Risky

Stravinsky: Petrouchka

I've missed you all hope you are well.

When I was a senior in high school and president of the drama club, the Jesters, I was called one morning by our teacher and asked to go to the Columbus Ohio board of education office to spend the day as the radio announcer for the Board's radio station. My mom took me down and I was to be picked up at 4. I walked into the building and was hustled up to the small studio, introduced to the director, and then given a notebook with page by page things to read between the music that was played. 
I sat down and off I went. It was fun for the most part. The director was a kindly man and we would chat in between the numbers. This day was their Classical Music day. Which really presented few challenges but I thought after a while I should read ahead in the script and see if there was anything I couldn't or didn't know how to pronounce. And there I saw it. Petrouchka. 
I asked the director how to pronounce that and he said...don't know. So I did a couple of more breaks and when the next recording started I went down the hall to find someone to pronounce this for me. I had 4 minutes. So I walked here and there in the offices and asked folk how to pronounce it. No one knew. I did this several times. But as we were approaching that piece the director smiled, chuckled, and said. Well good luck. 

I pronounced it the best I could. I could see the director laughing in the other room. After the 
piece started I said...Oh my what did I say? He was still laughing. I had to recover from laughing with him to make the next announcement about a happening with the school board and 
a play being put on in one of the high schools. 

When the break came the phone rang in the directors booth. I could hear him say, her name is Bobbie Giltz, ....she's a senior at Whetstone, ....she said it right?! ...thank you for letting us know. 

A teacher from one of the schools had called in apparently amazed that what ever it was I said in pronouncing "Petrouchka" was right. Then the director and I did laugh.

The day went on and 3:45 came and I was leaving to meet my Mom when the director told me it was really a fun day for him

.All too often we don't take risks. Risks in sharing our faith, or helping a stranger, or doing something bold outside our usual expectations. Step out friends today and take a risk. Use the brains God gave you to make a difference in the world. Look at a mystery before you and take a chance that you can 'say' it just right as well. And laugh....You may just get it right.
God abide with you
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2009