Love Forgives the Bad In You.

I often wonder how well behaved my children will be.

Not that I have any children yet but I often feel a bit of dread when I know I have to be around certain babies, toddlers, infants and small children. Some are even more hyper than I am but most of the time, I remember to think that they're only children. They don't know what else to do but be kids.

Some kids I think, how can they're parents cope with all of it...

Then you have children with a disability or two.

They require more of your time, or even all of your time..

I hold those parents in high regard...

I wonder if I will be able to handle it all when my times arrives.

I watched Marley and Me yesterday. And if you haven't already seen it then I suggest that you do before they take it off the screens. But to give you a quick synopsis of what the movie is about is newlyweds starting their lives off as married people, and with it comes what careers to pick, where to go for jobs, what city they would like to live in, and children.

But the movie revolves around a dog called Marley. The newlyweds; John and Jenny Grogran (Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston) has just decided to purchase a dog, well it was a birthday surprise from John to Jenny and they happen to pick the 'Clearance Puppy', that's Marley by the way. Don't ask me how the name 'Clearance Puppy' came about... I'm guessing because he looked a little lethargic when J and J went to visit the farm with the puppies, and the owner was selling him cheaper than the rest of his brothers and sisters. But 'Clearance Puppy' turned out to be more than they bargained for.

From the minute Marley walked into the house, he was eating, and chewing anything that looked edible to him. He even chewed on the plasterboard wall.

He just seemed as though he wasn't one to be taught. He just seemed too boisterous. Too hyper and too uncontrollable.

But I think the movie for me really kicks off when J and J decide to start a family. Unfortunately, their first attempt failed, the baby inside died within 9 weeks. But try and you will succeed, second time lucky and Jenny gives birth to a baby boy called Patrick.

A funny moment when Jenny brings baby Patrick home was that both of the parents, well mainly John I guess as it portrays him more worried than Jenny that Marley might think that baby Patrick as a chew toy. However that didn't happen and as Patrick grew up, Dog and child seemed to get along without any hassle for master slash parents.

As the movie progresses, another baby boy comes into the world called Connor. And probably a good few months after the birth of Connor, the marriage begins to strain. Jenny finds it difficult to cope with looking after her two boys and also be on the look out for anything Marley does. And one incident too many, Jenny confronts John when he comes home from work to demand that the dog be sent elsewhere. John thinks this is irrational but does agree to take the dog elsewhere, though John just sends Marley off to a friends for a couple of days. During which Jenny has second thoughts about Marley being away from what Jenny said as Marley's home.

This moment in the movie really spoke with me. Not that I've been in a position where I've had to kick someone out of my home, or I hope that my parents haven't wanted me out of theirs. But Jenny sees pass Marley's bad habits and behaviour and still loves her dog til death do them part. It was a moment in the movie where her relationship with husband seemed to be stormy and John had thoughts, small thoughts though of leaving the relationship. But one of them said to the other that leaving it wasn't right;

Mend it, don't end it.

Thankfully they worked it out and Marley was allowed back home, and the relationship appeared to be stronger than it was.

So moving along, another child enters the world. Baby Colleen.

What could a guy asked for? Jenny Grogan who is smoking hot. Looks like Jennifer Aniston by the way... hehe. And 3 kids. And a dog. You could say 4. And a fantansic home with a pool.

Brilliant. I would love to be in his position.

The one down point for him is that his job isn't his preffered although what he does, he's great at it. What was a temporary role as a columnist for a newspaper became permanent along with a two fold pay rise.

Things seemed to look rosy in the movie. The children grew up into small children, primary school age, Colleen was a little younger, maybe pre-school.

But as with all good things, they have to come to an end.

Unfortunately for Marley, he was well into his advanced years. Along with it came illness.

Marley survived one health scare and seemed as though he could live a lot more longer than he did.

The movie doesn't give you a timescale of when important occurences happened.

Marley just died.....

Something up with his stomach.

The decision was taken by John that Marley had to be enthanised such was the pain he was in I guess.

But the poignant moment in the movie is when Marley laid there on the table, about to be injected with the whatever it is to kill Marley off.

John contemplating life without Marley.

John reminiscing with Marley about the good times they had.

John tells his dog that although he may dubbed the 'worst dog' ever because of all the naughty things he's done.

None of that mattered anymore.

To John, to Jenny, to the children;

He was the perfect dog.

Marley closes his eyes..........

...............

He was buried outside the family home in a moving funeral.

I really felt as though Marley was part of me.

I watched him grow up.

I watched him be the dog that he became.

I loved him too.

But he wasn't. He was make believe.

oops.

He might have been a strain to their marriage, to the family, but love forgives and forgets the wrong in someone.

Like God does with us.

We don't always do what is asked of us, yet I'm sure God will still love us the same.

What a movie.

Go see it.

PS. I Love You.