We Shined and it is Over: "Listen to Your Mother" Show

Memorial Opera House Stage

It is over.  Our "Listen to Your Mother "Show is over.  

But is it ever over?  I know being a mama never ends.  Someone reminded me of that in Target yesterday.  "Oh, you will always be a mother, even when they are grown!" The woman behind me in line said.  


That is all we were doing on stage:  Being Mamas.  And daughters.  And sisters and friends.  All we did was share five minutes of what that looks like for us. Just words from our heart and tears and laughter onto a page then out of our mouths into a megaphone.  We only told our lives, and our light shined for every audience member.  

I just couldn't get my perfect picture with Stephanie!

Sitting in the audience, listening to each woman again I loved and laughed and cried through their pieces anew.  I was affirmed and encouraged and grateful each of us got the chance to stand on that stage and tell our little story.  Some of us had big stories, dark and painful and needing to be known.  Some of us just laughed through parenting highs and lows.  


We gave ourselves permission to be real, in return inviting our audience to do the same.  Nobody is perfect we said.  We all make mistakes (and look how hilarious they are!) we said.  If this happened to me, maybe it also happened to you? we said. 

Julia Huisman and Stephanie Hauser getting "more" beautiful

Last weekend as I had a holy moment in the holiest seat in our house I found this devotional for May 10th; the night of our "Listen to Your Mother" Show:

Light Shines Through Cracked Pots

"Let not those who wait and hope and look for You, o Lord of hosts, be put to shame through me;  let not those who seek and inquire You (as their vital necessity) be brought to confusion and dishonor through me, O God of Israel."     Psalm 69:6

Everyone is like a pot that carries life.  But not everyone carries a presence that blesses others.  Religion tries to force people to follow laws to make them perfect, like pots without cracks.  But if a light is put within a flawless pot and then covered, no one is able to see the light inside the pot.  Perfect pots are not able to reveal  internal light to illumine the way for others.  God chooses to shine through imperfect, cracked pots.  People are blessed when our cracked pots let the light of Jesus shine through. 

Choose to be a glory filled cracked pot rather than an empty, pretty vessel.

This is from May 10th and was in "Starting Your Day Right"  by Joyce Meyer.  I shared part of it before the show to encourage our cast that showing their cracks to our audience also shows them our light.  


And we do have such light.  Each woman was beautiful and light as they spoke.  Each one had beautiful details, cracks and blessed the rest of us with her words.

Beth Fletcher and Katy Hoagland, Sparkling STARS!

I was so bummed during the last two readings knowing it was ending. I know we will get together for breakfast or something like last year's cast.  There will be emails.  But for all intents and purposes it is over and I am a little lost. I hope our director Stephanie Precourt and the entire cast and Ann Imig who started it all knows how much this meant to me.  Thank you, each of you for daring to do this for every mother.

Judy Miller and June Saavedra indulge the paparazzi

Listen to Your Mother is over now for our cast.  
And light, light is shining through my cracks.  


I hope it helps brighten someone else's day.  


Happy Mother's Day, All!