive about the problems regarding the immense migration of illegal Mexicans who have stormed into our country.  But at the same time, I gained a huge appreciation for what they were doing and for why they were doing it.  The average gross national product per capita at the time in Mexico was $9,000.  During the years of 1994-1995, the percentage of Mexicans living below the poverty level was around 50%.  Since that time, the number has largely increased, but it is still above the 20% mark.  Now, think about it.  If you had a family to feed, and you had no way to do it, but to cross over into the rich country next door, what would you do?  I would cross over.  The large majority of Mexicans living in the USA send a large portion of their earnings to family members at home to feed and clothe them.  We Americans have a hard time fathoming that level of need and scarcity.

Anyway, during those years, I made some dear Mexican friends.  We attended Mexican birthday parties and we were given fiestas for our first baby’s birth.  I still keep in touch with a few of these friends in town. 

So, when the kindergarten teacher needed a volunteer for Mexico, I said, “YES!” My girls (ages 4 and 6) and I visited the local hispanic markets (extremely authentic) to find a sombrero and purchase some Mexican candy for the classmates.  While we were there a Mexican toddler befriended my girls.  She was chattering away about the pinatas hanging around the store.  Then she started pointing at some of the foods and saying “pica, pica.”  When my daughters asked her what it meant, her mom said “spicy.”   They were thrilled to be learning Spanish from a child younger than themselves.

We found fun crafts, including making a sombrero and also colorful foam tostados.  We showed pictures of beautiful scenes across Mexico, and we made “tres leche” cake.  If you’ve never tried it, this is a yummy cake that is the standard cake made for birthdays and other celebrations in Mexican circles.  It starts with a normal white or yellow baked cake.  Then you poke holes all over the cake and mix three milks (tres leche) together, whipping cream, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk.  This yummy, rich mixture is poured over the cake, and then the cake is topped with cool whip and other optional toppings.  (nuts, coconut, or pineapple)  I was a bit leary about the kindergartener’s reaction to this type of cake, but they ate it up greedily, and some asked for “more please.” 

The highlight of the day when I came to share, however, was by far the Mexican hat dance!  We had so much fun clapping and dancing to the catchy song.  We lined up in a circle and took turns dancing around the sombrero in the center of the circle. Check out this video of the real thing in a Mexican pueblo.  This  is what I call “spicy fun!”   Pica, pica!  And we enjoyed participating in it this week soooooooooo much.  Can’t wait for the fiesta Friday with taquitos, chips, and a pinata!

I don’t know about you, but I simply do NOT want the Christmas season to be over.  Not just yet.  None of that ripping down the decorations the day after for me.  I like to let it linger.  We are still enjoying the bright lights of our Christmas tree, and our wise men are still making their way toward the baby in the manger.   Only a couple of years ago, I came to realize the twelve days of Christmas are the days between Christmas day, December 25th, and Epiphany, January 6th.  Epiphany is the day the Church remembers the visit of the wise men to see Jesus and how God revealed himself through that visit.

Epiphany is defined by dictionary.com as “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.”  The Christian holiday is defined by the same site as “a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi.”  So, without studying the history or origin of this holiday, I’ve been contemplating the choice of the word used to entitle the day.  Epiphany.  A sudden insight usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence.  Hmmm.  Isn’t that what the visit of the wise men was?  Or what it can still be for us today?

They followed the star.  They longed to see the baby King.  They came from afar.  They were not of Jewish origin.  They brought gifts.  They defied King Herod and went back another way to protect the infant they worshipped from sure slaughter.  So, this coming Sunday, we will move our wise men to the manger.  Finally.  My kids keep asking me when they will ever get there.  And I hope that we will also have an epiphany, a moment of truth.  That wise ones still follow God’s light, still worship Jesus, still bring gifts and still defy evil to give him laud. 

We took a fun family road trip to Nashville yesterday to check out the lights and decorations at the Opryland Hotel.  While we were there, we went through the Grinch ICE.  It was well worth the money and travel there.  “The Grinch who Stole Christmas” is one of our all time favorite Christmas specials.  “Who” doesn’t love it?!   It’s pretty frigid in there, and they give you these cool blue coats to wear that slip really well on the ice slides.  It’s open through January 4th, so check it out if you’re near enough to go. 

This is a fun rendition of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer that I wanted to share for some Christmas fun.  The song is from Jewel’s wonderful Christmas album called Joy -A Holiday Collection.

Bye Bye.  See ya.  Wouldn’t want to be ya!

The day is tomorrow, September 30, 2008.  The time is 10 am.   The place is my wonderful orthodontist’s office.  The event is getting these metal pokey things out of my mouth.  Forever.  Second time around for me.  In high school there was a lot more metal and a lot more “crookedness” in my teethies.  This time around the braces were an intervention to try to correct an awful open bite which resulted from tmj surgery.  Twenty seven months, tons of pain and soreness, and a gazillion rubberbands later, and I’m thankful to say that my bite is corrected, and even without the extremely invasive surgery that was at first predicted.  Yippee.

