Garrison Keillor Show

It was a dream come true! ... Something I have wanted to do for years! Attend a Live Garrison Keillor Show in St. Paul, Minnesota in person. For years, we have faithfully listened to Prairie Home Companion, usually while in the vehicle traveling to Sioux Falls or somewhere else in the Midwest.

My most memorable listening experience came when the kids were much younger and all piled into the back seat of the car. It was the annual Joke Show and as Keillor told joke after joke, we all laughed harder and harder. Finally, we were all laughing so hard, that we just about had to pull over to the shoulder of the interstate and stop.

There has been something so comforting in hearing Keillor's stories, his explanation of the Midwest, why we are who we are. "Yes! I think! That is just how it is!" Or "Oh, that's is how I felt when my parents...." Or "I didn't know anyone else felt the way I feel." Recognizing myself in his stories has been revealing.

The theatre was just as I imagined (with a little help from our Prairie Home Companion 30th Anniversary DVD). Garrison is a little older than the last time I saw him in Mitchell and Vermillion, South Dakota. But he is still wearing his suit with red tennis shoes.

I was so inspired during his show. I was inspired to be myself, no matter how uniquely strange that may appear to others. I was inspired to do my best, whatever the activity. I was inspired to keep moving forward to inspire others. I know that "show biz" is probably not for me. But last night, I wished it was. I loved the music, the band, the set ... I was excited that he read two of our families wishes ... one to Portia in China and one to my brother Lee in Lincoln, Nebraska. It will be a memory I will treasure forever!!!!!