Wonder-ful

So I offered the kids a treat in exchange for some house cleaning, good behavior, etc. Okay - you can call it bribery, but it worked. So Mr. Magoriums's Wonder Emporium was the first "kid movie" on Pay per View that caught my eye. I remember when the movie came out last year - wanting to see it, but then being disappointed when it didn't get the best reviews. But, I found myself "wonder-ing" again. I knew Jillian would be intrigued by all the toys and colors, and because one of the lead characters was Padme from Star Wars, Brendan would be in, too! Any connection to Star Wars is always a bonus! So about the movie - Boy, oh, boy - it was so wonderful! I love, love love it and want to buy it - or maybe add it to my Christmas list. I even called my mom to tell her she had to see it - she has the ultimate movie collection of all time, and this would make a great addition. I am surprised that I did not hear more good things about it when it was in theaters. I just (not that I am a "just" person - from the movie) loved all the hidden messages in the movie and it was so inspiring to me. The heroine of the movie is Molly Mahoney and she was a child protege on the piano. She is now 23 years old and STUCK. She has not moved past playing the magnificent piano pieces that she was able to play as a child. She is trying to write her own, and yet she just can't make it happen. She also still works at the same toy store that she has worked at since she was 15 years old. Without giving away all the fun, quirky details of the movie ... The 234 year old, eccentric Mr. Magorium has decided that it is time to leave the store and he wants to give it to Mahoney. She doesn't want him to leave and so he is trying to make it stay. She even tries to show him all the wonderful reasons why he should stay. Overall, what a great lesson in learning how to believe that anything is possible, that sometimes your life is not what you thought it would be, and that our Heavenly Father can use our gifts in ways that we did not see coming. It is about getting outside the box and letting life be an adventure. It is about not being JUST a person. So, this is a tidbit of what I took away from the movie - I can't wait to watch it again with Mark - because he will love it too and I will probably find something else to love about it even more! All I can say is I give it 5 great big stars, despite what the critics say!