My
editor wanted me to list the movies that, in one way or another, have helped me
cope. Here's a short list. Because of my memory problems, I'm quite sure there
were many others. But, these celebrate the ability to overcome all types of
adversities. I’ve added an asterisk (*) when the movie relates to brain injury.
50
First Dates* [The beginning of this film is a bit
vulgar, and the facts are not actual, but hang in there; it has an excellent
story about helping someone cope with a head injury. And I think the ending
song is the best version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” I’ve ever heard.]
90
Minutes in Heaven
As
Good As It Gets [Jack Nicholson’s OCD behaviors in that restaurant
were EXACTLY like mine! I used to bring my own plasticware, too.]
Baby
Boom
The
Bucket List [John Mayer’s song at the end of this
excellent movie is listed in my Music chapter.]
Concussion*
A
Dog’s Purpose [Though this movie got some “bad press,” I
believed the folks affiliated with the film who stated there was no bad
treatment of any dog while filming. This touching movie gave me a helpful
mantra that I repeat daily: “Be Here Now.”]
Eddie
the Eagle
Finding
Dory
Flashdance
God’s
Not Dead 2 [I wish I had seen the original. Maybe I
will someday when I put this pen down.]
The
Goodbye Girl
A
Heavenly Christmas* [Hallmark Movie Channel]
Hope
Floats [A great quote from this movie is, “Beginnings are
scary. Endings are usually sad. But it’s the middle that counts the most….”]
Ice
Castles
It’s
Complicated
Lion
Mary
Poppins [This was the first movie I ever saw, and I even still
have the album that came out with that movie.]
Message
in a Bottle
Miracles
from Heaven*
Mystic
Pizza
Rain
Man [A
lot of Dustin Hoffman’s character’s personality matched my first student,
Cliff.]
Regarding
Henry*
Saturday
Night Fever [Lots of scenes in this John Travolta film
were shot in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY, where I lived as a young child. Every
time I watch it, I see stores and places I used to go with my family.]
Serendipity
The
Shack [A powerful message about having God in your life.]
The
Sound of Music
Stepmom [I'm
not positive, but the hospital in that movie for Susan Sarandon's illness sure
looked like “my hospital” (NYU). If so, little did I know when I watched that
great film numerous times, that one day I'd be there myself. Also – it has an
excellent Hudson Valley, NY, poster in her character's house that you see you
when she's having fun with “her” kiddies. I love living in the Hudson Valley.]
Sweet
November [A lovely film about love that highlighted my birthday, November
1st, and began my love of calendars.]
Sully
Terms of
Endearment
Tootsie
A
Walk to Remember [A great quote from this movie is: “Maybe
God has a bigger plan for me than I had for myself.”]
War
Room [This stars Priscilla Shirer, who is an excellent
author and speaker.]
When
a Man Loves a Woman [This movie has the best quote: “You’re
not alone, honey. Never. Never.” How I wish that had been said to me!]
When
Harry Met Sally
The
Wizard of Oz [“A heart is not judged by how much you
love, but how much you are loved by others.” I sometimes agree.]
Working
Girl
You’ve
Got Mail
Now… Even though this part of
the book was about movies, to wrap this chapter up, I HAVE to do a “commercial”
for an excellent TV show on the A&E Channel entitled Born This Way. It's all about adults with Down syndrome and how
they navigate the world.
It is so true-to-life and
honestly poignant. Since I'm not writing a chapter about the television shows I
watch (though some have been mentioned in here), this show I'm adding to the
end of this chapter about movies because of how much I admire it.
As a former teacher of many
students with Down syndrome, I just love watching every episode (sometimes more
than once, thanks to my DVR abilities). If you haven't caught it, check it out.
I wish I could meet all of the people on that show to tell them face-to-face
how wonderful they are!
They tell it like it is, and I so appreciate that. The show covers
lots of real-life examples of getting along in the world. Kudos to whoever got
this show on the air!
