Kids by the Cyprus "C".
The kids and I (I guess magic isn't Bill's thing) went to the show on Friday night. It started at 7:30pm so I assumed we would be home by nine at the latest. How long could a magic show be right?
Kids waiting with their friend Kache for the show to start.
Meet the Magician.
Well, I was wrong about the nine O'clock thing. We didn't get out of the show until a little after 10. LONG show! We definitely got our money's worth that's for sure. The show was good. The magician was funny and entertaining. My favorite part of the show was the end, not because it was the end of a VERY long show, but because of the message he sent to my little girl. The entire show he had an empty black chair just sitting on stage in the far left corner. Positioned with the intention that someone could sit and enjoy the show from on stage. Best view in the house. Well when it came to his last trick, he gave a little background behind why he began doing this trick. It went something like this: "I love to do volunteer work. I have had the opportunity to entertain children around the country by volunteering at children's hospitals. A couple years back I was putting on regular nightly performances at a children's hospital back east. This was a special place for children who had cancer, but at every show for days in a row there was a little girl on the very front row with big blue eyes and a smile that would melt your heart. This little girl did not look like the other cancer kids. She didn't have evidence of being medicated or undergoing any cancer treatment. She was free of needles and tubes. She had all her hair. This little girl thoroughly enjoyed being there night after night. After a few nights of seeing her I asked some of the nurses about this little girl. They informed me that she was in fact a patient there, and she had terminal brain cancer. I learned that her name was Emily. Emily was there to live what was left of her life, comfortably. The next performance, the last performance of my trip there, I approached the parents of Emily and expressed how much she had moved me throughout my stay there. I told them how much I enjoyed seeing her smiling face at each and every one of my performances there on the front row and loved to see she was just as amazed the last night as she was the first. I could tell she thoroughly enjoyed magic, she was the perfect example of why I do what I do. Volunteering is worth it. Well, I came back home and remained in contact with Emily's family. We became good friends. This particular hospital is one that I frequently began to volunteer at. I enjoyed my visits there because now I got to not only volunteer, but I got to enjoy time spent with my new friends and Emily. I asked Emily during one of my visits what was one magic trick she would like to see before her time came to leave us. She told me that she wanted me to make it snow. Emily had never seen snow in real life, only in the movies. Emily's mother told me that she was so mesmerized by snow that she would rip paper up into tiny pieces, throw them up in the air, and dance in them. She would do this all the time. I promised Emily that I would make it snow, just for her. I worked on this trick for awhile. I wanted to perfect it for Emily. She deserved it. One day I got a phone call from Emily's parents. They began to thank me for my volunteer work at the hospital. They thanked me for putting smiles on the faces of all the kids. They thanked me for putting a smile on Emily's face. I knew what was coming next. I asked them how Emily was, they informed me that Emily had passed away that morning. I was sad. I never got to make it snow for Emily. My heart hurt. This chair has been here on stage at every one of my performances since Emily passed. It is a special seat, reserved just for Emily. In her honor I end my show by making it snow for Emily." He then went up on a platform and made it snow... first the snow came from the palms of his hands.... Then it began to fall from above and blow in from the sides of the stage... he stood there twirling in it, almost as if he were dancing in it with little Emily. It brought tears to my eyes. It was beautiful. Lights went up and he thanked everyone for attending, then the curtains closed. Brenna turned to me and said, "Mom, he kept his promise to Emily. He makes it snow for her. Even though she died, he still kept his promise. I'm going to make sure to keep promises I make too." Thank you Magician for showing my daughter the importance of keeping promises. I am sure Emily is smiling down at every show you do.
1 comment:
Oh my gosh, how touching.
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