A list of perfect movies.

1. Bringing Out The Dead 2. Do The Right Thing 3. The Sisters Brothers 4. In Bruges 5. In a Lonely Place 6. Bad Lieutenant 7. The Big Chill 8. Dog Day Afternoon 9. Fanny and Alexander 10. The Godfather part 1 11. The Battle of Algiers 12. My Architect 13. Miller's Crossing 14. One Battle After Another 15. As Above, So Below 16. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou 17. The Royal Tennenbaums 18. High and Low 19. Youth 20. Grosse Pointe Blank 21. The Consequences of Love 22. The Great Beauty 23. Eddington 24. Come and See 25. Encounters at the End of the World 26. No Country for Old Men

It Comes On Like a Fever

I felt the first stirring of it Wednesday when—for Youth Hope Month—the Lighthouse team met the Brighton Center team in the middle of the Purple People Bridge to exchange letters from youth on both sides of the river and hand off a banner that will be passed back during the second annual event next year. Then I felt it again yesterday while I was sitting around with family talking and having a good time on Thanksgiving. Just now it came to me full on as I walked into Jungle Jim’s to pick up some pork belly for dinner. People in coats were milling all around, chatting and drinking wine and beer, and Ave Maria was playing through the store sound system. It was undeniable at that moment…I have come down with a bad case of The Christmas Spirit.

My Kid Is Putting In The Work

As I was on my way home from work, I received a text from my son asking if we could have pizza for dinner. I had to respond, ‘Sorry man, I am broke! We are going to have to do leftovers.’ But true to his chosen field of social work, he hustled up some free pizzas from Dominoes on his way home from college by utilizing the absolutely necessary social work skills of resource finding, self-advocacy, and not accepting institutionally imposed expectations. He doesn’t even have his Associate’s Degree yet, but he already has the spirit of the work. Well done.

Choose Hope

Today was challenging, but I had the privilege to drive home with the top down in amazing weather, and had to pull over to take a picture of this majestic sky. We are all lucky to be alive, and lucky to have the opportunity to fight. Choose hope. The sky is correct.

Our Country Is Sick

I am struggling with an intense anger this morning. Resources are thin and programs are full, and people reach out to me looking for help and my options are limited. I can listen to them and express compassion, and point them in the most helpful direction I can think of, but it’s not enough. I’ve had three people cry on the phone with me this morning because they are worried about losing housing and providing for their children. It is heartbreaking. The anger comes in when I think about the fascist government my neighbors just elected into office, and the utter cruelty it reveals about them. I think about the programs that are about to be cut or totally defunded, and the immigrant families that are going to be devastated, and it makes me want to weep.

Bubbles

Today I was in traffic behind a little gray haired lady in a convertible with the top down who was wearing a bright pink fuzzy coat. Her head barely came over the top of the seat and she was all by herself. At a stoplight she pulled out a bubble wand, held it over her head, and started waving bubbles all over the place, and then turned off the road when the light changed. She didn’t give the impression she was doing it for anyone other than herself, and it caused me to feel joy. I was grateful to be present for that, and decided it was worthy of documentation.