“Here we are now…entertain us” were the words that came to mind as I sat with my wife and friends at the Barnyard Theatre on Friday night!
Some of you might not know these song words, but they were sung by the greatest Grunge band ever…Nirvana!
So….
The Children are safe with great baby sitters
I have a Gin and Tonic in front of me
There are three great, thin crusted pizza’s…with chilli…in front of me.
My lovely wife and Friends are next to me…this was the making of a good night!….and yet I was not, at first, madly excited about going out…
The nights show was “Six of the best!” A Musical, not my favorite sort of live entertainment, featuring the hits of Meat Loaf, Cher, Billy Joel, Pink, Bon Jovi and Freddie Mercury. Again, the artists are not on my top 10 list, or even my top 100 list.
I love the crashing sound of punk rock, and the deep thoughtful lyrics of Alternative hip hop rap / heavy metal.
So, I am loving the pizza and the company of my wife and friends, but hoping the Gin and Tonic will be very good and that time will bend to my will and move faster…
and you know what ?….I had a blast! I loved every minute of the show! And, I only had 1 Gin and Tonic …only one drink the whole night and still loved it.
Between the songs a Computer voice, one exactly like the voice used by the strange tv show, Solitary, gave strange details about each artist.
“Billy Joel worth 160 million…”
“Meat Loaf worth 50 million”
“Cher worth 200 million”
Having a ton of fun, smiling and dancing in my seat, I found myself wondering how much Mother Teresa was worth and how much Abbott Francis, the founder the Catholic Printing Press for which I work, was worth?
I know good people like that are not valued in the same way as entertainers, but between the drum beats and slips of Gin and Tonic I thought of the similarity between the Mother Teresa’s and the Abbot Francis’s and the Pink’s and the Cher’s of this world. They engage people! Not in the same way …but they do engage people. They draw them in and show them a vision of the world as they see it.
I see so many people who do such good work and yet they fail to achieve the support they need and honestly deserve.
Why, why not?
Are they “singing” out the story of their good work, are they “singing” out the needs of the people they help and serve and save? I puzzled to myself.
I don’t think I have all the answers, but I do think good people must become slightly less self effacing and humble and “sing” out and engage others in the work they are doing and then raise some money or gain some support.
Did I say why I was at the Barnyard Theatre?… I don’t think so.
I was there to support a fundraiser for two Brilliant young people from our parish who are going to world youth day.
Sheree Conway is one of the two young people who will be attending World Youth day from Pinetown Parish, a parish from the Archdiocese of Durban.
Sheree works with me at Mariannhill Mission Press and heads up the Web Media Division.
Sheree knew how to engage us and make a buck or two for a great cause.
When she builds websites for good organizations she tries to get them to tell their story in such a way that one feels engaged, in a way that one would feel like they want to be part of this story.
I am not saying we need to act like rock super stars, but I am saying we must offer others the chance to be engaged to your story……and you know where engagement leads…that’s right …to marriage….the ultimate human state of commitment.
Engage people and they will commit to your cause,….very possibly for life.
Well done Rob. Focus first on what you do have, not on what you wish you had!
Indeed, well done, and especially for a good cause.
Don’t stop being enthusiastic about your work and the good commitments of others.