Friends,
I started the week off with the most magnificent sounds of the season you can
imagine!
And
here’s me with three members of Mannheim Steamroller’s Red Touring Group!
Three
Members of the Red Touring Group
L-R:
Jeff Yang, Tom Sharpe, Joey Gulizia
I’ve
listened to them for YEARS, and here they showed up in my backyard!
Okay,
not literally of course, but practically in my back yard! AND they indulged me
with this photo…
(though
the poor violinist on the left might not be so charitable the next time…looks
like I nearly sliced his neck with my program!)
If
you’ve never heard their Christmas you must run, RUN I tell you, to the nearest
store and pick up any one of their Christmas CD’s.
I
promise you will LOVE EVERY NANO SECOND OF THE SHOW.
And
if you ever have the chance to see one of the touring groups in person, ditch
the dress heels, strap on your running shoes and get to the ticket counter as
fast as you can.
This
music is even more spectacular in person, and these band members?
Every
single one of them plays multiple instruments, as in like four or five or more!
No
kidding.
And
the one drummer, Tom Sharpe, it’s as if those drum sticks are a fluid extension
of his body. I’ve never seen anything like it folks; his body Feels. Every. Single. Note.
Honestly.
It’s like he IS the music itself.
Want
to know what I decided as I sat in that audience?
If
I had a bucket list, attending a Mannheim Steamroller concert would be at the
top of it.
When
I told the band director that during the meet and greet after the show, he smiled
and told me, “Just be sure to make it a long list.”
I’ve
never been the groupie type, but there’s a first for everything isn’t there...
And,
then there’s the figurative music to my ears…
Things
like, “My children will be home for Christmas” and “My children will be home
for Christmas.”
That’s
worth a chorus line, don’t you think?!
The week wouldn’t be complete without the next
installment in the Soon-to-be-50 cards my mother has been sending.
Fifty
is like the most glorious harmony to me because I’ve survived, Journeyers.
I’ve
lived through puberty and bulimia and depression and child loss and miscarriage
and motherhood and infidelity (times two)
and a fire that claimed our family business and it’s been seven years since I
kicked a twenty-six year nicotine addiction.
I’ve
cried and laughed and given up and stood up and I am here, turning fifty and
finally, finally knowing what I want to be now that I’m all grown up.
Which
means that the best years are ahead of me!
And
get this—people are actually going to pay
me to be older.
I
don’t know about you, but I think that’s one mighty fine birthday gift, one
that just keeps on giving, day in and day out.
This
group is going to give me discounts and put more money in my pocket for things
like trips to NYC and Europe
and Nacogdoches,
TX, and for those delicious smelling perfumes I love.
Who
knows, maybe those savings will begin today while I’m out enjoying a little
holiday shopping!
And
I do mean enjoy, Journeyers. If you’re out and about, I hope you, too, will not
think of gift giving as a chore, but something you are doing from the heart…
If
you are stressed about it, then don’t do it…schedule a time for after the
holidays to gather with friends and extended family…
It
won’t be the end of the world. I promise.
Christmas,
after all, isn’t about commercialism; it’s about the music of that moment we
call birth…life…
May
you feel your own heart songs in the coming week, Journeyers…
What
about you? What musical or other Moments(s) fed your happy this week?
Speaking
of life and the heart, Warren and I finished out the week by attending a Lee
Greenwood and Crystal Gayle holiday concert.
Though
we were two of the youngest audience members, we couldn’t have felt more united
when Lee sang Proud to be an American!
Ditching
my purse at the last second meant that I forgot my phone, which means that I
didn’t get a single photo for this post or for my mom, who adores Mr.
Greenwood!
That’s
the great thing about imagination, though; it’s the next best thing to being
there!
I love your attitude!! I too enjoyed turning 50 - it was both liberating and empowering. You go girl!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by, Sharon! Yes, 50 is liberating and empowering! So glad to meet another who feels the same way! :)
DeleteYou are an inspiration -- you should be very proud!
ReplyDeleteThank you for those kind words, Carol. I am happy you enjoyed your time here, and hope you'll return again and again. :)
DeleteThank you for coming by my blog, Annah! Congratulations on all of your big news! I look forward to reading more! (I also love Mannheim Steamroller!
ReplyDeleteAnd thank you for stopping by here, as well! See you around! :)
DeleteNever understood why people act so weird about turning 50, I never complain about getting a year older, there are too many ways to die. And alive is way better than dead.
ReplyDeleteBarbara, I know people who are weirded out by turning 35, so there are plenty out there who find aging uncomfortable... I have a theory that they feel this way because they aren't living their best lives and are being held back by things like fear...
ReplyDeleteMaybe those of us who approach the future with excitement will be unsuspecting mentors... :)
I think that you are completely right Annah-some allow fear to hold them back and anyone who has you as a mentor would-no should be grateful! You are such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteAwww...Anonymous...thank you for those kind sentiments. And thank you for being her and for commenting. :) Could I entice you to share my links with your circles of friends? And ask them to share me with their circles of friends, if, of course, they find the same appreciation? If you're on Facebook, find me at The Five Facets, and watch for some exciting news to come soon. (Hint...I'll be running a giveaway for a signed copy of my newly-released book.) :)
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Journeyer...look forward to connecting again in these here parts... :)