PORCH PONDERINGS

A Wonderful Life

PROMPT January 7th

What movie universe would be the best to live out the rest of your life in?


I love the movie “It’s A Wonderful Life”. The tale of George Bailey and Mr. Potter. The angel and learning how one life touches so many others. I never tire of seeing this story. I would love to live in this town forever. It reminds me of the small town where I grew up. And just a bit of where I live now.

I grew up in a small town in Ohio where everyone knew their neighbors and you could run wild without worry. It was an innocent time, the 1950s and 1960s were, I think, a wonderful time to be a kid.

So if I lived in Bedford Falls I could skate on that pond with George Bailey and his brother. I would grow up and have a family. I would bank at the good old Bailey Savings and Loan. I would shop at the stores downtown. Then hike up to that hill with

But of course, there would have to be Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed in the town. They would have to play their parts to make this the best place to live. I would invite them over to have dinner sometimes with my grandparents, who lived next door. We would enjoy the homemade ice cream in summer. Maybe they could come at Thanksgiving and Christmas to enjoy our big family celebrations. And then in summer, perhaps I could get them to come to the family reunions we had at Walnut Beach on the shore of Lake Erie in Ashtabula.

The town I live in now is small. It is safe, to a degree. But I don't see children out playing like I used to see in years past. That makes me sad. But still small-town life is still better than living in a big city. Neighbors look out for each other. Families still gather for meals. We look foward to summer after a long winter so we can celebrate the 4th of July with a two-day celebration with big parades and concerts, rodeos and fireworks. Then we enjoy camping, hiking, picnics, hunting, lots of outdoor fun here in Montana.