Oh, how you will delight the angels

She comes up at the strangest of moments, my Dead Rita. Today we watched one of our favorite movies, Babette's Feast. Winner of the 1988 Best Foreign Language Film. My first food film. And also a beautiful story that for years we have been meaning to watch again. The scene that I remember the best was the end where Babette serves a pious community a french meal the likes they (nor I) have ever seen.

Babette is a woman who fled France during in the 19^th century and took refuge in a remote village of Frederikshavn in Denmark. She works for two sisters for 14 years until finally she wins a lottery from a ticket that a friend had been buying for her for years in Paris. All of these years in this somber and quiet community in the village of Frederikshavn, her gift as a chef had been hidden. And then she prepares the Feast. Everything changes for the small group of 12 for whom she prepares this meal.

Tonight the last lines of the movie struck me as another piece of the puzzle regarding Dead Rita. When you read my book you may be dismayed at some of the tragedy of her life. I certainly was. Yet I have never believed, nor wanted to believe, hers was a life wasted.

The following lines of the movie could have been spoken by me to her, and then her response. And I am wiser for this lesson. She was a great artist; one I never believed was able to shine. I am beginning to believe I was wrong.

Here are the lines:

You should not have given all you owned for us.

It was not just for you.

Now you'll be poor the rest of your life.

An artist is never poor. Throughout the world sounds one long cry from the heart of an artist. Give me the chance to do my very best.

But this is not the end, Babette. I'm certain it is not. In Paradise you be will be a great artist that God meant you to be. Oh, how you will delight the angels.

I heard something in these words tonight. The first time I saw the movie Dead Rita was still just Mom. But the movie has haunted me since we first saw it in the late '80s. There was always a message in here for me that Dead Rita's life was not poor. Not given at her expense. But given with delight and given because that's all she knew to do. In fact, was made magnificent in spite of its humble surroundings of her circumstances and experiences. I am certain you are delighting the angels my dearest Dead Rita.