Okay, here’s the deal. Junie B. isn’t the perfect child. She is strong-willed, sometimes rude, sometimes combative, and sometimes outrageous. She is almost more than Mr. Scary (her teacher) and her family members can handle. But she is also bright, creative, witty, and full of life-affirming energy. Plus, she and her friends in Mr. Scary’s Room One are a downright “fun bunch.”
Junie B. openly states that “Peace and goodwill do not come easy for some people.” While she is talking about someone else (May) in the moment, the sentiment certainly is also true of Junie B. herself.
If we’re honest, that sentiment is often (or mostly!) true of many of us.
In our play, when it’s least expected, Junie B. – seemingly in spite of herself – does the right thing. Even she doesn’t understand her action at that moment. In fact, she has mixed emotions about it, feeling more bad than good about having done the right thing.
Shortly after that – again when it’s least expected – she, too, is shown grace. A lesson about reaping what is sown begins to form in Junie’s B.’s heart. “It was very peaceful of us. We were having goodwill, I believe. Only I don’t even know why.”
The “why” behind an act of grace is often unfathomable, but when it’s given and received, the peace and goodwill are palpable. May we all – like Junie B. – become “givers.”
Merry Christmas!
Terry Weber – Director
Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells
Dec. 9-11. Click here for info.