Ashibinaa take 3

Today was the third and final Ryukyu Festival that we'll be able to take part in. Brandon performed his last eisa performance, or so we though. This year a special opportunity has shown itself and the Bechtel Elem. Eisa Drummers were invited to perform at the Butler Officers Club later next month. I was hoping the timing would be a little different so Derrick would be able to at least see one of his performances. It seems each year he's been away and has had to rely on youtube to bring the performance to him. This year it's just going to have to wait until he's home.
It was bittersweet this morning. I was so excited to see him perform but was sad that this was it. We arrived at the school early this morning to get everyone into their uniforms, there were a few photo ops, then it was show time.
I know I've been weepy and overly emotional this week- it was obvious today- watching him perform my favorite song made my eyes well up with tears. It took so much to not just bawl. He is growing so fast and time is just slipping through my fingers. I don't want to miss any of these moments and it really hit me today that Derrick's missed so many. And even more sad was that Derrick was supposed to be home right now and was so eager to see him beat that drum. If things go as planned he'll be home soon but will be leaving to head back right before Brandon's next performance. Bum-mer! I know how this feels for me, I can't imagine what it does to Derrick.

Okay, so I don't want this blog to be completely depressing. Through his performance, once I got past my emotional issues I was able to laugh at his silliness. I don't know if it is routine or just something some of the kids were doing, or rather not, but a smile was impossible to catch. It wasn't just him, smiles were a rare find today. In any case, it was a great performance.
I'm so glad Brandon had this opportunity while here on Okinawa, if only Luke were old enough to participate too.
Thank you John Hampton for a great 3 years!

& of course, here's one of the two videos from today (the other, and videos from previous years can be viewed at youtube.com/denicordo) Just in case the costume hides who's who, Brandon is the drummer with the odaiko (the big drum) on the right.