It's a Wonderful Life.... or is it???

A real “feel-good" movie. A holiday classic. But why?


There is a terrible side to this movie, a dark side that is still going on today.



Here is the plot, in case you have been living on a desert island for the last 50 years:

~~~~~~~

George Bailey is a small-town man whose life has become so desperate he contemplates suicide. He, like his father before him, is a champion of the poor and downtrodden in his town. Extremely honest and hard working, he sacrificed his education for his brother's, kept the family-run savings and loan afloat while still allowing ordinary residents to take out reasonable home loans, protected the town from takeover by the greedy banker Mr. Potter, and happily married his high school sweetheart. However, a series of unfortunate events plus the constant onslaught from Mr. Potter to take over the savings and loan, George feels that it would have been better for everyone if he had never been born. His guardian angel Clarence arrives on a mission to earn his heavenly wings. As George prepares to jump from a bridge, Clarence shows him how miserable life would have become for the residents of Bedford Falls had he never lived.

~~~~~~~

The implications are pretty obvious, unless you want to cover your eyes with blinders.

The Bailey family and friends represent the 99%.

Mr. Potter represents the 1%.

Of course the Occupy Movement was not around back when this film was released. But the battle is nothing new. The masses continually battle against greed. The greedy few continually want more and more, at the masses' expense.

From the movie script of It’s a Wonderful Life:


MR. BAILEY (George's father)
I'm not crying, Mr. Potter.

POTTER
Well, you're begging, and that's a whole lot worse.

MR. BAILEY
All I'm asking is thirty days more . . .

GEORGE (interrupting)
Pop!

MR. BAILEY
Just a minute, son.
(to Potter)
Just thirty short days. I'll dig up that five thousand somehow.

POTTER
Have you put any real pressure on those people of yours to pay those mortgages?

MR. BAILEY
Times are bad, Mr. Potter. A lot of these people are out of work.

POTTER
Then foreclose!

MR. BAILEY
I can't do that. These families have children.

GEORGE
Pop!

POTTER
They're not my children.

MR. BAILEY
But they're somebody's children.

POTTER
Are you running a business or a charity ward?

MR. BAILEY
Well, all right . . .

POTTER (interrupting)
Not with my money!

CLOSE SHOT –– Potter and Bailey.

BAILEY
Mr. Potter, what makes you such a hard-skulled character? You have no family –– no children. You can't begin to spend all the money you've got.

POTTER
So I suppose I should give it to miserable failures like you and that idiot brother of yours to spend for me.

You people out there, the ones who love this film, don’t you SEE? Don’t you GET IT??? Why do you feel good about the end of this movie, if you really want Mr. Potter to win? How can you cheer for George in good conscience if, deep down inside, you believe Potter is right; George Bailey is a failure, an idiot, a buffoon?


GEORGE
[My father] did help a few people get out of your slums, Mr. Potter, and what's wrong with that? Why... here, you're all businessmen here. Doesn't it make them better citizens? Doesn't it make them better customers? You... you said... what'd you say a minute ago? They had to wait and save their money before they even ought to think of a decent home. Wait? Wait for what? Until their children grow up and leave them? Until they're so old and broken down that they... Do you know how long it takes a working man to save $5,000? Just remember this, Mr. Potter, that this rabble you're talking about... they do most of the working and paying and living and dying in this community. Well, is it too much to have them work and pay and live and die in a couple of decent rooms and a bath? Anyway, my father didn't think so. People were human beings to him. But to you, a warped, frustrated old man, they're cattle. Well in my book, my father died a much richer man than you'll ever be!



Please, friends, WAKE UP!!! Or if you are already awake, find a way to let your voice be heard! More and more homes are being foreclosed upon, people are unemployed, wages are being lowered, college tuition is going through the roof. The average person cannot afford their health care, even if they do have insurance. But Mr Potter has all he needs 10 times over, and doesn't care! After all, we aren't HIS children.


If we continue to pander to the Mr. Potters, soon this country will become POTTERSVILLE! It really won’t matter whether or not George Bailey was ever born.



…. And poor old Clarence will never earn his wings. :(

A few of my favorite "Being a Mom" photos...

This is what I'm celebrating today. :-)

































Not only am I celebrating these blessings, but I am also lucky enough to have a few "bonus" kids that may have been to big for me to carry by the time they came into my life, but I carry them in my heart.

Happy Mother's Day to everybody who is somebody's Mom, or is a child who blessed the life of a Mom, like all of mine have blessed me!

I know a few things about love...

Love is special and should never be taken for granted.

Good love allows us be ourselves. No games are needed. No guessing is needed. Conversations are engaging, silence is comfortable.

We don't need to hold on to love. It stays right with us.

It's not about the wedding... it's about the marriage.

There is no "i" in "team."

Laughter is the glue that holds everything together.

It's okay to go to bed mad. Problems are often easier to solve after a good night's sleep. But mad or not, always say, "I love you." There are no guarantees that you will ever have another chance.

True love is built on both friendship and chemistry.

Happy Valentine's Day to my best friend of 39 years.

I love you.

Silly stuff and Happy New Year

Happy New Year! Just a bit of video silliness to start the year out with a grin.

Terry snapped the two photos, but the timer went off before he made it into the first one. We laughed about how it looked on the camera, so I put it together as a video here. (The comedy may have been enhanced by the adult beverages, but that's okay. It's New Years!)

Hope everybody has a 2011 that is full of fun and laughs!!!

