One of my favorite movies of all time is Moonstruck with Cher and Olympia Dukakis. I can recall vividly watching it whenever it was on WPIX Channel 11. My grandmother and I would sit and watch it continuously - if it were on 4 times in one day, wed watch it. Im not sure what the appeal of the movie was for me as a young boy, perhaps it was a moment where I was subconsciously peeking into the soul of my future self, or perhaps it was because my grandmother and I bonded over the characters and the funny lines. Thinking back on those days with a mature mind and heart, I realize why she and I enjoyed the film so much. For her, it was a glimmer of the life she has known (Grandma grew up in NYC in the early 1900s) and I suppose it appealed to her romantic desires and her NYC off the boat Italian sensibilities. For me, it was a moment where all of the turmoil of my childhood fell silent and she and I laughed and enjoyed together. Now, at 35, there are so many parts to the film that make sense to me. Its a lovely portrayal of love, romance, desire, familial bonds, and the courage and strength that is required to sustain love in an ever changing world of temptation, greed, and confusion. I wish she were still alive - there are so many things I have learned that I would love to share with her, for she would understand and relate. I find myself imagining how wonderful it would be to sit and have coffee with her for hours, speaking and thinking on a variety of things. Her worldly knowledge and wisdom that carried her through 90+ years at my fingertips; and me, sitting and listening with no need for patience as our minds opened to such great things. I regret my behavior as a child, always pushing her away and not fully appreciating her outstretched arms, her patience, and her understanding, and her willingness to stop everything and listen - she was truly the only one who tried and never gave up on me. It hurts to think I was never able to thank her, and that out of all of the people I abandoned and disappointed in my life, I regret losing her the most. I dont often require validation, but sometimes I really wish she were alive to see how far I have come and how much I have learned. Her seal of approval would be worth more than gold. Sometimes, I get angry at the short time humans have on earth. It seems that by the time we all figure out our true selves and stop wasting time on the pithy nonsense that is of little to no importance, we die, never realizing the true potential of the great love and admiration we can have for each other. At the end of Moonstruck, everyone stand and raises glasses of champagne to the newly engaged couple Loretta and Ronny (played by Cher and Nicholas Cage, his finest role) and they all toast to family - with Johnny yelling it out at the top of his lungs - the camera pans out to pictures of the generations of family members that are dead. I dont have any pictures of my grandmother (or my grandparents for that matter at all) but the images of them are burned into my soul forever. An eternal love has made its imprint and often, I can hear their words coming out of my mouth, I can see them standing next to me in the kitchen as I cook based on their instruction - I can see my grandmother sitting next to me on the piano bench teaching me to play the theme song from Cats. Death is a one time heartbreak - but it is the beginning of a newer and more mature love. The kind of love that is patient, never jealous, and can always look past the silly faults that humans make. It is an eternal, pure love.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:43:57 +0000
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