Oh, the Thinks You Can Think

Many moons ago, I stumbled on a fun musical adventure titled Seussical the Musical. It had just hit Broadway, and the cast recording landed in CD form at one of my favorite record stores. (Remember those?)

A year or two later, the national bus and truck tour came to the Air Force Academy's Arnold Hall (back when they could do that...). I got tickets for my mom, my brother, and me. It was every bit as amazing and magical as one would expect a musical with Dr. Seuss characters to be!

A bit further down the road, I began a long distance relationship with my now-husband. For his birthday one year, I flew out to where he was living at the time and surprised him. A local theatre was putting on a production of Seussical, and I knew he'd love it. (I mistakenly thought it was the national tour again, but it was all right.) I presented the tickets along with a copy of the CD. It made for a great memory.

Fast forward ten years later. The CD resides in our minivan. It's worn and scratched a bit, but the fun strains still come through. My three kids (the Dingoes) love listening to it, even on just short trips in the car. They have memorized just about every line Horton, Gertrude, Mayzie, and the Wickersham brothers sing.

And tonight, I was able to give them the gift of seeing it!

A local group put on the "junior" version of the production. The entire cast consisted of kids, ranging in age from 3 to 16 or 17. It was in a small black box theatre, but it couldn't have been any more perfect. My kids were enthralled. They sat still for all 90 minutes of the program. Afterward, they wanted to meet the cast, get autographs, and take pictures. When we returned home, they were still chattering away excitedly.

I never would have thought when I first popped in that CD or sat down in my assigned seat in Arnold Hall that this many years later, I'd be sharing this magic with my kids. It's wonderful. The thought brings tears of joy to my eyes. It's all part of the legacy that carries on. One day, they will pass the torch to their own children. (That boggles my mind to think about!) They will find their own special things to share.

I'm grateful our family could bond over Seuss.

If you've not heard of Seussical, check out this little snippet performed by the cast of the Broadway production at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...

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