25 days to go: Family Movie Night

If you had called my house five years ago on a Friday afternoon and asked what we were up to for the weekend, your answer would have been that I was going to keep all the “chickens in the coop” to just hang out as a family.  Our favorite way to do that is to make a great snack and have movie night.  We would often retreat to the basement and pretend the rest of the world didn’t know where we were holed up.  In our perfect cocoon, we have laughed, cried, and laughed until we cried over some of our favorite movies.  We have revisited favorites from mine and Daniel’s past, as well as introduced our kids to some of the classics (think 12 Angry Men or To Kill a Mockingbird).

While cuddling up under blankets, kids, cats and of course, dogs is comforting, the best part is really the memories we have made doing that.  Sometimes we have opened up our sanctuary for a friend or two, but that isn’t typical.  Last year following a varsity football game, we did just that.  We went all over town until we finally found a movie that we had wanted to see for a long time.  That movie was The 5^th Quarter.  If you haven’t seen it, it reminded us so much of ourselves and it brought to the surface so much hurt and healing that we all bawled.  Our friend “G” simply held our hands.  He knew that it was hard for us to revisit but the message was worth it.

That is how it goes with really good movies (or books).  The message they carry can transform your life if you allow it to your heart and soul.  (Not all movies do that for us, but sometimes a movie comes along that blows your socks off.)  So it was with this year’s movie choice for Reed’s Run.

We had heard a little bit about this movie in 2006, and we went to great lengths to get it.  We had it on our Netflix queue for months.  Finally it was in.  Reed was in the 6^th grade when it arrived in the mail.  There are several powerful scenes in the movie (which I won’t give away), but the one that I poignantly remember is the one where an older gentleman is walking down the hallway praying for each kid’s locker.  All was quiet in the basement, when out of nowhere Reed bolted up from the floor yelling, “NO WAY!”  I was so startled by his reaction that I sent a whole bowl of popcorn flying.  After regrouping my sensibilities, I asked Reed what in the world was wrong with him.  In typical Reed fashion, he simply said, “I thought I was the only one who did that.” Did what? Walk in the hallway? He explained, and suddenly the popcorn on the floor didn’t seem so important.  “I thought I was the only one who walked by a bank of lockers and prayed for each one, Mom.”

Did my sweet little boy really just say what I thought he did?  A quick look around the room confirmed that he did because everyone in the room sat there mouth agape looking at our redhead.  Yes, movies do change your life.

The movie choice for this year’s Reed’s Run has been prayed and talked about since last year’s movie.  While Star Wars will always be a Reed favorite, this movie shares more about Reed and his life motto – “Faith, Family & Football” than any other.  Reed LOVED this movie!  If you aren’t familiar with the film, there is a trailer on our website (www.reedsrun.com), and it is from the same group that made the movies Fireproof and Courageous. If you are familiar, this is definitely one worth watching again.

The movie will start on 9/29 at roughly 8:00 pm.    It is advised to bring your own chairs and blankets.  Refreshments will be available as a fundraiser for the Lakeview Football Family.