Gleeful Youth

Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday!!! In my house it means GLEE is on! I am a little late to join the party of fans, but I must admit, I love GLEE! So much so, my wedding anniversary gift is going to be the dvd's of season 1 and 2 , maybe a bonus of the greatest songs.

I love the music, the dancing, Coach Sue, the slushies, Will's butt chin, Holly Holiday (" stripper or drag queen?" what a great line) but what I love most is the human stories.

Its the background character plots that made me cry when Kurt sang " I want to hold your hand' or when Santana and Brittany sang " Landslide". I cheered when they sang " Loser like me' or who will ever forget Blaine and the Warblers singing " Somewhere only we know"

I suppose I have now lost any reader who doesn't follow Glee. But if you have stuck around, you don't need to watch Glee to see the beauty of youth expressing themselves.

Its there everyday if we just slow down a little to see it.

Last Sunday I had a great experience watching the youth group at the UU present their service.

I will admit I have avoided Youth Group services in the past. The few I did attend were too in your face, too loud, too irreverant and too abrassive. So I have no idea why I went to this one, but I am so glad I did.

These kids presented their most soulful, sincere selves. It was obvious they had taken a lot of time to craft a presentation that included readings and songs along with their own sermons that reflected their faith, their beliefs and their concerns. It was the most honest prayer time I have had the honor to experience from layette ministers. It was real because the youth boldly told their truth, their human stories.

At first I started comparing my favorite Glee characters to the personalities of the youth presenters. " Oh , that one is just like Rachel Barry and that one reminds me of Puck and he reminds me of Finn" After a few moments of this, I realized that comparisond were absolutely inaccurate and demeaning. Glee is characters; entertaining characters portrayed by professional actors. These were children, children of my  faith community, children who will be the community....no wait, thats not right either, ....children who are the community, and who were letting the community know who they are and what they believe. Real children who really made an impact on those who heard them speak and sing.

The most touching part was a young woman who sang " Imagine" . She started out hesitant and slow and as she sang , all  of the youth group gathered around her and sang as one, still in support of the lead singer. It was the most beautiful thing and it made everyone in the church imagine; imagine those children leading us, healing us, touching us with their bold, raw, true expressions of faith.

I still can't wait to see Glee on Tuesday. It entertains me. But I will hold the feeling of pride, hope, love and community that those UU youth gave me and the congregation. It feeds me.  And it was in no way...just a little prick.