August 2, 2007

“And that’s about all I have to say about that”, quoting the fictional character, Forrest Gump!

As I sit at my computer and open up to receive I recall the movie portraying the life of Forrest Gump, a simple man who lived anything but an ordinary life. In his simplicity he simply did not make things complicated. Forrest was not a smart man, but perhaps he was the smartest man who ever lived, had he not been a fictional character in a movie.

Forrest was raised by his loving mother who believed in him in spite of his mental and physical limitations. And because his mother loved him and believed in him, he loved and believed too. Forrest was able to rise above his physical limitations but he had accepted that he would never be a “smart man”.

Forrest grew up and became a soldier who proudly served his country in Viet Nam. He was a good soldier and he did what he was told. His Lieutenant Dan was injured in the jungle and Forrest just knew he needed to get him out of there, and so he did. He had no fear or thought for himself, he just “knew” and acted. And even though Lt. Dan would have preferred to die that day in the jungle, however by Forrest’s example, he eventually came to peace with his reality of living without his legs, and he forgave Forrest for saving his life and they had a bond that would last forever.

Jenny was the one childhood friend Forrest grew up with, who lived near by and accepted Forrest for the way he was. She too was different from the others because she had grown up with an abusive father. She was very angry! In the one scene where Forrest accompanied Jenny back to the home where she lived, she was so filled with rage in remembering her childhood that she picked up rocks and began throwing them at the window of the house. After falling to the ground in tears exhausted from her rage, Forrest profoundly stated, “Sometimes there just aren’t enough rocks.”

Forrest loved Jenny and throughout his life Jenny would come in and out. He loved her unconditionally and even though he would have preferred that she stay with him, and proposed marriage, he had to let her go many times, to follow her path. He never imposed any rules or conditions on the relationship, he just flowed with life and loved her anyway.

When life threw him a lemon he made lemonade. While recouping from a bullet wound in the hospital, Forrest developed a new passion. He became a national table tennis champion and then went on to full fill a dream that he and his friend had talked about when they were lying in a ditch in the jungle of Viet Nam.

His friend didn’t make it out of the jungle, but to Forrest, a promise was a promise and he took the money he made from playing ping pong and bought a fishing boat. A storm came and destroyed all the boats except for his. A stroke of luck for this simple man. He went on to become a wealthy fisherman with his company, Bubba Gump Shrimp.

Because he was an honest man, he shared his profits with Bubba’s family and they too were rich. Forrest’s mother told Forrest before she died, “Forrest, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!”

When Forrest went back to his hometown to live in his Mother’s home, he mowed lawn for a living, because he loved doing it. He didn’t need the money so he did it for free.

One time Jenny came home for awhile then left early in the morning before Forrest woke up. Forrest was so hurt because he did not understand. He had so much love for her that he didn’t understand why she couldn’t return his love and choose to stay. She brought him so much joy each time they would reunite, and then so much pain when she left. Forrest put on his new shoes that Jenny had bought for him and on this day he decided he would run. And when he got to the end of town he decided he would just keep on running. He ran from one coast to the other and then back again. Then he stopped and said, “I’m tired. I think I will go home now.” And so he did.

Forrest fathered a child with his longtime friend and love of his life, Jenny. Little Forrest was a surprise to Forrest because Jenny had run away to do it on her own. Jenny became ill so she contacted Forrest to introduce him to his son so he would be able to know him. Jenny decided to accept Forrest’s offer to come home so he could take care of her and “Little Forrest”. Soon after they wed, and Lt. Dan was the best man. He too had found love and married, and had himself a new pair of legs! In Jenny’s last days, she had stopped running away and finally found the love and peace she so desperately was searching for.

Because she was not shown love as a child she did not know love or how to love herself or another. Her peace came when she found love through Forrest and his many years of patience and loving her without judging her, and in the love she found as a mother to their son. Jenny died and was laid to rest on the land where she had finally found peace in the love of her family.

Forrest was left to raise his son, Little Forrest, and was a wonderful father because of his simple life and the way he loved, cared for and nurtured his son. The movie ends implying they lived happily ever after.

There is so much to learn from this beautiful story, Forrest Gump. May we all watch it again and really take note in the beauty of life if we keep it simple, do not judge, learn to give love and receive love, forgive, be honest with our selves and others and just flow with life knowing that life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get, but it’s all good!

And that is all I have to say about that!

In Love and Light,
Kerry and her Angels

Copyright © 2007 Kerry Sue Hettleman