Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts

Sunday, September 22, 2019

I Wish

From lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Into the Woods....

Cinderella sings:  I wish...more than anything...more than life...more than jewels....I wish to go to the festival!

Jack sings:  I wish...more than life...more than anything...more than the moon...I wish my cow would give us some milk.

Baker and his wife sing:  I wish...more than the moon...more than life...more than riches...more than anything...I wish we had a child...I want a child.

Jack's mother sings:  I wish...I wish my son were not a fool.
I wish my house was not a mess. I wish the cow was full of milk. I wish the walls were full of gold-- I wish a lot of things..

Little Red Riding Hood joins in: I wish.. It's not for me, It's for my granny in the woods. A loaf of bread, please-- To bring my poor old hungry Granny in the woods.. [Insistent] Just a loaf of bread, please..

Yesterday I rented the movie "Into the Woods" and
watched it with my two youngest daughters. I heard a
review of this movie on NPR four years ago and have wanted
to see it ever since. They raved about it. My only experience
with the show was as a college student on our campus stage
with some friends as actors in the production. At the time,
the dark second act really disappointed me, but now 25 years
later, the whole show was very understandable and good
art! Simply put, the characters each had a desire common to
humanity, their dreams came true by the end of the first
act, but during the second act everything went awry.

A good piece of art, the story exposes what we all want
as humans and are willing to sacrifice in order to get, sometimes
even worshipping idols to obtain what we want. In the
end, do the obtaining of our deepest desires make us live
"happily ever after"? Most often the reality of our selfishness
and the uncontrollable forces in our lives make a mess of our
dreams. Do watch this movie, especially if you love musicals.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Like no baby dedication I've ever seen

Darren Carlson (TLI Director), Josh, and I went to a Pentecostal church in Kibera on the last Sunday of our trip. Definitely a cultural experience. Loved it! Wish I could drum like those guys! I think we should add them to our worship team... what do you think?


Monday, September 7, 2009

Minnesota Neighbors

I really enjoy the Fergus Falls, Minnesota culture in certain respects. We have awesome neighbors right behind the house we are staying at. They are so generous, welcoming, hospitable, forgiving (of our kids' crazy antics sometimes), and friendly. Today our neighbor gave the kids a box of popsicles. How generous! The other day she invited us to have homemade donuts and juice at her picnic table. In Fergus Falls there are no privacy fences. The yards all connect to one another with no fences in between. My mother-in-law says that if people put up fences, the neighbors are usually offended. In Boise, Idaho it is the opposite! Privacy fences are required by law in the city. People generally avoid talking to their neighbors and independence/privacy are highly valued. It can be lonely sometimes. It is different here, and I like it a lot better.