Comedy and Tragedy

Friends,

I signed the girls up for

THE MOST WONDERFUL

Children's Theater Camp.

 

I imagine maybe...

every Children's Theater Camp

is wonderful?

 

I don't know.

 

This one was led by beautiful

souls who were also

real actors and actresses.

 

They totally believe in their art,

and want to share with future generations.

 

They shared that passion with the kids,

who created and performed their very own show.

 

I got to spend my lunch hour watching it.

 

Lily was a Clumsy Fairy,

and Charlotte a Unicorn.

 

They played their parts perfectly. 

They also created their own customs.

 

 

I laughed through the whole show,

I knew exactly the parts that Lily contributed to

the performance.

 



 

For instance, the final song...

"What does a fox unicorn say?"

 

That was all Lily.

 

And hilarious.

 

Charlotte had a nonspeaking role.

It looked like this Unicorn pose

for 10 minutes straight.

 

Pretty funny.

Taken seriously by the actress, of course.



 

I had laughter during the show.

 

However, before and after the show,

I had tragedy.

 

When we walked in,

I saw a beautiful, thin woman,

wearing a hat,

sitting in a wheelchair,

with a blanket on her lap.

 

She had kids and friends surrounding her,

buzzing about with hugs and love.

 

I could see that she had cancer,

and I got that lump in my throat,

and tears shooting out my eyeballs, upon arrival.

 

The kind of emotional that is so overwhelming.

The kind I try to hide from public view.

 

I tried not to stare,

but I also was in a church,

 which is rare,

and I quickly thought if there is any place

where I can channel good healing energy

and the Universe will know I really mean it,

it might be here.

 

So I did.

 

I stared

and I prayed

and I channeled

comfort and healing.

 

Then, I turned to Darin and said through tears

"Honey, that woman is fighting the good fight."

 

"I know" he responded.

 

"I hope she wins!" I replied.

 

I almost started full on blubbering at the sound of my own voice speaking these words.

 

"Me too." he said as he looked me in the eye,

with his sad face,

and more secretive tears,

than my trying not to wail tears.

 

A moment later a small child

swooped the blanket off her lap,

to her dismay

 and I saw her swollen legs,

and I remembered my last moments

with Shooty.

 

And in that second,

I knew what I knew.

 

I looked at Darin and nearly whisper wailed,

"she's losing the good fight."

 

Later, I found out She is the mom of one of the girls on Charlotte's soccer team,

Darin is Coach.

 

So I knew, of Her.

 

I just didn't know this woman,

 I was currently,

staring at and praying for

was the same as,

 the mom of the soccer girl.

 

She was in email communication

with Darin,

(disappointed when practice was cancelled due to rain)

but she never made the soccer games.

 

I rarely did either,

with Lily's softball schedule.

 

I came home so upset about the whole situation,

and I called Bridget.

 

Of course, Bridget,

 will totally understand,

 how upset I was, to see a stranger,

who is a parent,

 dying of cancer.

 

(insert sarcasm)

   

Please note how good of a friend Bridget is to me, when it gets too hard for me to handle...

she is there for Me, despite her own grief.

 

Turns out she knows this beautiful mother too.

 

This mother and family are in her school district,

and she could fill me in on all the details,

as I wept for a woman I have never officially met.

 

 I took one look at her,

and I could see she was a mother,

the way the Little's were crawling all over her,

and I could see she felt sick,

and yet she just smiled and let them,

crawl and cuddle and hold her. 

 

Then she also disciplined and reprimanded,

when they stole her blanket,

as needed,

and as mother's do,

in any condition.

 

I could see this had everything to do

with instructing her children on

good behavior and respecting others.

 

It had nothing to do with,

 her vanity about swollen legs or

the side effect of treatment, feeling cold.

 

I was so amazed that she cared enough to continue to teach her children, even in this moment. 

 

 

I know,

 she knows,

 this is the last

Children's Theater Show she will attend.

 

There is so very little I can do about this.

 

And I hate it.

 

But there is this quote that is helping me,

get through my own trauma

and fear of these stories of loss.

 

Which are beautiful stories of the circle of life too.

 

"Mostly,

it is loss,

that teaches us,

 about the worth

of things."

 

And so, I am living the best I can,

with more appreciation than ever,

for my moments.

 

Comedy/Tragedy, Friends.