Friday Five: On Endings and Beginnings

On Endings and Goodbyes:

1. Best ending of a movie/book/TV - Ann Patchett's "Bel Canto." A grown-up ending to a beautiful book. Biblical bonus answer: The end of the Book of Revelation:
Revelation 22:18-21 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book; 19 if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away that person's share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. 20 The one who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! 21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen. Now there's an author with cojones!

2. Worst ending of a movie/book/TV show: The ending to the Bob Newhart Show, where, after several years' storyline about Bob running a hotel in Vermont, he wakes up as if it were a dream in bed with Suzanne Pleshette, his wife in his prior series about being a shrink. C'mon. One of the wittiest men in comedy and this is the best you can come up with?

3. Tell about a memorable goodbye you’ve experienced. Saying goodbye to my mother the night she died. She had had a lovely dinner (her favorite pasta), sent me home from the hospital with a kiss, and rolled over to go to sleep. She quietly died in the night, as gentle a leave-taking as I can imagine.

4. Is it true that “all good things must come to an end”? Nah. On the other hand, I often comfort myself with "all bad things must come to an end."

5. “Everything I ever let go of has claw marks on it.” –Anne Lamott Discuss.
Not everything. Just a fifteen-year marriage, fifteen years ago, my belief that I was going to be President of the united States, or at least a US Senator, my hopes of a career in music...on the other hand, some stuff was really easy to let go of: my old house, my first wedding dress, half of my cookbooks when we moved.

Bonus: “It isn’t over until the fat lady sings.” I’ve never loved this expression. So propose an alternative: “It isn’t over until ____________________”
...until I say so. Not that I'm a control freak or anything.