A Quiet Heart…

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In honor of our beautiful rainy day (I love rainy days, and we don’t have nearly enough of them!), I thought it would be fun to participate in Home Is Where You Start From‘s L.E.N.S. Photo Challenge!  This week’s theme is all-too-appropriately,  “Properties of Water”.

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  A special hello to my new friends visiting from iFellowship!

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This post is also linked to 5 Minutes for Mom Wordless Wednesday.

Heavenly Father,
Save me entirely from sin.
I know I am righteous through the righteousness of another,
            but I pant and pine likeness to thyself;
I am thy child and should bear thy image,
Enable me to recognize my death unto sin;
When it tempts me may I be deaf unto its voice.
Deliver me from the invasion as well as the dominion of sin.
Grant me to walk as Christ walked,
                 to live in the newness of his life,
                                    the life of love, the life of faith,
                                    the life of holiness.
I abhor my body of death,
            its indolence, envy, meanness, pride.
Forgive, and kill these vices,
            have mercy on my unbelief,
                                on my corrupt and wandering heart.
When thy blessings come I begin to idolize them,
            and set my affection on some beloved object –
            children, friends, wealth, honor;
Cleanse this spiritual adultery and give me chastity;
            close my heart to all but thee.
Sin is my greatest curse;
Let thy victory be apparent to my consciousness,
            and displayed in my life.
Help me to be always devoted, confident, obedient,
                        resigned, childlike in my trust of thee,
               to love thee with soul, body, mind, strength,
               to love my fellow-man as I love myself,
               to be saved from unregenerate temper, hard thoughts,
                        slanderous words, meanness, unkind manners,
               to master m tongue and keep the door of my lips.
Fill me with grace daily,
            that my life be a fountain of sweet water.

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(from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, pg. 92)

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.  On it you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, your male servant or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.  Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” ~Exodus 20:8-11

The first two movies in the Toy Story series are favorites in our house, and we have all been eagerly anticipating the premier of the third installment!  It was (finally!) released by Disney/Pixar on June 18^th…of course, unlike some of the die-hard fans, we waited a few weeks before venturing to the theaters. 

As a rule, we do not allow Hannah to see movies unless at least one, but preferably both, of us has seen it first.  It is not my habit to play fast and loose with our family rules.  And, it is a rare occasion that I would intentionally bend break this particular rule.  But, especially after hearing numerous positive reviews (many from trusted sources), I assumed that if there was ever a “safe” movie, worth the “risk” of not pre-viewing, it would be the much-loved Toy Story franchise!

One online reviewer said, “All in all, this is just like the first two installments in the franchise, only bigger.”

Maybe it is. Technically, this was a great film.  It was exactly what fans have come to expect from the Disney/Pixar team.  It was extremely well-done.  And, after 11 years, the storyline blended seamlessly with that of its predecessors, neatly wrapping up the Story of these beloved toys. 

But, in general, the darkness and intensity of the entire film was downplayed in every review I heard or read. 

Like most Disney/Pixar fans, I am quite familiar with Disney’s propensity for including an “intense” scene in each movie…some unquestionably more “intense” than others.  So, when we were warned about one particular scene (spoiler warning: in which the toys are riding on a conveyor belt…seemingly to their impending, fiery doom), that might be problematic, I assumed it would be done in typical Disney style…Essential to the overall plot development, but relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things.  (These are the parts we generally fast-forward through at home, without much damage to the flow of the movie as a whole.)  One reviewer did say that it “could be a bit too intense for the film’s youngest viewers.” 

Although I appreciate the reviewer’s honesty on that point, I think that the fact that those “youngest viewers” are the film’s target audience, should have received more consideration from the writers and producers than it did.  There were moments of comic relief sprinkled throughout the darker scenes.  But, much of it seemed to be lost on the smaller members of the audience.  However, the almost-constant tension, darkness, and outright cruelty of some of the characters (Lotso and Big Baby), was not.

My daughter is a huge fan of Toy Story 1 and 2.  She absolutely loves Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and Bullseye.  But, when asked how she liked Toy Story 3, her response was, “Not much.”  Not exactly a rave.

I know that many people will, and do disagree with me.  As I said before, most, if not all of the reviews I have heard and seen for this movie were extremely positive.  Maybe the reviewers (professional and amateur alike) were hesitant to criticize such a sentimental favorite.  Maybe I am still naïve enough to think that the level of darkness and intensity in this particular film was inappropriate for a child’s movie.  Or, and I’m afraid this might be the case, maybe this is more common than I would like to think…even considered tame for “children’s entertainment” these days.

By comparison, we have very strict standards for what our family watches, and for how we determine what is (or is not) appropriate.  And, we do our best to shield Hannah from a lot of movies (and cartoons, and TV shows) – Disney included – because of the dark or scary themes contained in them.  If this seems excessive, or over-protective, well, fine.  Disagree with me if you must.  My goal is not to please others in my parenting.  It is, first and foremost to please the Lord, as I protect, and, yes, shelter the child that He has given me.

I am not questioning the judgment of parents who considered this movie to be appropriate for their children.  Each family has to determine what their child(ren) can handle, and what they want their child(ren) exposed to.  Maybe, depending on their ages, and the types of movies they have already been exposed to, it was appropriate.  For my child it was too much.  (I’m sure the fact that this was her first experience with the “big screen” only added to the scary/intensity factor!)  Do I think she was scarred for life by the experience?  No.  But, I do wish that I hadn’t assumed that my standards of child-and-age-appropriateness were the same as someone else’s.  I wish I hadn’t assumed  that it was safe… 

All I can say is, lesson learned….the hard way. 

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Quote of the night: “I can still hear them with my eyes closed!!” ~Aiden

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~July 4, 2010~

(photo credit)

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It is official…we have a swimmer! 
Hannah passed the “Learn To Swim: Level 1″ class!