"Oh remember, remember . . . I urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God's kindness."

President Henry B. Eyring

Monday, August 24, 2009

Thespian Society

I woke with an interesting dream. I had formed a little thespian group for children and in my dream I was directing them. That was curious and it helped me remember that about twenty-five years ago I wrote and directed a play for our ward in Green Mountain, Colorado. I cannot even remember how it came about. (I must have opened my mouth at a Ward Council Meeting or something) I had certainly NEVER acted in, wrote, or directed a play before in my life! It was during the bicentennial of our nation. I had read several articles that moved me to my core. One was written in the Readers Digest and the other in the Ensign---all about the founding of this sacred nation and the writing of Constitution of the United States. My stage set was Constitution Hall, and the cast consisted of all men of course. In the back corners of the stage I incorporated scenes from the Book of Mormon and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Ron even played the part of a Nephite! He looked so good with his hairy legs showing! (Can you believe that I enticed my cute shy husband to do that!) Anyway, I just knew, I somehow knew how to spotlight those scenes, while dimming the lights on the frozen men in Philadelphia. Then they would come to life and the scenes of prophecy would black out, and so on, back and forth. It ended with a parade of cast members bursting in from the doors on either side of the cultural hall carrying the flag and singing "Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory of the Coming of The Lord!" The entire production was a testimony of Jesus Christ and the divine nature of this land, the founding of our nation, and the second coming of our Lord and Savior. It moved many to tears!

The curious thing is that I somehow KNEW how to pull all of this off. With absolutely no prior training or experience, yet it was somehow so familiar. As though I'd had that experience. I knew how to draw out the actors and get them to give me what I wanted. I knew what I wanted from lighting, and the costumes---well, there was a lady in our ward who had a stash of them including wigs. It was marvelous. I've never done anything like it since. I had literally forgotten that I ever had. It was one of the most exciting things I've ever done, and this mornings dream has me remembering the whole curious and remarkable thing. I remembered thinking at the time that surely I had participated in something similar in the life before and I had a strong feeling that I would do so again, but I'm quite certain it will be in the next life!

I've thought of all the things I haven't done (like design and build my own home, write another book, build furniture in my own woodworking shop, really learn to be a photographer, sculpt, paint, make a movie, etc., etc. etc.) and probably won't and can't do in this life, but each time I feel a twinge of regret, I am deeply assured that we have eons to live and enough time for all those things in the eternities.

You are all invited to the beautiful home I will someday build, which will be filled with sculpture and paintings and furniture that I have designed and built. (And you know Ron will stop running long enough for a party so he'll be there too!) Mostly I hope our home is filled with love! And, be sure and visit long enough to see my movies and plays!

1 comment:

  1. I would love to have seen that production. It sounds beautiful. I understand how you feel about the many things you dream of doing. I hope to accomplish much more in this life too!

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