It's A Wonderful Life

Well, this is my first official post in my first official blog -- sound the trumpets and record the date. Occasionally I find that I have ideas or thoughts (yes, really) that I would like to share, and a blog seems like a perfectly adequate format for such a thing. I'm not saying my ideas are important or innovative or anything of the sort, nor do I claim that anyone else will particularly care about them. But, who cares? So here I am.


I chose "It's A Wonderful Life" as the title of my first blog for two reasons: (1) My life really is full of so many blessings (especially because of my family -- see http://the-real-whitehouse.blogspot.com/) that I can honestly call it "wonderful" to me; and (2) I just watched the classic holiday movie of the same title the other night. It is about #2 that I wanted to write. I really do love that movie. Call me a softie or a sap or whatever, but no matter how many times I've seen it I still get all misty at the end when Harry toasts his big brother George, the "richest man in town." There are so many great characters in good old Bedford Falls -- Ernie the cabdriver; Burt the cop (Jim Henson must have loved this movie, too); crotchety old Mr. Potter and his oddly silent assistant that is always hovering over him like an old buzzard; unflappable Clarence (pun intended), AS2; the high school senior who gets his revenge on George by opening the high school gym floor (wouldn't that have been cool to have in your high school?).


However, one of the greatest things about this movie is that it isn't embarrassed to extol timeless virtues and teach some valuable lessons. Most of them are quite familiar to us: all people have worth, no matter their socio-economic status; family members support each other through thick and thin; you don't have to look far to find happiness; love can conquer all; faith in God can carry us through difficulties; and, of course "no man is a falure who has friends". But there are several somewhat more subtle (though still important) lessons that this movie teaches us: an old metal shovel works well as a sled, but not on thin ice; wishing on a gimmicky drug-store cigar lighter doesn't necessarily work; some drunken and abusive people can still be saved; if people are applauding your lousy dancing, there may be a problem; if you're leaving on your honeymoon and you see panic breaking out in town, keep going; and the most valuable lesson of all -- never, ever entrust the Uncle Billy's in your life with an envelope full of cash.


So, here's to a wonderful movie -- may it ever live in NBC's Christmas repertoire!