Every Time A Bell Rings...

It’s such a lovely tradition. Right after Thanksgiving, my husband and I unpack the Christmas decorations and pop a Christmas movie into the DVD player. This year (like many before it in our 30-year span) our choice was It’s A Wonderful Life.

What a great movie. However, my husband and I got to talking after the story finished, and we looked at George Bailey’s story with a fresh perspective.

What about Mary?

 

 

Think about it. She never, for one second, stops believing George Bailey is the man for her…so much so that she gives up the seemingly ‘bigger, better deal’ of a relationship with the affluent Sam Wainwright to be with the man of her heart, the man God created just for her.

When there’s a run on the building and loan, it’s Mary who promptly puts up all the cash they were given at their wedding. When George creates Bailey Park, and helps countless on their way to a better life, it’s Mary who is ever at his side, and transforms their beaten-up, though lovely old house into a home for their family.

In the end…when George is fighting every imaginable demon, contemplating the end of his life as a ransom payment for money that’s been stolen from him by the unscrupulous Henry Potter, it’s Mary who prays, who alerts their friends, and who galvanizes those who love George into the most generous, beautiful action imaginable—the self-sacrificing gift of support and encouragement.

Through out the movie, she’s selfless and loves George both passionately and deliberately. She is his partner, wife, friend and lover through every circumstance they face. It’s a Wonderful Life is George Bailey’s story, of course—and that’s as it should be. However, my eyes are now opened to everything Mary Bailey did to uplift her husband.

What a remarkable woman. And boy…talk about Devoted!

Blessings to you all ~ and enjoy the journey!

Marianne