Dear Sweet Grandbaby Who Keeps Trying to Come and Then Changes His Mind,
I think I may have figured out the delay. Perhaps you were waiting so your mom could watch the Oscars? So thoughtful of you! We appreciate it and used the evening well – we ate well, laughed a lot and made many thrilling discoveries about the world in which we live. I was hoping I could just whisper all these to you as you slept in the fuzzy blanket that lives here at Grandma’s house, but that’s okay. We can cover it now.
- Our world has a rabid interest in celebrities. Celebrities come from all sorts of neighborhoods like sports, music, television, movies, stage, books, journalism, politics. In fact, we’ve even managed to make celebrities out of pastors and spiritual leaders in here America. It’s remarkable. Celebrities are so good at what they do, that they eventually have to trade in their privacy for copious amounts of fame and fortune. I wouldn’t know personally, but I think most of them would say that it’s worth it.
- Some celebrities, however, are mostly famous just for being famous. Usually they were born to famous or fabulously wealthy people and have built a life around that. While we do pay attention to what they do and who they do it with, we mostly make fun of them. More on this in a moment.
- Enormous productions are constructed to honor the achievements of celebrities. Coveted awards with names like Grammy, Emmy, Oscar and Tony are given to mark a job well done. I’m sure there are awards like this given to those who are famous for inventing cures for disease or developing new ways to serve the poor, but those shows are not on tv and I’m guessing they’re not quite as fancy. There would be something ironic about a Social Justice Awards Show where the presenters received $50,000 party favors and showed up wearing million-dollar diamonds.
- Sometimes even a kid will show so much talent or cuteness or spunk that he or she will become what is known as a “child star”. This is usually a tragedy. When the world screams, “You’re awesome!” loudly enough, you start to believe them. The industry, however, has a fairly short shelf life. All child stars need to do to discover the seedy underbelly of celebrity is gain 15 pounds. This toxic mix of wealth, bravado (“I’m gifted!”) and insecurity (“People magazine says I’m fat!”) is a recipe for rehab.
- Watching awards shows always reminds us of one universal principle: black really is slimming. Some of those women were nearly invisible!
- Please know that while some of this may sound critical, it doesn’t have to be. Celebrities are just like everyone else: there are good ones and bad ones, happy and sad ones. But sometimes I wonder if there are truly peaceful ones. Because it seems that most of the famous in our world understand that they are fun-to-watch, but expendable. Newer, prettier versions are being created every single day and we are a flighty, fickle nation, willing to trade in who we loved yesterday for a New Who today. We are all about the next It. It’s not kind or right of us, but it is undeniable.
- Another thing that is rotten in our culture is that as much as we flock to our television screens to watch celebrities pick up trophies, we also gather to watch them fail. We watch them fall from the tall-but-wobbly pedestals that we have built, and then we gather around their bodies like wolves around a rabbit and in doing so we feel – finally – successful by comparison.
I wonder: will you be famous? I don’t know, but I certainly think you’ll have the name and talent and brains for such achievement. Would I want that for you? Well, the answer to that question is complicated and filled with warring emotions, but it mostly boils down to this: only if Jesus does. And only if your life is built around making Him famous in equal measure. I want that for you not because it’s the right thing to do, but because I think it’s the road that leads to joy.
“Let he who boasts, boast in this: that he understands and knows Me.” -God (through Jeremiah)
Perhaps you and I could start on the road to fame by first launching an initiative that inspires the big award shows to keep on throwing big parties and giving golden awards, but to also attach a scholarship to send an orphan to school in the name of the award recipient. Now wouldn’t that just make everyone smile?
I love you, baby Grey, and I cannot wait to meet you!
Bo
WINNERS OF ELLIOT GIVEAWAY!
Randomly drawn (by Josiah through a very advanced system of “Pick a number between 1 and 59) are:
Rachel, who said :I love music in general! Especially Elliot! 
and
Teresa Fourtner who said: “How can you pick just one?”
Congratulations, ladies – I know you’ll love Borderlines! Please email me at bolovesjoe@gmail with your mailing address and I will get them out to you lickety-split!