Yesterday my friends and I went to see "The Sound of Music" at the Fabulous Fox Theatre in Atlanta. But it wasn't just any showing, it was the "Sing a long Sound of Music". We had so much fun singing along to all of the wonderful songs in this movie. We even did hand motions to "Do, Re, Mi". Yes, my children probably think we are one step away from the loony but who cares?
I saw The Sound of Music for the first time in 1965 when I was a little girl. I fell in love with the movie immediately and have seen it countless times since then. I even own the DVD. I thought Julie Andrews was amazing then and she is still one of my all time favorites. I thought Christopher Plummer was so incredibly handsome as the Captain and I loved the Von Trapp children. The scenery in Vienna and Salzburg was amazing and all my life I have dreamed of going there. It is definitely on my bucket list of things to do!
On the way home we talked about how we all loved this movie and how it truly is a classic. One theme that resonated with all of us is that it had true romance without being crude and how rare that is today. The scene with Maria and Captain Von Trapp in the gazebo is absolutely hands down one of the most romantic scenes in any movie anywhere. They profess their love for one another and tell about how they first realized they were in love. He kisses her tenderly and that scene was beautiful and romantic and no one tore anyone's clothes off. All that romance yet it was totally tastefully done and no one was panting and groping anyone. Movies of today could take lessons from the classic movies, sometimes less is more. The illusion is more poignant than seeing it play out in front of you.
Now I'm not saying I want to return to the days when I was a little girl and people didn't talk about anything. I wasn't even allowed to say "pregnant" in mixed company and everything was private which wasn't always a good thing. But to me the pendulum has shifted too far the other way and people go around telling you way too much information about their private lives, show way too much skin and are almost in your face about things that really shouldn't be shared. We need to have a little balance and restraint. I certainly don't want to go back to wearing dresses up to my neck and down to my ankles. But on the other hand, I really don't think wearing low cut tops with your assets hanging out in the workplace is acceptable nor is wearing a skirt so short that your co-workers know the color of your underwear.
I guess I'm nostalgic but I really wish film makers would realize that they can make movies that are beautiful and romantic. I'm sure people would enjoy them and maybe some of them would stand the test of time and remain a classic 50 years from now. Until then I will continue to enjoy channeling my inner Maria and belting out "The Hills are alive".
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Father's Day 2012
Happy Father's Day to my husband, Don and all the other dads out there. I want to talk about these two men in my life.
My dad, Herman Barnard, went to Heaven 5 years ago in February 2007. I miss him to pieces. Dad was born in a small town in South Georgia called Glennville. It is about an hour from Savannah if that helps you place it. My grandfather was a farmer and a Baptist minister. Dad never wanted to farm so at 17 he left home and moved to Atlanta and looked for a job. He lived in a boarding house for a while and worked for Tennessee Corporation. He met my mom on a blind date and they were married July 21, 1951. Dad decided that it couldn't be all that healthy to work around fertilizer so he decided to look for something else and became an insurance salesman with National Life Insurance.
When I was born in 1958, dad had 3 children and was 28 years old. The first 11 years of my life we lived in a tiny house on Oak Street. The funny thing is, I never really knew that we didn't have a lot of money. We didn't get presents except for birthday and Christmas but we didn't feel deprived because none of our friends did either. I remember my dad studying his Sunday school lesson one last time on Sunday mornings and watching "Gospel Singing Jubilee". He loved The Florida Boys and The Inspirations as well as The Speer Family and The Happy Goodmans. He used to take us to the Atlanta City Auditorium for all night singings. My dad was also a City Councilman in College Park and really cared about the city. College Park was a different place back then and it was a wonderful place to grow up. We had the small town feel yet we were still close enough to downtown to have the city feel too. My dad wanted to visit all 50 states before he died and he almost made it. He and my mom loved to travel and they were blessed to have been to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Spain, Austria, Italy, Norway, Finland and Sweeden. My dad and my uncle also met up with one of my uncle's Army buddies in London and traveled all over Western Europe to England, France, German, Lichtenstein, Monte Carlo, Belguim and many others. He was a faithful husband to my mom and I will never forget him standing by her during her illness and sitting by her bedside during the last few months of her battle with ALS. He was fortunate to have met and married another wonderful person in 2000, Ann. I know God has a plan but I still to this day don't understand why God only allowed my dad and Ann to have 7 years together. But I have the assurance that Dad and Mom are in Heaven.
