Gratitude Monday: Something to revel in

Okay, today my gratitude is a little…well, I’m grateful and I’m not grateful.

You may recall the Eastern European adventures of my friend Dick and his wife—which included the surprise addition of a stay in a Dresden hospital and an aborted break-out plan from those of us who heard about it via clandestine messages tapped furtively and under the influence of pain meds on his iPod.

Really—there does need to be an opera about that.

In my post last June I mentioned that Dick performs in the Washington Revels every year, and he had to work his audition for this year’s Celtic-themed show around the Ostmark trip. But his “Eileen Aroon” did the trick, as witnessed by the Revels’ Facebook frisnic this week about him:

If you’re not able to access the page, here’s the opening graf:

“Dick's only Irish connection is marriage to a direct descendant of Daniel O'Connell (an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century who was known as The Liberator or The Emancipator). It isn’t really the Irish that attracted him to this show—it’s the Revels—Dick performs this year in his 17th show, with his first appearance being 1993. His role this year-- an antique Irish peasant—mirrors his first Christmas Revels appearance as an Irish antiquarian scholar. He has also been a kilted Scot, a Victorian toff, a medieval royal counselor, a sword-wielding Elizabethan yeoman, a French Canadian village elder, an Andalusian rabbi, and as a peasant in various times and climes.”

I’m so grateful that social media enabled me to see this story (and amazing photo) of my friend. What I’m ungrateful about is that I’m 2500 miles across the continent from this show and won’t be able to see him.

But if you’re anywhere in the DC area—if you can still even get tickets—go.