Hits of the Season ...

Christmas on Division Street was initial tissue fare - a good movie with Fred Savage looking at sides of life that matter; aired today

Today, saw the black and white of It's a Wonderful Life showing how a life matters, again. The wife, Donna Reed, in this version reminds me (look at their eyes) of Kirstin Davis who I just saw in the entertaining film, Deck the Halls about getting caught in sides of life that don't matter with Danny De Vito, Matthew Broderick, and the lady with a lovely voice - Kristen Chenoweth - she's filming a Christmas movie coming out next year called 'Four Christmases'

Jane Seymour, who I love most from Somewhere in Time did a review I enjoyed of Christmas films over the years - A Hollywood Christmas

The husband and youngest were at the keyboard singing christmas carols - priceless! We put our lights out today, a lovely nativity scene, and dressed our tree yesterday evening, the first time in my adult years not having natural tree. The youngest assisted the husband with the lights and me with the tree. He went to bed early in anticipation of tomorrow's events

The giant is a navy seaman. He graduates Friday in Chicago and on the same day is bound for San Antonio. Am hoping to see him there, the Lord willing. Two kids - eldest and giant - in Texas ...

Yesterday the children sang for christmas in our worship service, and the night before we gathered for a fellowship of caroling. The Ace sang a moving 'Mary Did You Know', and I was able to accompany her singing 'O Holy Night'. Worshiping the Lord in song in celebration of His birth - precious!

I was able to get the husband a gift he never suspected and would love! Time after time he has been there for me - lifted me up, been my strength, my safety blanket, my as it is described in one of Madea's movies representation of God's love. He loves the wind up clocks that chime the hour. Not long ago, his was over-wound. Come to find out they are expensive to fix or buy. But I found a deal. I hope chime after chime, it reminds him how much I love him.

Merry Christmas every one!

Praise the Lord! Jesus Christ was born! Go tell it!

at the end of the day of one time continuum

slipping back into one of my favorite subjects of time and relationships, the closing episode of SG1 was phenomenal. I love the camera work, the interactions and relationships - I love the story - the non-comedic GroundHog Day feel. My favorite scene is one between the characters Daniel and Vala. Already I've watched this (the season's dvd set) over and over again enjoying the nuances of each scene. As far as SG1 goes in its entirety life is too short! Okay just give me a minute, I need some kleenex ...

You know at the end of the day, time should mean something even in nothingness, like watching a sunset - it should merit some worth tangible or intangible. The measure of faith as a verb will be reflected in the playback of one's sojourn - the Mary or Martha and many other facets of its time - of thou good and faithful servant.

And as with so many a flick, real life, and at the end of the day, the answer has been right in front all along. Their beam was, yours and mine is 'the Light of the World' - salvation.

ginormous Giant 'mom' ent

Continuing in one's life as a mother has exponentially to borrow a word from a precious friend, 'huge' or his equally special daughter-in-law's 'ginormous' 'mom'ents.

My first baby boy is off to the military. Tomorrow the Giant embarks upon his naval career, leaving for boot camp in Chicago. Two months into two years, he's leaving and I will miss him. He is special and a joy to my heart. I'm not keen on this war, but I'm keen on him and, as I hum "His Eye is on the Sparrow", I am trusting him to God. We prayed over him at church this morning and the pastor spoke about the 30 men of God that surrounded David, James 5, and the Lord's hedge. Of the Giant's 30 or so crew, Lord let me be first in line!

My love for you goes with you boy! Do; learn; be what you've gotta- God's will be done; the Lord be with you in it all! May He give you wisdom and discernment, peace, and return you home safe and whole. And when ever you don't have the answers I borrow upon a friend's favorite shirt - 'Ask the Chief!'

Whenever I am tempted,
whenever clouds arise,
When songs give place to sighing,
when hope within me dies,
I draw the closer to Him,
from care He sets me free;
His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know He watches me;
His eye is on the sparrow,
and I know He watches me.

Giant, I know He watches thee!

Wait...!

This is to my friend Nicole! Remember 'Somewhere in Time'. Well I don't know if you've seen the movie with Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock (yeah I recall Micah doesn't like her! ;-) - its called 'The Lake House'. Gyrl you gotta see it. The book they shared. The waiting.

