connection, in an isolating age

we saw RENT last night, and it was fantastic. i was bummed that we were so far away from the stage, even though we paid a small fortune for first tier tickets. (once you've had those $20 second row rush tix, it's hard to go back!) but the minute anthony rapp and adam pascal took the stage, i was captivated, and it was every bit as mesmerizing as before.

i don't know if it was because i'm pregnant and emotional or because i hadn't seen it in years and the movie is just a shadow of the stage production, but it was even more moving than i remember. the music is powerful, and it's hard not to be touched by a story about life and death, purpose, passion, friendship, and love.

it's always a little surreal to feel so much emotion amidst a sea of other people who are sharing the experience. listening to mark and roger singing about community and connection in "what you own" made me remember the fantastic book rob bell wrote called Sex God: Exploring the Endless Connections between Sexuality and Spirituality.

one of the results of sin is the disconnect we feel toward one another, God, and the world, and bell argues that the transcendent experiences we have--like being struck by natural wonder or caught up in the intensity of a concert--are essentially sexual, because our sexuality is less about physicality than it is about finding ways to reconnect the broken pieces.

maybe that doesn't make sense apart from the whole, but it's such a worthwhile read. i love how bell articulates a single narrative throughout scripture and uses old testament insight to flesh out meaning in new testament passages. he's one of those writers who is smart and accessible at the same time.

and i just love mark cohen--just look at that nerdy, awkward dance:)

friends (and former students:) of ours from pittsburgh kindly watched dylan for us, and she slept there in her pack and play until we picked her up. it worked out perfectly, because we knew it would be too late for a babysitter at home after making the drive back from downtown.  dylan was pleasant the whole car ride home and went to bed again without a fuss.

our family has thoroughly enjoyed our "staycation" so far, and i'll try to post some pictures of us playing outside as it finally warmed up this afternoon.