NYC - I’m in a New York State of mind

My brother and sister-in-law have lived in New York City for a few decades. On the second day of his new teaching career there, the unspeakable happened. It was September 11. I remember I was talking on the phone to the superintendent of ISD 15 in St Francis when I had to get off the phone to try to reach my brother. Many of the students in his school had parents and family who worked in the area of the World Trade Center. He and the staff stayed with the students until everyone could be reunited with family. Miraculously - there was only one death of a family member.

He started his career as he ended it there - in service to families and students. 

On the 4th of July, my daughter Abilene and I flew to NYC to help Tim and his family pack up their Manhattan Apartment in order to move from the most uptight island in the U.S. to the most laid back. In August he starts his job as Chaplain at the Iolani school in Hawaii. Here, I know he will serve another community in their own times of joy and sorrow.

One of my nephews was off for a final weekend with some of his besties - which left my youngest nephew to bear the brunt of the packing up. It turns out - Abby and I were of more help by taking Elijah out on some adventures while His Tim and Kara sorted years of their lives into keep,  throw and give away piles.

As a theatre director with a theatre major daughter, we were able to take in a few shows. The first we attended just the two of us - and got to see the Tony Award Winning revival of Oklahoma at the Circle in the Square. From the online reaction of friends and colleagues around the country , I figured out this was sort of an either you love it or hate it type of show. Luckily for me, I’ve never been a huge fan of the original Oklahoma- so this version that explores the darker themes in a more realistic way was right up my alley.

The intimate space lent itself to this bare bones and imaginative re-telling. I’ve always thought about what it takes to boil a work down to its essence, and this was it - quite literally. The stage was simply an array of picnic tables, chairs, Crock pots and piles of corn. The walls surrounding the audience held dozens of shot guns. They even fed the audience chili and cornbread at intermission. The performances were sultry and raw and full of power. We left feeling unsettled and knowing we’d just shared something powerful.

For the rest of the weekend - we took Elijah to Central Park to meet up with my good friend Richard - who - when it comes down to it - is the whole reason I’m married to Joel. He set us up on our first date over the headset at the Cricket Theatre in Minneapolis. That’s a true showmance - that’s lasted 29 years. Richard is the kind of friend that it never seems as if we’ve been apart. His Twins and Elijah navigated the Park’s splash features on the muggy, humid day - while we got to visit and catch up. His husband was busy on previews for Moulin Rouge - so we missed John. 

We spent the evening taking Elijah to the Play the Goes Wrong. As he fancies himself a comedian - we thought this hilarious physical comedy would be perfect - and it didn’t disappoint.

It was hard to leave Tim and Kara on that final day - knowing we’d never be back to their New York Apartment that has been so much a part of their lives. Where babies turned into boys and evidence  of birthday parties past still decorated their room walls. 

Lessons learned:

1. Thoughtful, interesting choices in theatre will always outweigh pure entertainment in my book.
2. Sometimes the best glimmers of humanity happen in an New York Cab when your Episcopalian priest brother strikes up a conversation with the Muslim Cab driver about his prayer beads - and you witness true respect, and beautiful laughter on a hot summer night.
3. My sister-in-law is one of the most giving people on the planet and I'm so glad she is in my life.
4. Children can truly make friends with anyone and have a glorious day together, full of adventure and new experiences - especially when they are all 9 years old. 
5. Some friendships transcend time and space - and it’s nice just to know that other person is out there in the universe for you.