“This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it!”
Psalm 118:24
When our daughter Hannah was just three and a half years old, we took her to see the musical CATS at the Oklahoma City Civic Center. We were only able to purchase the “cheap” seats and I think we were so far back in the auditorium that there were only 2-3 rows behind us (this was prior to the renovation of the Civic Center.) For the entire show, Hannah was as good as gold. She was mesmerized by the music and dance and perhaps a little frightened by the “Rumpus Cat” which had glowing red eyes. Hannah declared that it must have been a rat, since cats weren’t scary to her.
When the house lights came on, people who were sitting around us could not believe that we had a toddler with us at the show. They were very supportive but I am also sure they were grateful that she had been so well behaved.
The only issue of the entire evening came during intermission. Hannah and I were standing in line for the women’s restroom. I was holding her hand but my eyes were looking all around for a less-crowded restroom. When I looked back down at my daughter I noticed that she happened to be rubbing the dress of the woman standing in front of us. The woman was wearing a lovely velvet evening gown and Hannah must have liked how soft it was because she kept “petting” it. I promptly stopped Hannah and apologized to the woman, who seemed to be quite miffed at the situation. The woman looked at me with disdain and basically “hmmphed” at my apology.
I don’t discount this woman’s feelings. I am sure she must have felt awkward that my daughter was “petting” her dress, but I also feel that it pays to lighten up in life. However, I confess that there have been far too many times that I have become irritated in situations that didn’t warrant my frustration. I have gotten upset when people took too long at a green light, parked poorly in a parking lot, or “hmmphed” at my apology. But in the end, I was the only one affected by my frustration. It is far better to lighten up and just brush off the minor irritations that occur in life.
Hannah and I returned to our seats after the intermission and enjoyed the rest of the show. Between the two of us, I was the only one to remember the woman’s reaction. Hannah was able to forget it and focus on the music, the dancing, the singing cats, and the one somewhat scary “rat”.
Rev. Wendy Lambert, Senior Executive Pastor
