'LOL @ UR life'
Laughing at our cheese isn't very nice.
'And they grew wild (At the very thought)'
Anne:
Wow. I wrote this to my *Shine with Unschooling* list this morning, about my experience at the wonderful library program today...
Jake and I danced traditional West African dances today with a MASTER drummer and his son, Felix, the dancer!!! This drummer, Zorkie Nelson, has been doing this traditional drumming and singing for 26 years...he is AMAZING. And he is so kind and JOYful!
I just had to share with you, because my heart is still filled with SHEER JOY.
This is something I have been drawn to for SO long, but have felt too inhibited.
But there they were...right there in my library this morning.
As they started their drumming and singing, I almost cried, I was so full of powerful emotion and Joy. I just sat there smiling and groovin' to the beat. Watching the son, Felix, dance just filled me with more Joy and envy, as he was just caught up in the passion of it all...it was so beautiful...so raw...so FULL.
And then when their show was almost over, they asked for dancers. Some little kids got up, and they started their music. Then Felix got up to dance, and he asked for more dancers. I did not want to say *No* to the Universe for this opportunity. I walked over to Jake and said, "I will regret this if I don't do it. I think you might want to do it, too."
He did.
We went up.
And we danced our hearts out!
And my friend's 13 month old baby dances ALL of the time at these Tuesday programs...she just has to GROOVE!!...and she came up to me and grabbed my leg as I was dancing, so I picked her up and she danced with me!
Felix was looking ONLY at me, instructing me on the dances I should be doing!! He was so good...so serious about the dances, yet JoyFUL at the same time! And I was doing them...except for holding little Leah in my left arm...but we were doing them!! And Jake was having a grand time, too, doing his best to keep up and be accurate, but focusing more on just being In Joy than anything else!! We were the only adults, surrounded by little kids, but it was just sheer heaven!!
And MAN those dances were difficult...and I thought my knees were going to give out, and I thought my left arm was going to collapse with Leah's weight, and I thought my heart was going to explode...but the drums just kept playing and the singers just kept singing and the audience just kept clapping and keeping the rhythm...and so I kept on dancing...
After a while, Leah asked to be put down, so then I could really let loose! Felix showed me two more difficult dance steps, and the kids kind of backed up and it was mostly just Felix and I doing this dance together...with the drums...and we were just caught up in the JOY of it all!!!...it's bringing tears to my eyes as I write because I just am so happy that I had the COURAGE to say *yes* to my heart's longing, and, as always happens, the courage to follow that which is in our hearts is rewarded with nothing less than Sheer Joy!
My friend Leah...and her Mom (also my friend), Lynn...
In this photo below, Zorkie was playing with something he called his *Gameboy* (and he said so respectfully). He said when he was a little boy in Ghana, he used to cry a lot (and how beautiful that he didn't say that it was a bad thing!). He would cry when his Mama went to market because he wanted to be with her. So his Mama gave him these, and he said, "This helped me to separate my mind. I could separate it then from my sadness about missing my mother to my interest in learning how to use this, my *gameboy*!"
And MAN, was he GOOD at using them!!
Felix...joyfully dancing away...
This was the small gathering of dancers before Jake and I went up. You can see Abby holding her baby sister, Leah, there...
A beautiful closing song...
An impromtu *deck* party back at my house...
Nate loved the little *cubby* spot...
Then Stella and Abby got to use it...
I was inside talking to my friends, when those two beautiful little girls came in with this big bouquet of flowers...just LOOKING straight at me and SMILING!! "For you, Anne!" What a WONDERFUL GIFT!!
I LOVE Reggie. We all love Reggie so much.
Nate was fascinated by World of Warcraft. So Sam created a character for him and played it for him, while Nate watched. More Sheer Joy.
And Cedric has many talents... This is only one of them...balancing in Reggie's car seat...
He would like you to send him some money for his talent now...:)
