"The great challenge which faces us is to assure that, in our society of big-ness the grand orchestration of society leaves ample room for the man who marches to the beat of a different drummer."
Hubert Humphries
When I was a senior in high school, I was one of 12 or so students asked to write a speech for our baccalaureate ceremony. As best I can remember, we were all given a letter, which related to a topic. I was given the "I" for Individuality. As we were coached along in our speech writing, by Ms. Hazel Haley, we were "encouraged" to start our speeches with a meaningful quote. I chose the quote above. (Leave it to Chris to point out the foreshadowing to include a drummer....but we'll leave that for another post.)
But, I believe God knew then, that not only would I go on to marry a drummer....I would go on to raise a son who would "march to the beat of a different drummer." This year, Harper's birthday party was no exception...and I couldn't be prouder.
Most of you reading this already know that Harper has a great affinity towards art. He really enjoys creating things and he seems to be pretty good at it. Last year, he started taking art classes at an incredibly perfect art studio, Art Centric. However, when October rolled around and we started planning his birthday party, the art studio became less than incredibly perfect. He was afraid his friends wouldn't come, since most of his friends are into sports...not art. He was afraid his friends would be bored. And he wanted them to at least show up.
But this year, when October rolled around, we asked him about Art Centric again. And again he said he didn't think his friends would want to come to an art party. Being a year older and wiser, we thought he was ready for a conversation about this. We told Harper.... "Friends don't come to a party because it's something
they want to do. Your birthday party is for
you. You should do things that
you want to do. If they are truly your friends, they'll come because they want to celebrate
you." We also told him that it could be that his friends never really experienced art like he has. This could be a great opportunity for him to share something he loves.
We said just what we "should have" said. But the truth was, we were nervous. What if Harp was right? What if his friends, most of whom played baseball, didn't come to the party? And if they did come, what if they didn't have fun?
As his birthday party drew near, Ms. Becky at Art Centric was just amazing! She worked with Harper to orchestrate the perfect painting party.....Super Heroes! How fitting....in more ways than one. While she had never hosted a Super Hero painting party, they worked together to come up with 3 "super" cool designs the boys could choose from. And would you believe every single boy we invited, came...and, seemed to have a really good time. And Harper walked away with an even greater sense of confidence.
Fast forward a couple of weeks after the birthday party.....as I scrolled through Instagram, I saw a post from Art Centric, showcasing their their latest Parent Night Out....Super Heroes! Not only did Harp have the perfect birthday party for him....but he helped Art Centric create a new theme for Parent Night Out! How quickly the insecure boy became the "super hero"....and all because he chose to march to the beat of a different drummer!
