simpler times......

Within the last few days (I don't really remember which day...) I saw the movie Spencer's Mountain again... About once a year I borrow it from our library... it's one of the movies that reminds me of the kind of family I came from...

My birth family was large (8 children)... my mother was amazingly creative in her ability to see to all our needs... we had little, but I never felt poor... my father was very caring and loved to have his children under foot, to see them happy... and it was also very obvious to all of us kids that he loved our mother very very much, and that momma loved him in the same way, but like the mother in the story referenced here, would whisper that daddy should not be "frisky", because some child was always around... One of the main differences to note was that both my parents were strong in their LDS faith... There was no drinking or gambling in, or out of our home by my daddy... but daddy WAS a wonderful story teller and he loved to have fun... and he had dreams... most of which he never realized in his lifetime... I suppose he could have thought himself to be a failure, but by the time he had finished his life, he knew he was a successful father, and no worldly accolades could match that success... just like the father in the movie, he saw some of his children attend college (and in daddy's case graduate)... my own father was able to know about his many grands that graduated from colleges and universities, some quite prestigiously...

One of the things that I am always impressed with in many old movies (and it's a big reason I like old movies) is that there is a sense of faith that people had... that faith is present and considered a positive thing in all walks of people... Also extended families were connected in a more tangible way than they are now... In this movie especially children are presented of as a blessing and one of the things that enrich our lives... I like how the generations help and bless each other... the children of each family care for those that are older, and younger... the whole family attended to life's challenges together...

The stories (both movies and books) I love are of a simpler time when faith and love for one's family were virtues to be cherished and sought... When I really enjoy a newer movie these days it is because the focus is on the good in people, or the world, or on faith and family... our times are not simple now... but is that because we insist on making it complicated...??? What really matters has not changed... love, family, joy, and faith, hope, charity... these are all virtue that matter... I am thinking that it's time for the simple to become my focus... I know I am not alone in thinking that our current generations needs to rethink why they chase so many dreams, not just the ones that are important...

That is one of the things that Christmas is really about, isn't it??? Don't we feel the joy of the season best when we keep it simple???