A Celebration of Existence / “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare at Stage West Theater

Dedicated to a Precious Mother
One who has suffered beyond belief
And
Lost her wonderful son.
With all my Love to
DEBBY HARRIS

Love does not claim possession, but gives freedom.                        – Rabindranath Tagore

 I had a new student, who was older, ask me
A few years in the past,
“How could my life become this?
What is this living for,
If only to have my heart hurt so much
And be buried so deep?”

The pain some of our children share
Is often not really known or understood.

The emptiness created by so much misfortune,
As many young lives have experienced,
Can be filled with such love
As your heart can hold.

Everything is a Celebration of Life.

God will never fail you
In your search for Love,
Should you ask.

And so, I Pray
That you Pray.
God will open up the hollow space
Created by transgressions against you,
And fill you with His Spirit
And His Strength
So you will truly live,
To Love others,
As He Loves you,
Yes,
To celebrate Life.

I have witnessed the love
Shared by so many children.
I have seen it in their eyes.
I have witnessed pure joy
Brought to everyone,
By the unconditional Love
In a child’s heart.
Yes,
I know a good heart when I find one.
And so do you.

 The emptiness can be filled with such Love as your heart can hold.

As you find joy and forgiveness
In your own heart,
The spirit of your goodness
Will become a part of everyone
That so desperately need your joyful spirit.
I truly long to see your precious life
Reflect the Soothing Colors
Of our Artist’s Loving Hand.
For you are not only a Gift from God,
You are His Child.
And you are deeply Loved.

And after all the deeply heartfelt memories
Of having special moments
With your precious child,
I want you to know something –
That life is a song –
The beautiful music of our brief time.
Celebrate the memory of those precious moments.
Honor our Father in the Heavens above.
Find joy in the precious Gift of Life.
Tell the child
Standing near to you
To come nearer.
Whisper of the Love,
The deep abiding Love,
That dwells within,
The Love you feel
For only her
Or only him.
This Love flows through you.
It is Everlasting the Love of God.

I truly long to see your precious life reflect the Soothing Colors of our Artist’s Loving Hand.

Close your eyes
In Prayer of Thanksgiving.

“If the only prayer
you ever say
is thank you,
it will be enough.”
–  Meister Eckhart

Discover the Bountiful Love of God
In your heart.
He is alive.
His Love is as alive as you,
It dwells within.
Now you may stop searching,
For His Love is you.
You can feel it, in your heart.
In His heart.
In Prayer.

Now you have lifted
Those in need,
From their knees.
Celebrate!
You are alive.
You are in Love,
You are deeply Loved,
And there is Joy within.

You may stop searching, for His Love is you.

 The presence of your Love
Showers down upon everyone
Your life touches.
The heart of your Loving Spirit
Becomes a part of everyone
In your presence.
Your brief life can become
A triumph of the Spirit.

You can celebrate everything.

“Each of us is the result
Of a Thought of God.
Each of us is willed.
Each of us is Loved.“
– Benedict XVI

Even the flowers of the field celebrate.

  My friends,
The whole universe
Is a celebration of existence.
Look around,
Even the flowers of the field
Celebrate
With a rainbow of vibrant color,
With aroma to delight.
You and everything in Life
Have a rhyme, a reason.
You can celebrate breath
With every breath you take,
You can celebrate everything –
The bountiful sunshine, the precious rain, a warm smile, even a frown.

Celebrate life in different ways:
In the food you eat,
The air you breathe,
The people you meet,
In everything you do,
If you see the world
With the eyes of a child.

Boy  Scouts  of  America   sites

National Eagle Scout Association

Order of the Arrow

National Scout Jamboree

BSA Foundation

Boys’ Life

Scouting Magazine

B. S. A. quicklinks

William Anderson, age 14, at Philmont Scout Ranch (far right). I highly recommend a Scouting experience for every child.

Philmont Webcam

Tooth of Time Traders – Philmont official store

Philmont Videos

Promote Philmont!

Working at Philmont

Philmont Staff Association

We enjoyed our trip to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival thanks to Nick Meagher, father of Gavin and Wyatt.