For the rest of you, there's some good oldies music - a nice soundtrack - songs like almost like falling in love, I wish you love. Anyways I just saw it - had a terrible day - but now I'm enchanted.

There is something about time and love that always gets me. I'm glad the each of us have a love for all time, Nicole - Sandra or no; Micah ;-)!

Guess what came on after that? Hope Floats LOL! Mommas are smart; aren't we? You know what her momma says ...she tells to her granddaughter -

about how when she was little her brother once kicked and stomped on an anthill, destroying the ants’ home. She yelled for her mother, who came right away and calmed her down. They watched as the ants scurried to rebuild their “home”. The grandmother relays that, as a little girl, that seemed hopeless in her mind; they were just little ants. But her mother had explained, “Yah, if it’s just one ant. But there’s lots of ants down there. And they’re all relatives. They’re family – just like we are. That’s what families are for. That’s why they invented families, so hopeless wouldn’t get the last word."

Whew, I really need a tissue now. Night, my friend!

You Are Worthy Doe

I'm often prompted to pray for the people in an accident when I hear of or pass one by - the people, their families and friends. That is not the case here, although I was driving home the day of this accident and heard about it on news-radio. It had happened earlier but traffic on the freeway in that area was still disrupted. But the fact that I received no prompting doesn't mean that God wasn't at work - He doesn't really need me anyway! This accident didn't effect me, bother my traffic conditions, nor require my prayers - or did it? What is surprising all the time is however remote to my own life something may seem to be, the fabric of it may be stitched more closely to me than I think. I take that wee bit of information and apply it to everything I observe.

Today my sister in the Lord, colleague, and fellow-commuter, shared with me about her nephew. Her sister had been called back from a cruise because her son had been in a serious accident and not likely to survive - the earthbound powers that be were going to try and keep him alive about 48 hours to give her time to get back.

He was at work driving what they call a light truck when the big rig jack-knifed in front of him and he was unable to avoid slamming into it. His vehicle became engulfed in flames and he was trapped inside for at least some 20 minutes. Although ladies, unable to themselves extricate him from the vehicle - the steering column had come forward and pinned him inside - screamed to nearby officers for help. A passerby who walks with the Lord heard the screams of the ladies and clearly the directive to circle back and assist the person he saw was trapped, and was able to remove him from the inferno. Immediately thereafter there was a final explosion - and if the picture is still with the story under the link, you can see how the vehicle faired. He, himself, had 3rd to 4th degree (to the muscle) burns and was rushed to UCI burn center where he is now under the care of the chief of staff.

He, himself, had a relationship with the Lord where he felt unworthy; after all, he had mis-spent times of his life. At UCI he was given his prognosis, and he gave a call to his brother and one more person - he was urged to have a good talk with his Maker. Now in the midst of organs shutting down, smoke burned lungs breathing being assisted, skin grafts healing, comatose, among a myriad of symptoms, he hangs on with a wing and a prayer of many. A police officer, maybe one of ones standing by possibly following procedure, came by to share with the mom don't think me a hero 'but I was able to pull your son to safety'. However, the ladies who screamed for the young man's life, the gentleman who obediently came back for him, and his mom constantly, are often there in support.

Who is to say that this young man in the prime of his life is in God's plan to go on with his life which will include months and months of healing or to go home to the Lord. Only God knows. But the Lord brought those ladies, and that man, and has miraculously sustained him to date.

Because of the HIPAA laws, the hospital listed him with a fictitious 'Doe' name to protect his privacy. Not ficticious to God, this man who felt unworthy of the Lord, by the grace of God was called 'Worthy Doe'.

My prayers are with you Worthy, and with your family! God bless the agape obedience of those who were there for what He considers of worth!

August things - Bea Watson, Fontana and I will miss you!

She left us to be with the Lord the 12 of August

Bea Watson is home with the Lord. For the most part my experience with Fontana is Bea - full of heart and a ready smile. I’m happy she’s home, but she will be sorely missed. One of the articles I read referred to her as 'Mrs. Fontana" These Press Enterprise write-ups give light to who she was as well ...

