We were able to buy "shed" tickets to a summer James Taylor concert at Tanglewood in western Massachusetts' Berkshire mountains at a deep discount. In my wildest dreams I never thought we would ever get James Taylor tickets at Tanglewood let alone shed seats instead of lawn seats!
"Wow, the skies look ominous. I hope the rain clouds blow over," Jim and I commented.
Sadly, the farther up into the Berkshires we drove in our old teal green Volvo wagon, the more the raindrops fell.
"Do you think the rain will thin out the crowds? Who wants to sit on wet grass for hours in the rain to listen to a concert," I asked Jim. "Boy are we lucky to have seats under the pavilion roof."
When we arrived at the venue, we had to park in a grassy field. (Little did we know that hours later we would be stuck hubcap deep in mud in that field--an unwelcome adventure to say the least.) We persevered, putting on our jackets, grabbing our food and blanket and locking the car. We walked up the hill only to learn that we could not take our undercover seats until the concert began, so we had to eat our "gourmet" picnic out on the grass under a tree that dripped raindrops on us. We tried to view the soggy inconvenience as romantic because, after all, it was James Taylor! We would make it work.
"Wow, the skies look ominous. I hope the rain clouds blow over," Jim and I commented.
Sadly, the farther up into the Berkshires we drove in our old teal green Volvo wagon, the more the raindrops fell.
"Do you think the rain will thin out the crowds? Who wants to sit on wet grass for hours in the rain to listen to a concert," I asked Jim. "Boy are we lucky to have seats under the pavilion roof."
When we arrived at the venue, we had to park in a grassy field. (Little did we know that hours later we would be stuck hubcap deep in mud in that field--an unwelcome adventure to say the least.) We persevered, putting on our jackets, grabbing our food and blanket and locking the car. We walked up the hill only to learn that we could not take our undercover seats until the concert began, so we had to eat our "gourmet" picnic out on the grass under a tree that dripped raindrops on us. We tried to view the soggy inconvenience as romantic because, after all, it was James Taylor! We would make it work.
We underestimated the resolve of James' fans. The lawn was covered with folks determined to get a glimpse of the singer and hear his old familiar songs. Even though park rangers moved through the crowd asking people to take down the make-shift tents they had pitched to shelter from the rain, everyone obliged and pressed ahead. (Jim and I felt so blessed to be able to show our tickets and find dry seats in the "shed.") We were in for a wonderful evening. Despite all the challenges, we left the concert full of joy and and cherished memories. We were so glad we went!
In the biblical book of Revelation it says:
"To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna [eternal life]. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."
I love the idea of overcoming--persevering, hanging in there, conquering, not giving up--so that we might receive a white stone. (White stones were the "tickets/invitations" of the day when John wrote the words of Revelation.) Going through all the earthly challenges and not giving up gets an invitation to the wonderful banquet God has in store for us. It will be worth it-- like a great concert in the rain. Hang in there!
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