It's a Wonderful Life

Yes, I love that movie, always have. And I’d like to share how that movie touched my family’s life. 

First, I’ll start with this little guy. Our grandson born on July 31^st of this year. I do believe he’s utterly adorable, as are his two older sisters. And I’d like to tell you how they all started…

Several years ago I was the Central Minnesota Division Director for the March of Dimes. One of the fundraising events I was in charge of was held in November and that year the committee decided we would use the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” as the theme for the event. We transformed the entire event center, with the help of many local stores, into Bedford Falls. To put the event ‘over the top’ we hired Karolyn Grimes, she stared as Zuzu in the movie, to be the emcee. She is a terrific lady and did a wonderful job, and the event was marvelously successful.

So…To pull off the event which had many aspects including live and silent auctions and raffles, I needed the help of many volunteers and contacted the local college to recruit several. I also recruited my family, which wasn’t anything new. All three of my boys had helped out at many, many fundraisers over the years, and even the ones no longer living at home still stepped in when I called for help. (They truly are good people.)

My middle son was in charge of a particular raffle, and asked me to find ‘cute’ girls to work him and the friend he’d recruited to help out. Before the event started, I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off, but happened to notice a group of college students arrive. I directed them to where the volunteers had to check in, but specifically told two of them to tell the volunteer check-in person that I already had jobs for them, and that I’d meet back up with them in a few minutes. Of which I did, and escorted those two girls to where my son and his friend were getting ready. 

My parents were also at that event and at one point during the evening asked me who the adorable girl helping my son was. My mother claimed both my son and the girl had stars in their eyes when they looked at each other. That was proven later in the evening when my son put his arm around me and whispered, “Oh, mom, you so know where it’s at.”

And here we are, years later, and those two, my son and that adorable college student—now working on her PHD and teaching for two colleges online while raising three of my grandchildren—still look at each other with stars in their eyes. 

Papa teases that I hand-picked our daughter-in-law and couldn’t have done a better job. I can’t take all the credit, but I do believe “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

I wish you all a wonderful thanksgiving, full of family, friends, and love.