I am still thinking about the ending of a movie that I just watched. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a wonderful and well made movie about the journey of a young boy with aspergers who has just lost his father in one of the the Twin Towers on 9/11.
The young boy's father had been a source of great wisdom with regards to knowing how to help his son overcome the particular challenges that he faced.
In a wealth of creativity the father planned great expeditions for his son where he would have to use many clues to solve a mystery or arrive at a destination his father had picked out. The father played upon his son's strength by knowing that he thought in patterns, but challenged him in areas where he was inhibited or fearful.
It was a sad and grievous day when the young boy comes home from school to hear his father leaving a message on the home answering machine. The father reports that he is trying to get home but the towers have been struck and they are waiting for further evacuation instructions. The father calls one last time to say goodbye but his son is too swallowed by fear in the moment to answer the phone, a memory that will haunt him.
The father never does make it out of the tower and the son is left trying to make sense of his death.
This young boy who sees the world through a lens of patterns suddenly finds himself unable to cope with this loss. He struggles to find some grid or pattern that he can place this death into but he finds none.
In an attempt to cope the boy sets up his own expedition by setting out to find the lock box which fits a key that he discovers in his father's old things.
It is a long and difficult journey. In the end he does find what the key goes to but it has nothing to do his father. Through the journey though some life changing things have occurred and the movie ends with the boy going to a location where he and his dad used to go. He goes to a swing where his dad used to sit and talk to him. Their time together would always end with the father showing him how enjoyable swinging could be. The young boy however was always too fearful to even sit on the swing.
On this particular day however, he walks over to the swing and flips it over to discover a note taped on the bottom of the swing. It was a note from his father to him. A note that he would have discovered at the end of the expedition his father was doing with him before he died. In a moment of sheer joy the boy reads the note and allows himself to relish his father's love.
In this moment nothing is said in the movie but something profound takes place. The boy hops up on the swing and begins to swing. It is slow in the beginning but recalling all that his dad had taught him he begins to pump and go higher and faster. The movie ends with the boy swinging high on the swing with sheer joy across his face. No fear, no worries, just love.
It makes perfect sense if you think about it. Perfect love casts out fear. The boy had not made sense of his father's death. He never did find a pattern to place it in, but what he did find was affirmation of his father's love for him. And ultimately that love was enough. In that love the boy found himself able to relax, and in that resting place he found himself able to overcome his greatest fear.
I find that this is a wonderful picture for us of our heavenly father as well. We may struggle to find answers for our earthly suffering and sometimes we don't get the answers we seek. In the end what we can count on is the Father's love. In that love we can rest and can find the secret that this young boy did... perfect love always overcomes our fears.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Friday, March 16, 2012
Farewell to Ajax
THE FACT: Ajax the ram is dead.
ADDITIONAL FACT: It took 3 of us to heave his body into the ATV's wagon to haul him off.
INTERESTING FACT: This marks the first time we've ever been able to move him without him fighting us back. (Even with the stiffness of rigormortis, we still reflexively expected him to kick us off.)
HIS RANK: Ajax was the Alpha Ram. We have carnage to prove it.
THE PROOF: Several smashed gates and injured rams.
WHY: He was a specimen in size and strength (not to mention attitude.)
MODERN COMPARISON: I imagine that when the other rams looked at him it was much like what Rocky Balboa felt when he first saw his Russian opponent.
WHAT ROCKY THOUGHT WHEN HE SAW THE RUSSIAN: HOLY CRAP!!
OTHER NAMES FOR AJAX: The pirate
WHY: He wore a black patch over his eyes. This gave him peripheral vision only.
WHY HE WORE IT: Due to his aggressive nature he routinely beat up other rams, in one case breaking a smaller rams leg. The eye patch helped even the playing field. Like making the stronger opponent fight with one arm tied behind his back.
HOW DID WE GET THE PATCH ON HIM: With much sweat and tears.
THE PHYSICAL RESULT ON US: One of us got covered in black and blues. One of us threw our back out. Both of us got covered in sweat and manure.
WHAT THE WASHING MACHINE THOUGHT: Why do you always have so much manure on your clothes?
WHAT THE KIDS CALLED AJAX: Meanie.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RAM WITH THE BUSTED LEG: He got moved over into the ewe side of the barn.
HIS RESPONSE TO HIS NEW LIVING QUARTERS: Hello Ladies! Wink, Wink.
THE EWES RESPONSE: Buzz off, this is not your lucky day.
THE RAMS ASSESSMENT: Ewes are not mean like rams. They do not fight all day.
WHAT THE RAM LEARNED: When ewes say they are not in the mood they mean it. They can be ugly if you don't listen.
WHEN DO RAMS GET LUCKY: When the ewes are in estrus.
WHEN DOES THAT HAPPEN: Not often enough from the rams perspective.
WHAT THE RAM SAID TO AJAX REGARDING HIS NEW LIVING ARRANGEMENT: Nah Ne, Nah Ne, Nah Nah.
WHAT AJAX SAID BACK: I'll huff and puff and blow this gate down. Then we'll see who's the boss man.
DID THE EWES GO IN ESTRUS: Yes.
WERE THE RAMS HAPPY: Yes!
