For the second time I watched Saving Mr. Banks. For the second time, I cried during its final scenes. The movie is based upon the true story of Walt Disney's enduring efforts to make the darling of a movie, Mary Poppins.
Saving Mr. Banks portrays two opposing (while imposing) figures; stuffy Mrs. Travers (who wrote Mary Poppins) and child-like-in-heart Walt Disney. Enthusiastically, he set out to delight the children. Rigidly she, on the other hand, was increasingly perturbed by his happy-go-lucky spirit. Maybe annoyed might be a better term for her.
When the two are at production impasse, he flies off to Australia to meet with his persnickety counter-part. It is here that emotional chords begin to unfold into a music too deep for expression. Walt Disney has figured out why she is hiding within her controlled atmosphere. She is a little girl hiding in a grown woman's body.
Disney saw past her crusty veneer. It dawned on him that she was locked in deep pain. She had the identical past as he; a troubled father. When he knew the problem, he then knew the solution.
It is here, as well, that the secret to Mr. Disney---the secret of his outlandish success---is shared for all of the world to see. He was beaten as a little boy. Thus his obsession with building a kingdom to bless little children.
Do not miss this. His success was prompted by his abundantly terribly bad days of anguish back home. Rather than suffocate in the mire of resentment, Walt Disney did something about it. He used these very horrible-bad-ugly days to launch the greatest funtastic playground the world has ever known.
It is here...in this world of hurt...that I know many adults have suffered injury and setback due to having a Walt Disney-like father. It is, also as Disney found, the motive to push forward and upward to find very rich blessings.
It is often the case that the things which could stifle our life-trek have within them a buried secret of outlandish hope. Disney World, Disney Land, Disney Cartoons; these came from the mind of a man who resented his beating from the belt and buckle of his dad. These treacherous moments hurt him; they injured him deeply.
Yet, Walt took these pains and transformed them into world-famous relief centers for children. What if this man from Missouri had not hurt so badly, so deeply, and so many times? What if he had but didn't see any value to them or in them? The world of children--and adults with child-like hearts--would not have the World of Walt Disney to bring them their most extreme family vacation delight.
Never give up. Never give up. When you hurt, use your tears as a telescope to see the far away riches of blessings for others.
Nothing is a waste. Nothing is a waste. Not even the most painful things that happen to us. We are living in a world of hurt. Explore those mountainsides. Dig for the rich blessings. And, find them....so that others can have even a better day!
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