And tomorrow is the day.

My youngest daughter, Mollie, is three years old, almost four.  Most of her conscious memories are of me with these braces on my smile.  Oh, and she is a girly girl supreme.  Move over Fancy Nancy - you have nothing on Mollie.  So, the other day I was announcing to my kiddos that the countdown was on.  Mollie told me passionately, “I don’t want you to get your braces off.  I want you to keep them forever.  They are more fancier.”  Well, I’ll tell you, that is one request she is just going to have to get over.  I’ll buy her some braces of her own some day, and we’ll see how fancy she thinks they are!

Okay, only one more thing to say sing:

I received this forward from a dear friend today, and it so echoed the way I think about eating and exercise that I wanted to share it. Plus it made me laugh. This is not original, but I don’t know to whom to give the credit. Not a stitch of seriousness here, and it made me feel a lot better about my chocolate habits, lack of exercise, and love of Chic Fil A.

Q: I’ve heard that cardiovascular exercise can prolong life; is this true?

A: Your heart is only good for so many beats, and that’s it… don’t waste them on exercise. Everything wears out eventually. Speeding up your heart will not make you live longer; that’s like saying you can extend the life of your car by driving it faster. Want to live longer? Take a nap.

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Q: Should I cut down on meat and eat more fruits and vegetables?

A: You must grasp logistical efficiencies. What does a cow eat? Hay and corn. And what are these? Vegetables. So a steak is nothing more than an efficient mechanism of delivering vegetables to your system. Need grain? Eat chicken. Beef is also a good source of field grass (green leafy vegetable). And a pork chop can give you 100% of your recommended daily allowance of vegetable products.

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Q: Should I reduce my alcohol intake?

A: No, not at all. Wine is made from fruit. Brandy is distilled wine, that means they take the water out of the fruity bit so you get even more of the goodness that way. Beer is also made out of grain. Bottoms up!

Q: How can I calculate my body/fat ratio?
A: Well, if you have a body and you have fat, your ratio is one to one. If you have two bodies, your ratio is two to one, etc.

Q: What are some of the advantages of participating in a regular exercise program?

A: Can’t think of a single one, sorry. My philosophy is: No Pain…Good!

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Q: Aren’t fried foods bad for you?

A: YOU’RE NOT LISTENING!!!…. Foods are fried these days in vegetable oil. In fact, they’re permeated in it. How could getting more vegetables be bad for you?

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Q: Will sit-ups help prevent me from getting a little soft around the middle?

A: Definitely not! When you exercise a muscle, it gets bigger. You should only be doing sit-ups if you want a bigger stomach.

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Q: Is chocolate bad for me?
A: Are you crazy? HELLO Cocoa beans! Another vegetable!!! It’s the best feel-good food around!

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Q: Is swimming good for your figure?

A: If swimming is good for your figure, explain whales to me.

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Q: Is getting in-shape important for my lifestyle?

A: Hey! ‘Round’ is a shape!

Well, I hope this has cleared up any misconceptions you may have had about food and diets.

AND……

For those of you who watch what you eat, here’s the final word on nutrition and health.

It’s a relief to know the truth after all those conflicting nutritional studies.

1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

5. The Germans drink a lot of beers and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than Americans.

CONCLUSION

Eat and drink what you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you.

I just got tagged by my dear friend little redhead, so here goes my response.

1. WHAT DID YOU DO 10 YEARS AGO?

Ten years ago at this time, I was moving back to Alabama from a wonderful adventure living a year near the beach in California, then a year in the glorious northwest in a small town called Roseburg. I had just met my husband-to-be at little redhead’s wedding, and we would wind up getting married in March 1999. I was beginning my job at the mental health center, counseling children and adolescents as well.

2. FIVE ITEMS ON YOUR TO-DO LIST TODAY:

Have fun. Have fun. Have fun. Have fun. Have fun. (I can always move the thank you notes and laundry and other junk to tomorrow, right?

3. SNACKS I ENJOY:

I love popcorn, the good buttery kind, chocolate of any kind, gala apples peeled and sliced thinly, diet coke with lime, homemade pimento cheese, lots of other stuff too. Food, glorious food.

4. WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WERE A BILLIONAIRE?

Oh, that would be way too wonderful for words. I’d start a series of homes for kids who don’t have parents or whose parents neglect and abuse them. We’d have horses and all kinds of animals. I’d hire staff to live in and help care for them. We’d definitely have a getaway house at the beach. Invest a bunch. Give a bunch. Get a red jeep. Travel with my kids and hubby.

Okay, I’m tagging chewymom, emily, and Kristen

If you have been tagged recently and you don’t wish to join in on the fun, please don’t feel obligated! Here Are the Rules: Answer the following questions about yourself. At the end of the post you pass on the questions to some other bloggers and list their names. Then write them a comment telling them that they’ve been tagged and ask them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know that you’ve accepted the challenge and refer to your post.