Miserable?

As a Father’s Day present, my wife took me to see a touring production of Les Miserables today. What a show!

I’ve been pretty familiar with the story. I read almost all the way through the book (and THAT’s a project, let me tell you), and I saw the movie starring Liam Neeson. Even still, it gets me every time. It truly is one of the great achievements of western lit.

There are sooo many layers of messages. The fact that a man can change, the fact that compassion and mercy sometimes take precedence over earthly justice. That a life lived in service is valuable beyond measure and can change so many lives.

I wonder if the priest at the beginning, such a minor character in the musical, not much more in the book, ever realized just how major a role he played in so many people’s lives when he gave the poor convict the silver candlesticks and rescued him from re-arrest. And to think he lost his fine silver over it. But what an impact it had.

I think ultimately, this is the story of true Christianity and how a pure Christian can win out in the long run. And I think that’s why I love the story so much.

So then we come home from our date, and my little five year old, Brendon, asks me if I liked the show.

Yes, I liked it a lot.

“What was it about?”

Uhhhh…

How do you explain Jean Valjean and Javert and Cozette and everyone else to a five year old!?

So, I fumbled through a really short father’s digest version. When I was done, he said, “I like that story, tell it again!”

So I did, with just a little more detail.

And I will many more times.

Tell it again.

Tell it again…

MRKH
Mark Hansen
http://markhansenmusic.com