An L.A. kind of God

I travelled to Los Angeles this past week to visit our son, Dan, aka: Danny, before heading to the Catholic Media Convocation in Anaheim. What a great, great time was had by me — the mom.

Let me give you a little background on Danny. After graduating from film school, he worked in the lucrative, yet sporadic, world of freelance film production in Orlando as a grip for Visa commercials, Tiger Wood’s Buick, HP and FedEx commercials, etc., and all told, did very well.

Five years ago, Danny informed his father and me that if he was going to advance in this industry he needed to be in Los Angeles. We listened, smiled, nodded our heads and thought — we think out loud as well, and in time, it passes.

On a Wednesday morning, Danny woke up, started packing his car. I looked at him and said, “Where are you going,” thinking a production company had called him to Miami or some other Florida area. And then his words pierced my heart and the very core of my being gulped as he looked at me with those big brown/green eyes and said, “I told you mom, if I’m going to stay in this industry, I need to go to L.A.” An hour later, in his 1990-something Jeep Cherokee, he drove away. I quietly cried and prayed to God, the angels, every saint I could think of and our ancestors who had left this earth before us — “Please, all of you, surround and protect our son.” And so began the change from having Danny living in our home to visiting Dan in L.A. and having him home for a week each summer for the annual St. Pierre Family Uno Fest and if so moved, Christmas.

A brief summary of our fun together during my recent visit included a night out at Dan’s favorite local establishments where I became the shuffleboard champ of the night (and was up for 24-hours straight due to time change); a Saturday Memorial Day celebration with friends, dubbed the second annual “Kegs and Eggs” party that started at 10 a.m. and went on until — well, I have no idea until when, I called it quits around 11:30 p.m.; a trip to a Dodgers game, which ended in a loss that shouldn’t have been; dinner at his friends Aya, Lee and their daughter, Ms. Penelope’s home; and a night out for authentic Mexican food where we sat next to Kevin Nealon, who plays Doug Wilson in the popular series Weeds (also played “Hans and Franz” and “The Subliminal Man” on Saturday Night Live and starred in Anger Management and Daddy Day Care). What a nice, gracious man we found in this movie star. Refreshing!

Those were the main events and I will share two more tomorrow but first, an important L.A. update — God is alive and thriving in the City of Angels and if you ever visit, leave your judgmental hat at home and join in the spirit, no, the Spirit of love and acceptance. At the “Kegs and Eggs” for instance, there were people of every race and age and a variety of opinions and orientations but among all, the presence of acceptance, friendship and the appreciation of each unique individual. It was truly a beautiful thing. It was Jesus in the midst of the crowds talking to everyone. Not Jesus in the crowd singling out those with similar views. It was Jesus without a checklist of who will I accept as my friend and who does not fit the mold? There were gays and straights, blonde California girls and hippies, business men/women and the unemployed. Asians, African Americans, Caucasians and Hispanics. Married, divorced — those in love and the heart broken. Everyone was welcome and all brought food and the gift of laughter, fun and true joy in being together. A party with a genuine sense of “how to get along in this world.” A “Wedding Feast at Cana” kind of a day. And I loved it.

Tomorrow, or possibly the next day — Blog Part II — An L.A. kind of God