MLK Day...and Maia's Misfortune (maybe?)

Despite my intentions the day after MLK Day every year to plan wonderful activities for the next year to make sure the kids appreciate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr and how his life's passion has affected theirs, I have yet to make really good on the action. Today, Josiah and I watched a documentary on his life (from the 1970's!) that impressed Josiah on how much Dr. King was a regular man (yes, with family and fun times and flaws and all)...I think knowing he is more man than legend has blessed Josiah. I talked a bit about what Dr. King stood for with Montgomery, but she was a little confused with the idea -- or maybe it was the way I presented it -- and she wondered aloud "I thought Jesus and God were the best?" I tried to clarify. Hopefully I got the general idea across.

Job and Maia were both out for the day with various necessary activities (more on that below). Johngideon watched bits of the movie with Josiah and I, but it was a little intense (and boringly age-inappropriate) and so, unable to find anything better to show him from home, I made do with Mommy commentary too. Once again, hopefully I got the general point across. Next year, we do better!

What impresses me most about the life of Dr. King is that he got up every morning in the midst of such turmoil and concentrated negativity (dare I say evil?) and pressed on. Its that daily pressing on that resulted in a legacy of such intentional purpose and progress. Our generation has quite the luxury comparatively speaking. Surely we can get up every morning and press on.

One thing I've learned on my journey is that a misfortune is often a prelude to an opportunity.

Over the holiday season, Maia is truly performance central. For the first time, however, due to school performance conflicts, she had to miss her tradition of performing in The City Nutcracker...this would have been her first year with Montgomery  :-( ...which was rather disappointing to us all. She was scheduled though to perform in something like 17 or so shows of The Nutcracker with the Baltimore School for the Arts, but landed funny on pointe in a rehearsal the day before the first show, and ended up nursing a hurt foot for the entire Nutcracker season. This is what that first weekend looked like for her...a couch instead of a stage.

Assuming it was simply a pulled tendon, she avoided the point performances, but still had a great time doing many flat-footed Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) Holiday Spectacular performances over the next two weeks. She was great! From our nose-bleed seating, I couldn't get photos of her in the aisles in the outrageously awesome Vegas showgirl costume, but I delighted in my photos (flashless, of course!) of her as a tap-dancing Santa one Sunday afternoon...

She also played the "big-headed" Santa in that show as well (yes, that's actually what the cast affectionately calls that role!)...

 ...she is such a wonderful performer and entertainer!

 So gifted...

...and such a joy to watch!

Craig, Johngideon and I darted out of that show early to make it to Job's school for his holiday a capella group concert (photos coming soon) and then I made a mad dash back to a different theatre to catch the tail end of Gommy's last City Nutcracker peppermint performance! Whew!! And that was just ONE day of the logistical whirl...what a ride...but what wonderful experiences for all our performers. We are blessed. On the way out of the BSO, I snagged a photo of the lobby screen showing Maia's final role of the day, a toy soldier...

...and Johngideon hopped in the Santa chair for a super quick holiday photo...I think he was starting to drag a bit by then.

Craig decided to join him for a shot.

And then, today, after a few weeks of a foot that just wouldn't bounce back to normal, and after an orthopedic visit and MRI appointment last week, Maia came home this evening after an orthopedic follow-up, looking like this...

Turns out she's got a broken bone in her foot, one that apparently only dancers on pointe manage to break. The call from the orthopedist last Friday said it was a fracture, but a good look at the MRI films today showed the bone was actually broken, and he's put Maia in crutches and an immobilizing boot for two weeks, to be followed by six weeks of just the boot after that! Poor Maia. So much for the dance performance in Los Angeles at the end of this month! She'll still go (the tickets are paid for after all!) but it'll be for the experience of being surrounded by that wonderful IABD dance community, not to take any classes or perform. She'd hoped to just make it through the main performance, but the doctor says this bone is a tough one to heal, and if it doesn't heal on its own she'll require surgery. I think she'll have to be good and wear that boot!



Waiting and watching for the opportunity just around the corner from this apparent misfortune...will testify on the praise report as soon as we know it!

Take care. Much love.