21 November 2008

Memorial Day Weekend

We had a wonderful visit with my parents over Memorial Day weekend. It was the first time we hosted "extended" visitors in our first home together, and we couldn't have had better guests! We spent Saturday downtown trying to negotiate our sightseeing with the sporadic thunderstorms. All worked out just fine and we ended our evening with The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The show is well worth seeing. On Sunday, we explored our neighborhood and played dress up at a toy store. You know, the usual things one does. We visited the Chicago Botanic Garden on Monday, followed by a barbecue at our place. Thanks Mom and Dad for making the trip out! We had a great visit with you and we look forward to next time...

The Color Purple

Last night, thanks to my parents, we went downtown to see The Color Purple. It was a great production with wonderful music and an inspiring story. I remember seeing the movie a number of years ago, and it was interesting to gain a new perspective of the story through a different medium. The movie is memorable to me; there are distinct scenes I will not forget. I remember feeling a sense of triumph when the movie was over, a sense of admiration for what people can endure. The musical provoked the same response in me, but there is nothing like music to add an emotional and cathartic element. I've always thoroughly enjoyed musicals and I consistently find myself lost in the world unfolding on the stage in front of me.

The Color Purple presents a story without any judgments. It is a statement of a woman who finds beauty and worth within herself despite a life of struggle, submission and abandonment. The story very well could (and would have a right to) focus on the struggle of blacks to succeed in a world of whites, but instead it chooses to focus on humanity's struggle to succeed in a world of sin and brokenness. And, thankfully, there is a happy ending. There is restoration. There is reconciliation.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the tickets!