You is kind . . . you is smart . . . you is important — Aibilene Clark, The Help
Short one today.
There have been two books in my life that brought me to tears. The first one was Zora Neale Hurston’s masterpiece, Their Eyes Were Watching God. I read it in Bermuda, with its insistent tropical winds driving me from page to page. I closed the book and wept.
The second time was more recent, when my friend Sharon told me I should pick up a book called The Help by a writer named Kathleen Stockett. I opted for the audiobook version to keep me company on an all-night train to Boston last spring and, like most well-read audiobooks, it kept me awake and riveted for hours. I never slept. Obviously, it’s an instant classic, beautifully written and exceedingly important.
Then Sharon and I dragged our husbands to see the movie last Friday. “Uh-oh,” I could hear them thinking, “chick flick.” Women outnumbered men in the audience 50:1. We assured them that this was not a chick flick. Anyway, I hope more men go and see it.
I’m often terrified of book-to-movie adaptations, but this one was good. Maybe great. Sure, there are scenes that have been left out, but the movie stands alone as a complete story and, hey, it’s already two and a half hours long! If you loved the book, you won’t be disappointed. My favorite part of the movie actually came while the credits were rolling. The audience applauded. In Richmond, Virginia, the audience applauded. I was over the moon. More tears. Maybe we’ve learned something, after all.
But it gets better.
At church on Sunday, Pastor Jon not only mentioned the movie during his sermon, but he adapted Abileen’s benediction for us as we stood to close the service: You are kind . . . you are smart . . . you are important. Then he added, You are blessed. You got it. More tears. I admit it: I’m a softie.
So what does this have to do with travel and travel writing? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. Pick up the books. Go see the movie. Be transported. See how far we’ve come. And how far we still have to go.
Buon viaggio!
Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…
Linda Dini Jenkins is a card-carrying Italophile, travel planner, freelance writer, and amateur photographer. Travel is her passion, so writing about her travels just comes naturally. She hopes all her travelers find a way to express their joys, surprises, and fears as they travel and gives every traveler a nifty journal to help smooth the way. Learn more…
