The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
I love, love, love books. I almost love movies just as much. On cold winter days, It’s not unusual to find me at the theater with my husband watching 2 to 3 movies back-to-back, always remembering to take along a cuddly blanket. I get so swept up in the characters and their stories. There are moments when I walk out of the theater into the light of day and my face is puffy and blotchy from uncontrollable sobbing. Kenny will just look at me and say something like, “Oh lady. You poor thing. Come here.”
Just today, I came across The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry while clicking through my Netflix recommendations. A few scenes into the movie, I realized I had seen this one before and loved it though couldn’t remember all the beautiful details. I needed to see this one again for sure. I needed to be reminded of how important friends & family are to the dying. I love how the film, which is based on the novel by the same name by Gabrielle Zevin, really depicts how integral each person’s life is to the larger narrative. How life’s biggest disappointments can be rewritten, revisioned to hold deep seeded heart medicine. Sometimes “home” and “family” can’t be defined in the traditional sense. Sometimes home and family are much like a patchwork quilt, with lots of varying patterns and colors and shapes, all stitched together with threads of love blanketing this world that sometimes can be a bit harsh and cold. I highly recommend this movie and book, along with a box of very soft Kleenex. Sniff, sniff.