BELLOWS FALLS — How many times have you watched the holiday movie It's a Wonderful Life in recent years? I never tire of watching this revealing and moving film that - thank goodness - has such a firm grip on the American brand.
Ironically, the entire movie was filmed on a set near Hollywood during the hot summer months of 1946. When the film came out, the critics and the general audience didn't think much of it, and what fun that here we are 65 years later and it is now considered the all-time best holiday movie.
The Frank Capra slice of Americana genius is stunning. In past years, the emotional ties in general to good friends and family, and downright spooky connections between Bedford Falls and my hometown of Bellows Falls, have been dominant factors for me.
The favorite bar in both the movie and my hometown has always been Nick's. The letter jacket letters say “B.F.” in both places. There's a classic bridge over a river in the middle of town.
And I'm not the only one from my Vermont hometown who not only believes but regularly communicates with guardian angels like Clarence. My angels are my long-lost brothers, Terry and Peter.
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I was fortunate to grow up in Bellows Falls, a classic small-town setting much like Bedford Falls in the movie, where it was wonderful most of the time.
Both towns are old factory communities struggling to stay afloat financially, and there are some villains in both the movie and my hometown who take selfish joy in keeping other people down.
But my treasured village is also where my two younger brothers both died at very young ages. So there were times there not so wonderful despite the virtues of a close-knit community.
What if my brother Peter hadn't died of cancer when I was 8 and he was 7? What impact would he have had on our family and our community in this world?
One thing for sure, brother Pete had a better sense of humor and laughed more than I did. His blond hair and blue eyes would have set the ladies in his life ablaze.
Brother Terry died 30 years ago on Dec. 29, 1981 in a tragic Bellows Falls fire. He and fellow firefighter Dana Fuller were among the first on the scene of a terrible fire in a large building right on the famous brick square of ancient buildings. They never got out alive. Terry was 21.
Terry also had a better personality than I did, and there wasn't anyone ever who didn't like his style and zest for life.
He was the best 150-pound linebacker that our school football program ever had, even though as a varsity player on an under-manned squad, he never tasted victory over three years. That “Terrier Team that Didn't Quit” set the stage for future state championship teams.
I've stayed in touch from people in Terry's high school class, who are all five or six years younger than I, and they fondly recall good memories with him. A wise and sweet girl - one he was likely going to marry someday - places roses on his grave every Dec. 29.
Last year, the story hit me in a very personal way with a community memorial that commemorated the 30th anniversary of the fire and his death.
What if Terry were here today? My imagination says that he would have found a great wife and that he would have had a bunch of kids - naturally, all athletes and outdoor enthusiasts.
He was a giver and not a taker, who inspired other people around him. Perhaps he would have ended up being the fire chief, the town manager, or the state senator serving his hometown of Bellows Falls.
It's still very difficult to think about my brothers in Bellows Falls after all these years of loss. I still wonder why and what could have been. Can you imagine my parents' loss of not one son, but two?
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If anything, for sure, my brothers' absence in Bellows Falls and beyond did some positive things for me, my sister, my father, and all those around us.
We have all had intense passion for making a difference and helping others. We also haven't had much patience for people like Mr. Potter, the bad guy in Wonderful Life, and other bad guys who think only of themselves and not about the good of others. As a wonderful and oft-spoken Vermont saying goes, “We don't suffer fools wisely.”
Just as Jimmy Stewart learns in the movie, we treasure the reality that rich men and women are not those with tons of money, but sincerely those with cherished friends down the street and all over the world.
George Bailey made a huge difference to the quality of life for others in the screen version. I know that this fabled American story will always be a guiding light for me and so many other people.
In real life, my brothers were only in Bellows Falls for a short time, but they made a difference in many ways to so many others.
That's a good way to live a wonderful life.