On May 4 & 5 (Monday & Tuesday) we will have our Anderson School Theatrical Production “Twelfth Night” by William Shakespeare at Stage West Theater.

We truly enjoyed our first class ride.

Theatrical performances will be  at 7:30 p.m. on both days.
Tickets for Tuesday are $20.00 each and may be purchased at
the door. Donations will be gratefully accepted for the Preview Performance on Monday evening. Additional contributions made to help fund our production are needed and sincerely appreciated.

On MONDAY we will meet at 9:00 a.m. at the Stage West Theater located at 821 West Vickery Blvd., for rehearsal. (Mon. from 9:00 a.m. –  5:00 p.m. Dinner, on your own, is from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Our actors, like Natalie, enjoyed being interviewed by the press.

On TUESDAY we will meet at the theater at 9:00 a.m. and remain until 5:00 p.m. We will break for dinner at 5:00 p.m. and meet again at 6:30 p.m. at Stage West for the evening performance which begins at 7:30 p.m.

Please provide funds for LUNCH (approx. $5.00 – $10.00 each). Students may not leave the theater without the permission of the Director, George Rodriquez and Dr. or Mrs. Anderson. Do not just disappear as Dr. A’s heart is weak from lack of exercise, way too many pastries, and over exposure to many children over many eons (yes, many!). You understand.

Our own “Lady” Diana performed beautifully on stage.

Uniform pants with a belt & red monogrammed school shirts are required. PARENTS / GUARDIANS / FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS are invited to be with us and observe, but PLEASE do NOT interfere with rehearsals.

DINNER ON BOTH DAYS IS FROM 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on your own.
ALL actors please report back to the theater at 6:30 p.m. for final preparations on Monday & Tuesday. PLEASE DO NOT BE LATE!!!

OUR SINCERE GRATITUDE goes to Dana Schultes and the wonderful staff at Stage West Theater. Our productions could not exist without the dynamic and extensive support of this wonderful Theater. Our community is truly blessed by the Stage West Theater. read more
Thank you!

Riley also performed off stage as the “Perfect” baby sitter. It’s a natural ability.

And a VERY VERY SPECIAL THANKS to Director George Rodriguez. You are truly appreciated and deeply Loved by EVERYONE! Thank you!

IMPORTANT DATES
May 1 – Tuition Due for 2015-16
May 4 & 5 (Mon. & Tues.) Anderson School Theatrical Production “Twelfth Night” At Stage West Theater

The audience, including Wyatt and Jack, were captivated.

Smiles Wider Than a Mile at Scarbrough Renaissance Festival

Mary Alice Oliver is pictured with her proud Father, Wes, and equally proud Mrs. Anderson

UPDATE:   Two FIRST PLACE medals were won by Anderson scholars in the Scarborough Renaissance Festival Drama Competition. We are proud of all of our students. And today we express our pride in the accomplishments of Natalie Raulerson and Mary Alice Oliver.

Both young ladies won FIRST place awards. Natalie won the High School competition in Prose and Poetry with her interpretation of a work of William Shakespeare. Mary Alice won the Middle School category also with a performance from Shakespeare.

Derek Cook also loves the beautiful works of William Shakespeare.

We are also very proud of Derek Cook, who was remarkable in his preparation for the competition, but could not perform due to technical difficulties. Thank you Derek for a job, as always, well done. Derek prepared for this Shakespeare performance at the same time he studied for a major role in our Shakespeare play to be presented at Stage West Theater on May 12 and 13. We are always very proud of this remarkably talented young man.

Natalie Raulerson

We will shortly, with the kind assistance of Alexander Anderson, place these outstanding performances on our website for your enjoyment.

My special gratitude goes to our outstanding and talented Director of Shakespeare productions, George Rodriguez. We are truly blessed having George as a member of our school family. Once again, this remarkably gifted actor and director, and wonderful friend, has empowered our children to blossom like flowers in the wind.

Director of Shakespeare George Rodriguez

He enables each child to not only understand the remarkable and powerful works of Shakespeare, but to come to truly cherish the many gifts he conveys over the centuries. It is so inspiring to see children, of all ages, come to love the beautiful language, imagery, poetic beauty and convivial spirit of this most treasured writer of the English language.

