Lessons

Birthdays are often a time of reflection. I borrowed my daughter's birthday to garner a few life lessons. First, have you heard of Daniel Kirkley? If not, you will. He is a rising star in Nashville, his genre (yes, I watch American Idol) Christian Rock. Last night I learned he is already a star. In town for a brief visit, Daniel took two hours out of his week-end to make a surprise appearance at my daughter's 13th birthday party. In a word......WOW! Daniel's soulful lyrics and his amazing talent on the piano, even on my out of tune piano with sticking pedals, filled my home with song. This handsome young singer's startling good looks and his remarkable voice are only part of who Daniel Kirkley is. There is a warmth you cannot miss, a peace and joy and a finding of one's self that radiates from him as well as from his music. Daniel didn't really know any of our guests, but he pulled up a chair and instantly connected as if we were all the very best of friends. His totally disarming smile and engaging charm and wit drew us all in. I know both his mother and father. I don't know why his exceptional, quite undeniable charisma surprised me. Everyone present here last night knows beyond doubt, they were part of something special, one of those undeniable moments in time. We were in the presence of a star. I wish for my daughter that she remember this evening, this moment in time, and the magic Daniel Kirkley brought into a young girl's 13th birthday party. I know I will.

Buy the cd, "Where Healing Starts."

I learned that all the men in my family look great in pink. Not only pink but pink feathers. Who knew? The birthday girl's hat resplendent with, of course, hot pink feathers was modeled by every guy in the house, with the possible exception of the aforementioned Daniel Kirkley. And, they all looked great. Kind of scary, but they all looked comfortable. I repeat, who knew?

I learned that it is impossible to completely surprise an inquisitive, yes even nosy middle school girl. I don't know why I even tried. I don't know exactly when she knew, but at some point this child knew something was up. She may not have known precisely what or precisely when or precisely who, but she knew something. A woman's instincts and intuition......she will go far.

Finally, I learned that when it comes right down to it, these fledgling teen-age girls are still simply little girls at heart. They had the most fun squeezing helium out of the balloons and modeling their "Mickey Mouse" voices, or as they called them, their "Fred" voices. They giggled like three instead of thirteen year olds. They rubbed cake icing on each other's faces. They played "x box." Will we keep these girls "little girls" one more year? I surely hope so. Maybe by then someone will tell me who Fred is. That's for another lesson.