The movie is purportedly based on a true story. Actors George Vincent (Peter Ranos) and Kristina Denton (Ellie Ranos) play the roles of a husband and wife who face extremely difficult financial times and illness. Peter was not a believer in God, nor did he believe in the protagonist of the Christian story, Jesus Christ.
As Mr. and Mrs. Ranos spiraled down the rabbit hole of financial ruin, facing one pecuniary disaster after another, Ellie finds herself pregnant. The loving couple is broke, with no way of handling a new mouth to feed coupled with the monetary obligations that come with raising a child. Ellie worked as a hairstylist, while Peter pursued a somewhat fruitless acting career. So basically, he's unemployed and has been for the past year. The sub-plot of the movie was that their home was about to be foreclosed on.
They tried to get loans, all denied, so the couple ends up selling most of the valuable items in their home. The two most precious being a stamp-collection inherited from his father and valuable jewelry passed down to Ellie from her late grandmother. They also received financial assistance from Peter's mother Sylvia (portrayed by Bonnie Hellman) and his best friend Matt (Mike Madrigal), a 'ride or die' friend to say the least. All that was sold, including a yard-sale - in which a bicycle cop shut down because they failed to get a permit - was still not enough to stop the foreclosure.
Six days before being foreclosed on, their dire situation gets worse when Ellie passes out from intense pain. Turns out she's bleeding internally and has to have major surgery to essentially end the life of her unborn child to save her own. Shortly before this occurred, Peter finds employment at an Art Framing shop but ends up losing the job because he's at his ailing wife's hospital bedside. At wits' end and nearly out of options, Peter sits alone and cries out to the Universe.
The next day, a voice tells him to "go to the bank." He walks into a Credit Union, where he has no account, no affiliation. There Peter encounters an older gentleman with a blue baseball cap on, sport blazer and tennis shoes, who goes by the name of Tony (Frank Ashmore). The two men greet one another, "Well, hello my friend. Hey, how are you? Better now that you're here," says Tony. "Thanks, no one has ever greeted me that way. Well if you can't be nice to someone now, when can you be? Hmmm, guess there's always Heaven." "I guess so," says Peter. He continues, "Do you work here? Oh no, no, no... as soon as I saw you walk up, I knew you were the one. Excuse me? I was at home minding my own business when God told me to come here, to tell a man that everything's gonna be OK." Tony asked if he could pray for Peter. He said yes, and the two men held hands while Tony said a brief prayer.
Peter's fortune begins to change almost as soon as he exits the Credit Union. A few days later, he returns to the Credit Union to thank Tony. Peter approaches the teller, describes the guy, her reply, "Tony passed about a year ago."
At this point in the movie is where the author can relate and the reason why this article was written. I've been where Peter and Ellie were. Seemingly at the end of my rope, no place to turn but to the heavens. The problem with that, like Peter, I was not a subscriber to Christianity. My decision to abandon Christianity and Organized Religion was based on over three decades of independent research. I am convinced, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that the protagonist of the Roman story called Christianity, is simply the latest version of the apocryphal 'Savior of humanity' motif. A myth bandied about, starting some 3000 plus years before the Common Era, aka "Before Christ."
The majority of the Bible is plagiarized, lifted from Egyptian folklore. Nonetheless, there are wise and profound anecdotes in this pseudo holy book. One that is applicable to the movie and this article is Hebrews 13-2 (KJV), "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." 21st-century translation: Angels are around us every day of our lives.
My experience occurred during the toughest time of my life (when Angelic beings will often appear in the flesh), over 20 years ago going through my divorce and custody battle. Peter and Ellie were dealing with what author Thomas Moore wrote about in his book entitled, "Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals." When we're engulfed in depressing, debilitating, and difficult times, Angels are at our beck and call.
