The Christmas season has officially begun in my household. Last Saturday night we sat down as a family and again re-watched the Christmas classic movie, It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. Arguably, it is the best Christmas movie ever.

I’ve often wondered why I am drawn to this story in such an emotional way. I think it is because of the underlying theme that one life can affect so many others. It is a refreshingly unselfish way to think about ourselves. As we go about our days, we soon come to realize that so much that happens to us is out of our control.Things happen. We can’t always control them. All we can do is react to them. And we are so busy reacting to things that are happening to us that we don’t seem to give much thought to how our lives are affecting others.

What we need to recognize is that control and impact are two different things. True, we can’t control what happens to us. But we can always control how we react to it. And it is our reaction to the events that happen that will have an impact on those around us. The ripples caused by that impact can (and does) make a world of difference. It is what George Bailey (played by Jimmy Stewart) comes to realize. Hopefully it is a lesson we can all learn.

Michael Ondrasik and Home Video Studio specialize in the preservation of family memories. For more information, call 352-735-8550. http://www.homevideostudio.com/mtd