Living Imperfectly: You Know You're Old When...

You know you're old when you cry during high school musicals.

Last night we watched West's production of A Chorus Line and Daniel and I both found ourselves choked up multiple times. Of course we are biased, but anyone who sees the show will tell you how well done it was. The kids on stage were fabulous, but I was struck by the back stage production as well. The lighting in particular was striking and created these beautiful stills of the dancers on the line.It is always special when some of the kids we know from Young Life are in the cast and last night there were a lot of them. I felt so proud of them when the spotlight was on each of them and was surprised by how emotional I became. Kelsey's big number came and she sauntered confidently singing about "this and that", the high school edit of the racier original lyric. She brought all her sass to the role referring to the other characters as "Honey". Kelsey hit her final note and luckily the applause picked up to cover the sound of me sniffling away. Hartzell, the Senior football player and track star, made his theater debut and I sat there wishing he would have started his stage career 4 years sooner so I could have enjoyed him in more performances. He brought his athleticism to the stage and his toe touch was higher than a lot of the girls'. And though known for his accomplishments in sports, he gave a sincere performance and showed he is just as great of an actor, dancer, and singer. Tyler, the veteran, didn't disappoint in his role as Don. And though he's always the first to break in the dance floor at the school dances, I'd never seen him dance like this. And he delivered in the comedy department as well, gesturing about a woman's large yahooz. And then there was the gorgeous Mandy as Judy. With her height, comedic sensibility, and honesty, she was born to play Judy. She looked stunning in her pink leotard and braided hair, but then when she opened her mouth to deliver her lines, she was quirky and silly and always got the laugh. I cried at the end of her number as well. The cast was filled with a lot of other familiar faces and incredible performances. Every member of the cast danced beautifully. You would have never known that most of them had never danced before. Someone observed it best by saying, "There wasn't a weak link in the whole group." Agreed. The final reprise of "One" while they each take their bow really made the lump in my throat rise and I was done for when the big backdrop lit up mid song illuminating those young kids in all their glory. The main reason I'm most drawn to high school ministry is because there is not another time in life that is so magical and mysterious and hopeful. For most of us, there is not another time in life where we'll have the opportunity to be on stage, to be the star, whether that's literally on a stage or on a court or athletic field.

As we slowly made our way out of the theater I told Daniel how old I must be getting because I can't get through many performances these days without crying at some point. I've cried at 2 of the 3 choir performances this year (Sam's solo pushed me over the edge). And I wept at the district finals of VOLLEYBALL! I got very close to the team this past fall and when they lost to our rival North in the finals, I couldn't contain myself when hugging the players after the game. All of the girls were crying themselves and asked me why I was crying and I didn't know what to say except that I loved them.

I know I'm married to the right person because when confessing my tears, he confessed his as well. He said he was just so proud and then mentioned what a mess we're going to be when we have kids of our own. Oh mercy, I can't even imagine.