Just Keep Swinging

This weekend we had hopes of going camping but opted to cancel due to the weather. Plus Abby was not feeling so great either. Instead, the family and I, watched movies together...pretty much the entire weekend. It started with Jason stopping at Blockbuster on his way home from work on Friday night. He rented "Enchanted" and "National Treasure 2 - Book of Secrets". We treated the kids with cheesies - 2 1/2 cups to be exact -and ourselves with salt & pepper chips and ringalo's, and cuddled up together on the couches.

Enchanted was actually quite entertaining, even for us adults. Abby had already seen it once at school and would constantly turn around to watch me watch the movie. Even Jason did not seem to mind it. After tucking the kids into bed, we put in National Treasure 2. Having enjoyed the first one, I knew it was the perfect movie for my mood. Nothing too scary, too dark, or too depressing but still entertaining. It's got a bit of an Indiana Jones vibe to it...without the snakes.

On Saturday the girls preceded to watch Enchanted again, and Jules watched National Treasure 2. (It's rated PG). The rest of the day was spent tidying up the house. I tackled upstairs while Jason took the basement. Trust me...I got the better part of the deal. Jason also tinkered with his old dodge outside and I slow cooked a roast pork for supper. We toyed with the idea of going for a drive into town but we decided we really wanted to just stay in. We hit the Irving for more movies. I picked up Ocean's Thirteen, which I had never seen. Samuel passes me this animated movie called "Everyone's Hero". I hadn't heard of it so I flipped it over to read the back. The name Christopher Reeve catches my eye and I'm sold.

It turns out that he was directing this film when he passed away. He cared very deeply about bringing this type of story to the public and created it's theme "just keep swinging". It is filled with an all-star cast providing the voices. Whoopi Goldberg, Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker, Rob Reiner - just to name a few. The film takes place during the Babe Ruth era in NYC. A little boy named Yankee Irving loves baseball, the Babe and his Dad. It's a really great film for children to watch, with a really great message. At the end, there is a very climatic, inspiring, scene where the boy finally connects bat to ball, while his Mom, Dad and the Babe look on. The music rises up louder, screen fades to black and the words "For Christopher and Dana Reeve" appear. I lost it. I bawled my head off. Jason turned to me and said "You don't even know them, Jenn".

There are some people that, although you never met them, you feel a connection with. I have always felt like that with Chris & Dana. I cannot begin to say the admiration I feel, the inspiration, when I think of how they lived their life. How when faced with the most unspeakable tragedies, they "just kept swinging". That is what I wish to instill in my own children. When life knocks you down, when you're diagnosed with a debilitating disease or suddenly find yourself paralysed...you can climb back out of the darkness, dust yourself off and discover an inner strength that you never knew you had. It is not fair that these two great human beings, were both taken away long before their time.