The Planemaker - memories and miracles

Today I #GiveThanks for the power of remembering and learning, and for sweet ways memories can be pulled into the present.
I'm a big fan of a nerdy boy named Lucas Lightbrow. I have been since I was a college student in the 1970s. Recently I was reacquainted with him and his story, and it warmed my soul all over again, as it has many times through the years.
For those who have never had the privilege of meeting Lucas, he's the main character in a delightful little music parable called "The Planemaker" by Marvin Payne. Bonnie and I attended an intimate performance, with about 20 people, in Provo last weekend. The story has barely changed in over 40 years since I first heard it. But this time, it touched me more deeply than it ever has before – so I guess *I* have changed a lot over those 40 years.
As a boy in elementary school, Lucas struggles with a lot of the kinds of challenges some of us are familiar with from our own lives. He doesn't have many friends. He gets picked on and made fun of. He admires a girl who barely knows he exists. He deals with the loss of loved ones. And, he has plenty of dreams and fantasies.
The brilliant story written by Mr. Payne, and the moving way he shares it, tells the story of Lucas’ life through songs and narration, from childhood through marriage and parenting, and into the sadness and eventually the wonder of later life, and beyond. It’s a beautiful, tender story, one that more people should become familiar with. (Incidentally there are still a few performances in this run at the Covey Center – GO if you can!)
The performance last week deeply touched me, because as I’m getting older and reflecting more on life’s ups and downs, I see more of myself in Lucas. All of us probably feel some regret for things that didn’t work out like we hoped and dreamed. But maybe if we hang on and don’t give up, or if we are willing to resurrect old dreams, miracles can still happen. I love stories that give me hope and reassurance that in the end, it will be all right.

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