There's No Place Like Home!

I have long been embarrassed to admit that I had never seen the classic film "The Wizard of Oz". Oh, I have certainly seen parts of it on many occasions over the years. I may even have seen it on TV as a child, but I don't remember it. I really couldn't have told the whole story until today.

It was a rainy day. It was a "stay in our pjs and watch a movie" day. I had picked up a bunch of dvds at the library last week for the kids to watch on the trip to Indiana. This was one that they hadn't chosen to watch, and when it came time to take the dvds back, I couldn't bear to return it without seeing it first. So I renewed it, and when I woke this morning to a dreary day, I decided this was the time. I announced to the kids that we would be watching "The Wizard of Oz" together, and what do you think their unanimous response was? "Awwww, nooooooo! That's an old, boring movie!" I had to beg! I had to Put My Foot Down! I had to bargain with them! Finally I said "Just watch 15 minutes, and if you don't want to watch any more, you don't have to", after which I added "and I'll take you to the indoor playground this afternoon if you at least try to watch it with me".

So we tried it. Fifteen minutes into the movie Connor said he didn't want to watch any more, but when Janelle said that she did, he agreed to watch it if I'd let him make popcorn. So we sat there, all three of us snuggled under an afghan on the love seat, watching this most classic of movies. All through I kept thinking "I'll have to remember that to mention in my blog". It did remind me of "Casablanca" in that there are so many lines that are so well-known they sound like cliches, even in the movie! "Lion and tigers and bears, oh my!" "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore." "Follow the yellow brick road!" But I don't remember all the lines I wanted to quote; all the phrases full of deeper meaning that I wanted to share. To be honest, I was so cozy that 3/4 of the way into the movie I nodded off and missed the vanquishing of the Wicked Witch of the West. At supper tonight the kids had to tell Daddy all about how Dorothy won in the end, because I missed that part. But I did wake up in time to take note of the line that resonated most with me: "There's no place like home". So true! Even if Oz is a wonderful place (even if London is a wonderful place) there will never be any more wonderful place than home. And next week, I get to click together my ruby slippers (or drive in my ruby van for 16 hours) and go there!

And now that my sweet children, who just might have been thankful that I bribed them into watching that "old, boring" movie, are finally tucked into bed, I think I'll go watch the last half-hour. Just so I can say I really did.