Ex-Fontana Councilwoman Bea Watson dies
Article By MARY BENDER

Former City Clerk and Councilwoman Bea Watson, a tireless community volunteer who organized the city's Christmas and Fontana Days parades, died Sunday and will be remembered in a funeral service Monday.

She was 83.

Mrs. Watson was elected to two terms as Fontana city clerk, completing her eight years in office in December. She also served one term as a city councilwoman, from 1992 to 1996, losing her re-election bid to Manuel Mancha by 68 votes....

Mrs. Watson's successor, City Clerk Tonia Lewis, said she would recruit friends and colleagues to help out with civic events. "It's hard to fill her shoes because she was so active in everything," Lewis said. "She didn't take no for an answer."...
One of Mrs. Watson's passions was the Fontana Historical Society, which was established in 1974 but in recent years needed an infusion of volunteers to replace its aging roster.

"She got me involved with the Historical Society because the society was failing for lack of membership. She hated to see things fail, so she would gather together people she knew who could handle those things," Lewis said. "We had no choice."

Mrs. Watson was active in several other local organizations and events, including the Fontana Woman's Club, the Fontana Exchange Club; American Legion Auxiliary, Post 772; and the Fontana Chamber of Commerce.

She served on committees to commemorate Fontana's 50th and 75th anniversary celebrations, and organized the city's annual Community Prayer Breakfast since 1990. She also was an active volunteer for the Fontana Days Festival, the annual summer celebration of the city's 1913 founding by A.B. Miller, and organized the city's annual Festival of Winter.

"The Christmas parade was her baby. She felt like she was doing it for the kids in Fontana," Lewis said.

Born July 1, 1924, in Ashtabula, Ohio, Mrs. Watson came West in 1944, living in San Bernardino before moving to Fontana. She attended San Bernardino Valley College and was a retired telephone company administrator with Pacific Bell.

Recalling Busy Bea
Column by CASSIE MACDUFF

Fontana was a small, rough-edged steel town when Bea Watson moved there in 1960. By the time she departed on Aug. 5, it had grown to a city of 182,000 with sophisticated suburbs, a new freeway and big-city shopping centers.

Along the way, Watson served as an elected councilwoman and city clerk, Women's Club president and Historical Society officer, and organizer of the annual Fontana Days, Christmas parade and prayer breakfast.

As the city's unofficial mayor, goodwill ambassador and head cheerleader, she almost single-handedly got Fontana to retain its hometown feeling, even as it grew to the second most populous city in San Bernardino County.

I got to know Watson in the early 1990s when I was a reporter covering City Hall.

City officials can be impatient with the turnover in city-hall reporters every few years. They tire of breaking in newcomers they fear won't understand their cities.

But Bea Watson wasn't like that. With her kind, bespectacled eyes and grandmotherly smile, she greeted you as just the latest addition to the Fontana family.

She'd take you by the arm and steer you in the direction she thought you should go -- a signature Bea-Watson move.

At a memorial Monday at the First Assembly of God, Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto, described how Watson persuaded him to ride in the Fontana Days parades.

"She would wrap her arms around me and walk along with me," he said, and she wouldn't stop asking until he said yes. The remark brought laughter and nods of recognition from scores of dignitaries, clergy and residents paying their respects.

Watson was a tireless organizer and worker, earning the nickname Busy Bea, Baca said.

"In Heaven, she is organizing and getting the angels involved," he said. "And she'll probably ask God to be in the parade."

Until the 1990s, the city had sponsored Fontana Days. But after the recession hit, Watson took up the baton, recruiting volunteers and sponsors to keep the tradition going.

Former Police Chief Frank Scialdone, now a councilman, recalled that as her "assistant," he learned not to print the parade lineup until the morning of the parade, because Watson would keep adding entries.

She was happiest when 6,000 children were parading down Sierra Avenue amid floats, marching bands and equestrians. There was nothing she wouldn't do "for the kids."

You could tell your status by where Watson placed you in the parade, Mayor Mark Nuaimi told the gathering.

When they ran against each other for mayor in 1994, Nuaimi found himself behind the horses. As their rivalry softened over the years, he advanced toward the head of the parade.

