"Wanna go...?"
It was the Lawrence Welk Mother's Day tour coming through Fresno.
Laugh if you want...I'll give you a minute.
But yesterday, Ashley and Grandma (my Mom), and I all enjoyed a wonderful lunch together and then headed down town to see a Lawrence Welk show.
When I was a little girl, my Saturday night consisted of sitting in the floor while my Mom combed out my freshly washed hair and curled it in rag curls for Sunday morning.
My Dad was in his recliner, Mom in her chair, and I was at her feet watching Lawrence Welk. (and Hee Haw!) Every Saturday night.
So, for me, Lawrence Welk became a part of who I was. It provided safety, security, and consistency because that's how I felt in that room with my parents...every Saturday night.
When my daughter was little, she would sit at my feet as we watched Lawrence Welk re-runs on PBS on Saturday night. Or, if we had already curled the hair, we would just sit together and watch.
Beautiful girls, Handsome men, sparkling dresses, lovely voices, and the bubbles. We loved it.
So, when Ashley asked me to go and bring Grandma, how could I resist such an invitation?
When the curtain opened and the band played and the singers began singing, I cried.
When Joe Feeney (beautiful Irish tenor) sang Oh, Danny Boy, I cried.
When they began the closing song, "Good night, sleep tight, and pleasant dreams to you..." I cried.
It wasn't just about the Lawrence Welk Show, it was about a childhood, and now me, a mother and a daughter sitting between my mother and daughter.
So laugh if you want...make fun...I can take it.
It was a blast!
5 comments:
I remember those ("vunderful") Saturday nights watching Welk and Hee Haw.
Living in the south also meant that as Hee Haw was going off it was time to leave for the stock car races.
"Salute."
Glad YOU had fun. I completely understand crying through Oh Danny Boy. And childhood memories. Ican see your dad watching those two shows, no problem.
But L.W. would just be too much for me.
It's a wonder...really a wonder...that I grew up to like good music.
If I'd been there I would have cried like a baby. For many reasons.
I'm just sure, Steven, you aren't saying Lawrence Welk isn't in the category of "good music". It's why I know so many songs...it's why I can not just hum along, but actually sing the words to elevator music. This tends to annoy Lex. He thinks elevator music was written just for elevators. He doesn't know they were real songs before they went to the elevator grave yard.
I heard it said the other day that you know you're old when you find yourself singing along in the supermarket.
Here's a joke: What's the first thing Kenny G says when he walks out of an elevator?
"That place ROCKS!"
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