Another Opening, Another Show. I am grateful to my daughter Danielle for guiding me back into the world of performing. About 5 years ago, Danielle signed me up for a group called Basically Broadway, and encouraged me to start singing again. Then two years later she encouraged me to audition for The Reagle Music Theatre's summer shows. And now here I am today enjoying my summer by performing in my fourth Reagle Music Theatre show, Bye Bye, Birdie. I'm having a blast.
When I was 18 and fresh out of High School, I went off to College thinking that I was one day going to be on Broadway. But like I tell my children all the time....life has many forks in the road and sometimes you don't always end up going down the path you set out to go down. I went to one semester of College, got a lead in the Musical Grease, and had a great experience. But I wasn't a great student, and I knew College wasn't right for me. I was also very much in love with my now husband Donnie, so I dropped out of College, and we were married a year and a half later, and then six months after we were married, I got pregnant with Danielle. In the next ten years I had four more children, and I loved being a wife and mother. I never look back with regrets. I wouldn't change the path I ended up choosing for the world. I may not have made it to Broadway, but I shared my love of theater and music with my children, and for over 26 years now (Danielle opened her first recital at the age of 2), I have enjoyed watching my children perform in many musical productions. Danielle actually chose to follow the fork in the road that led her to New York to pursue her dream of Broadway. Is she on Broadway yet? No, but whose to say if that ends up being her true path in life....only time will tell.
Life is a series of Another Openings, and Another Shows, and they are not all theater related. When I am surrounded by my children, and I see them all laughing and enjoying each others company, well that to me is a show worth watching. When we drive to my sisters house for Easter all crammed into one car belting out the songs from our Godspell CD, that is a a show worth watching to me. I wish for my children many new Openings/Shows, may their forks in the road lead them down the path of Joy and Happiness, and that they live their lives with no regrets.
I am no longer 18 years old, and the roles for me to play are of a different nature, but I am back up on that stage pursuing my individual thrill of performing. For years, my kids were a great source of my joy and happiness and now that we all are older, we are all following our own dreams. Mine have me back up on stage where I also love to be. Thanks family for so many years and memories and thanks Danielle for pointing me back in the direction of performing, at this stage of my life.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Independance Day
This week, my husband and I will be taking our youngest daughter and her boyfriend to the airport to see them off on a 18 day trip around Europe. If you asked me 28 years ago when I was expecting my first child if I ever thought I would let one of my children travel to Europe at 17 years old with her boyfriend....my answer would have been a resounding "Heck NO!"
After going through all the High School Years with my five children, I have seen and learned a lot! I have learned that children don't always tell the truth...(Surprise?!...Not!), that children make mistakes,and many more things, but mostly, that children need to live and learn. I have done what all the good parenting books say to do (even though I have never even read a parenting book). I have "Talked" to my children. There has been no subject, that I have ever not talked about with my children, and even with their friends. We've talked about drugs and alcohol, sex, STD's, responsibility, moral issues, religion, and you name it we've talked about it. My kitchen table has seen probably every subject the books tell you to talk to your children about.
What I learned from talking to my children over the years, is that as parents we lay the foundation....we teach them right from wrong, and as my Uncle Bobby used to say (by the way he was Chief of Police in our City for many years) , "You raise them until about Junior High, and then you just PRAY" He was right. We are given our children to us on loan from God, and then one day, you turn around and they are grown, and they are independent thinkers. If we have done our job right, and the foundation is clear, then hopefully they will make it through their teen years safe and sound. That doesn't mean they won't make mistakes and do things that we may not approve of, but I believe that if they at least have a solid foundation, then they will turn out just fine.
That is why I am okay with my youngest daughter heading off to Europe at 17. She has seen her 4 siblings before her, make mistakes, and falter through the years, but now they are all adults, and she sees that they are all still firmly planted on solid foundations, and they are all doing well. She too, has faulted from time to time, but in my heart I know her foundation is strong, and that Europe and College in the fall, are just the beginning of her journey into adulthood. I trust her, I love her, and so this year on July 5, a day after the 4th of July our Independence Day.....I will see her off at the airport for a trip of a lifetime, and know that this trip is in a way, Jane's own personal Independence Day....one of of many more to come.