Before becoming a volunteer, Watson was a career woman at a time when that was a rarity. She retired in 1982 after 36 years with Pacific Bell, where she helped develop the touch-tone dialing system, said her husband, Larry Watson.

Later, she turned her talents to community television, filming segments for KFON, the public-access channel, Larry Watson said. Before long, she was operating the cameras that televised council meetings. She was also instrumental in getting a performing arts center built.

Her loss will be felt dearly in Fontana for years to come.

Weighing in on stuff

I've settled on FitDay.com - it fits where I am on my wellness program right now. It is easy to use, provides the feedback I want and what sealed it is that the calorie database of DietFacts.com feeds right into it. So, if I eat at McDonald's and had the new Angus Burger with mushrooms and cheese (why did I?) I can not only confirm that I shouldn't have eaten what amounted to 810 calories, but also it puts the data right into FitDay so I didn't have to input all the gory details, making foods to be added an easier proposition.

Since I see value in all the other programs I've checked out, I hope to some day do a comparison showing the differences in what they offer. I really think it depends on what you want to get from it - high to low maintenance, being informed, support/accountability, types of reports, and high on my list is what is available for free.

My best weight was last week. I've had people noticing - once last Tuesday by a lady I see ocassionally in a restaurant I a frequent weekly. It is beyond words to be aware of actual progress. The proof is not only in the scale but in the measuring tape, and former clothes I can wear, and feeling so much better physically and mentally. So it goes.

It's hard to be a sport about this year's NBA season - the Warriors are gone and too the Suns; this requires the label 'kleenex'. Who am I to root for. I'd root for the current underdogs but they've got to muster up what now seems like a miracle. If they don't its going to leave me with teams I don't like and won't care who wins! Worst case scenario the Spurs win? I've probably jinxed the whole thing now. *sigh*

I have a four-day weekend. To the extent possible, I'm including in my holiday celebration vacationing at the Spa of Normandy - a holiday weekend getaway at home. It'll begin with getting the hair done (with a side trip to the AAA for a car registration), acquiring some ribs, the makings for the famous beans and other delicacies (will have to work those into the food program), and then being jacuzzi bound. I'll work in appropriate mood music, watch some movies (watching Sleepless in Seattle - yes, again - right now) - there'll be no crowds or traffic! See you on the other side!

Oh, on another divergent note - have a friend that has been looking into his family history. When I have the time, which is rare, I dabble at this myself - to date unable to make that connection into the slavery/plantation time period. However he has been able to trace his latino heritage to someone who ran with Pancho Villa. He found too that the name changed to be safe from the authorities. Interesting to find your surname changes back in history. The giant will encounter that - his last name is not the same as his father's which changes everything for his future lineage. Of course in this day and age there are hyphenated names too - it's a whole new game!

Okay, well leaving Seattle to get the hair done!

another "Night with the King'

One of the DVD releases tomorrow is One Night with the King. I encouraged everyone to go see it upon its November theater release and it was not disappointing. It was also shown on TBN this New Year's Eve past. It was historical, romantic, uplifting, endearing, and dramatic with wonderful cinematography and costume. You'd think I was talking about an oscar nomination. But truly this was a heartwarming and enjoyable family film (a few scenes are realistically very graphic). It stars an international cast the likes of:

• the once again ever engaging Omar Sharif who was born in Egypt. Did you know that his 'films were banned in his native Egypt because he made love to a Jewish woman onscreen' in Funny Girl? He's also rather well known for his enthusiasm for playing bridge.
• Tommy 'Tiny' Lister who launched his acting career from that of a wrestler with the likes of Hulk Hogan; you may remember (not so) Tiny in Posse or maybe as the President in The Fifth Element. He is in a movie in post production now called Ascension Day. The brother was born in my native Compton.
  
• the Irish Peter O'Toole who is no stranger at all to epic movies.
• the affable John Rhys-Davies of Wales and the foreboding Australian John Noble both of whom I remember from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Rhys-Davies, who plays the key character Mordecai, I also remember among other films from the Indiana Jones films of which a fourth is in pre-production.
• the relatively unknown Georgian leading actress Tiffany Dupont is excellent as Esther.
  
