6.24.2009

Up with People


Claire and Conseula have gotten so much pleasure from this news that I thought I'd share it with the rest of you: my parents are in Branson, MO, this week rehearsing for their Up with People reunion show, which will happen this weekend. My parents, for those of you who don't know this, met in Up with People back in the early days of the group--they both dropped out of college to travel the world performing positive, encouraging music, and they got to go to some amazing places (Europe, South America, what was then the Belgian Congo) and stay with families there. My dad was drafted as a direct result of being in Up with People (since he was no longer a college student).

My brothers and I grew up with the Up with People music (indeed, right now I could sing all the words to "Up with People," "What Color Is God's Skin?", "Don't Stand Still," and many more!). I am sort of bummed that Maybelle and I won't be going to the concert.

6 comments:

Kevin O'Mara said...

Lord, your dad got drafted as a result of being in Up With People? I can't ... oh man. I can't even imagine how that affected his entire life.

I'm glad the folks are going, and are bound to have fun. I wish I could see their joy.

Unrelated to any of this - we have a new cat, and my old cat hates him just as she hates all cats. He is insisting on being her friend, though, in a very passive and persistent way. It reminds me of what you said about the Deez, and that makes me smile.

The Mom said...

What a surprise to see "us" here like this, Alison. Thank you for sharing this news. I'm touched, with your post and with Claire & Consuela's interest...and Kevin's response.

We're having a great time, although we're pretty tired right now - just got home from a rehearsal that lasted until midnight! Good night.

Anonymous said...

And some not so amazing places, like the cafeteria at Putnam County Senior High School, where all the 'cool' kids tried to ignore the peppy singing strangers. Later, one such kid was heard to say, "If they can eat this crap, they can't be all bad."

Blogless Reader

Kenneth Burns said...

Did you know Up With People shares a lineage with Alcoholics Anonymous? Up With People spun off from Moral Re-Armament, which was called the Oxford Group when AA spun off from it. Now Moral Re-Armament is called Initiatives of Change.

Alison Piepmeier said...

Responses:

Kevin, best of luck to your new cat. I do think passive persistence is the key.

Mom, rehearsing until midnight? Good grief!

Kenneth, I did, in fact, know of that connection between UWP, MRA, and AA.

And now I know that the Blogless Reader is from Cookeville. Hmmm...

Mrs. Fudge Pie said...

hey, you've got to watch people in Branson...they will work you to death. Trust me I know, I worked at Silver Dollar City's Aunt Polly's for two seasons serving/ cooking catfish and icecream.