A Mother’s Joy
As the regular readers of Daily Encouragement know, since December 9, my life has revolved around our daughter Mary Evelyn and the almost one hundred children in her annual play. My heart is full this morning, because yesterday we had a wonderful dress rehearsal. Last night a large and engaged audience obviously enjoyed the show.
I have not mentioned that the two youngest members of the cast are Mary Evelyn and Nate’s young children. I cannot describe my joy at working with a second generation of Homeschool Dramatic Society children, my very own grandchildren.
One of my roles each year is directing the curtain call. Something we have learned about homeschooled children is that they know very little about lining up. They are good at many, many things, but lining up just isn’t one of them. Not being in school, they just don’t have much practice. This makes curtain calls a challenge.
In every play, we have major characters who bow alone or in groups of two or three and we have many groups of children who bow together. Volunteers who work backstage send these groups of children out in a line (or as close as we can get). When they get to the center, they take hands and I motion them forward and then motion them where to stop–oh, about two and a half feet from the pit. We don’t want anyone falling in. Then I direct them to bow in unison, before they head to one side of the stage or the other.
Dress rehearsal was just amazing yesterday morning and the curtain call went great. This play is filled with despair and hope, sorry and joy, selfishness and giving, and in the end repentance. I was so excited during the curtain call. I was proud of the children and full of the message of the story. When Mary Evelyn came out for the curtain call with her children, I just started crying and crying.
Like every mother there, I was proud of my little girl (now 30) and like every grandma, I was proud of my little grandchildren. Is there any human joy quite like it?
Whenever a woman is in labor she has pain,
because her hour has come;
but when she gives birth to the child,
she no longer remembers the anguish
because of the joy that a child
has been born into the world.
John 16:21
And that joy continues.
Oh the joy — I can just read it in your post and see your smiling face as the night went as planned. Congratulations!
This brought tears to my eyes! I can imagine (and feel) your pride, and it is well-deserved. You have a lovely family! Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.