Joy, Anger, and Forgiveness

Our Time Travel series continued tonight, a Wednesday night that had all kinds of fun for the kids, including a time travel skit, and plenty of references to a movie that has nothing to do with time travel, "Inside Out."  Here's just a few hand-outs he made up in a hurry that move in the direction of forgiveness - this first one shows the character Anger:

We literally had the kids write out the things that made them mad, things that someone else did… and then they had to wad them up and throw them away, towards me.  They loved it.  And here's the tie-in, related to the character of Joy.

The phrase you write out is "I forgive you."  This is important.  And leads to joy.  It's interesting, because with Daddy, he had forgiven someone in his heart - but there was still one thing left to do.  He had to tell this very person - three years later - these words:  "I forgive you."  I expected counteraccusations and bitterness, but instead… I heard tears.  I had no idea of this, but the person who had wronged me was held prisoner by feelings of guilt, and that one phrase brought out healing.

And it also brought a moment of release, for there was a blessing that was held back, suddenly released when I expressed forgiveness.  That's a story for another time, but tonight's message went really well, especially with the skit we did beforehand.  It all lined up very well!

Madison danced again this afternoon, and has been showing Daddy just how flexible she is - and how inflexible he in fact is.  She touches her toes with her forehead, and Daddy sort of bends a little, and things creak.

But that's all adults for you.  Except for the limber ones.  We lose flexibility over time, so I'm not in any period of mourning over that.  Choose your battles, and the fact that I can't quite do an arabesque as well as she can isn't going to cause me to lose sleep!

Mommy got some tickets today, tickets to an upcoming performance of "Mary Poppins" in November. We got to see this one at the Fox a few years ago, and it was really good.  This performance won't be as intense, but it also won't be as much of an investment.  A trip down to the Fox to see a play is quite an expenditure of time, effort and $$$.  Again, choose your battles, right?

Besides, there are plenty of creative theatrical options for us here.  We got to see "Pecos Bill" a bit ago, and also coming up is a performance of "CATS" that Madison will love to go see.  It's local, so it's not the massive production that Mommy and Daddy saw a few years ago at the Fox theater.  But it'll be nice nonetheless.  Besides, from what I remember about that play, there wasn't much of a set.  Other than some sort of weird spaceship thing at the end?  What was the deal with that play anyway?  Someone tried to explain to me that only cat owners would really appreciate it, and I suppose that must be true.  Because I came out of that play scratching my head.  And in a few weeks, I'll be scratching my head again.  But at least I'll be smiling, because we know that Madison will really like it.  And Daddy will be quoting that SNL skit from some time ago:  "It was much better than CATS.  I want to see it again and again."

The writing continues for our board game series.  Not many days left, in fact, and it will be done.  We'll post images of the logo and posters as those get finished.  But it's all coming along, and should be a great series when all is said and done.  After ten years of this, we're still doing new stuff and not repeating!

Madison turned in her assignment today, making a 'book' with a scary story within, along with scary images.  Can't wait to get that one back - it's her first book!  Someday, she might be a writer.  We say that with no real concrete ideas of what she'll be as she grows up in life - she may be an astrophysicist or a zeppelin attendant.  But she does like to write, and to create.  And we're happy to encourage her in any direction she chooses.