What Happened After the Credits Rolled?

I watched Sleepless in Seattle last night. 

And somewhere between the map, the letters, the radio show, and the trip to New York, I started thinking about following your heart.

First of all, remember life before smartphones? 😂

Annie had a map.

She wrote letters.

She listened to a man on the radio and somehow felt a connection to someone she'd never met.

And Becky, her best friend, basically encouraged all of Annie's shenanigans.

So Annie followed her heart.

But what I love is that Jonah followed his, too.

This kid got on a plane and flew to New York City by himself.

Which seems ridiculous even for a movie. 😂

His dad, Sam, was completely panicked and racing across the country trying to find him, while Jonah somehow made his way through New York City to the top of the Empire State Building.

Because, you know...rom-com! 

Watching it now, there was something else I noticed.

The movie was filmed before 9/11. The Twin Towers are still part of the New York skyline.

It's one of those little things that instantly takes you back to another time. A world before smartphones. Before 9/11. Before we could pull up a map, send a text or track our kids' location from the palm of our hand. (Although I'm pretty sure Sam would have appreciated Find My.)

And somehow, through all of it, Annie and Sam found each other.

They held hands.

They walked away together.

The credits rolled.

But here's the thing...

We don't know what happened next.

Was there a happily ever after?

We don't know.

And maybe that's what I love about it.

Because isn't that how life really works?

We want the map.

We want the plan.

We want to know how the story ends before we're willing to take the first step.

But sometimes you just have to follow your heart.

Take the leap.

Trust your gut.

And see where the next chapter takes you.

Maybe you don't need the whole map.

Maybe you just need enough courage to take the next step.

And, if you're lucky, a Becky in your corner saying, “Go for it.”

Here's to the chapters we haven't written yet. ❤️

ps. Fun fact about Meg Ryan. She went to my high school in Bethel, Connecticut. She's two years older than me. So when I was in 10th grade she was a senior. I had a huge crush on her brother, Andy. lol She was just Meg Hyra back then. A pretty girl who was in theatre. ❤️