Happy! Happy! Birthday to R!

Today is R's birthday!!  Happy!  Happy! 

But before we get to wishing R his very own happy birthday, did you watch The Sound of Music last night?  We did, and I for one really enjoyed it.  It was cool to hear some songs I don't call from the movie version.  It was somewhat heartening to know that even NBC, with all of the best video, sound and lighting equipment at its fingertips, still had some of the same "orchestra is too loud to hear the singers from time to time" issues that community theater experiences on much lower budgets and fewer resources. 

Will Carrie ever become the iconic Maria that Julie has been and still is?  Nah, probably not, but that doesn't discount Carrie's efforts and performance either.  She sang and acted her heart out, and you could see the tears in her eyes at times that weren't the result of some eye solution.  They were coming from her heart, cause she got how rare the whole experience truly was.  I mean, when Audra was singing "Climb Every Mountain" to Maria, you sorta felt like Carrie was hearing it for the first time and taking it all in on a personal level.  Besides that, Maria is a HUGE role for anyone of any age and musical theater experience, even if the world didn't already see Julie as Maria, and Carrie could have said, "Uh, no thanks.  I'll stick with what I know."  But she didn't.  She took a risk.  She showed us some courage.  She took herself out of her comfort zone - even if it was for only one night and does not represent a new career move - something tantamount to "Horrors!" in our career-driven, over-produced world of popular music these days, where the fun and the love of music gets superseded by the love of sales.  And that, my friends, is something worth lauding and appreciating.  As one friend of mine posted on FB, even Julie has her self-recognized limitations.  Julie is not a pop singer.  Carrie bests Julie in that arena.  But ultimately this wasn't about Carrie vs. Julie.  This was about bringing a great story of love overcoming grief and adversity, a great musical to TV in a live stage sort of way, to new audiences like little J-man here, who Mama said was getting into it even at his young age.  Makes a Mimi's heart happy, it does.

Ok, so now we bring you our wishes for R's birthday.  Happy birthday R!  Here are the Top 5 things I love about you...

# 5 - R appreciates a good cup of coffee.  And ice cream.  And a good super hero.  He may not be big on breakfast, but he appreciates a good cup of coffee any time.  And ice cream.  We have shared quite a few late-night bowls of ice cream.  I suppose any super hero that was also a good coffee and ice cream snob would be just about the best super hero of all in R's book.

# 4 - R has a servant's heart.  Whether that is expressed in his role as worship leader at church or as the small group coordinator or even as the leader of his own small group.  But I see it mainly as he serves his family - washing dishes, changing diapers, speaking graciously and kindly with his sons - all good stuff that warms this lady's heart.

# 3 - R accepts me.  Nay, R genuinely loves and welcomes me.  Opening their home to the myriad inconveniences when we come to visit.  I could say more on this, but suffice it to say that R could see me as "yet another" but he doesn't.  And that, my friends, means so very much to me.

# 2 - Our late night talks.  About life.  About politics and theology and sports (this tends to be more G&R than me so much) and church life.  They don't happen every time we visit, but I love every one of them when they happen.

And the # 1 thing I love about R - is yes, the same # 1 thing I talked about with A yesterday...R loves God.  It motivates his entire life.  R is a minister in the public eye.  And if you've ever watched a minister closely, you know it isn't an easy life.  People don't go into ministry because they see it as an easy life. And even if they did, after the first week on the job, they would know better.  And they will burn out very quickly if it isn't about loving God.  R does.  Period.  It shows in his worship.  It shows in the things he says, the moments for people to encounter God that he facilitates.  It shows in the hardest place of all for it to be found.  It shows in his eyes. 

So, like I did yesterday with A, if money and time and resources were no object, here are the Top 5 things I would give R for his birthday:

# 5 - A lifetime supply of Soulard Spice shop coffee - perhaps with a special nod to Bourbon Pecan.
# 4 - A studio for writing, arranging and producing music, filled with guitars and keyboards and microphones and amps and recording equipment.
# 3 - An unlimited supply of light sabers for playing with A&O and any other children in his life.
# 2 - A teleportation machine so his Dad, G, could come over easily any time R needed help with landscaping or anything else around the house and yard and attic.  Or just for a late-night talk over ice cream.  And...
...the # 1 thing I would give R for his birthday if money and time and resource were no object...
At least two vacations away every year with his family to have plenty of time for important things like seesaw...

 

Happy!  Happy!  Birthday R!  We love you!!!