The other man is my wonderful husband, Don. Don grew up in Southwest Georgia and moved to Atlanta in 1983. We met in 1984 at a Singles retreat as part of First Baptist Atlanta. It wasn't fireworks or love at first sight but we became very good friends. We all went out in a group but my friends somehow orchestrated that we end up sitting together on many occasions. I will always be grateful for their "matchmaking" skills. Later that year a mutual friend suggested to Don that he ask me out and also came to me and asked if I would consider going out with Don. I told him sure, but he has never asked. Don asked me out and our first date was on October 27, 1984. Because we had been such good friends, we didn't have to put on any pretense. I also felt like I'd known him forever, possibly because I had prayed for my future spouse since the age of 16. Back then our youth pastor told us to pray for our future spouse even though we may have never met them and might not meet them for years to come. So I had been praying for Don for 10 years without even knowing his name! But God knew. I met his family that Christmas and on New Year's Day in 1984 he proposed. We were married on July 6, 1985. (I had wanted to get married in May or June but First Baptist Atlanta was booked solid so we picked July 6.)
During our 27 years of marriage, we have faced some tough times and have had many blessings as well. I have never met anyone as hard working as Don. During the 5 years we went through infertility and through the death of my parents, he has been my rock and my encourager. I know I couldn't have made it through those valleys without him. I admire his work ethic and integrity and his gift of mercy. He loves to help people and he prays for his family and friends every day. During his time of unemployment, he kept such a great attitude and even took a job at Home Depot just to keep busy while looking for a career job. I am thankful that my children have a dad who truly loves them and wants the best for them. He lives the Christian life in front of them and is a great role model. He loves his family and enjoys spending time with us. I am so blessed to be married to him and I look forward to many, many years of love and happiness. Happy Father's Day Don! I love you!
My dad, Herman Barnard, went to Heaven 5 years ago in February 2007. I miss him to pieces. Dad was born in a small town in South Georgia called Glennville. It is about an hour from Savannah if that helps you place it. My grandfather was a farmer and a Baptist minister. Dad never wanted to farm so at 17 he left home and moved to Atlanta and looked for a job. He lived in a boarding house for a while and worked for Tennessee Corporation. He met my mom on a blind date and they were married July 21, 1951. Dad decided that it couldn't be all that healthy to work around fertilizer so he decided to look for something else and became an insurance salesman with National Life Insurance.
When I was born in 1958, dad had 3 children and was 28 years old. The first 11 years of my life we lived in a tiny house on Oak Street. The funny thing is, I never really knew that we didn't have a lot of money. We didn't get presents except for birthday and Christmas but we didn't feel deprived because none of our friends did either. I remember my dad studying his Sunday school lesson one last time on Sunday mornings and watching "Gospel Singing Jubilee". He loved The Florida Boys and The Inspirations as well as The Speer Family and The Happy Goodmans. He used to take us to the Atlanta City Auditorium for all night singings. My dad was also a City Councilman in College Park and really cared about the city. College Park was a different place back then and it was a wonderful place to grow up. We had the small town feel yet we were still close enough to downtown to have the city feel too. My dad wanted to visit all 50 states before he died and he almost made it. He and my mom loved to travel and they were blessed to have been to Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Spain, Austria, Italy, Norway, Finland and Sweeden. My dad and my uncle also met up with one of my uncle's Army buddies in London and traveled all over Western Europe to England, France, German, Lichtenstein, Monte Carlo, Belguim and many others. He was a faithful husband to my mom and I will never forget him standing by her during her illness and sitting by her bedside during the last few months of her battle with ALS. He was fortunate to have met and married another wonderful person in 2000, Ann. I know God has a plan but I still to this day don't understand why God only allowed my dad and Ann to have 7 years together. But I have the assurance that Dad and Mom are in Heaven.
