The flower of Midlife sifted through faith, family and heaping helping of southern fried chicken.

Musical Theater Dance Camp.

That’s where I just deposited my six year-old son.

Joe, along with the musical director’s, Katie Anderson, son McCormick were the only boys in their age group.

A year ago, I probably wouldn’t have been dropping him off, but for the last six months he has been taking hip hop ~ and loving it.

Joe can move.

I recognize this because I’m a mover too.

Last weekend at the AWESOME Randall Bramblett concert at the Cultural Center, I couldn’t help but move in my seat. You hear good music; you move. It’s reflexive.

By the way, in my son’s hip hop class this year there were four boys and a girl.

In talking with Katie and Pointe of Grace business manager, Carol Anderson, we came up with lots of great examples of men we love to watch dance. Gene Kelly, Baryshnikov and Christopher Walken. Carol remembered Patrick Swayze and John Travolta.

Long belong strutting the floor in black suit with Uma Thurman, I remember the John Travolta in white three-piece suit. I so wanted to sneak into the theater to witness Saturday Night Fever ~ just to watch him dance.

Most women wouldn’t refuse a turn with a man who knows his way around the dance floor.

That kind of dancing takes training and study. No matter the ratio of girls to boys in your class.

Christopher Walken, freaky evil guy in movies — the man who wanted “more cowbell” and more recently portrayed  ”Colonel Something or other” on SNL  — started out as a dancer, training in musical theater.

You don’t believe me? Just watch this if you haven’t seen it.

Or watch it again if you have, it’s that great.

Some men just gotta dance…Thank goodness.

Megaluno– to make (or declare) great, to extol – to magnify.

Alright.  Sometimes you think…Darn it.

I missed an opportunity because I am a mother of three, wife, friend. One who tries to keep house clean, get laundry done, write at least two pages, exercise, spends entirely too much money at Walmart, goes to son’s soccer (which thank God I am not coaching this session), transports daughter to and from to piano, attempts to remember what time football practice ends today…and so on and so on…..

The same goes for you. I know. I read your blogs, Facebook and Twitter updates. Sometimes in the business of life we miss out on things we would like to do – hearing of them after the fact. It’s like darn it, I missed out on that. Then there are the occasional…

D*mn its!

Finding out that U2 played Atlanta on October 6, the night that they played Atlanta was a lot more frustrating than “Oh well, another missed opportunity caused by my clueless bumbling through life.”

And truth be told, my utter lack of finances to spring for such a venture would have prohibited attendance at concert if I had known about it in the first place. So stop looking for me in the picture.

But how Magnificent it would have been there to hear Bono sing Magnificat..or Magnificent – his song based on Luke 2:46 – 55. Mary’s Song of Praise.

In a Rolling Stone interview Brian Hiatt quotes Bono as saying “Magnificent was inspired by the Magnificat, a passage from the Gospel of Luke in the voice of the Virgin Mary that was previously set to music by Bach. “There’s this theme running through the album of surrender and devotion and all the things I find really difficult,” Bono says. “All music for me is worship of one kind or another.”  www.ministryvalues.com

“I was born, I was born to sing for you
I didn’t have a choice but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice from the womb
My first cry, it was a joyful noise, oh, oh”

 “Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts
Justified, till we die you and I will magnify, oh, oh
Magnificent, magnificent, magnificent”

 Justified, till we die you and I will magnify…

If you think this is just another powerful love song then you can enjoy the poetic lyrics, the music and get a little extra kick in your stride at mile six when joyfully it comes on your iPod.

But if you profess a belief in Christ – it begs a little more. A challenging question. One not just for Mary or Bono. One for all believers..Do I magnify? Do I magnify the Magnificent?

And besides. This is one of the coolest videos ever…Have a magnified Monday.

“My soul magnifies (megaluno) the Lord” Luke 2:46

Winners, winners everywhere.

University of Georgia won on a last second field goal.

The Morgan County Bulldogs won their Homecoming game against previously undefeated Jackson County.

My dear friend Karen Spence completed the inaugural Georgia 70.3 Ironman yesterday. (Along with Madtown locals hubby Rick, Chanin Gill and Kate Shepard.)

Tim Tebow and the Gators battled an undisclosed “respiratory illness” to steamroll Kentucky.

Funny, when I was young I supposed champions were genetically gifted souls. People who just walked out their front door in the morning and conquered the world whether their arena be business, sports, high school popularity, humanitarian effort. They were  people God waved some large magic wand and said – you are chosen. You will excel against all adversity. You will have mighty courage and never know pain.

That wasn’t me.

Like a lot of lies we believe in our youth, I was captive to that mentality.

I now know differently.

The only way champions are different than most of us is that they persevere. They don’t expect things to be easy, and when thing get tough – they stay tough.

Life just is hard. It’s wonderful and deep and filled with cashmere. But not easy.

Enjoy the pain sometimes. Persevere to the other side and win. Same you different result. You didn’t throw in the towel because things weren’t the way you planned.

Seeing those UF football players throw up into red plastic bags and keep playing. There were no, “I feel really, really sick. Guess this wasn’t meant to be.” They must have felt horrible. But they got out there and did their job.

My friend Karen’s text after the 70.3 Ironman — 1.2 mile swim, 56 bike and 13.1 run. “It was really hard. Every muscle group in my legs cramped. But I did it.”

When life gets tough, get tough right back. Call on holy power from above. That’s what it takes to make a champion. Don’t expect ease and comfort. Just do it. You’ll look back and be proud.

Wearing white shorts past Labor Day. Doesn’t that violate some kind of rule? But no one else  could ever sing this song  — though interesting choice for concert hydration.

Here’s wishing you a great start to the week.

Terribly sad about Patrick Swayze.

Dirty Dancing.  I paid to see that movie a 100 times or at least three. One time, I dragged mother with me.

Big mistake. She crossed her arms and mumbled disapproval within the first 30 seconds of the opening credits rolling against black and white images of intertwined bodies of dancing Catskill resort staffers.

He could dance. He was beautiful. But funny, I always adored Patrick Swayze not because he was amazing dancer, not because of his perfect physique, not because he stuck up for Baby.

Just because he was so beautiful. Period.

There was something so down to earth, so likable, so committed to his wife, so completely at piece with himself that was irresistable. So more than all that dancing — dancing that sometimes drifted into areas that were a little less dancing and a little more, well, a little more something else. More than anything, it was his inner beauty that  so captivated me. 

I pray for his wife and those who loved him so…and though my favorite performance he ever delivered was the SNL Chippendale dancer skit with Chris Farley, I shall dedicate this Music Monday to Patrick Swayze and

And, you know the rest.  Have a great start to the week.