Lessons from Toy Story 3

Last night our family watched the movie Toy Story 3 together. The girls have seen it 3 times before, but this was our first time. While watching the movie, it reminded me of some life lessons. First, things do not remain the same.  Life is in a constant stage of "change". For instance, the definition of "family" changes every year.  Family members we love die, new family members are born, some are added through marriages, and sometimes if we're blessed-even through fostering/adopting, and sadly some family members choose to leave our family because they don't want to be a part of the unit, etc... Not unlike the toys-accepting that things are changing is not easy and we often struggle to keep things the same.  Second, the value of friendship. Friendship is such a precious commodity, one that is marked by quality of time together and sharing of the heart.  Distance and time apart will never seperate the hearts of true friends. Woody understood that though he had been a special toy to Andy, he could remain behind with the other toys and still be in Andy's heart while he was away at college.  Third, the schizophrenia that occurs in our hearts when we are growing through different stages of our lives.  Andy was facing the war within himself-the letting go of childhood  or releasing it so that he could embrace the college life that he (like most teens) had longed for.

I am often teased by my family about "thinking too much".  Let me start this story by saying that if you have never played Apples to Apples or you have never watched the show, Monk... you just may want to skip this paragraph!;)  Just last night while playing apples to apples, my family members were playing their own version-it's called apples to oranges.  In other words-forget trying to play the game as it was designed, instead let's find the word that is the most "opposite" to play.  Rebecca likes to "taunt" me by reminding me that I think too much...so I say to her, "Alright smarty pants, why is this game called Apples to Apples?"  Of course she proceeded to tease with, "Who cares? Only you, Mother, would sit around and evaluate why a game is named the way it is."  I shot back with, "I beg to differ, those that sell games think very long/hard about what they will name a game because it could make/break a sale. Truth is, you don't KNOW why the game has this name and you are just avoiding answering the question." After this, my entire family jumped on the bandwagon of calling me "Momma Monk" which in reference to the show, "Monk".  Oh my family, got to love them!  But then, I digress.  They say that I can't enjoy a movie/game/book/etc...because I evaluate it too much.  I beg to differ-for me, that is enjoyable. I love to see what I can learn from many different sources (even entertainment) through evaluating them.  While I may not enjoy a thing "simply" for the entertainment of it-I do enjoy it very much. How?  I believe it's because I am always looking for lessons that God may be trying to teach me-I don't want to miss even one thing my Creator may have to teach me through any circumstance/event in my life. 

I will finish this post by saying that the movie, Toy Story 3, came to me in a very timely manner. You see, I have a daughter that will soon be leaving her childhood behind and she is becoming more aware of this every day. Not unlike Andy, she will be parting with childhood and embracing college life.  Though she has seen this movie three times, she informed me that she "cries like a baby" every time at the end.  Sure enough, there she was setting on the couch with tears flowing-the same daughter that accuses me of "thinking too much" found herself in the middle of a moment of realization that this movie indeed applies to her own situation in life.  Because I am the "thinker", she was questioning "why" this movie still gets to her and I reminded her that she, too, will soon be leaving childhood behind and she can relate to Andy in this movie.  Upon further evaluation, I came to realize that though Rebecca doesn't have any special "toys" that she will be leaving behind that symbolize her childhood, her family unit is the "toy" that she leaves behind. We are the ones she has laughed with/at, played with, we will be the ones that she must leave behind. I, however, am excited for her and us.  Not unlike Andy-she will go away and be blessed by new friends and new experiences-some of those experiences will be with us/most will not.  Not unlike the toys, we will remain behind in a new place in life experiencing a different stage with new experiences-most of those will be without her and even those that we're blessed to share with her, will be different.  Most of all, the one thing I know that will never change is that just as the toys will FOREVER be a part of Andy's childhood and a part of what makes him the young man he is becoming, so it will be with our Rebecca.  We will always be the foundation of her childhood years and that foundation will be a part of who she becomes in her bright future.  Just like the butterfly struggling to get free from the cocoon, so it is with a young person leaving their childhood behind and embracing their adulthood...but oh, what a beautiful thing that is to come!