Imani MCC of Durham

So I’ve been thinking a lot, lately, about how much of our pain comes from relationships with people we love. A real bummer, right? But stick with me - there’s usually good news by the end.

I don’t think anyone is exempt. I have simply never met and gotten to know anyone, even fairly well, who has not experienced the soul-searing pain of being misunderstood, betrayed, left, or otherwise hurt by someone s/he loved deeply. We all have those stories. Some of them are real heart-breakers.

You know how football fans get when it’s Super Bowl Sunday? There’s this almost palpable energy that flows between them; something comparable to being in a room full of children on Christmas Eve. Well, that’s how I feel every year on Oscar Sunday. Yes, the Academy Awards took place four days ago and I’m still talking about it, still reading internet articles, and looking at red carpet photos. Call it one of my guilty pleasures - I just love the Oscars!

And the funny thing is that I don’t go to the movies very often at all. I don’t watch them much on TV either. I would estimate that I might watch a total of six to eight movies per year - that includes a couple of trips to a theater and maybe four or five on TV. And yet, I love the Oscars.