The Very Best Christmas

Shelby and I had a few last minute things to pick up from the store, and while we were driving we noticed several near-miss accidents. Everybody was in a horrible rush. One lady laid angrily on her horn behind me, wanting me to turn in front of another car, I guess. When she zipped around me, I resisted the impulse to flip the bird, and instead waved and said, “Merry Christmas” to her.

I commented that so many people get stressed out trying to recreate the best Christmas they ever had, but this is an impossibility because you can’t buy the Very Best Christmas. Then, reminiscing:

The Very Best Christmas, I received a dog tag engraved “Mom”.

The Very Best Christmas, I opened a package with a macaroni necklace.

The Very Best Christmas was any when my Grandma was still alive. Or, my Dad. Or, Andy.

This year will also be the Very Best Christmas.

I have my health.
I have my Mom.
I have my friends.
I have my children.
I have my grandchildren.
I have my Arthur.

And of course we always celebrate the FIRST Very Best Christmas; when a special Baby was born to teach us how to love and care for one another.

If we can just remember that lesson, every year will always be the Very Best Christmas.

A new tree for Grandma's table

This is not the first time I have posted this photo of a three-year-old me with my Grandma, but this photo holds such special memories. The little pink tree was absolute childhood magic with it's glitter and feather birds swaying in the twilight shadows, beneath tiny clear twinkle lights. Grandma and her wonderful tree were treasures that seemingly would be part of my life forever.


Then one year, to my sorrow, Grandma's little tree was gone. Evidently it had become quite shabby, although I never noticed. I begged her to get another pink tree, but she was unable to find one. Styles change, and aluminum trees were the newest "in" thing. That didn't suit either one of us, so the glittery birds took up residence among the other ornaments in the full sized tree.

(They looked just like these, but they had feathers on them.)

Years passed and one by one the bird ornaments broke or fell apart. I grew up, married. Jimmy came into the world, then Grandma died and took some more of the magic with her. When Grandpa moved in with my parents, I was given several pieces of their furniture that I still treasure today. Several pieces... including the little drop-leaf table that the little tree used to sit on every year.

During a recent shopping trip I was stunned to see nothing less than a little pink Christmas tree nestled among the taller green trees in the store. It was a bit different than the original, but it was little and pink! I didn't have enough cash with me then, but Art brought it home today and we set it up on Grandma's table.



The memories make it beautiful. I wonder... I wonder if glittery feather birds could bring back some of the magic...

Welcome home, Son.

This is our 8th Christmas since Andy died. Yesterday, for the very first time since, I saw real, honest-to-goodness joy about the upcoming holiday from my son John. (He's 15 now, by the way...!)

As a matter of fact, out of all of us John has had the hardest time finding his footing in this dreadful storm. He rarely has exhibited enthusiasm about much of anything, it's more like he has been going through the motions of being a kid for the past 8 years. He never totally crashed and burned, but always verged somewhere between melancholy and sullen. Over the years I tried, Shelby tried, then later Arthur tried to help him, but to no avail. Last night, though, something woke up in him. It was like somebody had lit a fire under him!

It started when we were going through some old ornaments that had been misplaced. Some of them were old family decorations, and his spirit was noticably brighter with each one we took out.

"I remember when Daddy used to always play with these trains. And, wow, Mom! I haven't seen this in years! It was always my favorite. And this one always reminded me of magic... and here is that old styrafoam thing that I always loved..."

Hopefully, this change in John will be a lasting one. I was astonished that he actually started singing a Christmas song as he hung ornaments! Our house has not been decked out so much in years.

Some of the ornaments had belonged to Arthur and his late wife Sue, and John asked questions about them as he hung them up. Arthur is not much for decorating, and had been watching TV in the bedroom oblivious to all the activity in the living room. But when he finally came out to investigate, John did something on his own that brought tears to my eyes.

He said, "Hey Arthur! I saved a couple of Sue's ornaments for you to hang and a spot to hang them."

Yes, we are honestly now a family. A blended family, but real none-the-less.

Peace and blessings to all.

Happy Easter 2009

He is risen! Alleluia! Happy Easter!




As usual, the whole gang gathered at our house for a traditional Polish feast. It wouldn't seem like Easter without it!


After dinner, one of our family traditions is playing "Crack the Egg" with the hard-boiled Easter eggs. The object of this game is to quickly tap your opponent's egg with yours to crack their shell. The last person with an unbroken egg is the winner! :-) When the game is over, I collect up the remains to make deviled eggs. Yum!











...this year's winner is Terry! Ta DA!



Anyway, a good time was had by all of us. I hope you all had a great Easter!

Paczki Day is over

In the little corner of the world where I grew up, Phat Tuesday is known as Paczki Day.

A Paczki (pronounced Poonch-key) is sort of a jelly doughnut cross-bred with a hockey puck, creating a heavy, sweet, greasy, delectable pastry. According to legend, it was invented as a way for the people to use up all the perishable goodies that were not acceptable fare during Lent. This Polish treat is probably in the top 10 most fattening foods in the world! (But well worth every calorie.)

My former hometown newpaper, the Detroit Free Press, had a limerick contest in honor of the lovely Paczki. I composed one, but never sent it in because I couldn't remember my password to the site. However, here is my composition for your reading enjoyment.

(ahem.)

"There is a gal in Okie City
Who misses her hometown so pretty.
For never is seen
fine Polish cuisine.
So no Paczke this year, 'tis a pity."


Well...

It's a good thing I didn't send it in, because it would have been a lie! Arthur found two dozen beautiful Paczki at our local Homeland! Woo Hoo!

(That's my excuse for getting Phatter this week!)

Merry Christmas 2008