We had a great trip to the lake & the only thing that would have made it better would to have everybody with us. This was during the government shut down so we had the whole lake to ourselves. We watched a ton of movies including the full set of the extended versions of Lord of the Rings (straight through).

My favorite movies are about character and 2 of my favorites are Kingdom of Heaven and Gladiator.

In Kingdom of Heaven, Godfrey de Ibelin (Liam Neeson) is dying as he “Knights” his son Balian. He gives him the following counsel:

• Be without fear in the face of your enemys
• Be brave and upright that God may love thee (God loves us in spite of ourselves being brave and upright just makes it easier)
• Speak the truth always even if it leads to your death
• Safeguard the helpless and do no wrong

He concludes with a harsh slap to Balian’s face and says “that is so you won’t forget”.

In Gladiator just as Maximus (Russell Crowe) is leading an attack he tells his army to remember that “What happens in life echos in the eternities”. In other words, what we do matters.