As I get older, I have begun to realize how brief our visit on this planet can be. And, while we are here, there are definitely obstacles and challenges along the way. So, even if life throws several trials and tribulations in our direction…

Like fear, sorrow, incompleteness, or discouragement…we can overcome the issues put before us, hopefully learning from the experience, and grow as individuals. In its most basic form, a positive outcome can be the result.

No one is exempt from unfortunate circumstances passing through the cycle of life, myself included! For the most part, I’ve had a pretty good life.

I would say, except for the passing of several family members and friends, my biggest tragedies were the three miscarriages and two ectopic pregnancies I had in a five-year span. I am unable to have a family of my own. I am now fine with that deck of cards I’ve been dealt. I have decided it wasn’t meant to be.

I moved forward looking at a glass of water as half full instead of half empty…

I have loved the world of dance all my life. I’ve enjoyed watching professional performers on the stage, in the movies, and shows on the television set. That also included the fact that I expressed myself at home as a teenager, by gyrating all over the living room floor for the whole 19 minutes of the song, “Ina-godda-devidda.”

My one regret is when I stopped taking ballet and tap dance classes in my youth. I had been taking the classes for a couple of years, when I made the stupid decision to stop attending them. A lost opportunity to be sure…

Thankfully, many years later when already married for three years, I was introduced to a different dance form at a new lady's gym. My first day there, as I was working out on the machines, I noticed something was taking place in the middle of the room. It was a Belly Dance class! 

As I watched with wonder as the ladies shook and undulated to the music, I thought to myself…That looks like a lot more fun than what I’m doing!!! So, I walked right over and started to take the dance class in front of me. Several decades later, I’m still shakin’ my goodies!!!

I can tell you some funny stories that have happened to me since that first day at the gym…

1. Performing in the Orange Bowl halftime show and meeting the Temptations with curlers in my hair!

2. A trash can getting caught on my costume during my entrance and dragging it all the way out to the center of the stage because, I was unable to remove the darn thing! (How’s that for a duet?)

3. A misbehaving veil, my bra unhooking, and a finger cymbal flying off the end of my finger doing a perfect slam dunk into someone’s water glass!!! The list goes on…

I can say with certainty, this dance form has changed my life! It has brought me so much joy! I’m not a great dancer because I have seen the best there is! But I think I do alright.

I’m not a purist, that’s for sure. And some may frown on that issue. I will tell you this, though…

When I’m putting together a routine, my sense of humor seems to show up somewhere in my choreography. We are, after all, out there to try and entertain the audience. Hopefully, we succeed.

Someone told me, quite some time ago…

You never know what to expect once Lamis hits the stage. Maybe, that’s my claim to fame.

I will end my sermon with just one more story…

My first dance workshop was in 1982. I was awestruck by the instructor, the dance classes were intense, and the performers in the show were beautiful and amazing to see. But there was something else I will never forget about that weekend.

During the dance classes, I noticed three older ladies with white gray hair, together as a group. Were they doing more shopping than dancing? Absolutely, YES!!!

They were in full costume with stage makeup on their faces and wearing tiaras on their heads.

Even though there were some in the room who made fun of them, or criticized their antics, I had a different take on the whole situation.

What I noticed was…How much fun they were having!!! I thought to myself…I want to be just like them!!!

Over 40 years later…here I am!!!