• the Persian king Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) is played undauntingly by the British twin Luke Goss. He has a list of credits to his name, most of which I have not seen, and has four in post-production now.
• the irrepressible Haman, the Amelekite, was excellently played by British James Callis who himself is Jewish. I know him best as Dr. Gaius Baltar from Battlestar Galactica - one of the television series I'm addicted to. He's also done a pattern of films like Arabian Nights, Helen of Troy, Jason and the Argonauts.

The historic hand of God told in this epic is celebrated to this day in the Biblical Feast of Purim. I highly recommend you feast upon the story unfolded (so touchingly told you ladies you may need kleenex as did I) and enter the world of Esther through One Night with the King. It's a keeper.

Now this is odd...

the day I focused on Natalie Wood and the discovery that she was the precious little girl in A Miracle of 34th Street, that evening West Side Story aired; how odd! I wasn't able to watch it all; but I for a moment I re-entered in the once familiar world of the 'Jets' and the 'Sharks' and, once again, the innocence of yet another Natalie Wood role.

Christmas shoes

Speaking of Shoes at Christmas, certainly you've heard the song - right? that was also made in to a film, based on the #1 hit record and best-selling book, the beloved television movie The Christmas Shoes (2002) (TV) stars Rob Lowe and Kimberly Williams. In this heartwarming holiday drama, a workaholic attorney crosses paths with a young boy on Christmas Eve and rediscovers the true meaning of love, life and the holiday season. Maria del Mar, Dorian Harewood, Amber Marshall and Max Morrow also star - right? When I think about how our hearts should be focused at Christmas and what I want my children to be taught, these are the sentiments that come to mind.

Rob Lowe continues the role of Robert Layton in, The Christmas Blessing (2005) (TV) with Hugh Thompson (who has done many miracle focused films). Maria also portrays one of the children, Allison, in Unlikely Angel (1996) (TV) where Dolly Parton portrays a country music performer who meets an untimely demise, but cannot enter heaven until she performs a good deed back on earth - to get a workaholic widower and his children back together again for Christmas. Dorian's long career includes holiday work as one of the voices in The Easter Story, and a role in An American Christmas Carol (1979) (TV)- a favorite version of mine with Henry Winkler (I'd like to get a hold of this one), and "7th Heaven"'s Rev. Morgan Hamilton.

You can listen to and see the lyrics at the song site and at the film site also there is a poll, trivia quiz, behind-the-scenes interviews and more.

at Hello!

"So ... tell me how you met your wife."
"Oh", smiling, "well that's a funny story. See, one Christmas my young son, being concerned about how I was dealing with the death of his mom, calls a talk radio show to discuss it with them. To make a long story short a host of mail resulted from the airing, and my son fixed upon one particular responder. After a series of events he set in motion we met, she and I, on Valentine's Day atop the Empire State Building" - _{hypothetical conversation with the Sam Baldwin in Sleepless in Seattle.}

Sleepless is most definitely a frequent viewer for any romantic. I have no idea why I didn't mention this in my Affair to Remember coverage. If someone were to inquire of me, "how often can you watch this movie;" I'd clarify "in a day?" While simply falling in love with the story in its entirety, box of kleenex by my side, I too thoroughly enjoy the timelessly romantic soundtrack. Another such sountrack is the one to One Fine Day also from a delightful romantic comedy, not based at Christmas.

But to get to my point, there's a dialogue in Sleepless where Rosie O'Donnell - the best friend - having been told that 'boy met girl' and boy said 'hello,' asks Meg Ryan what did she say - She tells her with dismay, she could only say to Tom Hanks 'hello'. They flash to the scene in Affair to Remember to witness this exchange between Carey Grant and Deborah Kerr as she also says as Terry McKay: And all I could say was, "hello". (Watch the movie - really!) I was reminded in that moment of another 'hello' with Renee Zellweger and another Tom - Cruise, in Jerry Maguire (1996). There you have have this discourse that ends with:

Jerry: I love you. You... complete me.
Dorothy: Shut up. Just shut up. You had me at "hello".

