New York Called Me...

The big city called, and I answered...

I saw the Lombardi Trophy... (aka what they give you when you win the SuperBowl. And may I just say, look out Tennessee, it's coming your way next!)

And as you've seen in the other posts, we saw our fair share of shows. These gems came from seeing "The Best Man" which stars every celebrity you can think of...Angela Lansbury (Mrs. Potts...I mean who really cares about Murder She Wrote?! Beauty and the Beast is a CLASSIC!), Candice Bergen (Murphy Brown...and who can forget her as Kathy Morningside in Miss Congeniality, that tricky little vixen trying to kill Miss Rhode Island!), James Earl Jones (Darth Vader), Eric McCormack (Will of Will&Grace), John Larroquette (Dan from Night Court), and Michael McKean (Lenny of Laverne&Shirley),

An awkward photo, yes..but it's all I've got. My sweet new friend from Texas took it for me when my crazy new iPhone friend failed me...

Dan from Night Court in real life...I couldn't believe it! He was absolutely fabulous in the play. Amazing!

Me and 'Lenny'...Yes I look like an idiot as I am jacking my jaws as usual. I ran into him on the street one night...He was asking why I didn't come see his play that night...I was smiling for the picture...He chuckled and said, "Answer me!" So I finally respond and told him I had seen his the night before and repeat what I'd said to him at the stage door that had made him laugh...It is in the middle of this exchange the picture was taken. But needless to say, he responded with, "Oh yeah, I remember you!" as he chuckled and went on his way...

We took in the Mets Home Opener against the Braves...

The Mets came away with the win (and actually took the whole series...miracles still happen!)

And there were plenty of good laughs and memory makers...like when my mom was drinking her Diet Coke like this after getting complimented by a man wanting donations for the homeless, and as she went on to try to keep looking sexy after telling him thank you, she almost got side swiped by a cab...it was special, real special, and real funny...

And before you knew it, this is what was in my rear view mirror...

I swear, being in New York is like being in a time warp...time speeds up and flies by faster than normal when you are there. When you are home and living real life, a week will feel like it takes two and a half to pass. But when in New York, a week goes by and you feel like you were only there for maybe two or three days!

So call me again Big Apple...I will pick up on the first ring, and be there on the first flight out!

He Lives!

I woke up this morning overwhelmed with the knowledge that He lives...

It is Easter Sunday...

To many today is much about eggs, and bunnies, and candy...

But to me it is about the One who lived and died for me. Who suffered for my sorrows, sicknesses, and sins. It is about He who death could not conquer. He who gives me hope. Hope that tomorrow will be brighter. I can be better. And life is eternal.

He lives.

Of this I am certain.

And for it, I am overwhelmingly grateful.

The Other Desert Cities

We went to see Judith Light (The Boss) and Stockard Channing (Cynthia Swann Griffin) in action in their newest play on the Great White Way, "The Other Desert Cities."

We all know that I love anything Judith does. She was phenomenal in Lombardi, and I knew this would be no different. And Stockard holds a special place in my heart due to the way my brother and I love the movie The First Wives Club...

The play did not disappoint. It is held in a smaller theater and holds for a more intimate setting like you are sitting with the family as they celebrate Christmas. I won't bore you with all of the details of the story and plot, but will just share the message I walked away with...Family is family and it is all you've got at the end of the day. Each family has their struggles, their pasts and secrets. No family is perfect. And relationships are work. But we must be forgiving. We must be loving. When you can, give someone a 'pass', even if they may not fully deserve it. The most profound statement in the whole play came when the son unloads on his parents and says something to the effect of "Give your sister a pass. Give your daughter a pass. I don't care what you say, the day will come when you will want your family around you, because when you are about to take your last breaths, you will be scared..."

Food for thought, huh?!...


Here is me and my bestie Judith

Judith Light is seriously one of the kindest people I have ever met. She was so kind. So humble. And absolutely beautiful. She is an absolute gem!

We are just sharing secrets...LoL

Ma and Judith

This is for you Ted...or should I say Kim...

