Finally saw this movie, which is so unlike me…but a friend of mine saw it awhile back and said it had a powerful impact. So I’m finally watching it and I’ve been in tears off and on the whole time-and I’m only half way through. Had to pause it to write.

• All it takes is one teacher, one manager, one person to have faith in you to make yourself the authentic and real you
• Songs as an anchor…they can reach you in a profound way and carry you through tough times
• The sunsets and sunrises in this film make me want to travel (well, not really but almost😉!)
• When you have passion and hope and faith (in yourself or something bigger) things will come together as they should
• Perseverance
• Sometimes your passion about…whatever…will be too much for people. It’s their loss. Share it anyway
• Trauma, perceived and literal, stays with you and shapes you…better to accept it than fight it, to heal and grow.
• “What are you running from? Let that pain become your inspiration.”
• It’s hard to trust the change in someone, the one that triggers you, when the trauma is still so fresh for you
• “I got a lot of questions about myself” What a powerful statement-it opens up a whole world of vulnerability
• Knowing what another person is feeling, thinking, or at least having a window into their world can create understanding, build a bridge between two islands
• Choosing to forgive…there’s great power in that, though I don’t think God has anything to do with it…I think it’s about putting down the heavy load you’ve been carrying…whether you give it to someone/something, it’s good to set it down and let it go
• “Like junk, like to fix things, make something out of nothing”…metaphor for redemption
• This blog is my journal. I choose to share it, but I do it for me. “It feels really good”
• “I’ve never told anybody my story…” sharing his song, was important for him and his healing…that resonates with me and that’s how I feel about my book. And when your story is embraced…what a feeling!
• You never know what will open up your soul, your curiosity, your sense of wonder and engagement in the world…stay open, let it happen, and grow from it

Everything happens for a reason…I don’t always know what it is, but I believe we are shaped by everything we touch and are touched by…it’s strange, my friend says he sees himself as the monster, but I see him as the little boy who grew up with a lot of unresolved trauma, who is working through it still. I only hope to see what kind of man he becomes someday…