"All the love you can give..."

How much fun was the Sound of Music sing-along!?  I'd almost forgotten how much I adore that movie. The entire crowd was so excited and hilarious... cheering and clapping after every song, belting out the songs and some of the more intense dialogue, booing the Nazis and the Baroness Schrader, and cheering when Captain Von Trapp tears the Nazi flag and when the nuns say, "Reverend Mother, I have sinned" ...the theater atmosphere was fantastic! =)

Favorite (and most fitting) song: "What will this day be like? I wonder. What will my future be? I wonder. It could be so exciting to be out in the world, to be free! My heart should be wildly rejoicing... oh, what's the matter with me? I've always longed for adventure, to do the things I've never dared! And here I'm facing adventure. Then why am I so scared? ....With each step, I am more certain everything will turn out fine. I have confidence the world can all be mine! They'll have to agree I have confidence in me. I have confidence in sunshine! I have confidence in rain! I have confidence that Spring will come again... besides which, you see, I have confidence in me!"

And how much do I want to be Maria, to have that type of inner strength and beauty!?  Seriously, her devotion to God, her confidence, love, warmth, passion, creativity, kindness, purity, and sincerity... and her awesome singing voice.  LOVE it all! :) 

I also don't mind the thought of marrying a protective and fiercely loyal Navy Captain with seven children (to suddenly have seven children - no babies or toddlers, and the perfect boy/girl ratio - who love you and desperately need a mother, and never have to go through labor -- umm, fantastic -- sign me up). I love the dance, the hints of romance, and the whole dynamic of their relationship.  And I love the fact that they get married so quickly  - that the night they are able to say "I love you" for the first time, they know they will be married for the rest of their lives.  They are sure and they are committed - enough to skip the whole dating nonsense and go straight for marriage. That sounds fantastic! lol  

Also, I have always loved that Maria's goal is "to find out what is the will of God and to do it wholeheartedly."  YESSS!  And I love that she puts his heart and integrity above the safety and comfort of their family - that neither of them allow the very real threats and intimidation to sway their character...  "Max, I can't ask him to be less than he is."  Favorite line!!

Finally, I love the words (NOT the high pitch nun singing it, but the lyrics) in Climb Every Mountain.  The whole song is meant as encouragement to Maria to move toward finding her purpose (and I so need that right now)... to step out of hiding in what is familiar and comfortable... to stop verbally "wanting God's will" and start actively seeking the path He has planned for her life... and be ready and willing to do whatever it takes to find it.  

"A dream that will need all the love you can give, every day of your life, for as long as you live!"  Ahhhh, yes, please!!

Okay, random Sound of Music tribute over.  =)