Just last weekend I told my filmmaker son Brad that I can't remember when I've gone to see a grown-up movie. I've seen a fair amount of movies over the last year or so with my young little movie buddy, but since she's 11 years old, we generally see kid-oriented movies ... think Tangled, Smurfs, Spy Kids, etc. Oh don't misunderstand me, I absolutely love taking my young friend to the movies ... her excitement and enjoyment of our movie times warms my heart and brings a smile to my often sad face. She has a knack for seeing everything through "glass half full" eyes, and according to her, we haven't seen a lousy movie yet ... I might disagree with her a bit on a couple of flicks, but her positive take on the films we see is fun and uplifting for sure.
Yesterday afternoon, I took my young friend to see Dolphin Tale ... a true story about a dolphin who gets caught in a crab trap and severely damages her tail; in fact, the dolphin the story is about actually stars as herself in the film. I wanted to see the movie after having seen the previews a few weeks ago, and I assumed it would be just a cheesy flick about a wounded animal, kind of like Free Willy several years ago. But I wanted to see it anyway, mainly because of the cast ... Morgan Freeman, Kris Kristofferson, Harry Connick, Jr. and Ashley Judd. It wasn't long into the movie that I knew this story wasn't going to be cheesy at all ... I knew that this story was special, that the bond that developed between Winter the dolphin and the young boy who helped to rescue her reminded me of another bond that once existed between an animal and a human. I don't know at what point in the film my tears started flowing, but by the end of the movie I was bawling ... not just crying ... seriously bawling.
Not long after J.R. passed away, someone emailed me some words that I wrote on a post-it note and placed at the base of my computer screen at work. I read those words every day ... "Until one has loved an animal, part of their soul remains unawakened." As I watched the story of the connection between the young boy and Winter unfold on the screen yesterday, my mind was flooded with memories of my time with my little hound. It's been almost a year since J.R. died, and I've come to realize more and more how special he was to me. Just as the life of the boy in the film took on all new meaning because of his unexpected friendship with Winter, J.R.'s entrance into my world brought about changes in me that I never anticipated. There isn't a day that passes that I don't think of J.R. ... of the little brown dog who waddled into my life and saved me when I didn't even know I needed saving.
If you haven't already, go see Dophin Tale ... trust me, you'll be glad you did. It's a story of family, a story of courage, a story of hope, a story of friendship, a story of determination, a story of overcoming, a story of love. Grab a box of tissues, and go see it.
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