Recognize the actor in the photo? The one on the left. That’s right, he’s a youngish Harrison Ford, playing the movie’s title role. And the young lady is Mikki Allen playing his daughter Rachel. In this particular scene, Rachel is teaching her brain-damaged daddy how to read. How did he get brain-damaged? Watch the movie
Okay, I confess I’m a sap, and this is a sappy flick, so I loved it. One reason I love movies is some of them—just a few—allow me to take something of value away from them. Of course it helps when the writing, acting and directing are well done.
Henry said something profound right at the end, when he and his wife Sarah, played by Annette Bening, removed Rachel from the boarding school she hated. As my memory stinks, I’ll paraphrase it. “You’re coming home. I’ve already missed the first eleven years of your life.” If that’s not word-for-word, it should have been.
What touched me is the fact that I’m missing my grand children’s childhood, not because I’m too busy and rich to pay attention, or took a bullet to the head and lost my memory, but because I’m lousy at keeping in touch. I was tempted to blame my geographical remoteness from my daughters’ families, but I’m trying to be honest here. I love those kids as if they were my own, and being separated from them—not to mention my lovely daughters and the godly men they married—tears me up. It also tears me up when I think about it. The emoticon I selected to relate my emotion should have red eyes and nose, and tear-smudged glasses, but I never claimed to be an artist.
Even though my family isn’t with me, my Savior is, and when I start feeling sorry for myself I only have to think of him.
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