Why am I so uncomfortable with the word "charity"...?
Yet I use the word to symbolize a thought or feeling.
I feel more charitable or less charitable today...
Maybe it's because I feel the word demeans the intent...
Charity...another way of helping one's self esteem in the eyes of others...
Cynical??? I guess...
But, nonetheless this year I am producing my 9th Annual Andy Kim Christmas Show for "Charity"...
I've often been told to look into someone's heart and feel their spirit, I tried that but could never be certain of what I was feeling.
So, one day I decided to take someone's hand and listen to their eyes.
That was when I understood that I could overcome the word "charity" and move into the world of "sharing."
It's funny how one word can produce such outstretched energy...
It all started innocent enough... See if I can hang around fellow
musicians so I don't have to think about the melancholy the Holiday Season brings to me.
Fair enough...
So I called and called and before I knew it I had a group of artists
who could help me do something for myself while at the same time help others...
I stayed away from all dark thoughts... The ones that remind me that I'm no
more than a singer-songwriter... I'm by no means Bob Geldof, Neil
Young or Willie Nelson...
Somewhere in my childhood I learned to fly and the gravity of age has the habit of grounding me, so I reached for the child in me and decided courage was the answer...
Our first Andy Kim Christmas Show was sold out a few days before show time ...
Year after year we've sold out despite my anxieties and doubt...
Today, I still hold on to my pledge to donate all proceeds from ticket sales to help my fellow citizens in need...
After nine years I still feel the melancholy of this time of year and I'm humbled by the gifted artists who say, "Yes" every year...
It's good to share the spirit of giving surrounded by the gift of sharing...