The other man is my wonderful husband, Don. Don grew up in Southwest Georgia and moved to Atlanta in 1983. We met in 1984 at a Singles retreat as part of First Baptist Atlanta. It wasn't fireworks or love at first sight but we became very good friends. We all went out in a group but my friends somehow orchestrated that we end up sitting together on many occasions. I will always be grateful for their "matchmaking" skills. Later that year a mutual friend suggested to Don that he ask me out and also came to me and asked if I would consider going out with Don. I told him sure, but he has never asked. Don asked me out and our first date was on October 27, 1984. Because we had been such good friends, we didn't have to put on any pretense. I also felt like I'd known him forever, possibly because I had prayed for my future spouse since the age of 16. Back then our youth pastor told us to pray for our future spouse even though we may have never met them and might not meet them for years to come. So I had been praying for Don for 10 years without even knowing his name! But God knew. I met his family that Christmas and on New Year's Day in 1984 he proposed. We were married on July 6, 1985. (I had wanted to get married in May or June but First Baptist Atlanta was booked solid so we picked July 6.)
During our 27 years of marriage, we have faced some tough times and have had many blessings as well. I have never met anyone as hard working as Don. During the 5 years we went through infertility and through the death of my parents, he has been my rock and my encourager. I know I couldn't have made it through those valleys without him. I admire his work ethic and integrity and his gift of mercy. He loves to help people and he prays for his family and friends every day. During his time of unemployment, he kept such a great attitude and even took a job at Home Depot just to keep busy while looking for a career job. I am thankful that my children have a dad who truly loves them and wants the best for them. He lives the Christian life in front of them and is a great role model. He loves his family and enjoys spending time with us. I am so blessed to be married to him and I look forward to many, many years of love and happiness. Happy Father's Day Don! I love you!
Friday, June 15, 2012
The times have changed
I was listening to some "oldies" music today and Doris Day came on singing the song, "Que Sera' Sera'". You know, the one that says "When I was just a little girl, I asked my mother what will I be?" That started me to think. These days we tell our children or our students, "You can be ANYTHING you want to be!" or "You can be anything you want to be if you put your mind to it!" I know we mean well, but should we really be telling our kids they can be anything they want to be? My parents always taught us the adage, "Anything worth having is worth working for." I don't think they ever told me that I could be anything. Let's face it folks, I knew early on that no matter how much I may have wanted to be an astronaut or a rocket scientist, it just was not going to happen. And believe it or not, no teacher ever told me that I could be one either. I did pretty well in school in English and History but math and science did not come easily to me. So no matter what, I knew that I would never have a career as a mathematician or scientist. It just was not going to happen for me. But that's ok.
I think we need to encourage our children to explore different areas and find out where their interest or passion lies. Then let them know they need to put their mind to it and work hard to achieve their goals. But as a commencement speaker said recently, "We have become more interested in accolades than achievement." It goes back to making everyone feel good about themselves so we can't have a winner or MVP so all the kids get trophies. My other pet peeve - birthday party treat bags. I wish I could find out who started that tradition and Gibbs slap him/her. Why in the world should the party participants get a treat? It should be the birthday child's day. I hate to bring up how things were when I grew up but here goes. Getting invited to a birthday party WAS our treat! We were so excited to get to go to some one's house and play games. We were also very excited to get a chance to eat ice cream and cake! That was a treat! And believe me, you didn't pitch a fit or act up because that could very well be your last invite.
Sometimes in our zeal to make things better for our children, we have actually made it worse. We have created a generation where many feel they are somehow entitled to everything. Instead of helping our children reach new heights, we have caused many to expect the achievements to be handed to them. We have also shielded them from failure and never let them experience the satisfaction of learning from their mistakes and moving on. We need to fix this somehow. It's not too late to start.
I think we need to encourage our children to explore different areas and find out where their interest or passion lies. Then let them know they need to put their mind to it and work hard to achieve their goals. But as a commencement speaker said recently, "We have become more interested in accolades than achievement." It goes back to making everyone feel good about themselves so we can't have a winner or MVP so all the kids get trophies. My other pet peeve - birthday party treat bags. I wish I could find out who started that tradition and Gibbs slap him/her. Why in the world should the party participants get a treat? It should be the birthday child's day. I hate to bring up how things were when I grew up but here goes. Getting invited to a birthday party WAS our treat! We were so excited to get to go to some one's house and play games. We were also very excited to get a chance to eat ice cream and cake! That was a treat! And believe me, you didn't pitch a fit or act up because that could very well be your last invite.
Sometimes in our zeal to make things better for our children, we have actually made it worse. We have created a generation where many feel they are somehow entitled to everything. Instead of helping our children reach new heights, we have caused many to expect the achievements to be handed to them. We have also shielded them from failure and never let them experience the satisfaction of learning from their mistakes and moving on. We need to fix this somehow. It's not too late to start.
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