Tonight was the Drama Queen's 2nd recital night. Daddy and I went last night, so tonight I headed back with her siblings and Punky. Punky, one of my faithful friends (and readers) put it well tonight. She knew that my next post was a Just for the Joy of It post and said that is why I had her around tonight. I mean, who else could entertain my teens by giving them a Rock Star to share with her, along with Milk Duds and Mike Ike candies while we waited for the show. And who else would laugh hysterically at the Smart One as he tried to smash a can against his forehead on a challenge from his two older siblings. Yes, this is what we are about. Crazy. And so…there was joy.

But even more importantly, for the past two nights I've had the joy of sitting with my family (and Punky…who really is family after all) while watching this recital of "Happy Days are Here Again." About a year ago, a friend told me about Miss Lori and her dance class. She recommended I put the Drama Queen in this class. She told me how awesome Miss Lori is and how, although she does recreational classes at the local Rec center, she also holds a recital once a year. She couldn't say enough kind things about Miss Lori. The only negative was the waiting list to get into her classes.

I missed it the first time I tried, so the 2nd time, I got smart and stayed up and registered online as soon as it opened. (See, I use technology to my advantage sometimes!) Last fall was the Drama Queen's first time. She fit right in and fell in love with Miss Lori. We signed up again for the winter/spring session. I only made it to one class and then had my surgery that went south and fell ill. About this time, the Drama Queen needed new tap shoes as her feet had grown. Miss Lori provided new shoes for Isa and would not take any money for the shoes, giving them as a gift to Isa. That's the kind of lady she is.

A couple of weeks ago, the place where the recital was to be held lost it's ceiling in a wind storm. Miss Lori made sure to find a new place to hold the recital because she was not going to cancel and let the dancers down.

We found out last night, when Miss Lori's daughters showed up instead of her, that she'd suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm a week ago while at one of the dance classes. Amazingly, she made it through. And her wish was for the show to go on, without her. So her family pulled it together and put the show on for the past two nights while she lay in the hospital. Yes, there were tears. I think everyone in the audience cried at some point, (and there were hundreds of them!) but there were also tears of joy, because Miss Lori is so loved.

It touched my heart to see a family so pulled together for their mom and her dreams for the little ones. It reminded me of my own family pulling together for me over the past few months. I am blessed indeed. And that brings me much joy.

Please keep Miss Lori in your prayers as she recovers for the next few months. She is one special lady.

Here are some pics that brought me joy tonight.