I spent the evening with Miss Hannah Clark, talking, eating pizza, and watching 'Stranger Than Fiction.' I had seen it before, but she had not, and I had no doubts that she would enjoy it. But it was the last few minutes of the film that proved especially memorable for us. The discussion that ensued was the result of one indelible quotation:
"As Harold took a bite of Bavarian sugar cookie, he finally felt as if everything was going to be ok. Sometimes, when we lose ourselves in fear and despair, in routine and constancy, in hopelessness and tragedy, we can thank God for Bavarian sugar cookies. And, fortunately, when there aren't any cookies, we can still find reassurance in a familiar hand on our skin, or a kind and loving gesture, or subtle encouragement, or a loving embrace, or an offer of comfort, not to mention hospital gurneys and nose plugs, an uneaten Danish, soft-spoken secrets, and Fender Stratocasters, and maybe the occasional piece of fiction. And we must remember that all these things, the nuances, the anomalies, the subtleties, which we assume only accessorize our days, are effective for a much larger and nobler cause. They are here to save our lives. I know the idea seems strange, but I also know that it just so happens to be true. And, so it was, a wristwatch saved Harold Crick."
-Kay Eiffel, Authoress, 'Stranger Than Fiction'
If you have not seen the film, I won't spoil the exact ending. After exclaiming "this movie is classic Mellis. It defines you," Hannah proceeded to open the discussion by relating what Eiffel has to say to Van Tillian apologetics, where we discussed how non-Christians will feel thankful for something in their lives, but they do not realize *to Whom* they are thankful. How sad is that? But it is quite true. And it really is the small things that make up our lives that we need to remember to be thankful for. It is too easy to be thankful for the big things, the miracles, the major provisions and crucial outcomes of events--but what about cookies? wristwatches? hugs? And what about when we find ourselves on the path of long obedience in the same direction, and it appears that nothing will ever wake us from the stupor of the quotidienne--the everyday--what do we do then? Do we muster the energy and the willpower and the emotion to thank God for the simple things that pull us through the day, or do we slump into apathy?
I often find myself in the latter category. On the one hand, I crave the predictable and the comfortable in times of change and trial and insecurity, but when things become too unvarying for my tastes, I yearn for something--almost anything!--to break the cycle.
So what comes from all this? The fact that I...we...are never satisfied. The predictable and the unpredictable will never satisfy, because I (we) are looking for our foundation in them, instead of in the Lord. Because really, He is the only constant in life. I may desire consistency in the midst of shifting sand, but He is the origin of all things miraculous and awesome as well.
And so, Harold Crick may find himself thankful for Bavarian Sugar Cookies, but until that thankfulness leads him to the Lord, there is sadly still much to be desired.
(But this is still an excellent film)
