Full of GLEE

I just finished watching the first half of Season 1 of the FOX show, GLEE. Typically I'm a late adopter to the hip and new shows. Mad Men was the last show I got wind of before it debuted and actually became a fan when the world was just finding out about its uniqueness. But I'd heard so many people rave about GLEE and when I heard a few 80s songs from the GLEE cast, I was intrigued. My friend, Amy, decided that our summer project was to catch up on the show, but alas, the second half of Season 1 just ended and won't be on DVD until September 24. Hmmm, Hulu, here we come!

For those of you who have been living under a rock and don't know about the show, it is replete with unique and quirky characters. There is Will Schuester (sigh...) the Spanish teacher who was a Glee Club member in his high school days and is given the daunting task of leading this unrespected group of singers. Will is also married to a quite strange woman who can't work more than four hours a week, thinks Will needs to get a better-paying job, and fakes a pregnancy. There is Sue Sylvester....the woman you love to hate. The sassy coach of the cheerleading squad (The Cheerios) who spews biting comments to anyone in her path, especially Will. I love Sue...call me crazy...but Sue has revealed some soft sides, which makes me a bit endeared to her. Then there is Emma Pillsbury. The school counselor who is a germaphobe and quite attracted to Mr. Schu. Like all good counselors, she sees potential in him and how much better he can be...and even is the one to keep him leading Glee Club when he is about to bail.

But of all the characters in the show, the kids of Glee are the ones that make my heart melt each week. (Aside from my Emma-like crush on Mr. Schu, of course) Every member of Glee are those kids in high school everyone made fun of....or Gleeks, as they are called on the show. They can't walk down the high school hallways without getting slushies thrown in their faces. There is Rachel...the daughter of two gay dads and the butt of the cheerleaders' taunting. There is Artie...a wheelchair-bound singer who doesn't let his wheels keep him from dancing. He's found acceptance in Glee, more than he ever had before. Mercedes is the full-figured African American teen who can belt a song like Aretha or Whitney. But because she doesn't have the figure of a Cheerio, she's not Miss Popular either. Mercedes befriends Kurt, the homosexual member of Glee. His mother died when he was young leaving his father to raise him. Acceptance is found in his Glee family. I could go on...Quinn, the pregnant teenager, ex-Cheerio...Finn, the football star turned singer...Puck, the bad boy with talent.

The show is full of drama. Just reading these short bios indicates that these people are a breeding ground for drama. But it's reality, folks. The world is full of stories just like these. You are surrounded by people just like these. Though I don't agree with the homosexual lifestyle...nor pre-marital sex that leads to Quinn's current predicament, my heart goes out to people who walk similar roads. Oh, how we all wish our lives were so nice and buttoned up that the journey was easy and smooth. But the road ahead is normally full of pot holes and speed bumps and if we aren't grabbing to the steering wheel strong enough, we can veer off into places we don't need to go. Then we find ourselves like these kids...unloved, made fun of, and slushies in our faces.

For all of Mr. Schu's faults and sins, I love him (beyond the fact that he is cute, sings and dances) because he sees potential in those most have no time for. As I live and strive to imitate Christ, I can't but love those who are unlovable. For I, too, have been a Gleek in my life and found the love of Christ through those who loved me beyond myself. It reminds me of the passage in Matthew, where Jesus says "Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." May I never forget that truth...and always have a towel handy at my side to wipe away the slushies...and the tears...from the faces of hurting people.