By SQuire Rushnell
Have you ever argued with God about something you wanted, then were embarrassed to find that HE had a much better idea?
My wonderful wife Louise DuArt is often called one of the world’s best comedic impressionists. Of course to me…she’s the best! She can look and sound like a 100 characters, from Judge Judy to Kermit The Frog.
You can imagine the thrill she experienced the day a casting agent called and said, “Steven Spielberg is doing a cartoon series. He has a rabbit character who does impressions, a role designed for you!”
Louise danced around the kitchen table. “Yahhoo! What a perfect role. And Spielberg!!!”
As she drove to the studio to lay down an audio track to give the writers a sense of her range, she wondered, ”Did Steven Spielberg actually create this role for me? He knows who I am? Or did the casting agent mean it was a role perfect for me?” Oh what does it matter, she concluded.
In the studio Louise stepped to the microphone. Put on the headphones and started to do the first character. augggk. She’d lost her voice. This had never happened before! She tried again. And again! The casting agent was sympathetic. “Don’t worry, we’ve got a week. Come back in a couple days.”
Louise went straight to the pharmacy. She bought everything she could to get her voice back. And everyday the agent called and Louise, tearfully reported, ”no, her voice had not returned.” At the end of the week the agent sadly said, “I’m so sorry. We have to move on.” Louise was crushed. She blamed HIM. “How could you do this to me?” she said, looking up.
A few weeks later, her voice had returned, and she was asked to go to New York to promote her upcoming Showtime special. While there she took in a Broadway Show about 4 comics - 3 guys and a girl, who crafted their skills at the legendary Catskill resorts. After the show she went to Sardi’s restaurant, the Broadway thing to do and was surprised when the waiter said, “The gentlemen behind you would like to say hello.” She looked up. There were the 3 male comics from the show. Freddy Roman came over and said, Louise you won’t believe this. I was just saying to the guys, ”if our girl ever leaves the show, I know the perfect replacement - Louise something-or-other. I once did a TV show with her.” I look up and there you are! GULP Would you say that was a monumental godwink?? Three weeks later, Louise DuArt was up in lights, starring in Catskills on Broadway and if she’d gotten the part for Spielberg’s rabbit -she’d wouldn’t have been available.
Louise DuArt starred in Catskills on Broadway until the end of the New York run, then traveled with the show across America for an additional year. She would have been a cute rabbit. But Broadway was better!
Godwinks are often God’s way of showing you that the grand plan designed for you, up there, is far better than the one you’ve created for yourself down here. I’ll be looking for your Godwink Story. I’m SQuire Rushnell. Good Wishes and godwinks.
