Christine Ming has been an acquaintance of ours for decades.  Sue and I performed at her wedding to her husband, Carlton, back in the early 90's.  Christine is now one of the staff people at the Portland, Maine Root Cellar ministry in Portland's Munjoy Hilll neighborhood.  When she contacted us a few weeks ago to do a show for a women's brunch at the Root Cellar, I jumped at the chance.

Unfortunately, I didn't think it through.  It was scheduled for a Wednesday morning (today) when I was supposed to be teaching school.  Furthermore, while Christine has seen my students perform as the LOL Vaudeville Show, she really wanted my show for the women.  Yes, I could take a personal day from school to do the show, but I'll be taking a couple of personal days when my daughter, Naomi, graduates from college next month.  I was conflicted.

So, I called Christine and told her I'd like to bring my students to the show after all.  She was hesitant, saying that the ladies would enjoy what I do more than LOL.  I asked her to trust me.  Then I talked to my students and asked them to do the same.  They would join me in the show, but their routines would not be what they've rehearsed all year.

I honestly wasn't sure how things would go, and I mixed in some of my solo routines with some illusions for the kids to do with minimal preparation.  They did two of their team juggling routines, including the Machete Medley.  All the while, the show emphasized a basic overview of the Gospel.

The audience loved the show, the kids did great taking direction sometimes right on the spot, and Christine told me at the end that it was better than she ever imagined it would be.  Sometimes it's good to mix things up a bit!