We were a small, but noisy crowd. Some were friends of C.C.'s son. Others had come to listen to the first band play. Others to simply listen to the music.
What an amazing night.
T.C. is a gifted artist. He writes, plays and sings his original music and is multi-talented. Last night, he played the acoustic guitar accompanied by a bongo player and a 'drummer'. The drummer played a barstool -- very original, really cool.
As C.C. and I waited for the show to start we looked at the people in the room and laughed. Except for us (we were the oldest by a long shot) the room was filled with 20/30 somethings. They laughed and chatted, their body language animated. Their conversation free.
Johnny Depp said, “If there's any message to my work, it is ultimately that it’s OK to be different, that it’s good to be different, that we should question ourselves before we pass judgment on someone who looks different, behaves different, talks different, is a different color.”
I felt different in that crowd last night. Older, not necessarily wiser, but definitely more war torn, street worn than the youth surrounding us. And it was okay. Different didn't mean I didn't belong. We may have looked different but we were there for the same reason -- to support T.C. No one was judging my right to be there, except possibly me!
Alexis, her boyfriend and Liseanne joined us as well. At one point, I looked over at Alexis as T.C. played and she mouth, "He's good."
And he is. What's also good is my daughters came out to support C.C.'s son. Even though they were tired (the music didn't start until after 10pm and T.C. was the second band of the evening), they chose to do something that they didn't have to do because they believed it was the right thing to do and they wanted to be there for T.C.
There's a lot of info out there about the challenges of blending two families. Even though our children are young adults, there is still risk involved in the process. Yet, like millions of couples around the world, we do it anyway.
Life is about risk. Risking the unknown and the known. We know the dangers. We know there will be moments of strife. Moments of confusion, turmoil, frustration. There will be those moments, but there will also be the moments of laughter, joy, happiness. Moments where we expand into the moment and build bridges of understanding that span the turmoil and confusion and soothe the strife.
When T.C. told his dad about his gig last night he also asked him to tell Alexis and Liseanne about it. His invitation was a gift. In honouring his gift, Alexis and Liseanne demonstrated their strength and character -- they chose to turn up in support of T.C. and they did something to support this changing world dynamic, to support C.C. and me.
Gifts come in many packages. Last nights came in what I learned watching three young people open to the possibilities of a different world. The worlds they've known have shifted. With grace and ease they step onto unknown territory and breathe life into the moment. In their acceptance, I am reminded that life is a constant ebb and flow of possibility meeting resistance expanding into change. When we open up to possibility, we open ourselves up to what can happen when we set our judgements aside and turn up in love.
I am truly blessed.
The question is: Where does your resistance close you off to accepting the changes in your life?
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