Thank you George for all you do. What you accomplish with children is nothing short of miraculous. You life is an inspiration for every child and to me. The many insights you provide of Shakespeare and his time are both refreshing and breathtaking.

But the most wondrous gift you give is the love you impart to everyone. To observe a child become passionate about the intricate and powerful literature of William Shakespeare imparts a feeling that cannot even be described. It is a resurrection of the spirit, like the blossoming of a beautiful flower of Spring in the wind.

Thank You!

For TUESDAY 4-29-14

RJ acts out too, but not while sleeping wrapped around a nice warm foot.

We will visit King Henry VIII’s England! Student Day at Scarborough Renaissance Festival is exclusively for students and is this Tuesday, April 29, from 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Natalie Raulerson with Director, George Rodriguez in a scene from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”

Three Anderson scholars will be competing in the annual Shakespeare Competition at the Festival: Mary Alice Oliver, Natalie Raulerson and Derek Cook. All three are veteran Shakespeare performers and have participated in Anderson School productions. We wish them the best and will update you on this weblog on their achievements.

We are invited to enter the realm of England’s legendary King Henry VIII and experience the intellectual, cultural, and artistic splendor of the Renaissance first hand and will experience a full day of demonstrations, shows, and educational interactions. The Royal Court and villagers welcome, and in fact relish, discussions about daily life in the Renaissance.

Mary Alice with Lucas Short in rehearsal

We will meet at the school on TUESDAY morning at 8:00 a.m. to caravan to Waxahachie to enjoy the day at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival. Please Do not be late. We will spend the entire day having fun. PICKUP will be at school at APPROXIMATELY 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. We may CALL you on our way back and let you know more precisely when to pick up your child(ren), but we MUST have a current telephone number that you will answer on Tuesday afternoon or Dr. A will act very sick.

Student ENTRY is $7.25. Adults: $15.00 Lunch is available at the Festival.

 

Derek Cook

Festival Facts: Began in 1981. The Festival runs 8 consecutive weekends and Memorial Day Monday each spring. Scarborough Renaissance Festival is a Renaissance-themed festival based on the year 1533, during the reign of England’s King Henry VIII. Scarborough Festival is a 35 acre ‘village’ (larger than most area shopping malls) within a 167 acre site. The festival employs more than 2,000 performers, artisans, and staff.

Entertainment: 21 stages & 200 performances daily. 3 Full Combat Jousts take place each day. 150 volunteer members of the Scarborough Academy of Performing Arts make up the performing company that become the “characters” of Scarborough including our very own King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn. Daily Falconry demonstrations are conducted.

Shoppes & Artisan Demonstrations: 200 permanent shoppes feature

Natalie in a now famous scene with Noah Thompson

unique handmade wares made by artisans from around the country. Artisans demonstrate ancient arts such as Glassblowing, Blacksmithing, Candlemaking, Printing on a Guttenberg Press, leather crafting, broomaking, Armor making, Coin minting, & much more.

Hearty Food: More than 20 tons of the Festival’s famous Giant Turkey Legs are devoured annually. Hand made pastas, seafood, stir fry, steak-on-a-stick, Scott’s eggs, Italian Ice, etouffee, empanadas, fajitas, meatball sandwiches, baklava, quiche, pastries, and more than 60 other hearty foods make up the culinary adventure at Scarborough Renaissance Festival. Five Food Court Areas (kitchens) are located throughout the festival.

Another famous scene from The Tempest with Mary Alice & Lucas

Uniform pants with a belt & red monogrammed school shirts are required.

PARENTS / GUARDIANS / FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS are always invited. Dr. Anderson may be reached at (1) 972-777-1908 (EMERGENCY).

IMPORTANT DATES
May 1 – Tuition Due for 2014-15
May 12 & 13 (Mon. & Tues.) Shakespeare Production at Stage West Theater
May 16 (Friday) Main Event
May 21-23 Adventure Trip
May 24 Dr. A admitted to hospital to recover from trip! (tired everything syndrome, effort bypass surgery, removing foot from mouth, etc.

                           Actors one and all!

A . n . d . e . r . s. o.n