WHO WASN'T HAPPY: Ajax.
WHY EVER NOT: He was not going to be used for breeding this round, So he was kept separate.
WHAT WAS HIS RESPONSE: He huffed and puffed and smashed the steel cattle gate to smithereens.
WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE AFTERWARDS: Like Rocky Balboa after he fought the Russian.
WHAT DID THE GATE LOOK LIKE: Dangling metal wind chimes.
IS SHEEP FARMING IN VERMONT PROFITABLE: No
ALTERNATIVE BUSINESS: Sell Vermont made wind chimes.
POSSIBLE NAME OF PRODUCT: Ajaxian wind chimes.
THE CONCLUSION TO THE DEATH OF AJAX
THE HUSBAND THOUGHT: He was 7 years old. It was his time to go.
THE WIFE THOUGHT: I'm going to end up back in Physical therapy from lifting him one last time.
THE KIDS THOUGHT: Good riddance--he was mean.
WHAT A VERMONT POTHEAD WOULD THINK: It's okay man, all sheep go to heaven.
WHAT THE WIFE IMAGINES: Ajax waiting in line at the gate to sheep heaven.
WHAT THE WIFE KNOWS: Ajax would never wait in any line. Ajax would not be deterred by any kind of gate.
WIFE'S FINAL THOUGHT: Sheep heaven with its very first set of Ajaxian wind chimes.
ADDITIONAL FACT: It took 3 of us to heave his body into the ATV's wagon to haul him off.
INTERESTING FACT: This marks the first time we've ever been able to move him without him fighting us back. (Even with the stiffness of rigormortis, we still reflexively expected him to kick us off.)
HIS RANK: Ajax was the Alpha Ram. We have carnage to prove it.
THE PROOF: Several smashed gates and injured rams.
WHY: He was a specimen in size and strength (not to mention attitude.)
MODERN COMPARISON: I imagine that when the other rams looked at him it was much like what Rocky Balboa felt when he first saw his Russian opponent.
WHAT ROCKY THOUGHT WHEN HE SAW THE RUSSIAN: HOLY CRAP!!
OTHER NAMES FOR AJAX: The pirate
WHY: He wore a black patch over his eyes. This gave him peripheral vision only.
WHY HE WORE IT: Due to his aggressive nature he routinely beat up other rams, in one case breaking a smaller rams leg. The eye patch helped even the playing field. Like making the stronger opponent fight with one arm tied behind his back.
HOW DID WE GET THE PATCH ON HIM: With much sweat and tears.
THE PHYSICAL RESULT ON US: One of us got covered in black and blues. One of us threw our back out. Both of us got covered in sweat and manure.
WHAT THE WASHING MACHINE THOUGHT: Why do you always have so much manure on your clothes?
WHAT THE KIDS CALLED AJAX: Meanie.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE RAM WITH THE BUSTED LEG: He got moved over into the ewe side of the barn.
HIS RESPONSE TO HIS NEW LIVING QUARTERS: Hello Ladies! Wink, Wink.
THE EWES RESPONSE: Buzz off, this is not your lucky day.
THE RAMS ASSESSMENT: Ewes are not mean like rams. They do not fight all day.
WHAT THE RAM LEARNED: When ewes say they are not in the mood they mean it. They can be ugly if you don't listen.
WHEN DO RAMS GET LUCKY: When the ewes are in estrus.
WHEN DOES THAT HAPPEN: Not often enough from the rams perspective.
WHAT THE RAM SAID TO AJAX REGARDING HIS NEW LIVING ARRANGEMENT: Nah Ne, Nah Ne, Nah Nah.
WHAT AJAX SAID BACK: I'll huff and puff and blow this gate down. Then we'll see who's the boss man.
DID THE EWES GO IN ESTRUS: Yes.
WERE THE RAMS HAPPY: Yes!
WHO WASN'T HAPPY: Ajax.
WHY EVER NOT: He was not going to be used for breeding this round, So he was kept separate.
WHAT WAS HIS RESPONSE: He huffed and puffed and smashed the steel cattle gate to smithereens.
WHAT DID HE LOOK LIKE AFTERWARDS: Like Rocky Balboa after he fought the Russian.
WHAT DID THE GATE LOOK LIKE: Dangling metal wind chimes.
IS SHEEP FARMING IN VERMONT PROFITABLE: No
ALTERNATIVE BUSINESS: Sell Vermont made wind chimes.
POSSIBLE NAME OF PRODUCT: Ajaxian wind chimes.
THE CONCLUSION TO THE DEATH OF AJAX
THE HUSBAND THOUGHT: He was 7 years old. It was his time to go.
THE WIFE THOUGHT: I'm going to end up back in Physical therapy from lifting him one last time.
THE KIDS THOUGHT: Good riddance--he was mean.
WHAT A VERMONT POTHEAD WOULD THINK: It's okay man, all sheep go to heaven.
WHAT THE WIFE IMAGINES: Ajax waiting in line at the gate to sheep heaven.
WHAT THE WIFE KNOWS: Ajax would never wait in any line. Ajax would not be deterred by any kind of gate.
WIFE'S FINAL THOUGHT: Sheep heaven with its very first set of Ajaxian wind chimes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
