Jesus & Makin It Rain
I’m Christian, Catholic if you will. I don’t agree with
everything the church has to say and I’ve been vocal about it since I was a
child. My confessions were usually more debates with the priest than anything
else. But the beautiful thing was so many priests, nuns & laypersons in Catholic school let me vent and ask questions that helped me become the persona that I am. I have a strong faith and I have a very deep unconditional love for many people I meet along the way. So I am grateful for that.
There are many traditions in the Catholic religion that I
deeply love and admire. Midnight mass with my father remains my favorite
tradition. We’d always be late, and miss being able to even get into the
church. We’d stand out on the front steps freezing our tail feathers off. And
in the bitter sub zero Minnesota winds, Oh Holy Night could be heard bellowed
by the two frozen Pollock’s. That's what I remember, but then again, there are many wonderful traditions and beliefs to
be gotten from any group, religion or belief system. You just have to look for them. :-)
I was taught “You will know they are Christian by their
love”. Funny enough my Agnostic and even some Atheist friends show me up in
that department… lol. It doesn’t really matter what you are. As long as you
lead a good life and treat people well, you are cool in my book. But one thing
that always rings true to me, is something my father once said to me, and that’s
“Don’t do anything you wouldn’t do if Jesus were sitting there in the room with
you.”
Well, this definitely freaked me out as a teenager getting
into the dating scene! Lol… I’m STILL waiting to crack in on that one! And then
came the popularity of the WWJD wristbands… What would Jesus do these days! ;-) It left me a little confused but very aware that the Powers That Be were watching!
Well, there is actually an interesting point to this blog.
One you may not see coming. That’s always my favorite kind. It’s no secret I’m
a little rough around the edges. And I celebrate that! Lol. I’d rather be ME & be REAL than some other watered down imitation of someone else. And I love nothing
more than taking a situation and COMPLETELY spinning it a different way… just
to say it was done.
Saturday night at The Phoenix Hill Tavern, someone was
holding up a dollar bill. Some obscene gestures and comments were made, and on
the mic I told them to just “save their stripper money for after the show…”
But then I thought about it… hmmm, let’s spin this???
I told the person they could come stuff that money down my
shirt, but only if they upped their anti. And that more people would have to come forward and do the same. Every bit of money someone could
shove somewhere a little “unorthodox” would go to a children’s charity down the
way in Louisville. I have given to them before. It’s a children’s advocacy
center that specializes in abused and sexually molested kids. So pull out those
bills people. 5’s and 10’s are also appreciated thank you very much. J
I don’t really know the story of Lady Godiva, but I remember
something about her having to be naked in front of the townspeople, and how she
rode on a big white horse with no clothes… but the townspeople just looked away
out of respect. They all turned their backs and the public humiliation just
never happened. The people didn’t allow it. That’s about the level of respect
that was shown to me Saturday night.
Instead of drunken douche bags taking advantage of this
“opportunity”, people respectfully and mostly just “gave” me the money to put down
me blouse. They were incredible. In fact most of the folks doing the stuffing
were the ladies! And always several bills at a time. I didn’t need to ask twice
because I had a room full of people who came to drink and party suddenly giving
their last bit of spending money to a kid’s charity? How cool is THAT!!!! I’d
say the “SPIN” was accomplished.
You people are about as incredible as they come. Each and
every one of you at that show who even came let alone made a donation. And in
such a respectful way. Many of you came up to me afterwards and still were
giving money. You’re amazing. Sometimes people come and share their stories
with me. You say that you don’t always feel comfortable in some of the other
venues we play at. That they are too “swanky” and that you don’t fit in. Well
let me tell you something, the amount of class that was shown during that
little late night stunt had more class in it than a UCLA. You all blew me
away with the love in your hearts.
As my shirt became too full to house all the donations, I
decided to take off my boot and sock & put your contributions in there for safekeeping.
Gross, yes, but an A+ for creativity right? Lol. They say the longer the night
goes on, the more your mind plays tricks in the early hours of the morning.
Especially on the heels of this years brilliant St. Patrick’s Day. In the
corner, through the haze of the smoke machine, I swear I saw a leprechaun. But it
wasn’t. Out of the corner of my eye, I’m pretty sure I saw Jesus that night at
the PHT. After all, didn’t he usually frequent the most interesting places? Hang with the “alternative”
crowd? He had on his usual white gown, with a hint of green, drinking a glass
of wine. I’ve heard he wasn’t a big beer guy, so I’m sure he snuck in his own. J I saw him smile as so
many of you could have chosen to have another drink with your hard earned money,
but instead, you gave it towards something that may have a little bigger bang
for your buck.
So to quote those famous little WWJD cuffs? I know. I know
what he’d do cause I saw him! And I saw him sit in that corner undetected… and
smile.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day Louisville. And thank you for your
kindness. The Kosair Children’s Hospital Foundation Child Advocacy Dept. will receive a lovely check this week thanks to you all.
Peace Be With You Always, Goldy.
