When I was little I used to make movies with my sisters and my neighbors. We made a good number of them. I was the director and had my sisters and friends as my "little minions" to be my movie stars. ha. I was bossy...back then. Well, to say the least, we made so many "films" that we eventually had to have an awards show, call it our "Academy Awards", to give out credit to the great movies and great little actors/actresses in the neighborhood.
So, I picked who got all the awards (I guess I was "The Academy") and we filmed our little awards ceremony one day which was a lot of fun. All the little "thank-you" speeches from kids ages 5-14...haha. Guess who won Best Director? yeah...
POINT IS...I'd always wanted to be a director or "in the movie business"...for quite awhile. More recently, I've decided my life may be headed on a different path, but not shutting any doors here..we'll just see. But when I was younger and had my BIG dreams, I used to do what most kids do, and practice my acceptance speech. Ok, so I practiced it many many times throughout my life.
I find that being in front of thousands, no, millions of people to hear what YOU have to say, is kind of exciting. Just because after you get credit for something big you've accomplished, it's quite possibly the best moment to give credit to who really deserves it most.
Who? Well, if you know me by now...you probably know exactly what I mean by "who". But then again, most of my life EVERY actor/actress/singer/etc gave credit to this "who". I'm starting to notice though that there's a shift or a change going on...nobody wants to even talk or mention the 3-letter 'who' anymore. I wonder why?
So last night Meryl Streep, kind of surprisingly, won Best Actress award at the Oscars. I love Meryl, no doubt, but I admit I kind of wanted Viola Davis to win for The Help. EITHER WAY, Meryl gets up on stage, after Viola hugs her,...and starts off her "thank you" speech thanking a 3-letter person.
No, not God. ha. Don. Her husband. And you know what? I think that's completely great. So good for a hollywood marriage being happy and long-lasting. And to continue on...she thanks her makeup artist, Roy Helland. That's important too. The "behind the scenes" people deserve much respect and appreciation for their ART just as much as the actor/actress I think. Then, THIS is the part of her speech that moved me. You can watch the link below to see the end of her speech...if not, just scroll down past the link.
http://www.mediaite.com/tv/watch-meryl-streeps-oscar-acceptance-speech-for-best-actress/
Meryl Streep lastly, starts getting more emotional, and says, "I really wanna thank all my colleagues, all my friends...I look out here and you know, I see my life before my eyes. My old friends, my new friends, and really, this is such a great honor but...the thing that counts the most with me...is the friendships and the love...and the sheer joy we have shared making movies together. My friends, thank you, all of you. Departed...(puts her arm over her heart) and here. For this inexplicably wonderful career. Thank you so much."
And you know...that's just it. That's the point. She looks out in tears, says she sees "her life before her eyes" while she looks at her friends. They show some in the audience looking back at her...with tears in their eyes. Because THAT is what's real. FRIENDS. As she says "sheer JOY"...its moving. Its all about the people. Its all about...the love. She is moved...we are moved. Before you know it, she will be one of the actresses "departed"...but the impact she makes on her friends...and vice versa...will not fade. The love...never fades. It's what God is all about. Whether she says it or not...God is in WHAT she said. Selfless. Friendship. Love.
If we all can one day look at our lives...by looking at our friends we've made in our lifetime...and see "sheer joy"...then we can say we did NOT miss out on life. We will have found life...because God...is in people. He's all around us...whether we "credit Him"...or His world around us does on its own.