The first time I encountered an Angelic presence in the flesh (at the time, I was unaware of who the stranger was, giving me very sound spiritual advice) was over 30 years ago when I relocated from Dallas, TX to Oakland, CA. I had no earthly (no pun intended) idea that the cost of living in the Bay Area was so expensive. In the first few months, I stayed with a relative but was determined to get my own place. Living alone and independently was what I had been accustomed to. From one apartment complex to the next, the landlord would show me a 1-bedroom apartment, it would be pretty nice, I would ask, "what's the rent?" He or she would always come back with an astronomical amount. I seriously considered moving back to Dallas because I'm thinking, "I cannot make it here." What was going to be my last day of apartment hunting, I came across a slightly over-weight African American female who could tell by my demeanor and the look on my face, that I was in a bad place mentally and emotionally. We started to talk, I told her that I'd probably be moving back home because the prices out here are ridiculous. She calmly stated, "Don't worry, you will find something you can afford, and you will be alright."
In hindsight, the difference between speaking to a mortal being and a spiritual being who has entered our stratosphere to assist is the soothing nature of their conversation, their wisdom, coupled with composed confidence. Within a few weeks, I found a nice, 1-bedroom-efficiency in Oakland. It wasn't in the nicest neighborhood (not the worst, nowhere close to the best), but my little spot on Lacey Ave would be home for the next 4 years until I moved to San Leandro.
Two years after a job-relocation to Atlanta, I found myself walking down the aisle of matrimony. Six years later, I was in divorce court and battling for the right to raise my daughter and son. At 3 years of age, on a weekend visitation, my daughter, out of the blue, as we watched cartoons, stated, "Dad, everything will be OK." It was a profound statement and certainly did not emanate from a 3-year-old.
Another spirit visitation occurred two months later, at Ballys Fitness Center in Norcross, GA. On a balmy Saturday afternoon, I worked out for about an hour and decided to leave. A few blocks up the street, I thought, "My kids are with their mom this weekend so why not go back to the gym and workout another hour or so." I turned around and headed back to the gym. I opened the same locker that I previously used and low and behold, my driver's license was there. I was not aware that I'd left my license. When I noticed this, I turned around facing the one guy that was in the locker room and told him of my luck. Not a big deal, but something to briefly point out. The first response from this stranger was, "Isn't God good." A bit surprised by his response, I said yes, but it was not a convincing yes because I didn't think it was that big of a deal. During that time of my life, practically every thought centered around my children. I was overwhelmed with trepidation because I didn't want to think about what my life would have been like, being an "every-other-weekend-dad."
I struck up a conversation with the stranger, lamenting about my woes dealing with the judicial system and custody. He listened empathetically. After I finished unloading my personal problems on the guy, he asked, "Do you mind if we pray?" Just like Tony in the movie. A bit caught off guard, I quickly surveyed the locker room, we were the only two people there, so I said, "sure." He said a brief prayer, assured me that things would work out, we shook hands, and I never saw the guy again. A couple months later, the Honorable Judge Robin Nash awarded me full custody of my daughter and son.
One question Tony asked Peter was, "Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?" He hesitantly replied, "Yes." This is the one part of that particular scene that I wholeheartedly disagree with. Because, what if Peter would have said no? Then, according to the Christian belief system, God would not show Peter 'favor'. If 'He' did, then what would be the purpose, and what has ever been the purpose of such an unrealistic inquiry?
Spirit does not play favorites. Spirit or the spiritual realm (from whence we all came) does not have a "chosen people." Regardless of what you've read in the evangelical holy books. The Universe operates by many immutable laws; one such law is referred to as the "Law of Reciprocity," also known as "reaping what one sows." What this means in layman's terms is, if you have lived your life steadfastly toward the good - meaning you have never been one to deliberately mislead, fabricate, or harm others - then the consequences of the way you have conducted yourself, up to the point of your "Dark Night of the Soul," life will fall into place for you at every turn.
Our earthly sojourn is about learning; it's about experiencing life as a human species for the maturation of the Soul. The pious nomenclature that most of us grew up on, is no more than pomp and circumstance, created by Man, to dupe, mislead, manipulate and financially rape humanity.
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