Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Hidden Wonders

We watched a DVD called The Guys the other night. Nick, played by Anthony LaPaglia, is a New York City fire captain who has lost eight of his men on September 11, and he has been asked to give eulogies for them. Grief overwhelms him and he cannot find words to express his sorrow or to comfort the families of the fallen.

Sigourney Weaver plays Joan, a journalist who helps him with his daunting task by drawing out from him details about his men that he didn't even realize he knew. Her gentle probing and ability to organize his scattered thoughts bring these lost lives into clear focus for the captain and those loved ones left behind. The results are stunning.

Joan is trying to come to terms herself with the sudden and devastating loss of life in New York, her beloved city, so she is writing her story. As she struggles through the experience that has changed her life forever, she comes to this understanding: "I knew that every time I saw someone on the street I just saw his public shadow. The rest, the important part, lived in layer after layer beyond my view. We have no idea what wonders are hidden in the people around us."

Perhaps you will have the chance to discover some hidden wonders today.

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