Valentine's Dance 2009

Story by Triple JJJ
& John Köehler


Photos by Lauren & Tina Masters and Gail Braswell

PREFACE

I met Alfie Lopez in December of 2007 when our good friend and Capernaum Sr. Leader Allen Nebrich died.
As we were walking through the Church of the Holy Family discussing Allen's funeral on the morrow Alfie said, "I want Capernaum here." I looked at her like who IS this woman! Little did I know that she meant every word of what she said.

This story is dedicated to Alfie and her awesome son, Jeremy, a new Junior Leader with Capernaum who happens to have a disability, though I don't think God cares that much.... and neither do I. Without Alfie and Jeremy, this dance would never have happened. Rock Stars!




Dancing With the Stars


Word up my Beauties! What a night, what a night, what a night we had. As you can see, my name is Triple J and my disability is Crazy OCD which means sometimes I repeat myself. Sometimes I repeat myself. Sometimes I..... word.

So check it out. Me and my home skillet DJ Jazzy Jeff were like WHAT, let's have a Valentines Dance. And all the awesome people of Capernaum said OK, that sounds like a good idea.

So DJ put on his best ghetto blaster clothes and I found my Grand Pappy's old red suit and we came to Holy Family for the dance party. Lucky thing for us two that Awesome T Travis was there. he's the dude in front of me and DJ Jazzy. Dude got game! Big shout out to him and Jump Jive Jose for all the help they gave. If not for them....... well I don't really know but let's just say that them boys can party!

Lotta people said me and DJ looked really good and man we DID look pretty stylin. We felt pretty on the inside too and could feel God inside of us and all around us. We were like crazy man it was so wild. People were coming in and we're like:

DJ: Word my home. Who are all these PEOPLE?

Triple J: My brother, I don't know, but they look cool to me

DJ: Who invited them?

Triple J: wasn't me, man. You?

DJ: not me! Who then?

Triple J & DJ: GOD IT WAS GOD INVITED THEM ALL!!!

So we figured after that that whoever came had been invited by the main man, Gee Oh Dee. And since he's our Daddy too we welcomed everyone like rock stars. Like family. And let me tell you that the good people of Holy Family made us all FEEL like a big holy family by making the place just about perfect and crazy cool. Psycho cool.

Miss Alfie and Susie and Mr. Joe Stefonowonovanandstuffedshirtsinaditch and Miss Kathleen and all the cool school peeps.... they all busted it out so we could bust it out in style. I think God musta been pleased by these Holy Family family. In fact I know it.




Groupie Love

That's Triple J on the left with one of his many groupies, Florence Thacker. TJ used his Passion/Love meter on Florence and the girl BROKE IT!

Triple J grew up with a colorful family which accounts for his impeccable clothing tastes and penchant for strong colors. Say what?

Here's the thing about Florence. If you get right up next to her and look into her eyes, you will see God. She is like looking into the eyes of some of our kids. Agape on fire, baby. Wait, you mean to tell me that anyone can have agape? You better believe it! Easy to see it with the kids of Capernaum but shoot, God thinks ALL OF US are special, not just.... special kids.



Now hang on a second. We call kids with disabilities SPECIAL and we have SPECIAL olympics, SPECIAL education. Gosh, with all those special titles they must be pretty special. Yup they sure are. But God never intended them to be set apart special, but special because they are HIS. Just like we all are. Just like Florence is.

Personally I think she was squeezing Triple J a tad bit too tight, but he seemed happy enough...








Nsync Beauty

We had a small stage from which Triple J, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Kitty Kathy rocked up the crowd. After a while they figured that they should share the stage and dared anyone special enough to be on the stage to..... take the stage!

So they did.

Towards the end of the night these five pretty girl came up and serenaded the crowd, singing along with Nsync with the song, God Must Have Spent a Little More Time On You. You know I really loved this song that night. It was the only slow dance we did. We taught everyone the basics to slow dancing, the right and wrong, how to do it right. Then we paired everyone up and danced. So sweet, so amazing. I looked and realized that God really did spend a little more time on all of them. All of us. He spent extra time on all of us. What? Did I repeat myself again.

Look at the lyrics and tell me this was not the perfect slow dance song for Capernaum. And don't get all fussy about the kiss part! Capernaum people like to kiss too.....if they can get away with it.

"God Must Have Spent A Little More Time On You"

Yeah....
Oh yes
Ohhh..yeah..
Can this be true?
Tell me, can this be real?
How can I put into words what I feel?
My life was complete
I thought I was whole
Why do I feel like I'm losing control?
I never thought that love could feel like this
and you've changed my world with just one kiss.
How can it be that right here with me
there's an angel?
It's a miracle...

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent...
A little more time
On you...
(A little more time, yes he did baby)

In all of creation
All things great and small
You are the one that surpasses them all
More precious than
Any diamond or pearl
They broke the mold
When you came in this world
And I'm trying hard to figure out
Just how I ever did without
The warmth of your smile
The heart of a child
That's deep inside
Leaves me purified

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep (and deep)
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent...
A little more time
On you...
(on you, on you, on you, you....on you, on you, on you, you..) ohhh...
(on you, on you, on you, you....on you, on you, on you, you..) yeah...

Never thought that love could feel like this
and you changed my world with just one kiss.
How can it be that right here with me
There's an angel?
It's a miracle...

Your love is like a river
Peaceful and deep (peaceful and deep)
Your soul is like a secret
That I never could keep
When I look into your eyes
I know that it's true
God must have spent...
A little more time
On you...
(on you, on you, on you, you..)
God must have spent...
A little more time
on you
(on you, on you..you....you..oooh..yeah)
A little more time
on you...ohhh

Rock Stars


Everyone wants to be a rock star. Everyone wants to be the cat's meow, the chicken strut, the dog's left foot..... what? What? What?

There is something totally cool about being up front, being on stage, holding the microphone and giving a shout out to your friends. A way to say look I'm here, I'm me, ain't I cool?
Why yes you ARE quite cool and you deserve to be up here on stage.

But I've got a disability.

So what, didn't God make you?

I guess so. But I'm pretty messed up. I'm not pretty enough or smart enough to be on stage.

Says who?

Uh.......everyone. Do you think God would be OK if I came up on stage and gave a shout out to my friends and danced up there? Would that be OK?

Let me pray about that..... OK. God said bring it on, ROCK STAR!!!

So you run run run to the stage and turn turn turn to the crowd and you dance dance dance for them and they clap and shout and cheer for you and you think wait..... am I in heaven? You wish you could have seen your Mom one more time before you died and went to heaven but then you look and see your Mom and she's smiling right at you and then you know that heaven came down to earth and you're a rock star, right there in front of everyone and for the first time in your life you think maybe there is a God. Because your heart feels ginormous inside of you and..... you're a rock star. People love you!

So you keep dancing up on stage because your people are calling your name. Rock star.

Beautiful people


No doubt Triple J and DJ Jazzy Jeff looked totally beautiful that night, not to mention Kitty Kathy and all the volunteer leaders, buddies and parents that were there. I mean we were all just shining, regardless of whether we had on our Sunday Best or our Friday worst, we..... looked...... beautiful. But look, don't take my word for it. See for yourself.

Word on the street is the demand for another party is high. And that's just from the parents! So look for an end of the year Dance. Shoot, don't just LOOK for it. Come to it!