Dance for life

I went to the annual dance recital for Luis Pabon's Dance Arts Center. I've been going to his dance recitals for the last fifteen years. All three of my girls have gone through the school and loved dance classes. Back in 1999 we took a step deeper into the world of dance. Both of my older girls tried out for the competitive dance troupe called Style Extraordinaire. They both made it and that changed our lives forever. Becky didn't stay with it long. She decided to put her energy into NFA's marching band. Sarah, on the other hand, went all out. A few years later, Rachel got involved too. By the time she was in third grade, she was in the troupe too.

For the last ten years our vacations, as well as our weekly schedules have been determined by what was happening at dance. I have to tell you that the other girls and their families became part of our family. We did so many things together. We traveled to Boston, New York, Las Vegas, Orlando, Germany and to New York again, twice! So many special memories have come of this relationship.

As I watched the dancers on stage I couldn't help but think of the girls who weren't there today. They have grown up and gone on to college or found other interests in high school. They and their families were gone from our lives. I missed them and started to get a little melancholy. Then I changed my focus and started thinking about the blessings I had received over the years.

Time does change all things. I've often thought that life is like a journey. We meet many people along the way. They bless us or they hurt us and then they move on. Part of our satisfaction in life comes from the way we deal with the changes. We can embrace them and learn from them. We can look at them as blessings from God. Or we can let them eat away at us and bring us down. We can sit around and count up the losses and and live with a sense of regret.

I watched the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" tonight and there was a line in there that really hit home. He says this one particular woman taught him the value of friendship when she died and was no longer there. That is what life is all about. We live and learn. I think that is where our faith comes in and is so valuable. It reminds us that God is also walking with us on the journey. He's there and will be with us until the end of our days.

So don't just sit there. Get up and dance.

Cal