Maple Grove, MN – 2011

-Written by Ronai :

Well, last year I planned the whole Maple Grove concert in less than a month, and it worked out marvelously:

However, it was super stressful and this year I had plans to spread out my time and have a committee to help me full it all together.  This year I thought it would be a breeze.  I had a whole year to plan and execute a concert. No need to piggyback it with anything else since I was confident that with an entire year everything would fall into place easily. Not true! Due to… well… life I was unable to pull together a committee. This meant that it was me, my husband and the ever capable Carissa (who lives on the west coast) from the STF that pulled off this year’s amazing concert. And I gave myself about that same month to pull it all together.

Rachel, Aaron and Leah had some difficulties even getting to MSP. Flights were all delayed to get out of SLC so when it became apparent that they were only going to be able to get 2 tickets and arrive on time Aaron went home. Leaving Rachel and Leah some girl time (8 hours Yuck!) in the airport. But they made the best of it and had a great time together.  They arrived very late Thursday night and I took them straight to the hotel. Rachel had a 5:20 TV news spot. After that spot I took her back to the hotel and she had some time to rest before story time at the Minnesota Children’s Museum.  Everyone had a great time. People were shocked to see how big Leah is, and how tiny Rachel is.

The concert itself was amazing. I was able to get enough volunteers to have everything run smoothly. A big thank you goes to all of the Signing Time Academy Instructors, Saint Paul College ITP students, Macaroni Kids Volunteers, my kids and their friends for lending a hand. I couldn’t have done it without them.

There’s another story from a mom who blogs at the Garden of Egan, who tells about how her son was just in such shock that he was getting to meet Rachel and Leah in Person, that he forgot to smile the whole concert.  She says: ” The first song that she did was the Rainbow Song. She picked Axel to sign “red”, and up to the stage he went. Notice he’s still not smiling??? LOL At the end of the song Leah gave him him a bracelet and tattoo. OH…Axel was SO HAPPY Leah TOUCHED HIM! Also, during the video he starts signing “Hopkins” (the frog) because he REALLY wanted to see Hopkins! LOL”

It’s always wonderful to see the variety of people that Signing Time has touched. I love being such an integral part of the program because then people will tell me how Signing Time has helped them communicate with their children. So many good stories and happy smiles but my favorite moment of the evening was at the very end. I was helping move along the line for the meet and greet when a mom and her son came up to see Rachel. They were nearly the last people in line. Mom and son were at the concert last year and have loved ST for many years. The son has Down Syndrome and uses sign language to communicate. They, of course, loved the show but Mom asked Rachel if next time she would sing “Shine.” She told Rachel that as a mother of a child with special needs sometimes that song is what helps her through the day. Rachel told her to hang out for a few minutes and that she would sing it. Then she had me get everything set up so when she was done with the last few people it would be ready.

It was a very special encore performance. There were about 15 people still there and not a dry eye among us. Rachel even put the son’s name in the song and that little boys eyes lit up and made us all cry even harder. That moment right there was why I work so hard to bring Rachel to Maple Grove, MN. That small act of kindness made it all worthwhile. Rachel could very easily have said “sure I’ll sing it next time” but instead she gave us all a gift to remember. I will never forget the  smile on the boy’s face or the love that Mom has for her little one and how he shines.

For more on Signing Time in the Twin Cities area, please read Michele McLaughlin’s Examiner article here.  In part, she says that “signing is often a critical method of communication for typically developing babies and toddlers and even more so if the child has special needs when verbal communication may be delayed or not possible. The Signing Time Foundation has brought help to many families to learn this valuable communication.”  Plus she goes on to tell you about discounts at local are shops and businesses, and signing classes, and ways to get involved supporting the NEXT concert.