Just the Cake. . . and a HUGE Surprise!

Everything else got eaten up.

I actually got a small sampling of my potato salad, but by the time I made it through the line, my baked beans were history. Really, that's allright. I'm glad to have some cake.

Now for the surprise. . .this really blew my mind. This morning, as I made my way out of the worship center, Dad says to me: "Do you remember the name Mickey Gruberman?"

Now, most of you may have never heard that name. I, however, remember that name quite well. The Gruberman's lived across the street/around the corner from us growing up. We played games at their house, they played at our house, their mom hosted a cool Halloween party, and we just grew up together. But, this was back in the stone ages. . .you know the 70s.

He was at church this morning. . . with FOUR of his SEVEN kids. Whoa, baby. His kids are beautiful. His wife is beautiful. It was just so cool to reminisce about old times, and hear him say names of old friends that I haven't seen in over 20 years.

In fact, I think we just about solidified that the last time we saw each other (that I remember) was 26 years ago. . .at his dad's wedding. His parents divorced sometime in the midst of our junior high/high school years. When his dad remarried, they asked me to play for the wedding. As I recall, the gig paid pretty well. ($50 seems like a lot of money to a poor high school/college student).

Mickey's step-mother asked me to help play a joke on her husband. . .so during the recessional, I played the traditional Wedding March - and then broke into it with a couple bars of "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen. Mike (Mickey's Dad) was Fire Chief in our hometown, and I guess that was a HUGE joke with his firemen at the station. They laughed, and if memory serves, she paid me an extra $50 for my creativity.

That is not, by the way, the only time that I got "creative" with wedding music. When my friend Bonnie married her wonderful husband, Chris, it was a "Brady Bunch" wedding. She had three kids, he had two.

So, during the pre-wedding music, I played a very pretty balladish version of the Brady Bunch theme. Honestly, it sounded a lot like the praise & worship chorus "I Love You, Lord," and very few people knew I had even done it. (Again, at the request of the bride) I didn't get extra money for that, but it was something special that Bonnie requested, and I was only too willing to oblige.

I really *do* take the ceremony and commitment of marriage seriously. But, at the heart of it all, I am a musician. We do anything for a gig. . .and we'll do anything at that gig for money. Just ask us. You'll be surprised.

Happy Sunday. . . .get some rest and enjoy the beauty!