This blog
began as a bit of a challenge from my daughter. I have threatened for several
years to write a book and one idea I threw around was writing a book called 365 Excuses To Visit Walt Disney World. After
applying for several years for the Disney Mom’s Panel, unsuccessfully, Allison
finally said, “Hey, why don’t you take your Disney idea and write a blog?” So
here we are.
I try to
keep this blog light. I don’t focus on horrible or sad things that happened on
a day but I try to make sure the excuses that we have each day are
lighthearted, something you can have fun with. As most of you know, I am a schoolteacher
and this time of year is exhausting. There are a lot of things going on. Well,
yesterday, at lunch, I saw my first news story about the tragedy in
Connecticut. As the story unfolded and the details came out, it was more and
more obvious how horrible this morning had been. Is our world filling up with
super villains? I can’t wrap my mind around people who deliberately kill and on
top of that, deliberately kill children… kindergarten children. Who, but a
super villain, would kill a room full of kindergarten children? Forget the
guns, focus on the super villain, without a gun he could have stabbed them all,
as has happened, he could have blown them up, as has happened, he could have
poisoned them, as has happened. You see, super villains don’t care how they
cause pain and destruction; they just want to lash out. Terrorists, state
sponsored murderers, insane citizens cross the line to super villainy when they
stoop to this level.
One of my
favorite movies is Unbreakable. My
kids say that I have a chip in my head that makes me watch Bruce Willis any
time that he is on the screen but this movie is way bigger than Bruce. I am a
lifetime Superhero fan and, I will argue that Unbreakable is the best or at least one of the three best Superhero
movies ever made (more on that in some other blog). Unbreakable offers the idea that there is balance in the universe;
if there are superheroes, then there will be super villains to balance that
out. Where are our superheroes to balance the super villains? Who can step up
and punish people who commit such evil deeds, especially when they end their
terrible acts with suicide? In the absence of superheroes, it takes a lot of
everyday heroes to balance the extreme evil we are seeing in the world. Our
soldiers are everyday heroes that help balance the world, our police are
everyday heroes that help the balance, but every citizen needs to be a hero.
Just as the super villains don’t care to give their lives in the commission of
their horrible acts, we must be willing to lay down our lives for our friends
and neighbors. Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay
down his life for his friends.” Let’s look out for each other, love each other,
protect each other and remember: Jesus was born to die so He could save all our
lives.
What we
recognize on this sad day, is what is certainly one of the saddest moments in
Disney history; on this day in 1966, Walter Elias Disney died from the illness
related to lung cancer, ten days after his 65th birthday. When word
of Walt’s death reaches Disneyland, thought is given to closing the park for
the day but it is kept open and the flags on Main Street USA lowered to
half-mast. Walt was cremated two days later. Walt’s brother, Roy, takes over
the construction of Walt’s dream project, Disney World, later to be named Walt
Disney World in honor of Walt. A somber recognition for a somber day, Walt
Disney World is a place of many emotions, I have laughed and cried within just
a few moments at WDW. If we don’t fully experience the sad moments in our
lives, I’m not sure we can fully appreciate the happy moments in our lives.
God bless
you all, bless the families in Connecticut and God bless the United States of
America.
Remember,
your best excuse is always: waiting for your dreams to come true.
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