barefoot in heaven

Monday, December 19, 2005
Narnia
I went to see Narnia "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" the Friday, Dec 9th. I had been looking forward to this movie for months. I was not disappointed. I went again on Sat with my kids. They were not disappointed. It was awesome. Of course much of the story from the book had to be left out, (even still it was over 2 hours long- worth every second and more), but for once I found that seeing the story visually helped me understand the symbolism of some of the story much better. Like when Susan and Lucy are the ones who are with Aslan at the stone table. It reminded me of the women who were present when Christ was crucified and resurrected. Also, the naming of the oldest son, Peter, I found symbolic of the Christ's Lead Apostle Peter. There were so many other little things I saw. But the thing I was glad not to see was the gore and blood usually associated with Hollywood. Although the climax is a war, only one wound is shown, yet the war is no less real. Never have I wanted to see a movie over and over like this one. I finally feel like I got my money's worth at the theater! I can't wait to see it again. I don't know how I will bear the wait until I can buy it!

Almost Christmas?
Wow! Time can fly by. I am shocked that it is almost Christmas 2005! This year has gone by very quickly thanks to the busy pace my life has taken on. I find myself longing to slow down and feel more peace and joy in this season. But instead I'm stressing about presents, shipping, and organizing my very crowded house. I wanted to feel the Spirit of Christmas this year - the real Spirit that is- the Spirit of Christ.
It is depressing to find that the real purpose of this holiday, celebrating the birth of the Savior, is being hidden from public view, and is frowned upon. One has to wonder before opening her mouth whether to say Happy Holidays, or Merry Christmas? Which will offend the other person? Are we being tested when we decide what expression we will say?
It seems like the whole end of the year is now geared to spend, spend, spend, and not necessarily for gifts to others. Commercials now intimidate us into buying more and bigger gifts for fear of disappointing someone. Others arrogantly and greedily demand extravagant and binding gifts from those they ought to be thanking. Giving gifts is fun, but only when we give from the heart. Giving from obligation and expectation ruins the whole reason for doing it. In order to give from our heart requires some thought. We don't just peruse the shelves at Walmart and pick something we thing they want. We think about good things we have, that is, the blessings we have, and we feel like we want to share the happiness that we get from those blessings. It's not an easy or light thing to do. It takes time. But, sadly, time is just something no one has anymore...