Miracle At Foothills Mall

It was just another summer day at Cinemark Movie Bistro & XD in Fort Collins, CO. Movie tickets were sold, popcorn was popped, and a variety of food was made to deliver to guests of all ages wanting to escape the June heat outside.

As the ticket taker, I was at the podium, counting tickets, making radio calls, ready to fulfill my daily duties. Around noon, I was looking forward to my afternoon break.

Yet, little did I know, that this was not just any summer day at the theater.

That particular day, I happened to look down the hall, as a manager came up to me to say, “There’s an emergency and we are evacuating the building.”

The emergency he was referring to was a gas leak, which was happening across the street, at the intersection of Prospect and College, where Fort Collins’ local Chick-fil-A was located. Due to this gas leak, all businesses within a mile radius were told to evacuate and close for at least a few hours.

As were many businesses, Cinemark was prepared to evacuate, in the event of any emergencies. I stood at the podium, standing still and anxious, while other employees led guests to exits, as each and every one of our nine auditoriums were evacuated. Since management knew I was disabled, I was just told to keep watch at the podium. For that, I was thankful, since because of my schizophrenia, I get paranoid and anxious about catastrophic and apocalyptic events quite regularly.

After the guests left and as all employees and management made their way to the back parking lot, our theater was literally shut down. Every door was locked, every computer, every machine, and kitchen appliance was turned off. Every movie playing was shut off as well.

Once all management and employees were outside, all our worries and anxiety immediately came to the surface.

“The theater’s gonna blow up y’all!”

“We bout to lose our jobs!”

“We gonna be on national news!”

While I admit the aforementioned quotes may have come from me, regardless of our position, every Cinemark employee out in that parking lot feared for the worst.

Yet, not even an hour had passed before management got the call, that it was safe for Cinemark and all surrounding businesses to return to their buildings and resume work.

Within moments, the crew of 1125 helped Cinemark Movie Bistro & XD come back to life. Every machine, every computer, and every kitchen appliance was turned back on. As an entire team, we rushed to all nine theaters. Within moments, we swept every row and cleaned every seat. Then every movie was turned back on, ready to start, previews and all, for the next afternoon showtime.

The past few weeks have turned our world upside down. Everything about our economy, our way of life, and our daily routines have been changed, due to a deadly enemy. You know its name already, so for the sake of fun, I shall call it, “The Disease That Shall Not Be Named.”

This “Disease That Shall Be Not Be Named” has the potential specifically, unless things change, to shut down movie theaters forever, and drastically shift entertainment to streaming services entirely. Movies and going to movie theaters have always been an outlet of escape for me. Due to my schizophrenia, I fear the day they won’t be around.

If quarantines are extended, I fear missing out on church, seeing friends. I fear if public transportation is banned, that I might feel even more handicapped in not being able to get around on my own.

Most of all, I fear that I will finally lose myself to madness entirely.

Yet, at this moment, sitting at home in Hayden, CO, typing away on my computer, I realize something. I have my parents that love me and that I am with, that I can stay with, to weather this storm or any in life. I have a dog to hang with, my best friend, Roux Leigh, who also always worries about most everything, just like me :).

Though miles, distance, and “The Disease That Shall Not Be Named,” have changed things right now, I have friends and extended family whose bonds won’t waver because of those waves of life.

Most of all, I have faith and perspective. For just as God saved Cinemark and a ton of businesses from blowing up that day, just as He brought Cinemark back to life, He has been faithful to take care of me always. And while I have yet to see the full picture, when I think of the times I thought I lost my friends, my life, my future, He has pieced together every tear and every victory into a story where He is proven to be Lord.

Wherever you find yourself today, in whatever home or part of the world you’re quarantined in, please remember the words of this often quoted verse:

Psalm 30:5 NIV
For his anger lasts only a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Until Next Time,

Jacob McGowen