The Sound of Music & You Can't Go Home Again

Although I must say I didn't watch it all, I was curious to see Carrie Underwood's live theater version of The Sound of Music last night. There's no doubt, Carrie has a beautiful voice; but in my opinion, the entire performance just came off a bit flat.  For those who have never seen the original movie with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, I'm sure you were impressed with the elaborate set designs and musical talent of all the players. But for me it paled in comparison with the original Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Yes, I know it was theater, not a remake of the movie. And, yes, it's impressive that it was performed live.  But you just can't improve on perfection...or my perception of perfection from a long-ago memory.

It was 1965 and I was in elementary school...days when people dressed up to go shopping or to the movies. Dad and Mom took my best friend, Pam, and me to see The Sound of Music at the Carolina Theater in downtown Charlotte.  It must have been near Christmas, because Pam and I wore matching outfits...red corduroy skirts and jackets, white blouses with a Peter Pan collars, and gold circle pins. Just so you know...my memory is good, but a photograph captured it in time. It was my best outfit and I wore it for my school picture that year.  In its day, the Carolina Theater was the most elaborate movie house in all of Charlotte, maybe in the entire state of North Carolina.  So, going there was a big deal for me. There were ushers in matching uniforms, lush carpets and seats, swagged velvet curtains, soaring ceilings, painted murals, and ornate fixtures.  It was a day I will never forget.

As the velvet curtains separate, the movie begins from the perspective of a bird soaring over the mountain peaks and valleys of Austria.  And then...there she is..arms outstretched to the heavens with the voice of an angel.. singing, "The hills are alive with the sound of music.  With songs they have sung for a thousand years!" It still gives me goosebumps.

The movie was extremely popular, so the songs were taught to school children everywhere.  In junior high chorus we performed Climb Every Mountain at our spring concert.  If you lived in that era, you probably know the lyrics to every single song.  I've sung Favorite Things and the Do Ra Mi song to my grandchildren.  So...you see, the Sound of Music and I have a history.

Sadly, Julie Andrews can no longer sing after a botched operation to remove nodules from her vocal chords. The Carolina Theater, burned out, empty, and sitting derelict since the 1970's, still waits for funds for restoration to her former glory. I am no longer a wide-eyed preteen, with a world of possibilities ahead of me.  I am now a wife, mother, and grandmother.  I know, as did Thomas Wolfe, "you can never go home again".  But I am okay with that.  I am satisfied with my memories.  So...don't mess with them!

Copyright 2013  Laney's Musings

Crafters Anonymous

I woke up slowly today...no sunlight on this dark, rainy December morning. A glance out the patio doors reveals a world of brown...not my favorite color. The splendor of fall has passed, and the ugly remains are left without a blanket to cover them. This is my least favorite time of year. The days are short; sunlight is in short supply. Like my mother before me, my mood is definitely adversely affected by the winter solstice.

 
My husband is an early riser and left for work hours ago. Sweet man that he is, he left coffee in the pot and a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts on the counter. God bless him! That should brighten my day..a few seconds in the microwave and you'll swear you just drove away from the "Hot Doughnuts Now" sign.

 
Like Emma in the Jane Austen novel, I need a project.  Yes, I've heard that voice calling out to me for months:  "Organize your craft room", it says! "Stop meddling", I say, after feeling overwhelmed at the magnitude of it, quickly closing the door and walking away.  I pride myself in saying I'm a crafter, all the while knowing it is a half-truth. Actually, it is a lie.  I am a craft supply hoarder.

I should join Crafters Anonymous. You know, that twelve-step program for middle-aged ladies who have no sales resistance to every new scrapbooking, jewelry-making, altered art, stamping...you fill in the blank..product that comes on the market. It's an obsession. You know who you are, sneaking your Michael's and A.C. Moore's bags in after dark, snapping your laptop shut, or quickly changing channels so your husband doesn't know you are on EBay, Home Shopping Channel, or QVC again!

Well, today is the day I will tackle the monster. I can do it! I know I can!  I have Pinterest! I've pinned all the cute craft room photos and the organizational tips. Yes, this is the perfect day. It's raining and I have no where to go.

But wait...there it is again..that voice inside my head, sounding oddly like Maureen O'Hara...or is it Scarlett O'Hara? Oh well...I can't think about this now! I'll go crazy if I do! I'll think about it tomorrow. After all, tomorrow is another day.



Copyright 2013 Laney's Musings

Getting Ready for Christmas?

Today, as I looked at our Christmas tree, still bare, waiting for lights and decorations, I remembered a blog post I wrote almost two years ago.  This time of year we get so busy with gift buying, decorating, cooking, and all the other "events" of the season, that we seldom take the time to really focus on the wondrous event that occurred over two thousand years ago.  

Was Mary, the mother of Jesus, ready for her first "Christmas"?  Truthfully, can you imagine how she felt discovering she and Joseph must travel a distance of over ninety miles to Bethlehem so close to her delivery date? Most likely, tiny clothes had been lovingly made, the birthing room cleaned and ready. Why were her plans for a quiet delivery at home spoiled? Was she fearful of the uncertainties, or did God give her perfect peace that everything would happen according to His perfect plan, albeit not hers?

On that long ago night, a very special baby was born..the Savior of the world. There was no sanitary hospital stay with obstetrician and nurses attending. Jesus was born in a place prepared for animals, not the most precious infant ever born. Instead of a soft, silk blanket, He was wrapped in strips of cloth, placed in a stone feeding trough made for cattle, horses, sheep, and camels. 


There were no beautiful decorations, no Christmas tree covered in lights. God the Father provided the light, the brightest star, guiding seekers to His Son. Christmas cards did not announce the birth of God's Son. Instead, the blessed event was heralded by a multitude of angels. The good news was given first to humble sheep herders. Not exactly who you and I would have expected to be at the top of God's invitation list.

Are you getting ready for Christmas? Will you be disappointed if your vision of a "perfect Christmas" falls short of your plan?  Just maybe, God has a different plan for you this year. Don't be disappointed if the gifts you give, or receive, aren't the "perfect" gift. There is only one perfect gift. We cannot earn it or buy it.

Jesus, the Son of God, the Creator of the Universe, set aside the splendor of heaven for one reason..He loves us. What sacrifice, what amazing...grace!  God's perfect gift, Jesus, is available to ALL who seek Him...not just at Christmas.  I hope and pray that you have accepted God's perfect gift, so that you can be ready for Christmas...in your heart.

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6

Copyright 2013 Laney's Musings