I grew up in North Carolina. When you live in North Carolina:
You rely on Broadway tours
You have strange weather-as in Fall does not always feel like it and so on or it feels like multiple seasons in one week or one day
You can go to both beaches and mountains: Crowder’s, Grandfather, South, and Sugar- those are mountains I have been to (there are others- just examples)
You have amazing places to visit- examples: Asheville, Charlotte, Blowing Rock
Independent Bookstores exist
What do you find interesting about where you live or rather odd?
Today is Father’s Day. This post will bring up loving fathers- my father and musical theatre fathers.
I love my dad. We have had created many wonderful adventures together, and some have been shared with my mom and sister. Just like I love my dad, he loves me. At Kanuga Parish Weekends, the two of us have been the hiking leaders. We once had a date to the theater to see Wicked- that was my 3rd time, and I wanted to go to give my dad a chance to see it, but he still gave me the better seat. There was a time my family went to Kanuga for Thanksgiving, and he helped me make a hiking stick. He was among the 72 pilgrims on the Bristol Pilgrimage- that is a lot of pilgrims (which includes the choir). Memories are shared with my family with Kanuga and Bristol (as you can see), but also in Florida and Missouri and other states- family memories.
What about the musical theatre dads? Are there loving dads there? MAJOR SPOILERS
Valjean- whenever I think of dads in musical theatre, my mind hops to Jean Valjean. He had to became a dad in the most unexpected of ways. He adopted Cosette out of compassion to her mother (it was promise he made to Fantine). He promised to Fantine on her deathbed that he would take care of Cosette. Cosette was horribly abused- she needed someone like Valjean in her life. Valjean kept his promise to Fantine- he raised her even though that would not be easy- he was an ex-convict.
Jean Valjean and Young Cosette
Mufasa- another incredible father. He is father to Simba. Not only is he an incredible father, but an incredible King, but that time was short-lived thanks to his jealous brother, Scar, who killed him. Mufasa taught Simba life lessons that were important and how to be a good king.
Maurice- everyone in the town calls him crazy, but Belle never saw her father this way. Maurice loved his daughter a lot. He wanted to protect her- he didn’t want to lose her. Yes, I can understand why people of that town would call him crazy- after all raving about a beast and winter in summer-that is unlikely, but it is true what he saw. He wanted people to help him after Belle was taken prisoner. He was a little overprotective-yes, but he just wanted her safe.
I thought of something on Sunday. Sunday was the Tonys, and Hadestown, a myth musical swept the Tonys. It made me think of the time when I studied mythology in tenth grade (2009-2010). Mythology was one of my favorite units in literature. I always loved mythology. It was something I loved since childhood. The gods, the goddesses, the quests, the beasts, and the universe was fascinating: I don’t what it was about it that I loved. I remember reading Illiad and Odyssey- I know it wasn’t the full version, but I still read them, but I did fall in love with both of them. I remember at the end of the unit, we had to dress up as one of the gods and goddesses. I got to dress up as Aphrodite, the goddess of love.
What really came to mind when Hadestown swept the Tonys had to do with a “what if” category. You do know you were extremely close-minded to tragedies, but your older self, as in your present self would have told you that you shouldn’t have done that. What if in high school, in literature, you were required to read a tragic myth. Would you have learned to love tragedies earlier than you currently do? I am saying that because you have loved mythology since you were a kid. There would be part of that word, “tragic myth” that might have made you want to give it a chance- the word “myth” is in there. You know what exists in myths- things that you love in mythology would have existed. I am just wondering. Would things have been different if you were required to read a “tragic myth?” I think that would have been the case- after all, you would have loved seeing all of the elements of a myth being in there despite it being tragic.
Today is Christmas Eve, the day before Christmas. Christmas is my favorite holiday. What makes me love Christmas Eve? There is a reason why? It does make you excited about the next day. Part of the reason comes from the 10:45 p.m. Candlelight service.
The Candlelight Service is more than a regular church service. In a typical service, you hear just the organ. In the Candlelight Service, they bring in a trumpet and a string section. It makes it more beautiful. At the beginning of the service, the congregation are all handed candles, which are used for a future part of the service. During “Silent Night”, the lights are dimmed, and the candles we were given are helped lit by the acolytes, and the congregation helps lit the parishioners candles, who are next to us. So we sing “Silent Night” with those candles lit. It is quite a beautiful service. Since it starts at 10:45, we leave the service on Christmas.
This sounds crazy. It is close to Christmas. I began to wonder what will I want to get my characters for Christmas. Yes, they are characters, but it still seems like a fun idea. I do not know what to get all my characters for Christmas, but have figured what to get some of them.
Sparkle- I will get her a 100 pack of colored pencils. I saw these at the store the other day. I saw colored pencils in packs of 50 before, but it was my first time seeing 100. I bet she will love a pack of 100- imagine the fun she will have with 100 colored pencils. She is a drawer, who loves her craft a lot.
Misty- she was tough since she is not that invested in her craft. I decided to buy her a binder. Why a binder? I decided to get her a binder to store her music in. It will keep all of the songs she has written. Misty is a singer, and she needs a better place to keep her songs.
Felipe- I think he needs a belt to store his woodcarving tools. He needs a better way than to always go back to his treehouse.
Darcy- What would I give a sculpture frog? Maybe some brand new tools.
Celeste- I think I would give her an apron to prevent her from getting clay all over herself or I would give her a brand new set of pottery tools. She needs to stop borrowing tools from Felipe.
Tweetsie- Since she is figuring out her craft, I had no idea what to give her. I would just give her an art set or something like that.
I could not figure out what to give any of my toads.
One of the best parts of the Christmas season are Christmas songs. As Elf says “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear”. I love listening and singing to them. They brighten up your day. They are a collection of hymns and fun songs. What are some of the songs I love? I will put a list of the ones I love below.
Do You Hear What I Hear
Silent Night
Away in a Manager
Feliz Navidad
Silver Bells
What Child is This
Hark the Harold Angels Sing
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Jingle Bells
Joy to the World
Oh Holy Night
Etc
Christmas songs are fun, beautiful, and incredible. I love being able to sing to them. One of my favorite moments is “Silent Night” during the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service- the lights are dimmed and the candles we were given at the beginning fo the service are lit, and we sing “Silent Night”. The Christmas songs are one of the reasons why Christmas is my favorite holiday.
On Sunday, in my neighborhood there was something special going on. They took part in hay rides- well there wasn’t hay in the trailers, but it still was called a hay ride. There were two trailers- one had two white horses and the other had a white and black white. It took a lot of waiting till it was time for my mom and I and friends to take part. While waiting, I had hot chocolate and a cookie. It felt like I waiting over one hour. The trailer my group ended up with was the trailer with the two white horses. During the hay ride, we got to sing some Christmas Songs.
