Annie Buckley

It is hard for me to believe that I had never watched this stellar film in my entire life! I had heard of it but never made the time to watch it . Well, I'm watching it this morning (Christmas Eve morning 2020) and am thoroughly enjoying it! What a terrific discovery! MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! And NO Bah Humbugs! :D

This DVD was loaned to me from a friend and as I watched it I was personally touched deeply. I had a son born to me who was born with Spina Bifida and was paraplegic from birth. Although his challenge was not a a facial deformity his challenges were quite obvious. Despite the fact that he was in a wheelchair from early on he developed a wide circle of friends along the way and due to his sense of humor and comedic personality he was well-liked in school. He also had two brothers, the older of which later confided in me that sometimes felt like he was invisible and in the background (simply because of all the medical issues that needed to be dealt with mainly in the early years). In reality he and his youngest brother were this challenged brother's strongest supporters. All three were very close. As the years went by my challenged son overcame many obstacles (personal, physical and emotional) and I often marveled at his inner fortitude to do so. He was social and tried to do as many things as his unencumbered friends and brothers did. His greatest achievement despite his challenges was going on an elk hunt in Wyoming. On his first day out (Thanksgiving Day 2009) with the aid of some clever adaptive equipment to help him hold his rifle... along just before sundown he managed to get his cow elk... on the very first shot! He was so thrilled and excited! I will never forget his comment to us after that life altering experience... "You KNOW that if I was able to walk like everyone else I would be one of those hunting-fishing kind of guys! No one back home will believe that I did this!" He was so proud!! He had accomplished his version of Auggie's dream of walking on the Moon! My son passed away from natural causes at age 33 years... unfortunately, before we were even able to hang his museum quality mount on the wall for him to see. But each time I see it my son's beautiful spirit comes flooding back into my heart. Two lines from the film have stayed with me: "When given a choice between being right and being kind... choose kind". And... "Be kind... for everyone is fighting a hard battle." This film, "Wonder" was a wonderful tribute to everyone who endures struggles that are both obvious and those that are unseen.