Donkey-Donkey

Tonight in church the DLM family (that's us) was asked to conduct the service.  DLM's grandchildren did the actual planning, which may not have been an entirely safe setup, according to the patriarch.

Originally, I was to do a reading, and someone else was to do something for the children.  I wanted to have us do a reader's theater of O. Henry's "The Last Leaf," but others thought it was too sad.  So we all did Donkey, Donkey instead, for the children, which probably erred too far to the other side of the emotional spectrum.  I was appointed the narrator, after I had begged off from the other parts, because I thought I would be disqualified because of disability, mortification, or uncontrollable giggling.  As it turned out, the narrator's part did not spare me from all of the above.  I was midway through the introductions of the characters in the story when the ridiculousness of what we were doing overwhelmed me and I was rendered speechless because of giggling for a time.  Everyone just laughed with me while I tried to recover.   Heidi told me afterward that she thought all was lost when she saw how helpless her mom (Lois) and Aunt Judy were with laughter as well.  Thankfully our maturity reasserted itself in time to save the day.

Christy had made the most remarkable ears or beaks for everyone, and fastened each body part or pairs of body parts to a flexible plastic hair band, so everyone donned their ears or beaks and gathered behind me while I began the story with the introductions.  As I named each character, they made the appropriate animal noises, and oh my, wearing those ears and beaks--it was too funny.  There was Linda mooing like a cow, Benji braying like a donkey, Shane barking like a dog, Hannah oinking, Heidi baaing, Dorcas tweeting, Christy clucking, Joey neighing and snuffling (because he had a cold), Dietrich (the farmer) "howdying," Lois (the doctor) brandishing a syringe, Judy and Kristi being a mother and little girl, Carson pulling off  his "farmer's brother" ears, and Tristan beaming with his goat ears and horns.

Benji, who was the main character, dramatized each effort of the donkey's to improve upon his unsatisfactory ears.  One by one, the other animals gave him suggestions, each animal believing that his own style would also be perfect for Donkey-Donkey, and he obediently bent his own ears in whatever direction his friends suggested--down, forward, to the sides, etc.  (I think that fencing wire inside the ears may have been taxed quite a lot)  He also dramatized his great pain after having caught his sticking-out-to-the-side ear on a nail when he tried to go through a door into the barn.  He was not feeling well at one point, and felt even worse momentarily when the doctor gave him a shot.  All these carryings-on were quite  entertaining.

In the end, Donkey-Donkey decided that ears that stood straight up as his had always done were really the best ears of all for him, and, for the last time he bent then to the appropriate shape, and went back to happily eating thistles.

"And this story ends . . . "

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There was applause afterward--right there at Center Church, without permission and almost without precedent.

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I inadvertently did something else silly that made me laugh afterward.  On the spur of the moment, as I was starting to talk, I held up the children's book that was the source of the story and told the people that Vera Mae had given it to Joseph in 1975.  Vera Mae had given it to Joseph alright, but not in 1975.  Joesph was not born until 1998.  Vera Mae, thrifty Mennonite that she is, had apparently bought the book at a garage sale or acquired it in some similar way.  She had placed an address label over part of what was written inside the front cover, and had written the "to" and "from" information on the blank sticker.  The original owner must have written in the 1975 date.  That date was not covered by the sticker.

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All the DLM grandchildren from Center sang "Shine on Me"--almost entirely impromptu, and by heart.  Actually, they had run through one verse just before the service.

Dad had an opening meditation, and spoke about what can be accomplished even with small beginnings.

Lowell spoke of the years when Center people first met at the Arlington church for about ten years between 1969 and 1979.  Our family attended there, and have fond memories of having done so.

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All in all, it was not really a very professionally-done event, but it was surprisingly low-stress and fun.  Someone lined us up for a picture afterward, and now we have documentation of that sort as well--besides our memories.  I'm glad our turn won't come around for a very long time though.