Synopsis: George Bailey has spent his entire life giving up his big dreams for the good of his town, Bedford Falls. But, on Christmas Eve, he is broken and suicidal over the misplacing of $8000 and the machinations of the evil millionaire Mr. Potter. His guardian angel, Clarence, falls to Earth, literally, and shows him how his town, family, and friends would have turned out if he had never been born.
The whomping willow has been out in full force the past few months. Pain, both physical and emotional, have been felt daily – hourly, if I’m honest. The physical pain I can deal with. The emotional pain, well, that’s a bit tougher for me. I’ve experienced a hightened sense of loss of “what was” in my life.
Ironically, I’ve never been a “what if” person, as I truly believe that is a dangerous mindset. The “what if bus” never leads to a good place! If you would ask my Core 4 and closest friends they would tell you that one of my favorite phrases is, “It is what it is.” Survive and thrive, that’s the way to live. Mind over matter. Pick myself up by the bootstraps and soldier on.
Right?
I find that life is full of platitudes. The real, raw life is a bit harder to explain to those around me. I have a reputation, after all, and I have fallen prey to the whole duplicity of advocating a transparent life while desparately trying to maintain the illusion of strength.
Enter It’s a Wonderful Life by Frank Capra. Have you seen it? It’s a staple around the Holidays. I’ve seen the movie countless times and have cried, laughed and celebrated alongside George Bailey as the loveable Clarence tries his best to earn his wings and show George what is truly important in life. What’s more heartwarming than that? Great story. Great message full of hope. An easy 2 hour respite before forging back into the real world.
Wait.
Now enter Greenville Little Theatre and the director of their production of It’s a Wonderful Life. Suzanne gave me the honor of assisting with this production. My theatre teacher’s heart almost burst with happiness! My favorite part of theatre is watching the actors and production team learn to trust one other and then witnessing the beautiful one-of-a-kind story that emerges. There’s nothing like it!
So, I get my script and head into rehearsals. I’ve no lines to memorize or costumes to prepare. I have the best job – simply helping with the script as needed. Piece of cake. As I sat in rehearsal, night after night, listening to the words of the actors and the direction of Suzanne, something truly miraculous happened. My heart began to feel and heal.
Night after night I witnessed the struggles of George Bailey and the path he went on that led him to believe he was worth more dead than alive. He had a loving wife, wonderful children, and a town full of people who loved and respected him. But at the root of all of it was a man who had to give up all of his dreams. The life he envisioned never happened. He was the champion of everyone but himself.
Enter Craig and Latteshia – our very own George and Clariece. These two are Theatre gold. Magic. And, in my case, guardian angels. They bring these characters to life in a brilliant blend of the old-fashioned and contemporary. That’s a rare thing! (For the record, these two are extraordinary humans, off stage as well as on. My life is better for knowing them!) So before I ramble on let me use their words, the words of Frank Capra, to tell you just how much they have helped my heart and soul begin to breathe and heal…
G: …and what did I get for it? A bad cold and a bum ear for the rest of my life. I still can’t hear out of this ear C: That ear hasn’t prevented you from living a good life… helping others.
G: We can get through this thing all right. But we’ve got to stick together. We have to have faith in each other.
C: Are you happy? G: Yes. C: Are you still thinking about what you were thinking about 45 minutes ago? G: Yes.
C: No one is worth more dead than alive, George.
C: You’ve been given a great gift, George.
C: What was. Was. What is. Is. Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?
C: It’s a shame, really. You had the greatest gift of all conferred on you – the gift of life – of being part of this world and taking part in it.
So much more I could say here, but will leave that for my next post.
Tonight is opening night for this production of It’s a Wonderful Life. It will be remarkable because this cast, crew and production team are remarkable. My heart is full and so very thankful!
It truly is a Wonderful Life!
The Time that is Given 