This article is a reprint from a column I pen each month for the website of my high school class www.DanMccarty70.com. While it has been over four decades since the 400+ of us exploded from the halls of Dan McCarthy High and into our lives, today over 250 of us still meet on a regular basis in cyberspace to remember, smile and stay in touch. I hope you enjoy my Ramblings.
Are You Making a Joyful Noise?
As I get older, my movie preferences seem to have swung like a tire swing suspended under a 150-year-old live oak. No longer do I stand in wide-eyed amazement as the robot version of Arnold Schwarzenegger mows down legions of bad guys with an AK-47 that never seems to run out of ammo. Today, much to the horror of my testosterone-ridden, chest-thumping high school buds, it is possible to find me willingly watching a chick flick with my wife Joan on a Sunday afternoon.Now, before I begin my trek into this month’s Rambling, let me state without equivocation that I am not yet senile, nor am I experiencing the lasting effects of the sixties that would cause me to forget that it was only last month I reviewed the movie The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. So, even at the risk of being known from this point forward as the one-man version of Siskel and Ebert for the Motor Coachers of America, I will share with you my Rambling thoughts on one of the most uplifting (because we all need a bit of uplifting in this crazy world) and toe-tapping movies I’ve seen in quite some time. It is Joyful Noise, starring Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah. This music-filled flick follows a choir from the small town of Pacashau, Georgia, as they pursue their collective dream of winning the National Joyful Noise singing championships.
Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlR_vDzDNyE
The film’s soundtrack smoothly merges two genres: pop and gospel. And I just dare you to try not to sway to the beat at least once. This movie even makes me want to dance, and that would truly be a sight.
As in each of our lives, this choir faces overwhelming competition and some hurdles just a bit too high to muster the courage to even begin to try to compete. But each of us has learned firsthand that the most difficult
part of any journey is simply suiting up, showing up, and then taking that all-important first step. How many times has each of us been ready to quit—in business, in family relationships, and even in friendships? But that last push, the extra 10 percent of effort, ultimately brought us a joy that today has made another of those memories that last a lifetime.
The choir in this movie faces just such a moment when their pint-sized competition, led by Michael Jackson soundalike Ivan Kelley, brings the crowd to its feet with 
their rendition of Billy Preston’s “That’s the Way God Planned It,” another classic from the era of the best music created—our era.
their rendition of Billy Preston’s “That’s the Way God Planned It,” another classic from the era of the best music created—our era.
This movie is worth watching just to hear this song. One thing I enjoyed about this film the most is how many of these songs come straight out of the sixties and seventies—“Maybe I’m Amazed,” “The Man in the Mirror,” “I Want to Take You Higher,” and this Preston/Beatles tune “That’s the Way God Planned It.”
Should their small town choir quit in the face of overwhelming odds? Do you quit when facing challenges? You can just see the “who can beat that” expression on their faces as eyes widen and mouths gape they listen in stunned silence from backstage to the crowd who, in no uncertain terms, signal their rafter-rattling approval for the competitors of our heroes and heroines.Isn’t that the same type dilemma life has thrown at us all, sometimes in large doses, throughout the six decades we have traveled this magical mystery tour together. But by now, we know that things are never as bad as they seem, and of the things we have feared most, now and then, one actually happened. So remember, the way to overcome these seemingly insurmountable obstacles of life is simply to extend your left foot first, right foot second, and then repeat the process. Yes, forward motion can be the best cure for many of our darkest days.
I remember one of my darkest. In October of 1998, a phone call at 6:00 a.m. woke my wife and me from a deep sleep. On the other end of the phone was our sobbing son. The message was the worst news that could have been delivered. In the middle of the night, our 2½-year-old grandson Josh had died. Trust me, my friend, the news
doesn’t get any darker, nor the pain more severe. Even today, fifteen some odd years later, in a busy airport or mall, I glimpse a 2½-year-old boy with flaming red hair, giggling loudly, as he runs to escape the open arms of a chasing parent, swinging his half-full bottle by the nipple, and my heart breaks.Yes, there are times in life that it might seem that God is using you for target practice. If so, it might be helpful to remember that after all, He is God, and therefore, He would not miss if He had the crosshairs centered on you. So, because you are still standing, it wasn’t Him.
But, if I am honest, now that the pain has subsided, I can look back and acknowledge that although Josh’s death rocked me to my core, some positive things occurred from the terrible day. Josh’s foundation has built several churches in Cuba, helped hurricane survivors who needed generators, and provided help for a twenty-something widower forced to raise two children alone when their young mother died.
So, however dark the night, we should remain confident that the sun will rise again tomorrow, so the trick is —“Don’t Let the Sun Catch You Crying.”
Just as the Pacashau crew emerged victorious against what seemed overwhelming odds, we, too, can overcome those obstacles that block us from what we desire the
most in life. But remember that all success comes at a price, be that hard work, sacrifice, or the risk of all we own. Only you can determine whether that price is too high or a virtual bargain.But I can assure you, without doubt, that if you are willing to believe in yourself and deliver the effort required to seize what you desire with all your heart, it will be yours. And when you have your cherished prize firmly in your grasp, don’t forget to… Make a Joyful Noise.
Keep Rollin' ,
Richard
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