The Meaning of Life

The title of this post sounds pretty philosophical, doesn't it?  It really simply refers to a movie I just watched.  Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life.  Silly me, I thought it was just going to be a light and fluffy movie to wile away a Saturday evening.  Yes, it had it's light moments.  But it also had some pretty thought-provoking and insightful comments.  So much so that I went on the Internet and googled quotes from the movie, discovering that they are originally quotes from the book by Wendy Mass.  Now I have a new author to investigate.  This is a movie I could watch again.  

"I made sure to pay attention to everything I was doing. To be fully in the moment. Because that's all life is, really, a string of moments that you knot together and carry with you. Hopefully most of those moments are wonderful, but of course they won't all be. The trick is to recognize an important one when it happens. Even if you share the moment with someone else, it is still yours. Your string is different from anyone else's. It is something no one can ever take away from you. It will protect you and guide you, because it IS you. What you hold here, in your hand, in this box, this is my string.

Until recently, I thought it was death that gave meaning to life--that having an endpoint is what spurred us on to embrace life while we had it. But I was wrong. It isn't death that gives meaning to life. Life gives meaning to life. The answer to the meaning of life is hidden right there inside the question.

What matters is holding tight to that string, and not letting anyone tell us our goals aren't big enough or our interests are silly. But the voices of others aren't the only ones we need to worry about. We tend to be our own worst critics. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: 'Most of the shadows in this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine.' ... Wisdom is found in the least expected places. Always keep your eyes open. Don't block your own sunshine. Be filled with wonder.”

― Wendy Mass, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

Lots of nuggets here.  

Life gives meaning to life.  Pay attention.  Recognize an important moment when it happens.  

Here are some of the important moments that have happened to me.

1414) parent volunteers in the classroom

1415) the compassion children show for each other

1416) the passion children have for learning about God

1417) the hard questions children ask

1418) sewing with friends

1419) getting quilts back from the long-arm quilter and seeing them come to life

1420) finishing a quilt for my cousin

1421) hugs from children

1422) the opportunity to pray with a hurting mom

1423) celebrating my dad's 80th birthday

1424) finding the words to honour him

1425) hearing the words and love of other family members as they honour him

1426) seeing how loved and honoured he felt

1427) finishing report cards

1428) a car I trust

1429) watching the moon rise

1430) frost on trees

1431) white on white - trees against a white sky 

1432) eyes to see the beauty around me

1433) the lift to my heart at the wonders around me

1434) finding a missing CD!

1435) feeling "organized" (well - sort of) after some tidying

1436) enjoying a favourite Advent story with children

1437) games night at church

1438) connecting with former students who are now adults

1439) finding something to wear to my cousin's wedding

1440) an idea for a way to gift my students

1441) dinners out with friends

1442) watching bits of "the extravaganza"

1443) creativity of children

1444) the learning assistant in my classroom - her support and wisdom