Drummer At The Tipi

Several months ago my brother, Joel, starred in the lead role of Tevye in a production of "Fiddler on the Roof." I had never seen the play or movie and didn't know the story. I sat on the front row and watched as a very talented and committed cast told a story of crushing intolerance on the heals of the winds of change. Ironically, I was in the midst of the greatest storm I have yet to endure. Faith, love, commitment, tolerance all played major rolls in both stories. It touched me very deeply and I will never forget that night.

A few weeks ago I came across the DVD of the movie made back in the '70s. I bought it and to my surprise my children like it. I don't have cable or even a set of rabbit ears in my apartment so we tend to watch a few movies over and over. School of Rock has spun a million revolutions. Harry Potter is a favorite. They bought me The Goonies for Valentine's Day and now we can add Fiddler.

Well, tonight Little Mary Bennet put it in and started it in the middle somewhere. We watched it all the way to the end and I think that was the first time she had seen the ending. The two saddest scenes to me are at the train shack when Hodel and her father await the train to take her to Siberia. The other is out in the field when Chava finds him after she has eloped and he remembers when she was young. This isn't the point of my ramble, but I write it because I cried during both of those scenes in front of my precious daughter and hugged her neck. I don't want to forget that. She will one day grow up and make her own choices and I hope I have prepared her for what's out there and that she knows w/ out a doubt that her Daddy loves her beyond measure.

The point and thus the explanation for the title of this post comes from the last scenes off the movie when all the Jews are being forced from their homes and driven from the land of their ancestors. Little Mary Bennet couldn't understand what was going on or why. I explained to her how throughout history people who were different have been persecuted against and forced from their homes. I mentioned the Trail of Tears and Mary Bennet knew a lot about that and it even knew how many people died on that trail. As we finished talking about that the very last scene of the movie was playing when the fiddler was on the road all alone and Tevye looked back and motioned him to come along. That gave me the title Drummer At The Tipi ...

It is so great to me that neither of my children have a prejudice bone in their body. Big Mary Bennet often says that both of them are "color blind." I like that and can only hope it remains. I love them both so much and want them to always love others as well.