i {heart} toy story 3

i'm in portland visiting my sister and brother-in-law for thanksgiving and my birthday. it's been great.... except that i thought i would get a break from the cold utah weather. i did not expect it to follow me here! but on nights like these, we cozy up with a mug of homemade hot cocoa and watch a good movie.

and how did i not see this gem of a movie until tonight?

i just assumed, like many sequels, it would be more of the same.

not true.

can i tell you how much i loved it?

i really loved it!

i drew so many parallels to my life and to the human experience in general from the fantastic storyline that had me laughing hysterically throughout the whole movie, but of course left me with "warm fuzzies" in the end. actually... there were "warm fuzzies" all through the movie, too! you just can't ask for more than that. and all that - and more - from an animated film?

definitely not what i was expecting!

{not that i don't like animation...}

though it's difficult to pick a favorite part, right now i would have to say that i have two:

**spoiler alert**

1) when the toys have accepted their fate of being thrown into the fire pit and hold hands to face it head-on together... then they're saved.
isn't it at the times when we have finally accepted the crummy circumstances in our lives with the mantra "live and let God" that Heavenly Father often show his hand and perform miracles? those tender mercies remind us that He has always had His hand in our lives, He was simply waiting for us to accept the things we could not change and turn our will -- the only thing that is ours to give -- over to Him.  *love it!*
2) when andy realizes woody is at the bottom of the donation box and the little girl's anticipation tugs at his heart strings. he knows it's time to let go and, even though he thinks he's not ready yet, it's the right thing to do.
i struggle to let go... of memories, of people, of inanimate objects. letting go can be extremely difficult and we can keep putting it off because we are scared of change, of the 'unknown' that can be so uncomfortable. we often feel we're not ready to let go, using that as an excuse to hold on unnecessarily to something that truly only keeps us from growing and 'spreading our wings' per say.

{obviously, when i write "we" i'm really speaking about myself... but please, take what you can use! i love to share.}

so... these were just some thoughts i had on this lovely movie my sister, her husband, and i watched tonight. what did you think of the movie? any thoughts to share?