The World Doesn't Stink After All!

I have been pretty glum lately about everything going on in the world around me. With the September 11th anniversary, the shootings in Montreal, another Mormon church set on fire and the daily L.A. violence, it has been hard for me to want to leave my safe little apartment this week. So many things are uncertain and my current emotional state doesn't lend itself to easy adaptability.

So I was eternally grateful to my blogger buddies, William and Samantha for posting a link to a series of documentaries called Fit for the Kingdom which William was involved with. The films are about ordinary people (all Mormons) living their ordinary lives in extraordinary ways. It was late and I wasn't planning on watching very much but I ended up watching every single one of the films. I had forgotten this week that there are millions of people like this in the world and thank goodness for that. If anyone has a spare minute, please take a peek and I know you'll find the hope you didn't know you needed today.

The filmmakers' manifesto in part reads:

To portray and appreciate ordinary people in their ordinary circumstances, to the end that we do not mistake fantasy for reality, celebrity for substance, escapism for anxious engagement; to affirm that in enduring to the end and embracing the everyday we will find the key to and see the patterns of our improvement and exaltation.

Just trust me and take a peek. I promise all you non-Mormons out there that if you watch these videos you won't get missionaries on your doorstep tomorrow or have to take out your tongue rings but you will feel better about the world in general. The first film, Angie, is about an hour long and the rest are only a few minutes. Here is a brief snapshot of each one:

Angie (about an hour long, but by far my favorite): Follows a remarkable woman's battle with breast cancer
Earl: A snapshot of a childrens' Sunday School class in Jamaica
Emanual: A Greek immigrant and inventor living in the Bronx
Emilia: An enchanting three year old who tells stories
Robinsons: A farming family of 10 living in the Mormon colony in Mexico
Scriptures: How scripture study in a large family really shakes out despite the parents' best efforts. Mom, you'll love this one! It brought back a lot of memories.
Ramona: A successful career woman turned stay at home mom
Rusty: An unlikely convert to the Mormon church shares his beliefs and faces his challenges
Leroy: Following a lovable 81 year old crossing guard in Provo

If you don't watch these videos and have a terrible day, don't try blaming it on me! Thanks again, William, for letting us know about these!