Posted By Mike

Today we have a show in Eindhoven, Holland. Every time I hear the name of that town I think of WW2. I read a book called Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose; it was also an HBO miniseries, which I have seen as well. In the book it goes through the war experiences of easy company of the 506th Infantry Airborne Division. They jump into Holland by parachute (Operation Market Garden), march through the town of Eindhoven and eventually end up in the woods on the outskirts of Fois (not sure how it’s spelled, pronounce foo-wa). They had no winter coats and were also low on rations, ammo and medical supplies after the main supply artery to Bastonia was cuff off. The Germans were occupying the town of Eindhoven, and the surrounding villages. The Americans were basically dug into two different positions for most of that cold snowy winter, watching the front line and not letting any patrols through. The Germans bombed them and bombed them and the guys just dug in deeper. There’s a ton more to the story but this is the part about where I sit up in the dressing room and look out upon snow covered houses and buildings. Some new and some old and I can only imagine what these guys had to go through out in those woods beyond the warmth of a bed and far beyond the borders of the land of their mothers and fathers. There is a white haze on the horizon, which can only mean more snow. And with more snow brings more cold wind that bites the skin and burns while I sit in my luxury and comfort in the 5th floor dressing room that never knew the shaking, earth shattering bombs of the 2nd world war. But this is my life. It is different than it would’ve been in 1944, but it is mine. We all have different lives but there are things that we experience that bring us together and bond us to one another. The important thing is to acknowledge what they are and to be thankful and be humbled by them. Enjoy your life. It’s the only one you’ve got.