I Want My George Bailey Moment

This morning while I was beating myself up (as I far too often do) about all the things I am not getting done in my life, I decided it was time to get on my knees, (as I also often do) and have a chat with The Man Upstairs about “what is most needful on THIS day.” This is a concept that was gifted to me by my beyond-amazing mother, who continues to teach me the art of breaking down the mountain of STUFF that lies before me into small and manageable pieces. As I was making my plea, I had this image in my mind of getting to the end of my life and seeing some divine newsreel of the things I did NOT accomplish, but could have, if not for the vastness of my human weakness, and my finely honed ability to procrastinate the things I KNOW I should be doing. It was terrifying.

“Lord, I really don’t WANT that,” was my upward-directed message. “I want my George Bailey moment!”

Before that thought was even fully formed, I could feel God smiling down on me, speaking without words and telling me to get off my knees and on my feet and go write about that. Right now. The shower can wait, breakfast can wait. Everything else can wait. Just write it down, before the moment is gone and the idea evaporates. So here I am. Why bother asking for guidance if I am not going to heed those Very Direct promptings when I get them??

So, just in case you are the one person on the planet who does not know who George Bailey is, here is the short version, to get you up to speed… There is a classic movie that cycles every Christmas, called “It’s A Wonderful Life,” starring the MOST appealing James Stewart. (Who falls under the heading of “they don’t make ‘em like that anymore,” and if I am wrong about this, please send me one…) He plays a man named George Bailey, who is flooded on Christmas Eve with all of the overwhelming negative in his life, which he feels completely unequipped to handle, and which then causes him to believe that everyone would be better off if he had never been born. I think I am safe in saying that most of us have had THAT George Bailey Moment at least once in our lives. But that is not the George Bailey Moment I am talking about. Well, actually, it’s the one I am talking about avoiding. That inner newsreel of the Things Not Chosen. The “woulda coulda shoulda” list. Just Say No to THAT list.

George Bailey is then gifted with a vision of the world as it might have been without him in it. He is shown, quite powerfully, that he lifted and saved people just by being who he was. And those people showed up to help him in his darkest moment. When I can manage to get over myself and boil away the pitied self-focus and stress-induced blindness in my life, I realize that I actually GET those moments. I get George Bailey Moments all the time. I just have to pay attention to them. Make a record of them, FEEL the gratitude for them, and share that with other people. TELL your George Bailey People that they have made a difference in your life. Every chance you get.

So here are a few of mine that are recent, in no particular order. I am grateful for the old friend with whom I was speaking last night about blogging and following your passion, for her example of going out on a limb to start her own business in the face of great challenges. I am grateful that she told me it made a difference in her life when I sang at girls’ camp when we were young. I am grateful that my son found an amazing girl to marry and that I got to be a part of that event, which was SO MUCH FUN. I am really grateful for my son’s childhood friends who came to that event from great distances, and told me that I was “the best mom ever” during a time when I really felt like I was not being a great mom. I am SO gratified to sit in the living room with my 16-year-old son, while he plays me one of the literally hundreds of songs he has written, and to know that he WANTS to share that with me. I love that my daughter cannot stop making beautiful art. I love that all of my kids are filled with humor and creativity. I LOVE that they can’t wait to have Thanksgiving dinner all together. That my son reminded me he has a big comfy couch in his house that I can sleep on Wednesday night if I want to get a nice early jump on the cooking, and that I CAN EVEN PLAY CHRISTMAS MUSIC IN HIS KITCHEN IF I WANNA. (That’s pretty huge.)

I love that I have a father who looks me earnestly in the eyes whenever I see him and says, “WRITE.” I love that this morning, I actually DID. And I still have time to shower and eat breakfast before I head into my Sweet Bedroom Office Suite (which could use some work, actually) for that home-based job I really am grateful to have. Most of the time.

So. Tell your people.  Tell them how much better your life is with them in it. Tell them often, and tell them WHY. And not just because of that whole ’Tis the Season thing. Even though it is. If you are reading this, you have been my George Bailey at least once, and I am grateful for you. That’s all for now. Carry on.