Those Disney Movies
In August, I compared the week of my dad's death and my son going to college to the movie I saw at the beginning of that week, Christopher Robin. Here's a little fun fact. I hadn't been to a movie since that one, August 12, 2018. My dad died on August 17, and it's been a whirlwind of year since then--checking on Mom, cleaning out their house, keeping up at work, Andrew having a concussion, life in general...
On the Friday before my mom died, Ashley, Fred, Emily, and I went to see Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Now, how well do I know the Nutcracker story? I've read 10 different versions of the book and attended 4 performances per year, plus 2 dress rehearsals, plus numerous other rehearsals for what, 7 or 8 years now. I know the story. So Disney's version can't be all that different, right? Wrong.
It's Friday night. Emily has just gotten out of dance class and before the craziness of the holiday season set in, I wanted to take her to see the movie on its opening weekend. We are settled in our seats and while I know this isn't going to be the actual ballet, I expect some similarities. There were. Except in the beginning, creating a major part of the storyline. Clara's mom is dead. Dad is giving the three kids, Marie, Clara and Fritz, gifts from their deceased mother on Christmas Eve before the big party at their house. Stop the movie!!! The mom isn't dead. I watch her dance on stage every year during the party scene. Really I have no idea what happened during the party in the Disney version because I'm literally saying in my head, "No, no, no, not again. The mom in the movie doesn't die. This isn't happening again." I was panicked inside. Unfortunately, I knew things were not looking good for my mom 5 days before she died. But she'd had some ups and downs. It just seemed like I'd been there before...because I had.
My sister-in-law, Kim, also had her own little foreshadowing the next day. She and I drove together to Kansas City for my niece, Melissa's, gender reveal party at her house. As we were talking on the trip, I mentioned to Kim that Fred and I were getting ready to go out of town for Andrew's band trip and a couple day vacation with some friends. She looked at me and said, "No, you guys can't do that. You know bad things happen when you go out of town." At that point, I already knew the likelihood of me being able to go out of town for 7 days the next week was not looking good. With Mom declining as she had in the week prior, I couldn't have left town with her in such bad condition. While it was difficult to leave after she had actually died, I at least knew I was there with her until the end. Then it was my turn to be a mom while my son marched in New York City before we came back to deal with what followed the last Disney movie I saw--my parent's funeral.
Next on my list is Ralph Wrecks the Internet. I'm hopeful everyone lives through that movie. I can't handle another sad one this soon!
On the Friday before my mom died, Ashley, Fred, Emily, and I went to see Disney's The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. Now, how well do I know the Nutcracker story? I've read 10 different versions of the book and attended 4 performances per year, plus 2 dress rehearsals, plus numerous other rehearsals for what, 7 or 8 years now. I know the story. So Disney's version can't be all that different, right? Wrong.
It's Friday night. Emily has just gotten out of dance class and before the craziness of the holiday season set in, I wanted to take her to see the movie on its opening weekend. We are settled in our seats and while I know this isn't going to be the actual ballet, I expect some similarities. There were. Except in the beginning, creating a major part of the storyline. Clara's mom is dead. Dad is giving the three kids, Marie, Clara and Fritz, gifts from their deceased mother on Christmas Eve before the big party at their house. Stop the movie!!! The mom isn't dead. I watch her dance on stage every year during the party scene. Really I have no idea what happened during the party in the Disney version because I'm literally saying in my head, "No, no, no, not again. The mom in the movie doesn't die. This isn't happening again." I was panicked inside. Unfortunately, I knew things were not looking good for my mom 5 days before she died. But she'd had some ups and downs. It just seemed like I'd been there before...because I had.
My sister-in-law, Kim, also had her own little foreshadowing the next day. She and I drove together to Kansas City for my niece, Melissa's, gender reveal party at her house. As we were talking on the trip, I mentioned to Kim that Fred and I were getting ready to go out of town for Andrew's band trip and a couple day vacation with some friends. She looked at me and said, "No, you guys can't do that. You know bad things happen when you go out of town." At that point, I already knew the likelihood of me being able to go out of town for 7 days the next week was not looking good. With Mom declining as she had in the week prior, I couldn't have left town with her in such bad condition. While it was difficult to leave after she had actually died, I at least knew I was there with her until the end. Then it was my turn to be a mom while my son marched in New York City before we came back to deal with what followed the last Disney movie I saw--my parent's funeral.
Next on my list is Ralph Wrecks the Internet. I'm hopeful everyone lives through that movie. I can't handle another sad one this soon!
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