I know a lot of people hate it, but I am grateful for zoom and the new way my family can get together. In 2020, I have had good conversations with friends for hours and also played games with family.
My bible study group started meeting online years ago, so we didn’t miss a beat when the pandemic started. I am grateful I have gotten to stay connected.
A Steadfast Patriot
The Bible teaches us that from our hearts everything about our life flows from it. What we love and believe in our hearts determines how we see the world around us.
We need to be careful about the things we allow to influence our hearts. We need to guard it.
for the ability to move my feet. God has taught me that when He teaches me something, I need to move my feet to put it into practice. I am not always the best, but He has given me the heart to do His will.
Sometimes it has been sending an encouraging note to someone who needed it, and once it was pack up and leave home. The results have blessed me beyond my imagination.
Faith is about living what you believe. It is about moving and action. What you do, shows what you believe.
Do you have a plan for how to vacation? Do you have a routine vacation? In the current issue of Fill in the Gap Magazine Brenda Derrick gives great advice on planning your next vacation.
Check out the Fill In The Gap Magazine, Issue 2020 Vol 1
I am intrigued by Old Hollywood, so when I heard Sophia Loren had made a new movie, I had to see it. I remember her in House Boat with Cary Grant and Arabesque with Gregory Peck. I wanted to know if the 80ish actor could still bring the magic of movie making. This time her leading man would be a12 year old boy and would sex appeal work at her age?
The story all by itself drew me in. An older Jewish woman took in a Muslim child.
A Life Ahead tells the story of Madame Rosa who takes in children from the streets of her Italian town who have lost their parents. It follows the life of a 12-year-old Senegalese boy called Momo as he manages his life on the streets. In the opening sequence, Momo robs her.
Normally, bad teens get on my nerves because many writers allow them to do terrible things and get away with it. Momo gets to reap a little of what he has sown. It makes him a better person. As he adapts to life in Madame Rosa’s house, he discovers that there is an alternate way of living.
My favorite scene is when Momo, played by Ibrahima Gueye keeps his promise. This spoke to me in that it exemplified how showing someone how to live different is a better teacher than just telling them. Gueye is very convincing. There are nice moments but also a few sad ones as we watch Madame Rosa age.
The Italian language film was directed by Loren’s son, Edoardo Ponti, A Life Ahead and ison Netflix. The movie is dubbed in English, but the beautiful scenes and fun characters make up for it. Before this movie, the last movie Loren made was Human Voice in 2014. This movie was much better than I thought it would be. Loren was very beautiful at 86. The mother son team created a product that I could watch again and again.
A Steadfast Patriot
The people who surround your life will determine what type of life you have. They will decide if your life is full of joy or focused on what you don’t have. So pick your village carefully.
When I say village I mean your friends, family members you hang with, where you work and what you do. All of this determines your quality of life.
I have great family and friends because of how we chose to have a relationship. We set healthy boundaries. This doesn’t mean our lives are perfect. It just means we have our own definition of good.
This year is hard. No, really. Let’s walk into 2021 eyes wide open and ready.
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