Meandering About Monday

"Wherever you are, your religious teaching must be there with you." Dalai Lama

We are almost cleaned up after the storm. We need to do something about the tree whose limb came crashing down. The best option appears to be to "top" it. Hopefully we can get this done before the next storm hits. I am thankful that mother was not able to get around the limb Friday night because she could have stepped on that live electric wire in the dark.

It was a long day at work and I ended up staying late. I'm feeling a little better but I really didn't feel like staying until almost 7 PM but I had to finish what I was working on. I'm going to my doctor tomorrow and hopefully he can give me something that will finally knock this infection off.

I felt like listening to music last night and was in a "Musical" mood. I started out with the soundtrack to Cats. Having been a cat lover all my life I loved that musical when I saw it and got a kick out of hearing the music again. I can certainly identify some of the cats that I have had from the musical.

I also listened to Highlights from Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables the 10th anniversary concert edition. I was struck by the similarity of the story lines and the importance of love and compassion in both plays. While the Phantom can be seen as an evil character there is also an element of pity for him. His love for Christine is both a blessing and a curse. In the end it is that love and her compassion for him that allows him to let her and Roul go free.

In “Les Miz” Javert has pursued Jean Valjean for years in the mistaken belief that he has God on his side and that once a person does wrong then he will always be evil. Yet Jean Valjean changes his life because of the compassion of the Bishop. In the end Javert destroys himself because he can not come to grips with the fact that he was wrong and that people can change. In the end he refused to change and decided to end his life instead.

I am drawn to both musicals because of the fantastic music but also because of the powerful stories they tell. Both stories teach us that there is good in everyone if you allow that good to come out. People need to be treated with love and compassion. Those two qualities can change a person's life forever. It not only can change someone else's life but it can change yours if you practice those qualities.

The picture is called Ready for Romanace.

The real counter is 5947.