"No Boundaries, Only Horizens"

Tonight I did it! 

I finally did it. 

Ever since I saw a little blurb of a commercial for the new Amelia Earhart movie (that's not new anymore :-P) I've been dying to see it! I watched it downstairs all by my lonesome, because my family didn't think it sounded very exciting. 

(I have discovered though, that I love "historical" movies. Just as I cannot turn down a good "historical fiction" book, or also a good biography, I hold the same type of movies as some of my very favorites! Stories with Real settings like "Valkarie" and "Defiance", "Swing Kids" and "Life is Beautiful" and "A Cinderella Story"... Along with stories of real people, like "The Shirley Temple Story" and "Amelia Earhart." Have you also noticed what time period I cannot seem to stay away from? ;-) What can I say?... It's all so very fascinating! 

Anyway, while I can't say I condone everything in the movie, it was very well done and told with an accurate balance of this woman's outstanding life. Because "stand out," she did. The movie starts out rather on the feministic side, showing the struggles of a woman who wants to be involved in what has previously been thought of as "a man's territory." But throughout her journey, Amelia learns some valuable lessons, not just in the air, but in her own home and heart... 

I came away with 3 special things from this movie tributing her life.... 

First of all, I didn't even know that she had a husband! Usually, she is depicted as so feminist that she won't let any man stand between her and her plane. But in the movie, she even states right before her very last trip that she is going to give up her love of flying, all for the love of the man she is married to. That caught me off guard. It really sets Amelia as not just a static character of the story. She is someone who is changing and maturing from just a fun-loving, adventure-seeking girl to someone who considers how her actions will affect those she loves. 

Secondly, it's amazing to me that God knew exactly where Amelia was, even when she lost all contact with the ground communications. While they were on the ground beginning to panic, God was completely in control. God knew the whole time on that last flight where she was, and where she would go down at. Though it surprised the rest of the world, nothing surprises Him! The expanse of water that surrounded her and her navigator on all sides is perfectly mapped out by God's sovereign hand. Isn't my God good to know even the things that remain a mystery to mankind? 

And the last thing that struck me from that movie is the number of girls who looked up to "Lady Lindi." She definitely earned their admiration with her bravery and curiosity and confidence to try new things. What kinds of role models do girls look up to now? Hannah Montana!? Forgive me, but I do not see the same depth to her life.... What did she ever do that's worth that sort of "imitation-admiration"? Amelia Earhart wasn't perfect; she made mistakes. The movie depicts that all too vividly at times. But she was a growing person, and a person with real, true courage and a big heart with big visions. If you ask me as a teacher, THAT'S the type of person I will one day want to introduce my kids to! 

"If I listened everytime I was told that something's 'impossible', then I wouldn't be flying right now. Don't let anybody turn you around." -Amelia, to a dreaming, young pilot friend