Active Discussion Groups
- DANCING WITH TEARS: What can our KID-O's learn from ballroom dancing?
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Photo ABC Monday night is “Dancing With The Stars” night at our house. My daughter and I settle in expecting sequined costumes, lots of hair and makeup, songs we can sing along with, and that little bit of magic that comes into our living room as we watch beautiful couples moving together to music. Even their nervousness and behind the scenes rehearsal montages are exciting to us. “See they really are normal people, transformed into princes and princesses for the ball.”
This episode, however, delivered more than superficial glitter and glamour. It gave us MOMents of, well, perfection. Each celebrity had a special song choice- from Chynna Phillips dancing to her own Wilson/Phillips cover of “Hold On“ and Chaz Bono reviving his father’s song, “Laugh at Me,” to Nancy Grace gliding around the dance floor to the first lullaby she sang to her twins. But the real tear jerking, show stopper came when J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff made the song “If You’re Reading This, I’m Already Home,“ come to life. We watched one of our war vets, burned over 40% of his face and body, looking more beautiful than humanly possible, while embodying the lyrics to a song which holds meaning for every soldier’s family. We felt it – on the inside. For his emotions to be so strong that they reached us, sitting far away on our sofa, is testimony not only to his bravery, but to the power of music. It was triumphant and moving. Like I said, it was perfection…well, for television at least, and there was not a dry eye in our house.
MOMism: “It’s what’s on the inside that matters.” J.R. Martinez is a strong, brave, handsome, talented, capable, and intelligent soldier and he knows it. All that he is, and all that he has overcome and accomplished, he carries with him, so he exudes confidence and charisma. The greatest lesson he learned came from his own MAMA, who told him that whoever is in his life will love him for who he is as a person and not for what he looks like. We can hold him up as an example to emulate. He may not have received a perfect score from the judges last night…but MAMAs are giving him 10’s across the board!
You’ve got to see it to feel it and believe it, so if you missed the broadcast, here it is.

