I don’t consider it the holiday season until I get a chance to watch the timeless classic It’s a Wonderful Life.  Finally had the opportunity on Christmas Eve.  The message of this movie is so powerful, yet I continue to wrestle with the inherent theme – namely, would I give up the life I wanted for one of obligation to family and friends?  I teach and preach that we each have our own unique passion and talent that we must share with the world. It is by pursuing our authentic calling that we can impact others in a way that is lasting.   This movie makes me wonder if there are others ways to do this as well.

It is said that the one thing people want to do in their lifetime is to feel that they have made a difference in some way to some one.  The more lives we touch, the more meaningful our lives are by this measurement.  If that is true, then George Bailey made a big difference to many people and to his town. Yet the sacrifices he made in order to accomplish this were great. He had to set aside his own dreams and desires for others.  He used his talents in ways that benefitted his family, the bank and his community. He never saw Paris or had the adventures he had hoped for, but he was surrounded by love and, in the end,  that it what truly adds up to a wonderful life.