I conclude, romantically 'hello' can say everything!

Tyler's fresh at it again!

My girlfriend in Florida just alerted me to this newflash for Tyler Perry fans everywhere - Daddy's Little Girls comes in February from Lionsgate films (which also brought you Akeelah and the Bee (highly recommended by my friend Nicole, - Keke Palmer, the star, of which you’ve seen in another Tyler Perry film). Just this teaser glimpse of the film let's you know it'll be one of Tyler's finest works.

The cast is awesome; Tyler has a way of getting a calibre of artist that really brings reality to his films. Gabrielle Union you may remember from Bad Boys II or Deliver Us from Eva; her work also includes Something the Lord Made, Love & Basketball and has a holiday movie coming out next year Perfect Christmas. Idris Elba I first encountered in The Gospel as a dislikeable husband/minister he makes you understand through his excellent performance. There is the esteemable Lou Gossett Jr., who has a host of films coming out in 2007, and had a presidential role in Left Behind III: World at War among his litany of performances. Tracee Ellis Ross is from my all time favorite, A Fare to Remember.

Don't this just look like a high kleenex rating? Now all I can do is wait with baited breath!

Beyond the Average 'Fare'

There are several versions of "An Affair to Remember" - you perhaps recall as far back as the 1957 one with the classic Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr, and may be familiar with "Love Affair" with Warren Beatty and (his wife) Annette Benning in 1994; BUT were you aware they originated with the 1939 film "Love Affair" with the even more ever classic performers Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne. I like each of the movies in their own right. Although today, the older ones seem to go so so slowly. Cinema has changed so much. But, then, people had time for a movie.

Still in a unique class of its own and so very captivating is "A Fare to Remember". If you like any of the three above, this is a MUST SEE, but don't go rushing to purchase it - its a rare find; I've only seen it (every chance I get!) on cable/satellite TV programming. Out of the countless movies we own, we have yet to acquire this one. This re-make veers from the films above, stealing mostly just from the title. It stars Malcolm-Jamal Warner (of The Cosby Show fame with subsequent shows that reveal his maturing talent that resounds in this movie) and a less known actress/producer Challen Cates.

My common thread: to be true (really true, not simply what we've defined as true) to one's own self. Sometimes we go adrift, off-track. But hold fast to God and let Him straighten your path. When you recognize your mis-step what are you going to do? Make the best of things? Or correct them? Don't allow life to make yourself into something you're not; but allow God to mold you into who you should be. Selah :-)

A Fare to Remember takes place around Christmas time, making it particularly sentimental, and I particularly like seeing it around that time of year. Another Christmas movie chock full of romance (in a It's a Wonderful Life sense) to get a glimpse of is 'the family man' with Nicolas Cage and Téa Leoni and a wonderful part for Don Cheadle! Yet these movies are great to watch absolutely any time of the year. Enjoy!

Diary music

Revisiting Diary, the final songs sung by Tamela Mann, Father Can You Hear Me and Take It to Jesus and the whole surrounding scene just brings me to tears - everytime I watch it (yes I have frequent viewer - FV - miles) - sometimes I start it right where this scene begins.

A similar movie that also always gets me that way is the singing Maybe God Is Tryin' To Tell You Somethin' (don't you feel that way sometimes - somethin' that really needs to be heard) by Suge Avery as she enters the church a sinner reconciling with her self-estranged minister dad in Spielberg's The Color Purple (Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Margaret Avery, Oprah Winfrey, to name a few) based on the book written by one of my favorite authors, Alice Walker - but I won't get started on all of that. I will say this movie was chock full of stellar performances; and it was robbed of the 'Oscar' that year. Still The Color Purple doesn't get as many FV Miles because it hurts the heart so to watch - there is so much pain in this movie.

I think it pisses God off when you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice it.

Can you imagine? We walk by God's creations of beauty obliviously all the time - even when you count the times you notice.

lost diaries

In this movie of touching romance with the african-american and christian circumstance, Diary of a Mad Black woman (Kimberly Elise, the Practice's Steve Harris, Shemar Moore, Tyler Perry) speaks deeply to restoration from brokenness for anyone - one of those things our God is about - this state of being lost manifests in many forms - hurt, our fault, God's rebuilding, fear, pride. The lost sometimes don't even know they are lost! I prefer the movie over the play - the story is more fully encompassing. It's a remarkable and wise glimpse into the process of recovery .

