Renaissance...Sat night...Well Done

It was my pleasure to accompany my daughter and her friend to the Renaissance, (which for me always will still be the old CP church). Before I comment about the wonderful evening, I must talk about that building. Drastically changed now, it once had the most intimate santcuary. Dr. Robert Prosser, now President of Bethel College as well as a long resume of impressive jobs and positions over the years, was the pastor there when I was in my teens. Somewhere along the way as a child I got the impression..or better put 'instructions' to always listen to the sermon. I can't remember the exact day or conversation but it had to be my grandfather. So, even when we attended the Methodist church (mom grew up Methodist, dad grew up CP..halfway along the way, they change churches I think mostly due to my dad's mom..of course without asking me about it and since I was a teenager looking for something to fume about, I probably did for a year or two..all that wasted energy!) But after being told to always listen, whether you agreed with it or understood it or not, I can remember being a pretty little guy and always listening from beginning to end. I also can remember looking around at different times to see how many people were obviously NOT listening; and WOW. The whole ultimate point is that Rev. Robert Prosser is very talented with his sermon writing and the delivery. And the intimacy of that sanctuary... it was small enough to grab every sound, the cracking sound of those old pews stretching out with the people on them, etc. But it was a cozy, comfortable place from which to listen and so from that age forward I cannot go in there without going through just a sea of memories about it.
Saturday Night, a tribute to Rodgers and Hammerstein. Every one of these students were so good it made you proud they were from Bethel. The two piano players...you could not improve their interaction just as much as you could not improve the different duets performed during the night. My daughter is amazing in that she has some genes I don't. An early bird, we got there with a lot of time to spare, but from that we sat where she and her friend wanted to sit which was the front row! You would have had to have been on stage to get closer! But for me and especially during this time that I've been struggling to swim with the rest of the world, it provided me with true relaxation, smiles and a much deeper appreciation of these musicals to which I thought I knew them well only to realize I have only been around them a lot as opposed to using my full ability to listen. And the spirit of fun was infectious. The students up there were all having fun and you sure could sense it.
So it is important to break out. Go do something you haven't done for a long time or ever. It felt good to dress up, however casual that was, it was one notch above normal. Broke out the car I don't drive for weeks at a time. It served as our Vanderbilt Express and so I guess I put too much sad memory there which I shouldn't. Just maybe, the Opryland Hotel with Victoria or something ..if you can squeeze much into that crazy set of weeks that are so soon going to be descending down upon us. I don't like the frenetic way Christmas has become. I mean, the commercials and everything else throws the American at a frenzied pace toward Christmas. One disadvantage of having a marketing degree is that they 'teach' this to people. To study the psychology of people and find out what will make them gallop as hard as they can into the season, half crazed and ready to buy, buy buy. If I had not gone on to pharmacy and stayed within the marketing world, I would be behind the television, finding a new way to get people to buy new ornaments instead of those old ones you used last year or something equally ridiculous.
Well, I had ultimate hopes of being able to post something cohesive and with a big point. I've got a fever that I've had all day and I can feel my head heating back up and the screen hurting my eyes. That's no fun.

But long live the musicals. I never gave them enough credit until my oldest fell in love with them. I was just happy that she was last night. But funny thing, I got caught up in it too. Was truly impressed at the quality and quantity of talent last night. Goodnight.