Steel Magnolias

This past week was the 20-year anniversary of the release of one of my favorite movies of all time -- "Steel Magnolias." (If anyone is reading this, sorry if you're groaning already!) Anyway, the movie is about friendship between women who stick together through thick and thin, no matter what. I've probably seen this movie 200 times, and I still cry and laugh at all the same parts. I can, undoubtedly, recite most of the movie. The characters are great and remind me of many of my own friends and family members.

So speaking of steel magnolias, over the last 5 months I've witnessed one of the most couragous displays of personal strength and character in a real-life steel magnolia, my friend Sandi. She is blogging (Sandi's blog)about her experience as a newly widowed mother of two small children. You may be wondering, "why are you reading something so depressing?" The truth is, yes the circumstance is very sad, but the story that continues to unfold is sheer inspiration. Unlike this blog where I write about nonsense (like walking around CVS with wadded up underwear stuffed in my pants), Sandi's got something important to say. Without recapping her entire blog, let's just say it's all about love, legacy, courage, advocacy, and what a person does to keep going even when they don't want to. Truthfully, I feel like a voyeur every time I read her posts. I go back not only because she's my friend and I care about what she's going through, but also because her writing is very thought-provoking. Sandi is a remarkably strong magnolia, even if she doesn't feel like one right now.

Switching gears to a much lighter note, I can't resist sharing a story about another strong woman -- and I mean strong in the literal sense. Not only does this magnolia possess strength of character and have an incredible life story, but she can probably lift me over her head with one arm. Inga is my friend Karl's mother. She is interesting, sweet, funny, and incredibly physically strong. She probably weighs 100 pounds soaking wet, so she doesn't exactly look like a body-builder. At Sue's bridal shower, there was a gift of some wooden TV trays. There were two boxes of them and each one felt like it was made of solid lead. I tried pushing the boxes out of the way, and the things didn't even budge. Other people tried too, but to no avail. When Inga saw that no one could move these boxes out of the way, she picked both of them them off the ground, lifted them up over her head like they were boxes of feathers, took them out of the house, down the street and plopped them in the car. If Superman was the man of steel, Inga just might be the woman of steel!

Anyway, to all the steel magnolias in my life I say to you what Claris Belcher said to her good ole friend Weeza: "You know I love you more than my luggage!"