Friday, February 15, 2008

Fabulous, I tell you!


Yesterday my son and I spent 5 hours on the road driving to my daughter’s university to see her performing in The Vagina Monologues. 3 of those hours we spent listening to coverage of the shooting at Northern Illinois University. Did I mention I live in Illinois? And my daughter goes to school at an Illinois state university? Yeah. Not that one. But it makes you incredibly aware of how little control you have once your children are out of your sight.


The play was wonderful, very funny, very poignant and meaningful. Dani did a monologue about pubic hair, oh I’m so proud. :) And I am. She was very good; she was funny and has such a flair for the dramatic. Her 2nd monologue was done as a 6-year old girl whom of course I found quite adorable seeing as I remember her at that age myself. Up on stage perched on a stool, swiveling and kicking her feet she was the picture of sweet innocence. Did I mention that her performance was fabulous? No? Well let me tell you, she was fabulous!


The sobering part of the evening was Dani’s boyfriend Tony telling us that one of the students shot at NIU earlier in the day is a young guy who lives just down the street from him at home. He was hit with shotgun pellets while trying to shield his girlfriend. He was treated and released but will have to have the pellets removed at a later date.


Dani had some frantic moments earlier in the day trying to find out if one of her close friends who attends NIU was okay, finally reactivating her own Facebook account to see if she could find news about her friend. She was relieved to discover he was fine.


When Andy and I arrived we went to the theater with Tony and settled into our seats. Looking up at the stage there was a black curtain behind the performers during the play and it was difficult not to picture someone stepping out from behind that curtain to confront those on the stage and in the audience. For the most part I was able to concentrate on the play in front of me but I will admit to feeling a bit unnerved by the comparison.


So very sad.


It was over all too soon and Andy and I needed to turn around and drive 5 hours back home. And listen to 5 more hours of coverage of the NIU shooting.


There was something surreal about seeing my daughter onstage, enjoying ourselves and laughing, sandwiched between the sad events of the day. Did I mention Dani was fabulous? Yeah, she was. Andy too. He spent 10 hours in the car with me to spend 3 hours with his sister. I love my kids and what happened yesterday was one of those reminders to hold them both a little closer, to enjoy them, and to appreciate them for who they are.


And they are fabulous!


20 comments:

  1. Wow! It hits so close, doesn't it?

    What astounded me was, while listening to the coverage tonight with Katie Couric, that there have been something like five violent gun incidents at schools nationwide in seven days!!! It's horrible that they all don't even make the national news anymore (I hadn't see reports on at least three of them).

    Sad. So sad.

    I bet your daughter was just fabulous!!!! ;)

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  2. NIU is the only recent school shooting I have heard about either. Wow.
    And yes, Dani was wonderful on stage!

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  3. Wow congrats to Dani

    WE've been listening to the news over here in the UK too - my heart goes out to all

    I've awarded you the "Make My day" Award - see my blog for details :D

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  4. Hi Bette Jo
    Thanks for your perceptive comments on my blog and picking up that I wasnt really ok . Im better now again though . There s things to do with my daughte( lying to me and fairly low key but upsetting stuff ) that I cant easily write about as she reads it sometimes and at 13 I think it would make things worse !
    But thanks for asking if Im ok , it touched my heart , and yes I was feeling pretty vulnerable ....

    Your post is very poignant . I was thinking how scary is must be to have kids anywhere on campus in the States now . I have friends in that position . And how proud you must be of your son and daughter . Well done all of you !
    thanks for being such a friend
    Shelagh x

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  5. Yay for Dani! I hear she was fabulous! :) I cannot quite imagine having a child old enough to comment publicly on things like pubic hair.

    The school shooting is so very sad. It just makes no sense.

    I hope you have a day full of stretching and relaxation after your and Andy's 10 hours in the car.

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  6. Hi to you - the mother of the Fabulous one!!
    I just stumbled across your blog when I find that my friend Jo (gemheaven) has been hiding you away from me!! How mean - I will smack her bum when I get her!

    I loved your story about your daughter and her play and how we should count our blessings with our children! You are sooo right - Im off now to kiss my 18 year old - something im sure he will be very pleased about ha ha!!

    Love Bev x

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  7. Jo - thanks very much, I will be over there soon!

    Shelagh - I am so glad you're feeling better - nothing like a teenager to make you question your abilities, and Alice wasn't a comfort either!

    Stimey - yeah it's tough to believe my kids are old enough to be considered adults! It IS scary to know they are out there in the world and bad things happen. I'm not sure you ever quite get over the worry.

    Bev - welcome! Yes, mother of the fabulous one, describes me perfectly! :) Lol! Yes - go kiss your 18 year old - even if it's just fun to see them squirm, Mothers get to do that!

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  8. Congratulations to Dani! My husband was a theatre Prof. at WIU and I too was a theatre major. I absolutely love to hear how supportive you are.

    I was sorry to hear, however, that you have someone near your circle who was directly affected by these awful events. It just makes it all the more real.

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  9. Dani is an English major with a minor in Women's Studies, and I think this is more related to the latter for her. I'm really proud of whatever she takes on!

    I don't personally know anyone involved with the NIU shooting but it was close enough. I never wanted to be afraid for my children like this.

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  10. Hi there! I've seen you on Etsy as well as on Gemheaven's blog, so I decided to pop in and say hello.

    It was such a useless tragedy, the shooting. All of them are. It really makes you wonder what's wrong with people nowadays? I mean, I don't remember ever hearing about things like this when I was growing up, do you? I'm 46 with a 6 year old boy. I have a ways to go before mine is in college, but I have 5 nieces and one nephew who are either already through college or in their last year. It's downright scary. And it's not just college. It's Columbine and the Pennsylvania incident in the one room schoolhouse. If it can happen there, it can happen anywhere. But why does it happen at all!?

    I enjoyed reading your blog. You seem like a character! The love for your kids is obvious, or should I say fabulous!!? I'll come back and visit you again! :)

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  11. I wish I knew why those things happen but it just makes you so scared. I always wanted my kids to grow up less afraid - like when I was a kid, but it's a whole different world now. Better in some ways - but increasingly worrisome in others. :)

    Thanks for coming by - I checked out your shop - fabulous! (my new favorite word) I actually sold something yesterday in spite of myself, I haven't been working on jewelry at all!

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  12. awww....what a nice son. and how fun for you and your daughter.

    and how sad about the shooting.

    i bet it was a bit odd.....I'm gonna see that play now...sounds really good.

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  13. I think you'd like the play. It's very feminist and empowering. Also draws attention to violence against women. I think one of the tee shirts my daughter came away with says Vagina Warriors! On it. She promises to wear it when she' out with her brother. :)

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  14. Good for her!

    And yes, I agree, I can't stand the thought that my kids are out of my "protection" ...

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  15. Fabulous indeed! My daughter has seen the Vagina Monologues [but not performed in them!] Well done to you all, I'm so glad you had such a great time together.
    Cheers

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  16. Your blog never fails to make me think, laugh or simply feel. So I have selected you for the "You Make My Day" award -
    http://www.beadinggem.com/2008/02/you-make-my-day-award.html

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  17. Thank you Pearl! You are so nice!

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  18. Bettejo, I didn't know you lived where I was born! I'm glad that you got to spend so much time with your fabulous kids. I could almost feel it when you said that there was something odd about the sandwich of good with such sad events. Just hug them for as long as you possibly can...

    Hugs to you!

    Annie

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  19. Annie - I didn't know I live where you were born either! Isn't it amazing the connections you find?

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