Jingle Jangle & generational blessings!

Did you see Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey yet? I’ve watched it 3 times now because it’s such an uplifting movie. Plus it helps me forget that we’re in a pandemic. 😂Christmas is in 2 days! Get this holiday cheer and check out the movie on Netflix. FYI: This blog post contains movie spoilers.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

For those of you who haven’t seen Jingle Jangle yet, it’s a Christmas musical that shares the story of an inventor and toymaker whose hope to invent again is restored when his granddaughter comes into his life. The phenomenal singing and acting instantly drew me in but I was particularly moved by the unique storyline. This is obviously a fictional movie but the message of generational inheritance stood out to me.

The movie opens up with Phylicia Rashad (older Journey) reading to her grandkids the Christmas story of the great inventor, Jeronicus Jangle. Jeronicus had a magical creative spark that allowed him to invent innovative toys. #BlackBoyMagic He lost this spark after suffering loss and betrayal but his granddaughter, Journey, helped restore his hope. As older Journey reads this Christmas story, the grandkids realize that their grandmother is the girl in the story (little Journey) and Jeronicus Jangle is their great great grandfather. The best part is that the grandkids also inherited this creative gift that their grandmother Journey and great great grandfather Jeronicus had. I like to call this inherited gift “Generational blessings!”

“Generational blessings are not just monetary. “

Generational blessings are positive habits, wealth, and resources that our parents and ancestors pass down to us. Often times we put a lot of emphasis on generational trauma and curses that negatively impacts us. That’s important because it helps us unlearn and stop detrimental cycles in our bloodline. Many of us (especially black people) have not received generational wealth because of the racial wealth gap in America. ( I will save this rant for another post!) However, it really takes for us to do some searching in our family tree to find those generational blessings when the physical wealth is absent. Generational blessings are not just monetary. They come in the form of creative abilities, ideas, knowledge, talents, etc.

“Sometimes it takes for us to look back at our family’s history to discover who we really are.”

What I loved the most about the main character Journey is that she sought out her grandfather Jeronicus after hearing stories about his great inventions. Journey knew she was different and her 11 year old self realized that she inherited the same “creative spark” as her grandfather. Sometimes it takes for us to look back at our family’s history to discover who we really are. #AWord Jeronicus spent decades struggling to regain his passion for inventing after suffering from loss and betrayal. The inheritance he desired to leave for his daughter Jessica (Journey’s mom) was stolen from him. However, he didn’t realize that he passed down a generational blessing to his granddaughter (and her children’s children). Journey helped him light that spark again and produce another great invention. This movie messed me up! #TheFeels #TheInspiration

Dedicated to my Dad…….

Today marks the 11th year anniversary of my dad’s passing. I wrote the Facebook post below 4 years ago about generational blessings after finding his old house and car keys. He did not leave behind any generational wealth. However, I do believe that he left behind generational blessings for me and my family. I will live to see them manifest. I’m going after my generational blessings!