The Dark Knight Rises, And The Rise In My Soul

I should have written this blog this morning at 3:00 am when my emotional journey was fresh in my mind and my feelings were hot off the press, before tragedy and horror tainted my views and shocked a nation.  Let it be known that what happened in Denver is horrific.  It is awful.  It is horrifying.  Make no mistake that this shooting is terrifying and appalling and leaves so many people with questions of why this happened and what the world is coming to now.  However, as much as my heart hurts for the families of the victims and as much as I pray for the law enforcement officers working around the clock to enact swift justice, let it be known that despite the tragedy in the news today, The Dark Knight Rises moved me.  It ripped me out of my seat and called me to action.  It took me on an emotional journey and it taught me life lessons.

It is no secret I love the cinema.  I never believe a movie is just a bunch of reals of film, special effects and sound.  To me, a movie takes a viewer on a voyage – and in my favorite movies, the voyage teaches you something and leaves you feeling all jacked up and emotional.

That said, the final installment of Mr. Nolan’s work did not disappoint me.  I am rocking 3 and a half hours of sleep today and a pure adrenaline rush at what I got to experience between midnight and three in the morning.  I can’t go over three hour’s worth of pure awesomeness here, but I loved so much about this movie.  I also don’t want to reveal any serious spoilers so I will just say I loved that there were so many twists and turns that nothing about it was predictable, even in the final seconds.  I loved that everything was wrapped up nicely in a beautiful gift box adorned with crystals and shiny ribbons and handed to me in the most incredible ending of a series I have ever seen.  I loved that Bruce Wayne spent less time in his costume and more time healing his soul.

The messages were astounding.  There was a message of imminent hope.  I was reminded that family is not just about the blood that runs through your veins but also about the people who care about you and take care of you.  I learned that sometimes, you keep your face covered and your identity anonymous not out of power or a quest to remain mysterious, but rather out of the core-reaching desire to protect the ones you love.  I learned that sometimes we have to sacrifice our own best interests for a greater good.  I learned that happy endings can happen.  I was inspired by the message to stand up for ourselves and what is right. I was reminded that everyone deserves love, and it’s never too late to find it.  I learned that even the ugliest of sins can be forgiven and even the most disastrous of lives can be turned around.  I learned that sometimes we do what is right and moral not because it means we always win, but because is just the right thing to do to be at peace with ourselves and whatever higher power we believe in.  I learned that sometimes, words are not needed, and a simple smile and a nod lets the one person you have left in this world know that you are ok, the stars finally all lined up, and you can both move on and be happy with your new lives.  The Dark Knight Rises, for me, can be summed up in one word: inspirational.

On the east coast my BFF sat and watched the film a few hours before I had access to do so and in her words, “I cried like a baby and felt joy in my heart….Seriously. I wanted to jump up and fist pump the air and scream, “HELL YEAH!”  I couldn’t agree more.  I felt excitement, I felt shock and fear.  I felt love and compassion. I felt empathy and I felt myself cheering on the characters.  I felt sadness and I engaged in out loud laughter.  I clutched my chest in moments and I let tears fall freely in others.  I felt sadness and I felt immense delight.  I think my fellow comrades at the midnight premier must have agreed with me because there were sniffles and clapping and excited whooping and hollering.

To borrow a particular moment that my heart was with Bruce Wayne in the movie, rise, rise, rise, rise.  Rise against oppression.  Rise against hate.  Rise against useless violence.  But whatever you do, do NOT rise against this movie.

Until we meet again Mr. Bale…it has been an amazing 7 years.

Moments

As cheesy as the saying may be, I think a picture is worth a thousand words. Here are some pictures of the moments we have been living.


Water Park Fun in Nashville

Sean and Claire get married in Birmingham

Wyoming skies on my way to SLC

Doug and Travis walking Grandma out to the car

Grandma and Grandpa: Love is Spoken Here

He is home now, I love him so much

My Grandmother and me, she is tired but she is still beautiful.

The sign for the reunion I planned.

  

These moments make my heart full – clear to the brim – and bursting with an overflow of love and excitement for this incredibly blessed life I have been given.  There were so many more of them that weren’t captured with a picture, moments no picture could do justice, moments that you have to simply live to know. 

***The moment when my husband’s heart was touched when his best friend was wearing his wedding watch as he was sealed to the woman he loves.

***The moment when sleeping on an air mattress in an empty house with our BFF’s with echoing laughter and hysterical belly shrieks from little kids was all that mattered in the world.

***The moment I looked out the window and realized the south is TRULY beautiful.

***The moment I laid in bed in a hotel alone at a work conference and discovered I am truly an old married woman, for in that moment, I was truly sad that I lay in the bed alone.

***The moment of pure fear when I got the early morning call that Grandpa had another heart attack, the moment of relief when they told me he was stable and the moment I felt complete peace when I walked into his hospital room and wrapped my arms around him.  This man has lived a good life and the weight of his legacy rests in my heart like the comfort of a sturdy shelter in a raging storm.

***The moment I got to hear my Grandmother tell it like it is, she even used a swear, and I just love her for how candid she is.

***The moment I hung the sign for my family reunion and the accomplishment I felt in that moment for my small part in continuing a tradition that formed and shaped the very essence of who I am.

***The moment my sweet nephew asked me (with no promting from anyone!) as we were getting ready for bed in the camper, "Hey Ayz, when are you and Doug going to have thum kidth?" and the ensuing hysterical laughter on the part of all adults within ear shot.

***The moment I had sitting at the back of my older brother’s boat as we sped across the gorge and celebrated the birthday of a woman I love.

***The moment The Hubs went out for a “boys only” lake session with my brothers and my cousins who I love like they are brothers and I realized he was the exact perfect match for me AND for my family.  BONUS.

***The moment that we sat around the campfire and laughed until two in the morning so hard that our ribs hurt in the morning sharing stories of childhood and ridiculous adventures.

***The moment I watched my oldest nephew present the flag and play taps on his trombone.  My heart was so full, it was a proud aunty moment, and all I could think about was how proud my grandfather would be of him.

***The moment we played duck, duck, goose with the littles in the front yard.

***The moment my little brother called me late on a Tuesday night to tell me that I was ridiculous with my worry and the fire had a long damn length of prairie to cross before it got to me.  He travels so much and his communication is so precious to me when he has the time to call.

***The moment I looked at the sunset on the close of the past few BUSY months and knew in my heart that these moments, these instances in time, they would last an eternity in my heart. These seconds, they are who I am; they are who I am proud to be.