“I infiltrated a Christmas play”
To stop, during these hectic days of the holidays, is to experience the deep meaning of simple things
By Francesco Semeraro
And yes, I have to admit it! The other night I infiltrated a Christmas play! It was a concert of elementary school children.
“What, you didn’t have anything better to do?” – you may be wondering. On the contrary…
I had accompanied my daughter to church where, together with her school orchestra, she was to perform the music of Christmas songs sung by the children, and then I was supposed to go back to the myriad pre-Christmas chores.
Instead, I decided to stay a while at the church, exchanging first a chat with my daughter’s teacher and then with other people I met. Once the preparations were over, I thought I would wait and attend the rehearsal as well. Then even when the performance began, I remained there, sitting in that pew, enveloped by a multitude of parents armed with smartphones, intent on capturing moments of excitement.
I had nothing to capture because in the little church the choir was taking away the view of the orchestra and I could not see my daughter. This gave me a strange feeling. I stayed there anyway. I immersed myself completely in listening to those pieces, enraptured by the enthusiasm emanating from those parishioners.
I lived the life of the storyteller of fairy tales. I caught the expressive looks of each child. The excited faces to sing before their parents. The “hello” with the hand thrown by a child to his daddy who arrived late.
The hands moved in time to the music pushing the notes into the hearts and all the children were smiling except for one – he must have been six or seven years old – who stared into the void, gently whispering the lyrics of the songBetween songs the lines of a poem, “I would like a Christmas made of glances of complicit understandings and sweet smiles…” to at the end the heart-shaped balloons given to the moms and dads. Tears and emotion also from the school leader.
I’m glad I decided to stop. I gave myself a gift. I made that conscious choice to nettle all the unnecessary tasks I had planned. There was a need and desire to make a dent in my rigor and also in my overwhelming routine, just to give myself time.
I lost an hour and a half of “my” time with children I don’t know! Yes, but I gained their joy as balm for the soul, their singing as refreshment for the heart.
My tears of emotion as relief. I felt happy, I don’t know why, but I was happy.
There are some parents who, because of work, do not attend their children’s plays without knowing what they are missing. But you, even if you don’t have a child, grandchild or acquaintance, infiltrate any play.
Yes! even on the side doesn’t matter….
Maybe you are still in time! Listen and sing. Rejoice and weep. Smile and dream. Live!
Give yourself this gift!
(Francesco Semeraro – Martina Franca, Taranto province)