Grandpa Charles + Grandma Rowena
my dad's father, charles, died when my dad was 19 or 20. last year i came across vintage photos of his childhood and early marriage. he was involved in drama + singing also. i can remember my grandmother playing an old recording of him singing some old classic song. she'd play it over and over.
in a world that's been overtaken by pop music + ever-changing entertainment stars, i've come to appreciate the simplicity in a strong voice without the distraction of flashy costumes + self-promotion.
last night we were soooooo blessed to attend the Ten Tenors performance at the Airforce Academy in Colorado Springs. The Ten Tenors is a group of young professional singers from Australia.
I am friends with one of the ten, Boyd. We met a few years ago at a conference + have kept in touch since then. Early this year he joined the group + told me they were touring through the states later in the year. After months of waiting, the evening finally arrived. He graciously reserved us comp tickets at the box office so we could attend one of his three Colorado shows.
We got the directions wrong on base + ended up being 20 minutes late to the performance. Oh dear, I was soooo frustrated to be so late. We had left early + ended up late. =( So we rush into Arnold Hall + a lovely staff member asked, "Would you like to be escorted to your seats?" I said yes since we had never been there and it was already started. We hear the tenors singing from the front lobby... making me even more embarrassed for being late.
We hastily follow her up a flight of stairs and down to the last door. As she opens it, the full volume of the singing hits us and I am blown away at how many people are inside. It is packed. I later learn it is a venue that holds 3,000+. We follow the woman down the side of the auditorium. She holds our tickets so I have no idea where we are sitting. Half way down, we then cross over to the center aisle, and make a left down toward the stage. A slight panic sets in. Oh no, Boyd (and the rest of the crew) is going to see us so very late, squeezing through the aisle. Everyone is seated and we are politely pushing our way past several older ladies. I sit down, completely embarrassed and look up to see the 10 guys in full song and hope the stage lights are too bright in their eyes so they didn't spot us come in late.
A few minutes later Boyd is waving at me + I know then he probably saw me earlier sneaking into our seats. Oh dear.
But we quickly were overtaken (at least I was) by the rest of the show. It was a mix of ballads, from Australia folk songs to an 80s medley to Christmas carols, with a little humor between sets.
It's hard to articulate what it meant to be to be there. But I quickly realized how little I have been inspired lately—because I was blown away by the beauty of their harmony. Good singing does that. It inspires and captivates and shows me the stunning beauty of God, who put those abilities in those men... the God who gives each of us something beautiful so share. The performance pulled me in + begged something of me... to seek more beauty in this life.
To see a friend in their element is powerful. And what a career to have! What a gift to share! And knowing he is a genuine + loving person makes it all the more meaningful to share in what he is doing. Sometimes you come across those people who are truly living out greatness, and it moves you.
We were able to meet up with him afterward, along with some of his other friends, and take him to IHOP for a late dinner. They drove to Greely this morning for tonight's show + they return to Australia before Christmas. We'll be in NZ in Jan/Feb, and hope to visit with him again. It was a quick visit so we both hope to have a longer time to hang out next visit. Perhaps if we can make it to Australia! I've never been.
please bear with me here on this video. i will upload it to vimeo + embed that version here soon so it should fit properly, but for you viewers who are visiting this post today, this will have to do. click the middle to play, or watch it at facebook.
their charity raises funds for men's health... particularly depression, testicular + prostate cancer. to donate to their charity, go here!
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