Glady's has still got it!

Friday - Family relationship health is our focus today...

Last night my family enjoyed a Glady's Knight concert together.  We took my Mother-in-Law and my kids (except my oldest that had work conflict - sad story).

When we told our kids we were going to this event, they said "Who?"

WHAT??  WHAT?? You mean, you don't know who this is???

So we began an education into the background of R&B and Soul music in America and forced them to watch every Youtube video we could find with Glady's Knight and the Pips.

But it didn't do the live performance justice.  DUDE, That lady has still got it at age 73!
Yes girl!

She was sexy and vibrant and could belt it out!  Plus funny and witty and so much fun to listen to her stories.

Glady's began rattling off her musical mentors from her early years in, those that helped her and taught her the ropes of showmanship and the entertainment industry.  Just a few of the names  I remember her mentioning: Sammy Davis Jr.,  Frank Sinatra, BB King, etc... etc...  The list went on and on of amazing musicians in a time my kids don't even know.  I was in awe of the pieces of American music History this woman was carrying with her.

My favorite highlight of the night was seeing the look on my 18 year old son's face at his first concert when the music came on, the energy was high and she started to sing it loud and proud.  My kid squealed like a teenage girl just met her teen idol.  It was adorable!  But it was a Teenage Boy watching a powerful 70+ year old woman that is now a great grandmother and still rocked that stage like the star she has always been.  Krazy Kool.

Then there was the romantic songs.  I loved being next to the love of my life and holding each other through songs like "Your the best thing that's ever happened to me." and "Neither one of us, wants to be the first to say goodbye."

   Such amazing times last night.  Such great memories.  It was the first concert of it's kind that we have taken our kids to.    And I am going to put this out there... I want more.

Connection doing things together that build relationships.  That's what today's focus is in this blog.  Our family has been super strict on where we choose to spend our money.  Concerts for a family our size is not a thing that we choose to spend our money on.  We like food.

Last night for us, it was a concert from a music legend.  But family connections can happen anywhere, doing anything.  If  you still have kids at home, let them be a part of the decision making process of how to spend time together.  Or at least throw out a few suggestions and let them choose between a few choices you approve of.

You could do anything really.  Free stuff, like hiking or making a picnic to take to the park.  or even sitting next to your teenage son and playing that stupid video game alongside him.  Tell him you will play that game with him today, if he goes to Yoga with you tomorrow.  I don't know, maybe not.  Teach your family that time together is valuable.  I have decided that QUALITY  concerts are now a thing I will make sure we invest in.  I had way too much fun not to do that again with our kids.

Tomorrow my kids and I are going to go volunteer at a race aid station.  We love doing that kind of thing.  They get to be inspired by amazing athletes and give back with their time and service.  Plus, it's another free way to get out of the house, do something fun and meaningful together and enjoy an active lifestyle, even if they are not running the race.  The truth is, every time we do one of those aid stations, I have a kid that says they want to run a race.  So, it's a win-win-win situation for all of us.

No kids at home?  Contact a family member.  If they live close, meet up and do something.  If not, at least a phone call or better yet, video chat and connect face to face. 

Today your challenge is to find one way to build those family relationships.

Crazy negative responses to Oprah today...

This image of sheep will make sense if you keep reading.  Because right now, it seems rather silly.
Here are my thoughts today.  I was sitting here enjoying Oprah Winfrey interview Tracey Morgan on her series "Super Soul Sunday:"  I was enjoying Tracey discussing his life experiences and how being in a car accident changed him and his perception on life. I was touched.

I made the mistake of reading other people's comments.
I should have known better.  UGH!  While most people were uplifted and were commenting about the great story and inspiration they were receiving, there were those few... those very few...  who were idiots.  Yes, I am using the word idiots.  I am probably wrong.  I am sure those negative individuals probably just have a different life experience and have no idea what they are saying is so ridiculously wrong.  Let me let you peak into their comments:

"Oprah should interview real people not rich folks who we real people can't relate to."

"Tracey Morgan is just a rich actor, He's not relatable."

"We need to hear from real people."

Etc...

I am sure Oprah or any person who has thousands of viewers is used to the negativity that comes with putting yourself out there for others.  It comes with the territory, I know,  I know.

ANYWAY....
What  I learned from those folks making the negative comments was that if you have a profession that you worked hard at, like Tracey had (apparently those people missed that part of the interview), once you get rich and famous you are no longer human and have nothing to offer the rest of the world of average people still "slumming it".

Uhhhh.....

I'm confused.
OK folks.  Here's the deal, you can choose to learn anything from anyone anywhere of any background, color, social-economic status, gender, nationality,.... uhhhhhh.....

what else?

YOU decide if you can learn or you can shut your mind down because YOU decide if you are unteachable.

Tracey Morgan and I are very different people.  He is a black man, comedian, with a youth history of drugs and alcohol.  I am not.  He's got a lot more money than me and has been divorced.

I am a white woman, Mormon, never touched a drop of alcohol or drugs in my life, only been married once, can't even stand most of Tracey Morgan's comedy, Living in Utah, still rising out of financially rough times.  my life is VERY different from Tracey's.  But I found myself riveted to his story of triumph.  I loved his testimony of God's role in his life.  I found myself learning and growing from what he had to share with the world.

Did you know the thing he is most grateful for in life is... LIFE everyday?

It's a beautiful sentiment.

As I was listening to him and loving what I was gaining, I was reading a few comments about how he was unrelatable.  And yet, there I was finding him very relatable to me.  A white, conservative female in Utah living a lower class lifestyle was finding a Black comedian living an upper-class life after rising out of Drug use and alcohol and a broken marriage....  I found him relatable.  I was learning while a few other closed their minds because they chose not to see the similarities or they chose not to learn because apparently they believe you can only learn from someone who is in your exact shoes.  It's a sad state of mind.

That brings me to the picture of the sheep above.

I am blessed with a very wise mother.  I grew up on a ranch in Wyoming.  My uncle and grandpa raised sheep and cattle.  As we drove down our 2 mile dirt road, we were often stopped by a herd of sheep crossing the road in front of us.  I remember the time my mom took the opportunity to find all the life lessons she could think of while watching the sheep cross in front of us.  "sheep and teenagers are a lot alike...."  she went on with her analogy which I don't really remember.

My mom took opportunities often to teach us metaphors for life from the animals on the ranch or anything she saw in front of her.  I learned from my mom that you can learn any life lesson wherever you choose to look for one.  If I can learn about life from a herd of sheep, surely I can also learn from a man who rose out of rough situations to stardom!  Right?   We look different, we think different, We are very different.  But he has something to offer and I can choose to see it or reject it.

Maybe those negative comments on Oprah video were made by people who have never learned this amazing skill of learning from anywhere. 

I choose to learn.  I learn from everyone I meet.  Life is better when you see everyone as having something valuable to offer the world.

Take that challenge and try it out.  See if things seem better and brighter and more awesome.