After going through all the High School Years with my five children, I have seen and learned a lot! I have learned that children don't always tell the truth...(Surprise?!...Not!), that children make mistakes,and many more things, but mostly, that children need to live and learn. I have done what all the good parenting books say to do (even though I have never even read a parenting book). I have "Talked" to my children. There has been no subject, that I have ever not talked about with my children, and even with their friends. We've talked about drugs and alcohol, sex, STD's, responsibility, moral issues, religion, and you name it we've talked about it. My kitchen table has seen probably every subject the books tell you to talk to your children about.
What I learned from talking to my children over the years, is that as parents we lay the foundation....we teach them right from wrong, and as my Uncle Bobby used to say (by the way he was Chief of Police in our City for many years) , "You raise them until about Junior High, and then you just PRAY" He was right. We are given our children to us on loan from God, and then one day, you turn around and they are grown, and they are independent thinkers. If we have done our job right, and the foundation is clear, then hopefully they will make it through their teen years safe and sound. That doesn't mean they won't make mistakes and do things that we may not approve of, but I believe that if they at least have a solid foundation, then they will turn out just fine.
That is why I am okay with my youngest daughter heading off to Europe at 17. She has seen her 4 siblings before her, make mistakes, and falter through the years, but now they are all adults, and she sees that they are all still firmly planted on solid foundations, and they are all doing well. She too, has faulted from time to time, but in my heart I know her foundation is strong, and that Europe and College in the fall, are just the beginning of her journey into adulthood. I trust her, I love her, and so this year on July 5, a day after the 4th of July our Independence Day.....I will see her off at the airport for a trip of a lifetime, and know that this trip is in a way, Jane's own personal Independence Day....one of of many more to come.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Today's blog brought to you by my husband of 29 years
Those of you who know me, know that Kelly has had to put up with an 'engineer' for over thirty years now (29 married today). So, she has had to deal with a life time of solutions and odd questions about astronomy and crazy formulas to figure out how quickly the tub will drain, etc. You get the point. But, today we were talking about our relationship, our children, and how we deal with things.
I suggested that we compliment each other. I looked up the defintion for complimentary angles, and it says two angles added together to make a 90 degree angle. That is not us, we compliment each other to move in the same direction, not apart at 90 degrees. I think this has been one of the secrets of our sucess. Our individual strengths are in different areas so, where I have weakness, Kelly has strength, and where Kelly has weakness, I have strenghth. The result is that the road never gets too bumpy.
I can honestly say, that after thirty years, we have had our fair share of 'tests'. But, because of the way we compliment each other, we take turns pulling the other through the hard parts. We stop to celebrate and enjoy the good times. And we have confidence in our plan, but even more confidence in our ability to deal with 'what is' as we work toward seeing our plan get realized. I look forward to continuing to try to figure out this crazy world with the girl of my dreams by my side. Talk to you next time I take the computer away from Kelly. Happy 29th Anniversary to my wife. I love you, Donnie
I suggested that we compliment each other. I looked up the defintion for complimentary angles, and it says two angles added together to make a 90 degree angle. That is not us, we compliment each other to move in the same direction, not apart at 90 degrees. I think this has been one of the secrets of our sucess. Our individual strengths are in different areas so, where I have weakness, Kelly has strength, and where Kelly has weakness, I have strenghth. The result is that the road never gets too bumpy.
I can honestly say, that after thirty years, we have had our fair share of 'tests'. But, because of the way we compliment each other, we take turns pulling the other through the hard parts. We stop to celebrate and enjoy the good times. And we have confidence in our plan, but even more confidence in our ability to deal with 'what is' as we work toward seeing our plan get realized. I look forward to continuing to try to figure out this crazy world with the girl of my dreams by my side. Talk to you next time I take the computer away from Kelly. Happy 29th Anniversary to my wife. I love you, Donnie
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