The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall Made Me Cry.

I'm relatively certain that tears are not the normal reaction to the Rockettes and all their accompanying extravagance.
Awe, laughter, increases in Christmas spirit...all expected reactions.
Crying-- probably not so much.

I took the morning off from work so I could chaperone Jonathan's preschool class on their field trip to the show. (Jonathan complained that I was the only mom who never helped at the preschool. Little does he know how much of my job is "helping the preschool." It's just that I am in the school office, and he doesn't see me.) The other chaperones and I led the undulating line of giggling/pouting/chatting plaid-clad preschoolers as we walked the 6 blocks to Radio City Music Hall. We found our way to our seats, the ushers handed us 3-D glasses and magically lit star-shaped wands, and the show began. Lights flashed, the orchestra played, dancing ensued, and Santa welcomed us to the greatest show in the greatest city on earth.

It was all very...LARGE.

I glanced at Jonathan, perched on the edge of his upholstered seat, sitting still as stone while he took it all in. It was then that I was blindsided by the thought.
I live here. In this city. And this is NORMAL--that my son and I are on a school field trip to what surely is one of the best known shows in one of the best known venues in the world.

Thus began the tears of gratitude.

I used to have those Wait, I LIVE here moments quite frequently...while playing in Central Park or walking down a crowded sidewalk. But lately, as I've grown accustomed to life in the city, those thoughts have receded. I wasn't prepared for this one.

God is good, my friends. Good because He's called our family to a city that we love, to do work that we love. And while we're working, we're experiencing a vast and rich culture that testifies to God's love of beauty and creativity.

We live here.
We love here.