Life lessons from a 72 year old movie

Its a Wonderful Life is a movie masterpiece that is timeless and one of my favourite movies of all time - I always watch it whenever its on.  Proof that it is timeless is the fact that 72 years after its release quotes from this movie are bring used at this time of year on railway station platforms to help those suffering from depression with suicidal thoughts just like George Bailey (James Stewart) in the movie.  In fact for anyone feeling, helpless, hopeless and depressed, please watch this movie as it truly shows how valuable you are to others regardless of what you think of yourself, and without you the lives of others would be all the poorer as George Bailey discovers. 

On a personal note Its a Wonderful Life holds a very special place in my heart following a screening of the movie in a local care home for the elderly where my wife Jas was working 12 years ago.

I'd gone to pick her up one Saturday afternoon and saw a group of elderly people crowded around a 32" TV watching a film. The fact I as a forty something was struggling to hear the audio or see the screen, what success would a group of 70 and 80 year olds have I thought? Knowing I had a big screen and projector at home along with a DVD player I hardly ever used I asked the care home team if I could donate it to the residents. I agreed to do this but was then told they only had a VHS video library and the projector wouldn't work with the video tape player. Not a problem I said, as I went onto Amazon and purchased a library of around 100 classic movies that I thought the residents might like. I loved doing this as a movie buff as I selected movies from the 1930's-1960's that I hoped would remind the residents of happier or special times in their lives.

For the first screening of the new Saturday Matinee on the big screen at the care home my wife and I were invited along for the guest of honour and I was asked to pick the first movie. Without hesitation I chose Its a Wonderful Life even though it wasn't anywhere near Christmas.

As we sat with the residents who were in their 70-90's the joy on their faces watching this film on a big screen with big sound was amazing. At the end of the film the elderly lady sitting next to my wife and I squeezed my hand and said, "That was lovely Albert, thank you". I didn't understand until my wife Jas explained that Albert was this lady's late husband and this was the first movie he'd taken her to see at the cinema. Clearly the movie had bought back such a wonderful memory for this lovely 86 year old lady. Jas introduced me to Elsie afterwards and we had a cup of tea together. As she was now very tired she asked Jas if she could be taken back to her room, and as one of the carers wheeled her chair out of the room she turned to me and said, "Bye bye Albert". I cannot lie I wiped away a tear when she said this and it was obvious that watching this movie had transported her back decades and bought her late husband back to her if only for a couple of hours.

So whatever you are feeling or thinking don't forget, Its a Wonderful Life.