The Latest From Daniel Davis

Family Matters

As I write this I am sitting in a basement where rows of folding chairs are lined up to resemble a movie theater and Cuba Gooding Jr.’s movie Snow Dogs is playing on the big screen (an old 25 inch TV perched on top of an even older washstand). The opening of this film was so anticipated at this venue that I had to fork over 7 cents a full day in advance for a ticket to the screening.  For the price of admission, I also receive bottomless popcorn and soda.  The concession stand sells candy bars and chips for a couple of pennies more.

This is the operation of my nephew, Jase.  And as you may have guessed, he’s a mature kid with an entrepreneurial spirit.  Minus the grandparent who is already snoring as we ease into the action of the movie, it almost feels like the real deal.  Just before intermission, I’ve already been shushed twice for laughing too raucously, shelled out a low interest loan of 10 cents to a niece with a chocolate craving, and allowed myself to get carried away by teaming up with a second nephew to toss popcorn from the back row towards an attendee up front.

Yes, this is one of those family moments that I’ll be remembering for a long time to come.

Somehow movies have always created important memories for me in relation to family.  When I was growing up, we lived four blocks from the downtown movie theater in our small town.  Regularly, my family made the trek down to the Harrisburg Cine 4 to catch a movie and every now and then we even stuck around to experience a double feature.  Regardless of how good the feature film may have been, my favorite part of the evening inevitably was the walk home.  While we often hurried to the theater to avoid the lines or to catch the show on time, it seemed like the walk home was when the whole world slowed down and the members of my family put the rest of their lives on pause to simply enjoy our relationships with each other.  It was easy to get lost in conversation on those walks home from the movies and easy to not take each other for granted.

I hope you’ve experienced moments like that with your family.  The moments you glance back upon and smile.  The moments that carry more weight in your memories than all of the accolades and achievements positioned upon your mantle.  The moments you wouldn’t trade for anything the world offers you.  The moments where the company you were surrounded by was so much more important than the details of what was happening.

Plain and simple, our families matter.  And as I’m about to go back and grab fourths on my bottomless bowl of popcorn, I’m hoping you will take some time this week to create a memory with a nephew, sibling, parent, or any other relative you choose.  I’m confident you will find they are worth the time you spend with them and that your time together will make way for moments you will be talking about for years to come.

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