Steven, a star on this show, said it best when he said, “Don't
dwell on the past. Don't think about the future too much. You've just gotta be
in the present right now.”
For the coming year, I (Douglas Winslow Cooper] will be
excerpting, weekly, material from this almost-final version of the fine book by Janet Johnson Schliff, M.S. Ed., which she wrote over a three-year period with some coaching and editing help from me, through my business, Write Your Book with Me.
excerpting, weekly, material from this almost-final version of the fine book by Janet Johnson Schliff, M.S. Ed., which she wrote over a three-year period with some coaching and editing help from me, through my business, Write Your Book with Me.
###
BOOK TALKS AND SIGNINGS
Janet Johnson Schliff was on WKNY Radio 1490 at 9:10 a.m. on Thursday, March 1, Kingston, NY.
Janet spoke at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 3 at Barnes & Noble in Kingston, NY. I [DWC] attended, along with about 40 other people. Congratulations to Janet on a fine talk!
Janet Johnson Schliff spoke at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, NY, at 7 p.m. on March 6.
Janet Johnson Schliff spoke at the Starr Library in Rhinebeck, NY, at 7 p.m. on March 6.
She spoke at the Golden Notebook Bookstore in Woodstock, NY, at 2 p.m. on March 17.
She spoke at the Morton Library in Rhinecliff, NY, at 6:30 p.m. on March 28.
She spoke at RCAL in Kingston, NY, at 4 p.m. on April 3. I was able to attend. They gave her an impromptu book-launch party.
On 4/4/18 Janet spoke at the Parkinson's Support Group at the Starr Library at Rhinebeck at 2:30 p.m.
On 4/27/18 Janet spoke at the Stone Ridge Library at 5:30 p.m.
On 5/4/18 Janet spoke at the Hurley Library at 6 p.m.
On 5/9/18 Janet spoke at the Kingston Library at 6 p.m.
On 5/14/18 Janet spoke at the Staatsburg Library at 7 p.m.
On 5/31/18 Janet spoke at the Clinton Community Library at 6:30 p.m.
On 6/9/18 Janet spoke at the Tannersville Mountain Top Library at noon.
On 6/11/18 Janet spoke at the Gardiner Library at 7 p.m.
On 6/11/18 Janet spoke at the Gardiner Library at 7 p.m.
On 6/20/18 Janet spoke at the Marbletown Community Center at 6 p.m.
On 7/13/18 Janet spoke at the Esopus Library at 7 p.m.
On 7/20/18 Janet spoke at the Pine Plains Library at 6 p.m.
On 7/20/18 Janet spoke at the Pine Plains Library at 6 p.m.
On 7/23/18 Janet spoke at the Ulster Library at 5:30 p.m.
On 8/11/18 Janet spoke at the Northern Dutchess Bible Church in Red Hook at 1:00 p.m.
On 9/15/18 Janet spoke at the Adriance Library in Poughkeepsie (93 Market St.) at 2:30 p.m.
On 9/21/18 Janet will be on the radio at station WRIP-FM (97.9) at 8 a.m.
On 9/28/18 Janet will be speaking at the Enchanted Cafe in Red Hook at 7 p.m.
On 10/04/18 Janet will be speaking at the Hyde Park Library at 7 p.m.
On 10/14/18 Janet will be participating in an Author Weekend at the Barnes & Noble in Poughkeepsie from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
More signings will be coming up. A fine feature about Janet by John DeSantos [845 LIFE] appeared in the Middletown Times Herald-Record on Monday, March 12, as part of Brain Injury Awareness Month. An article about her book was just published in the May 2018 Living Rhinebeck Magazine. An article about her book appeared in the May 14 Daily Freeman of Kingston, NY. and another in the Family Life section of the Poughkeepsie Journal on June 8th. The Millerton News published an article on Thursday, August 2, about her talk at the Pine Plains Library.
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