Hope & Friendship . . .

I have a sick friend who is part of a gaming Community I play with and over the past several years her condition has gone through the ups and downs of long term diseases . . . the highs of being more healthy for a short period and the lows of many hospital visits or stays.

It is extremely hard on her and her family as the medical community in our country many times fails those who contribute the most to that system. The countless paperwork and phone calls to hear some lame excuse about what ‘form’ is needed or some other doctors written statement before the needed medicine or treatment is carried out.

It sickens me sometimes that we treat each other this way . . . people suffer and our system of medicine lacks the help it is supposed to give that most of us pay for each month.

Luckily in our gaming Community there is support and people who care . . . not just in the virtual world but in our real lives too. This Community is about Friendship and Love . . . because many people have the opportunity to express it on our forum boards and my friend has many blessings of knowing how much we care.

I am reminded of my favorite film of all time, Shawshank Redemption.

Here's a film that's worth watching over and over.

It is about Friendship and Hope.

Much like what her thread has become on our gaming forum in the last few weeks. Twenty pages now and still going strong . . . just shy of 6,000 views now. Everyone drops by each day or night and continues to keep the fires and the vigil going until she is better. It is her infectious smile and voice on teamspeak that lifts our spirits . . . like a much anticipated book you return home to quickly browse the pages for the next chapter . . . we walk this path together with her as friends do.

I had never really given much attention to novels by Stephen King other than The Shining until this movie was released. It did not do all that well in the limited release in movie theaters at the time but developed an almost cult following in the home market with Blockbuster, Net Flicks, and all of the mom and pops video stores.

The script, the extraordinary acting, the cinematography, the symbolism, the music, everything comes together perfectly in a cinematic experience that moves me every time I see it. The thing that sets this movie apart is the narration throughout the film by Morgan Freeman, who plays Ellis Boyd “Red” Redding.

I could write a lot about this film but I would recommend that you just go watch it if you haven't ever seen it and give it another look if you’ve seen it already. Just remember it is about prison life and it is not all happy times. It's tough and sometimes gritty with some scenes of violence that are pretty gut wrenching, however, the scenes of prison brutality are necessary for the final redemptive pay off at the end.

Stuck up banker Andy DuFresne, played superbly by Tim Robbins, is sent to Shawshank prison for two life terms for murders he didn't commit. While there he is put through hell. He faces the worst kind of corruption, violence, religious hypocrisy and brutality . . . but through it all he hangs on to hope.

Hope is the theme and Hope is the final word.

In the midst of a world of stone, Andy retains a heart of hope.

One of the best moments for me in this film? Apart from the overwhelming relief of the twist ending, it's when Andy locks himself in the warden's office and plays a duet from Mozart's Marriage of Figaro, then decides to broadcast the music across the prison's courtyard PA. The hardened prisoners' faces light up with wonder and innocent joy. It's unforgettable. Music is a common denominator throughout the world.

I'm sure that scene will go down as one of the greatest moments in cinema. It not only captures the theme of the whole film in one delicious, everlasting grin of a moment, but it also conveys the inexpressible beauty, poignancy and redemptive quality of music for all humanity. More than that, the theme of hope is communicated in a way beyond words.

Over the last several weeks we have set up camp to maintain vigil and support as the time passes and the different medical procedures are preformed. We continue our time there checking in frequently for any news or possibly to catch an update from the family. We stay . . . and keep the fire burning . . . and the coffee and doughnuts ready for the weary. The fire burns brightly tonight as the campers enjoy the nice time together getting to know each other or renewing old friendships . . . Family we are.

In the movie’s closing scene you hear the narration of Morgan Freeman’s character Red, speaking of Friendship and Hope

". . . I find I'm so excited, I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head.

I think it's the excitement only a free man can feel,

a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain. . .

I hope to see my friend, and shake his hand. . .

I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. . .

I hope."

Sweet dreams . . .

Ice