Shedding a Little Light on Things

GRATEFUL GIRL'S THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Perspective, people.

Look, I don't know how you felt about him but he and his half-brother Shaun were some of my very first celebrity crushes as a young girl. I speak of course about David & Shaun Cassidy, 1970s and 1980s teen pop stars (respectively). David starred in the now-cult phenomenon sitcom "The Partridge Family." That's when America fell in love with him as the brood's eldest sibling.

He had many ups and downs in his career and his personal life, including some very public bouts with alcoholism and a fairly successful run on Broadway in shows such as "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Blood Brothers." He had a grin that could send millions of young girls into a frenzy...and often did. His hair was the stuff of legends. 

Bottom line: he made people smile.

Then there was Mel Tillis. A country crooner of the old-style genre back in its heyday, Tillis, he was as famous for stuttering when he talked as he was for his 35 top ten singles (including "Southern Rains" and "I Believe in You") and the countless other hit songs he wrote for various artists including Kenny Rogers and George Strait. He starred in "Hee Haw" and "Hollywood Squares" as well as a handful of movies. The man was a bonafide hero who joined the Air Force in order to serve in the Korean War.

Bottom line: He made people smile.
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Finally, who can forget the lovable Earle Hyman, a veteran Broadway actor best known for playing Dr. Russell Huxtable, father to the fictional Dr. Cliff Huxtable (a/k/a Bill Cosby) on "The Cosby Show." A trailblazer for African-American actors and just a big old teddy bear in said Cosby series, people loved the stuffings out of him. 

Bottom line: He made people smile.

We lost two of these three gentlemen yesterday and the third is clinging to life at this writing. Yet, I awoke to headlines about the death of a monster so heinous that I refuse to speak his despicable name.

Perspective people. Don't glorify a monster; reflect on people who spread joy, not hate. Celebrate brightness and light; not darkness and evil. Honor the memory and legacy of those who were spreaders of smiles.

Here's hoping for a miracle for David and RIP Mel and Earle. As for the other...what awaits is whatever you reaped here on earth.

​#chooselove #embracegood

Jn 8:12 R. Allelujia, alleluia. I am the light of the world, says the Lord; whoever follows me will have the light of life. Gospel Lk 18:35-43 As Jesus approached Jericho a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging, and hearing a crowd going by, he inquired what was happening. They told him, "Jesus of Nazareth is passing by." He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!" Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; and when he came near, Jesus asked him, "What do you want me to do for you?" He replied, "Lord, please let me see." Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has  saved you." He immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God. When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God.

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