Finding Faith and Hope at the 81st Oscar Awards

I dreaded watching the Oscars this year.

For weeks I had been pushing the event at the back of my head. Everyone at home knew it was a sensitive topic and avoided discussing it with me. But after church last night, the Oscar fever had gripped everyone at home and this morning my son woke me by yelling "Mom! It's 30 minutes to the Oscars!" Bless his heart.

I grew up with the Oscars. The annual awards night was a must-see ever since I was eight years old. Watching it with my parents and rooting for our favorites made for many wonderful childhood memories. Growing up, after my dad died, it would be an annual thing that my mom and I would mark. Later on, I would watch it by myself, taking a leave either from classes (unless there was an exam) or from work (unless it was a matter of life and death) and I would sit glued on my chair for three hours, totally lost in the magic of the Oscars. One year, we were all holed up in hotel a few kilometers from where the Oscars were being held and just to be in the same vicinity was sheer joy for me.

For the last five years or so, I've had a running bet with a dear friend everytime Oscar season came. Being such movie people, we would both draw up our fearless forecast from the six major categories - Film, Director, Lead and Supporting Actor and Actress. On the eve of the Oscars, we would email each other and whoever wins would get a DVD of choice and gets treated to lunch the following month. It was something I looked forward to with much anticipation.

There were no bets this year because I lost my friend. It was a loss that I grieved very deeply for over the last year and tried to understand. Such is the nature of the grieving process - you remember the loss at significant times, when rituals that were previosuly shared with the person cease to be. But we all move on, grudgingly sometimes, and the Oscars show goes on...

So there I sat this morning, sandwiched between the loves of my life - husband, daughter and son -- alternately laughing, crying, applauding at what has to be the best Oscar awards show I have seen in 36 years. And once more I find myself thankful to God for bringing back my joy. I will be no hypocrite and say that I did not think of my friend, wondering who he was rooting for when the major awards were being called out. I thank God for Facebook. I must have updated my status a thousand times this morning. Where previously my friend and I would text each other as the winners were called, there I was updating my status every 15 minutes or so. We do what we do to cope :)

This year's Oscars had the best of everything -- fantastic production value, a dizzying array of talent and legends, an awesome list of nominees. It had every ingredient to make it one amazing Oscar night to remember. Ths year I guessed 4 out of 6 winners, not bad.

I knew the day was going to turn out all right when Hugh Jackman appeared on stage and started to sing. My jaw just dropped and I forgot all my grief :) God is good. HE wrapped me in the love of family and Facebook friends to get me through, and put the rockingly gorgeous Hugh to make my day :)

See you at the movies!