A conversation between the Kimberly's character and her mama (Cicely):

"You know I know this man put a hurtin' on you baby, but you've got to forgive him. No matter what he done, you've got to forgive him - not for him, but for you."
"Forgive him for me?"
"When some body hurts you they take power over you, if you don't forgive them then they keeps the power. Forgive him baby and after you forgive him, forgive youreself. "

Now ain't that the truth!

My hats off to Tyler Perry and his work. they can be a little earthy, but while keeping it funny (most often hilarious), he keeps it deeply and spiritually real with characters we all know in our own lives - c'mon, you know you know someone! And Cicely Tyson is always a joy to see perform. Adding to Reunion - don't get me started on that one - I cant wait to complete the Madea collection; I've got some work to do!

Lorenzo's Oil

Now here's a touching, educational, as well as based on a true story movie - Lorenzo's Oil, starring Susan Sarandon and Nick Nolte as parents of a boy with ALD - a little known disease in 1992 when the movie was released. These parents are heroes of gigantic and human proportion. I wouldn't have the resources they had which soon became enormously stressed, but what really shows here is the tenacity of a parent's heart to do all that can possibly be done for their child and the difficulties faced dealing with and by the medical community in situations such as theirs.

from the movie - "Do you know how many children die every year from choking on french fries? Many more than from Adrenoleukodistrophy. You see, ours is what is known as an orphan disease, too small to be noticed, too small to be funded, especially with the iron hand of "Reganomics"."

A kleenex factor film, it is definitely worth a watch. This site, The Myelin Project, deals with the story of the Odone's and where they and the medical progress is today. The disease the child, Lorenzo, developed essentially strips a protective covering which causes an increasing deterioration of brain functions. The site quite thoroughly speaks to the associated diseases and the Odone's story.

to Jubilee & the best that God has given me!

As the Ocean's (Julia Roberts and George Clooney) might say in the movie, Ocean's Twelve, sequel to Ocean's Eleven (2001) which was a retake on Ocean's Eleven (1960), we are celebrating our '2nd' 7th anniversary today - for entirely different circumstances ;-). To our two anniversaries - we went before the justice of the peace and, prior to it becoming an historic park, were the last couple to be married in the Old Orange County Court House on August 25th (the first) and three weeks later were wedded before God in a ceremony on September 18th (the second). Needless to say, I consider it all, and every other day of our lives, a reason to celebrate! Sometimes (this having nothing to do with the movies :-)), you look back over something - and you conclude this is the best! Well, I was looking at the face of my husband last night, seemingly finally settling into some restful sleep after a very long week, and I thanked God - so merciful, loving and kind! This man is the best! Thank you Lord for the blessing of him. Thank you, sweetheart, for eight wonderful years together (from whence we met). I love you!

For those into romantic fodder, as I, this is the abridged version - be careful, this material contains a kleenex rating factor.

The husband and I are celebrating today with a day off, restfully. Here's to all our tomorrows together!

'Where everyone knows my name'

Los Gringo's is a Cheers (remember the TV series?) for me - I've come here on my lunch hour nearly every Taco Tuesday for many years past; who wants to remember beyond that? I've come here with co-worker friends and even with my oldest daughter and oldest son. I'll have to get my husband here one day - he's heard so much about it. But what has capped off my oasis of each week is my mother. She, a diabetic with alzheimers disease at 80 years of age, came into my care a year ago April. She had lunch here with all her children - me and my sister (she's out of state) and brother (~about 75 miles away). It was the first time her children had gathered together with her or at all since her birthday-the month she arrived. At Los Gringos she was treated like family, as we all were and I always have been treated. It was a wonderful memory for each to have, as she left us for her final Home no more than a week later last December. They asked about her too when I next I came. Now, those Tuesdays when I come here alone or not, I know she meets me here 'where everyone knows my name'. My sister and brother continue to join me here when we all can be in town.