The real live Cynthia Swann Griffin is alive and well on Park Avenue ladies and gents! (Please ignore the fact that my head looks the size of a rhinoceros...Thank you.)

Once...

We went to see the play 'Once' tonight. It wasn't one that was at the absolute top of the list of priority, but I had been pushing to see it as I had heard good things about it. And my Ma not being a huge fan of the nontraditional or musicals, but being kind, conceded and gave in and agreed to go.

As we were seated, there was a band playing on the stage, and Ma looked at me and said "Oh hell, is this it?!"... Um, well...kinda...

The show began and she enjoyed. As did I. A lot.

To sum it up nice and short it is the tale of a chance meeting of two people, both musicians, who meet one another at a time when they both need to learn a lesson from each other...with a chance to fall in love if they so choose, though they both have been made to be a second choice by the one they loved yet they just can't seem to let go of them.

From the beginning of the show I was captivated by a line from the leading lady "We can be saviors to one another!" as she chastises the leading man trying to get him to understand that people cross paths for a reason.

The love story goes unfolds. The music plays. It was delightful. It ends. They don't pick one another, and return to the ones who allowed them to play 'second fiddle.' I couldn't believe it. I was furious. RaRaRa. Amen.

But it was the moral that stuck with me and continued to play through my mind like one of the show's catchy tender guitar ballads, as we walked to get dinner at a pizza place in the center of Times Square. I just kept thinking about the 'chance' meetings we have in life. The people we meet once, and the difference they can have in our lives, and we in theirs. Little did I know of the experience I was about to have...

My Ma and I were just finishing up eating our pizza when a kind woman was walking around the restaurant approached our table and asked if we were having a good night. I answered that yes we were. She asked if it was our first time visiting New York and I said, "No, we've actually been here quite a few times. We love it here." She smiled and said, "Well, I am inviting you to move here!" I chuckled. She then said, "But it is hard." "I'm actually homeless." I pulled out a chair and asked her if she wanted to sit down with us for a minute. She said sure, her feet were tired and she would like to rest for a bit. But before she could sit, I asked her if she had eaten. She replied, "No." I asked her if I could buy her dinner. Quite surprised by the offer she accepted.

We went upstairs and this sweet woman got herself something to eat. As we were standing in line we chatted back and forth. About random things. About how it was kind of chilly outside. About how sad the pasta salad was looking. And then she just looked at me and said "It's hard you know. And sometimes, you just want to die. It's hard out there." I looked at this dear woman in the eyes, and the only words that came were "I can't imagine. I can't even imagine." Any one who knows me, knows I am one that doesn't lack for words. But at that moment, they wouldn't come. Maybe they weren't meant to. Maybe in that moment, all that needed to be said was...in the exchange as I looked into her kind, but sad, brown eyes, offering deep and sincere love, concern, and compassion for her the difficulties she faces each day.

I look at it this way...God was aware of this dear woman and her needs. He  And He brought her to a place where He could buy her dinner, and He kindly allowed me to be a very small part of it. (I say it this way because I have been so well taken care of in my life, and my everything comes from Him, especially my plenitude...which I feel I need to share with those in need...) But how amazing that He was aware of her and her needs. There in the middle of Broadway, in the midst of tens of thousands of people, He knew her and her need and hunger. He also knew me, and that I needed this life changing lesson.

Once. Just one encounter is all I will ever have with this woman, as I will probably never see her again. Just a brief meeting in a pizza shop. A tender exchange. A gratitude filled thank you, hug, and a kiss on the cheek...and then she was off into night, lost once again amid the nameless mass of people. But that one encounter will last me a lifetime. She will probably never think of it again. But I certainly will. It will serve as a reminder that if we are willing we can be extensions of God's love to those around us anytime, anywhere, most times when we least expect it.

Think of the importance of 'once.' Most fairy tales begin with 'Once upon a time' but let us remember that when we take the time for one another, we can change each others day, each others lives. Fairy tales are full of heroes riding in saving the day...well we don't live in fairy tales, far from them...but we can be the means to help bring about the happy ending to a bad day, or a lonely time...

The meetings may be brief, and the encounter just but 'once', but the effects and echoes will be endless...