The Place Where Lost Things Go

Definition of Lost - "1. Unable to find one's way; not knowing one's whereabouts.  2. Denoting something that has been taken away or cannot be recovered."

In the movie Mary Poppins Returns, Emily Blunt sings a lullaby to the Banks children to remind them their mother who has passed away, can be found where the lost things go.  This song and scene gave me pause to think more deeply about loss and our society now that my parents, part of the greatest generation, are gone.  

So much of the turmoil in our country is that we believe we are losing who we are in the transition to the new.  We no longer recognize the values taught to us in our youth as we struggle to emerge into the twenty-first century.  We have become a nation of transactions, not of collective values and vision.  

But we must remember that past generations have faced crises and overcome their obstacles changing and moving society forward to be more progressive, inclusive and diverse.  

As I think about the values of my parents, they were not lost when my parents moved on.  Those values are here inside me and, in every person, I touch when I practice my parents’ lessons.  In an age where we are driven by rapid change, economic inequality, and threats to our existence, we need to visualize what our world can be collectively and work towards it.  We can find our way, and what we feel we have lost, can be recovered. 

As Emily Blunt  (Mary Poppins) sings,  the lost things never really left. 

The Place Where Lost Things Go

"Do you ever dream

Or reminisce

Wondering where to find

What you truly miss

Well maybe all those things

That you love so

Are waiting in the place

Where the lost things go

Memories you've shed

Gone for good you feared

They're all around you still

Though they've disappeared

Nothing's really left

Or lost without a trace

Nothing's gone forever

Only out of place"

Mary Poppins Returns

 "You've forgotten what it's like to be a child." - Angela Lansbury in Mary Poppins Returns
Annabel Banks: "Everything is possible."
Mary Poppins: "Even the impossible."

The first theater movie I ever watched was Mary Poppins when I was four with my mother, father and brother.  This Christmas morning I made a solo trip to the theater to see Mary Poppins Returns, my parents long gone and my brother, nieces and nephews now dispersed throughout the country.  As Mary Poppins (Emily Blunt) descended from the sky tears trickled down my cheeks.  I did not expect such an emotional experience at seeing Mary Poppins return.  The movie set and score were beautiful and took me back to my childhood, but also caused me to reflect on my life today.  As Emily Blunt sang "The Place Where Lost Things Go" as the children mourn their mother, I was reminded my parents and other loved ones were now gone, but still close in my memories.  As they sang "Can You Imagine That" I remembered how powerful my imagination has always been, but lately I have been putting my dreams aside as an adult is expected to do.  I have been feeling that labels, like the cover of a book in the song "A Cover is Not the Book," are often misleading and lack the depth of the person or the book itself.  Sometimes I think we need to turn our world upside down like the scene and song "Turning Turtle" to see life as it really is.  I have been saving dance videos because I needed to "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" to feel joy in my life and reflect the light in our lives.  And sometimes we need to realize there is "Nowhere to Go but Up" when we are feeling down and our dreams are out of reach.

In the beginning of the movie, Mary Poppins says she will stay with the Banks family until the door opens.  In the final scene, as Michael and Jane and Michael's children approach the front door to their home, Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins and Angela Lansbury observe the adults are remembering Mary Poppins and her magic, but will soon forget as all adults do.  The front door blows wide open with a huge gust of energy, Mary looks surprised.  She then realizes now is the time she should go with a knowing smile on her face.  I started to cry in earnest as I realized that a door once chained and locked had been blown open for me, if only I would walk through it.

A door or doorway symbolizes the transition and passageway from one place to another. A door is often used to symbolize the passage from one world to another in religion, mythology, and literature.  In our passage from childhood to adult, we forget that "everything is possible, even the impossible."  Jesus said to come to him like children.  Jesus blew the door wide open, if only we believe.