I first heard of Ghost the Musical from my lovely friends in England where the show originated, and I heard a bit more when I went to New York City this past January after the move to Broadway was scheduled. About 2 months later I saw the preview trailer for the show on Youtube and fell in love with the song "Rain/Hold On" and the incredible effects wowed me. I searched every cd store in my area for the soundtrack, but ended up having to order in from Barnes & Noble. Anyway I fell head over heals in love with the music. I have tons of show soundtracks and this is one of the few where the music can stand on it's own outside the show. As soon as it was official that Musical Theatre Society was taking a trip to NYC I planned on going to see Ghost in its last weekend in previews. Make a long story short Kayleigh gave me her 2nd row lottery seat & I gave her my 10th row one, the show left me speechless, I cried, and then after I met the entire cast. Amazing? Umm yes indeed. More like life changing!
During the final scene in the show I was reduced to blubbering, crying mess as was most of the audience. While most cry because it was ohmigod tragic, but I openly cried because at 20 years old I have experienced so much loss that sometimes I sit back and think wow. When I was 4 I lost my Aunt Nicky to cancer and a year later my Aunt Debbie as well. In the span from 2002-2006, I was in middle school, I lost my Uncle Randy, Uncle Tom and my Grandma. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't look back. Now that I'm older there are so many things I wish I could ask, especially since I am going into the same profession as my Uncle Tom: teaching high school English and Theatre. There are so many time lately when I have been doing something and I have found myself wishing they were here doing it right along with me or still just a phone call away. I hope they are all proud of me, all I have done so far, as well as the person I am becoming. Side story, when I was starting the whole college application process my sort of adviser who was a colleague of my Aunt Nicky's told me how proud she would be to know I was going into teaching too. Fast forward to here right now I hope I am living up to expectations.
At this time yeah I wasn't some completely naive pre teen to ways of life. I knew people weren't invincible, that we all have to die when our time comes. However at the same time part of me only wanted to believe that death was something that couldn't happen to those who hadn't really lived. I grew up on May 26, 2008. I had just turned 16 two days before and I was on top of the world, then I was blindsided. In the wee hours of the morning that Memorial Day weekend my friend as well as my teammate Maggie was killed in a car accident. She was 17 years old and had her whole life ahead of her. I was confused, and deeply sad and at a loss. The loss was even more apparent that basketball season, which would've been Maggie's senior year. If everything happens for a reason what possibly could of been the reason for taking someone away who was so loved by everyone. That day my dad held me as I cried and said to me, "The sun will shine tomorrow, you'll see" and sure enough when I rose the next morning I was met with bright blue skies and beautiful sunshine. Life went on. I grew up in so many ways; it is so real to me now that in a moment everything can change. Life is even more precious than I thought it to be. Now I don't blow off my parents when they say "be careful" when I go somewhere in my car. When I turned 20 this past month it was a milestone for me even more than it usually would've been as I had a friend who didn't live to see her 20th birthday. And that makes me really sad because I know she would've done amazing things. This year marked four years since I had to say goodbye Magz, or Nanyo as I sometimes called her when she called me MTS, though it wasn't the goodbye I wanted.
This musical......this musical means so so much to me. It hits home in more ways than I had imagined. It also reminds me that nothing stops another day and that life indeed does turn on a dime. I know I need to move on and live my life as they all would want me to, and during these years gone by I have been. There are times, as of late, where I would literally give anything for one more day. I am going to make sure that before I go, which I hope is at least many many many moons away, everyone that I love knows how much I love them so will be no doubt. I don't know if I'll ever really be able to really really express into words how much this show means to me and how life changing it is. It runs deeper than the usual love for a musical like I have had in the past, and the music just reiterates that fact. Kayleigh & I already have our tickets for what we are calling "Ghost round 2" on June 29 and I couldn't be more excited. And I know I am going to cry, more than likely cry my eyes out once again but while there is some grief & sadness in those tears there will also be an equal amount of joy that these amazing people were in my life even if they quickly went. It is the memories, the inside jokes, and moments in time we cherish.
"Because the tallest mountain cannot stop the smallest stream, winter can't hold back the spring, no matter how dark it may seem. Come what may nothing stops another day. Come what may, nothing stops another day."
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