Steel Magnolias

The week before we moved from Florida to Kansas, the group of gals that met each week to play games, go to dinner, head to the beach with all of our children ... the gals who were among my closest friends, took me to see the movie "Steel Magnolias." Being a Southern girl, I still count that flick in my top five favorite films. Not only was the cast astounding ... I mean, seriously, Sally, Dolly, Julia, Daryl, Olympia and Shirley all together in one film sporting heavy Southern accents while delivering some of the most memorable one-liners in the history of movies, the storyline was also heartfelt and timeless.

•  "I'm not crazy, I've just been in a very bad mood for the last 40 years!"
• "Miss Truvy, I promise that my personal tragedy will not interfere with my ability to do good hair."
• "You are too twisted for color TV."
• "I don't trust anyone who does their own hair. I don't think it's natural."

While those lines always make me laugh (even after seeing the movie like 500 times!), the film is also laced with lines that are touching and poignant ... lines that always make me think deeply and shed a tear or two.

• "I have a strict policy that nobody cries alone in my presence."
• "That which does not kill us makes us stronger."
• "Laughter through tears is my favorite emotion."
• "I was there when that wonderful creature drifted into my life, and I was there when she drifted out."

But the line that struck me most the first time I saw the film strikes me even more today, some 20 years later.

• "I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special."

Over the last few months, as those of you who are faithful readers of this blog know, God has been teaching me, molding me, breaking me, stripping me, preparing me. And one of the greatest outcomes of this part of my journey is that God has given me pause ... made me stop and listen ... created a deep desire within the depth of my soul to treasure every single moment, every single breath, every single smile, every single step. I want to strive to please Him in all I say and do ... I want to have those 30 minutes of wonderful, and I want those minutes to be ones I spend walking hand-in-hand with my Lord.

Wonderful or nothing special? With Him or against Him? Treasured minutes or wasted years? The choice is up to you, friend. Make the most of your moments ... cry when you need to, laugh as often as you can and love with all you've got.