The primary reason for stopping in Hot Springs was so that Dave could go down to the family homestead in Kingsland, just 83 miles south, and take care of a few things. The town’s claim to fame is that it’s where Johnny Cash was born. With a population of only 414, it’s the smallest town I’ve ever spent any time in. When given a choice of whether to go or not, I choose “not.” I saw this as a good opportunity to give Felix’s insides a good cleaning and to schedule an oil change for its generator.

The day before Dave was to leave happened to be our 40th wedding anniversary and we wanted to do something special. On one of our trips into town we’d seen that this week was the 27th annual Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, https://www.hsdfi.org/.

It is the longest running all-documentary film festival in North America, and it was being held at the iconic Arlington Hotel & Spa, the largest hotel in Arkansas with 500 rooms and suites. Built in 1875, the stately building anchors Central Avenue and the National Park’s famed Bathhouse Row, and it even has its own thermal bathhouse, where guests can bathe in the famous mineral waters of the ‘hot springs.’

Of all the movie genres, I like documentaries the most because they are true stories about real people. I checked the schedule for Sunday afternoon and saw that there was a film about Bethany Hamilton who, at 13, was already a rising star in the surfing world. In 2003, she lost her left arm to a tiger shark. “Unstoppable” was the story of a fearless athlete whose resilience against all odds molded her into one of the most competitive surfers of our time. It’s the movie I chose for us to see.

“Unstoppable” chronicled her incredible uphill struggle, not only on the surfboard, but with the avalanche of media attention she received as a result of her shark encounter. The physical and emotional hurdles she faced were tremendous–particularly in light of the fact that she was just a child when her life changed forever. But today, at the age of 28, she is back at the top of her game, as well as being a wife and the mother of two young children.

I pretty much expected that movie to be good–and it was–but another documentary, “Zion,” shown right before “Unstoppable” proved to be just as inspirational, if not more so. This 12- minute short documentary was the story of Zion Clark who was born without legs, the result of caudal regressive syndrome, a congenital disorder affecting the development of the spine.

Zion was given up for adoption at birth and shuffled from one foster home to another–six or seven, he thought–where he was often abused, starved, and beaten. He began wrestling against his able-bodied peers in second grade, and that was the only constant in his life throughout his multiple relocations. The movie focuses on his final wrestling season of high school–and in particular the district finals–where Zion finished with a 33-15 record.

Because “Zion” can now be seen on Netflix, I don’t want to give away too many details. But this exceptional short about an exceptional teen is compelling and unforgettable, and it left the quote, “I complained I had no shoes until I met a man with no feet,” resounding in my head. I thought I had a grateful heart before, but this movie really made me take stock of all the things I really do have to be thankful for.

While researching the Internet for this blog, I came across Zion’s Facebook page. He is currently enrolled at Kent State University where he is pursuing a degree in business management. He’s ranked eighth in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association and has aspirations for national championships and even a spot on a future Olympics team. This young man is truly amazing.

He posted that he raising money to buy a truck because he’s tired of asking people for rides. It’s another step towards his independence. Here’s the link to his fund-raising site if you feel inspired to contribute: https://www.gofundme.com/6a9hcxs

Tomorrow we head to Texarkana. Our stay in Arkansas was just one short week, but it was packed with a ton of memories. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and allowing me to share them with you. Until next time…