Year 1, 13Feb12

As we near the 2nd anniversary of Alicia's death, I still find myself re-living vivid memories of Alicia. Memories which sprint across my mind with no provocation and without warning. I will be going about my work 1 moment, then WHAM...the emotions of the call from her friends letting me know she was missing rips through my psyche. After a few deep breaths, I am able to regain control and reorient myself to my surroundings. But these 'gifts' tend to me an emotional roller coaster in a matter of a few seconds. As I had written previously, I find myself drawn to movies and books about people working through a loss of a child or loved one. Is this a morbid curiosity or possibly my inner 'id' needing to frame what I am feeling and experiencing. Well this weekend was a dousy of a film fest. We saw Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close on Friday and The Way on Sunday. Both movies fit into the genre of loss but approach it from opposite ends of the emotional spectrum. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close chronicles the journey of an 11yr old, Oscar Schell who lost his father in the 911 attacks on the WTC. The movie is emotionally intense and spiritually uplifting. Oscar follows an elaborate plan which takes him across NYC in an effort to connect with his late father. Throughout the movie Oscar was trying to make sense out of events which there is no logic. Through his adventures he meets and touches a spectrum of various ethnicities and background of people. People who are struggling themselves with everyday life. The movie called The Way chronicles an emotional journey of a father to reconcile memories of is late estranged son who dies following the Camino de Santiago in France & Spain. While in France return his son's ashes, he decides to take the journey himself. Along the way he meets 3 others on their own pilgrimage for their own reasons. I sense the character was trying to connect with his son's life and who he had become. Simply touching.