The Jewels of deNial performing “Side Window,” at Lord of Life Church in Ramsey for the Ramsey Lions – Viva Howard, Barb Hynes-Tomczyk, Christine Tauer, Kathy Boecher. Dee Moore¹

When I was a little girl, I felt it my obligation to entertain. We would often have performances for relatives at family reunions and would even set up a stage in the backyard for neighborhood shows. My middle grandson was compelled to make people laugh. He intended to do that as his job in the future. He also aspired to being a Walmart greeter, but eventually realized that wasn’t his true calling. My neighbors and relatives weren’t always thrilled to be in my “shows,” but that didn’t deter me. I pushed and prodded. I promised them homemade cookies. I bribed them with all sorts of rewards, and it did become my career later in life. I wanted to be a brain surgeon at one point. I longed to be a teacher, a writer, a comedian and was able to do most of those things within my lifetime. The brain surgeon thing kind of fell by the wayside.

I retired six years ago, but didn’t really. The urge to make people laugh, to forget their problems for a little while, to brighten their day was always a goal for me. Last night, the theatre troupe I belong to, had a scheduled performance for the Lions Club. With all the challenges we’ve been dealing with personally, I felt torn about performing. I had obligations that were tugging me in several directions, but my darling husband encouraged me to go on with the show. He reminded me why I do this job. It’s to bring a little sunshine to someone else’s life for a moment. I felt guilty. I felt conflicted. Would I be able to do this without succumbing to a pail full of tears? The time came. I went. The show brought lots of laughs from the audience, and I felt good about that. I am so fortunate to be able to continue doing the things I love to do. I’m blessed to have a wonderful spouse who encourages me every day. We have amazing friends and extended family who care about us. My own family is so much more than I ever dreamed they could be. Not only are they a great support for us, but they believe in God and His will for our lives.

So, as people look at my blog posts each day, they probably wonder what is going on with this woman. Why is she putting herself out there in front of an audience when she should be spending time with her husband? How can she even think about herself at a time like this? I suppose I’d ask the same questions. If I were to say it wasn’t a matter of pride or glory, there would be questions too. This is one of my jobs – to make people laugh – to show them there is another side to living than just feeling sad all the time – to lift them out of the pits and by so doing, I’m lifting myself out as well.

I love my husband with all my heart. He has been my best friend forever. He is going through a decision making process regarding his health – his future treatment and his eventual entrance into heaven. We both know that he’s going there and that I will join him at some point. Maybe I’ll even get there first. Who knows? I’m confident that God knows, and He is directing everything we do here on earth.