Star Wars

I was 8 years old. My mom, my two aunts and three cousins were standing on this long line on Times Square to see this movie. We went in and got our seats. It was crowded with people. The lights dims then this music came blaring out of the screen with the this title:

I was transfixed. My love of Star Wars began then and I have continued to this day. Star Wars came out May 25, 1977. No one had a clue how this movie would revolutionize movies, the film business and attract legions of dedicated fans.

At 8, I no idea of all that. All I knew is that Luke, Leia, Han, Obi Wan, Artoo, Threepio, Chewbacca and Vader became like extended family to me. Everyone has their favorite character. The one who they really connected to.

My favorite was Luke Skywalker. First, I felt Luke echoed a part of me. Like Luke, I had father issues. As the sequels came after, Luke's journey especially with Vader would mirror my own with my father. Second, Mark Hamill was just dreamy to me. Sorry, Harrison..you just wasn't the man for me back in the day.

The whole idea of The Force captured me. As Obi Wan says about The Force: It's a mystical energy field created by all living things;That binds the galaxy together. It can guide you and obey your commands. I wanted some of that! To be a Jedi and go on adventures with Luke was my dream. My love of the Force completely made sense to me because my mom always drummed into me to always follow my instincts. To me at 8, that sounded like I was using The Force.

Star Wars had five movies that followed it. Each movie brought new beloved characters and new adventures. My favorite of the whole series is The Empire Strikes Back. Which happens to be my favorite movie of all time. I have to do a post dedicated to Empire in the future.

I feel I haven't even scratched the surface on how much I love Star Wars. It would take too long in one post. Hopefully, I shared a sense of it. If there is one message from the original Star Wars, it's this: Belief in yourself and your abilities can take you farther than you can imagine. You may be the person the world is waiting for.

Here are two great scenes for you.

The lyrical and moving Sunset scene.



The famous Trench run. Where Luke finally begins to trust himself and use The Force. You have no idea how many times as a kid from to even now. I say to myself, "Use The Force, Shell. Let go, Shell." You know what, it works every time for me.





To everyone out there and all the vets on Memorial Day: The Force will be with you always.