Candlelight

There is just something about the Disney tradition called "Candlelight."  I've only experienced it once this year - thank you Janie and Eddie - but it never fails to inspire me.

Roger and I would typically show up for no less than six performances each season - yea for Disney passes! He would stand in line at three pm and faithful hold our place until seating opened around 5ish.  I/we would keep him occupied with fresh coffee and he would know the life story of anyone he met in that ever growing line.

Oh - I shopped, or sat on a bench and people watched, or sketched. Then I got in line at the appointed time for only a fifteen minute wait.

Now really, WHO does this!

We voted this year. No takers, so we signed up for the Candlelight Dinner Package.
Guaranteed seats.  Row 3, BABY!   And I am so glad that Janie and Eddie enjoyed it. I  love experiencing Candlelight with someone who has never had that experience before!

John Sinclair is far and away my favorite Conductor. Perhaps it is because I have watched him for so many years. Perhaps it is because I have stood behind the scenes and watched him motivate and challenge the many students who performed over the years. Perhaps it is because I have experienced watching him as well as being directed by him.  I don't know, but no other conductor measures up.

Students who have worked under him at Rollins are truly blessed. Hope they know that!

Though I love every song and particularly the reading of the Scriptures - the Christmas Story - my personal favorite is when the orchestra hits that first note in Handel's Messiah.
It is really neat to sit in the back of the amphitheater and watch people stand before the first note ends. Others begin to get up, but I love trying to get my creaky old knees upright on the first note.

Roger would have been glad that I did not skip Candlelight this year.
I am glad I did not skip it but I am more glad that I did not experience it alone.

God continues to give good and perfect gifts, and the gift of friendships that have lasted through the years is one of the best.
It is really an amazing thing to meet, enjoy one another, years pass, then reconnect and pick up as if hardly a day had passed. Unique maybe.  I think it is that bond that Christ gives us through his body.

Thanks for the day Janie and Eddie!  When I drink my Christmas Tea (England) this year, I'll be thinking of the fun we had that day!

Roger's Lesson:  Never discount the friends that God placed in your life. They make you better. They lift you up when you need that extra boost - and you need to keep doing that for others too.  Journey together until we meet again, or until Jesus comes - whichever happens first. 

Yes - and I very much enjoyed this day's journey!