I’ve always believed that music has the power to carry us through life’s hardest seasons, and if there’s one musical that has walked beside me through both joy and trial, it’s Mary Poppins. Not the classic Disney movie version (sorry, Julie Andrews), but the stage adaptation—deeper, darker, and much more aligned with the tone of P.L. Travers’ original books. Yes, this Noteworthy Mommy has read them, and trust me, they’re dark! Which is why the musical version resonated so deeply with me, it captured that complexity in a way that felt honest and strangely comforting.
I first saw the Mary Poppins musical in 2009, when the original Broadway cast members Ashley Brown (as Mary) and Gavin Lee (as Bert) came through town on tour. From the very first note, I was enchanted. The music, the storytelling, the choreography, everything felt elevated and emotionally rich. I bought the cast recording immediately and listened to it on repeat. And repeat. And repeat. The new songs by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe were brilliant additions, seamlessly integrated that they felt like they’d always belonged. The reimagined book by Julian Fellowes (yes, the Downton Abbey guy) was, in a word, practically perfect.
And as magical as it was, it wasn’t just entertainment. That soundtrack came into my life right when I needed it most.
In 2009, my work life was in upheaval. I had only been working as a full time educational consultant for a few years, and we’d already gone through a small merger where a few people were let go. But then came the big one—we merged with our sister company (who also happened to be our biggest competitor). My manager, the woman who had hired me and mentored me, was let go. Suddenly, I was training on new products I hadn’t worked with before, working under a new manager who hadn’t chosen me, and my team had been dismantled. I felt like a stepchild in a new family that didn’t want me.
It was a confusing, discouraging, and emotionally draining time. And somehow, in the middle of that, one particular song from Mary Poppins became my anthem. My lifeline.
“Anything Can Happen.”
Here are some of the lyrics that carried me:
“Anything can happen if you let it
Sometimes things are difficult, but you can bet it
Doesn’t have to be so
Changes can be made
You can move a mountain if you use a larger spade…”
And especially this line:
“If you reach for the stars
All you get are the stars
But we’ve found a whole new spin
If you reach for the heavens
You get the stars thrown in.”
Those words gave me courage. They reminded me that change, while painful, could also be full of possibility. They gave me a thread of hope to hold onto. And they reminded me that I was not alone.
Of course, the ultimate strength that carried me through didn’t come from lyrics or melodies; it came from my faith. It’s only through God, my Heavenly Father, that I’m able to sit here today and write about that difficult season with perspective and peace. Music may have given me comfort, but it was God who gave me transformation. When I finally handed over all my worries and anxieties to Him, really surrendered, it’s like the floodgates of grace opened. That surrender changed everything.
I’ve written before about the power of music and how God uses it to speak into our hearts. It’s a gift that keeps on giving. But fast forward to 2025, and wouldn’t you know it? Mary Poppins found her way into my life again.
This time, it wasn’t a big Broadway tour. It was a local high school production at Lutheran High School. I almost didn’t go—I was too busy, overwhelmed with our family’s ever-growing calendar. But something nudged me to make it work, and so I carved out one evening (a Thursday night) to attend. Mini Me was going to see it the next day with a friend, I even planned to sneak out at intermission to make it to choir rehearsal.
But God had other plans.
As I entered the theater, I immediately saw two of my dear mommy friends, Beth and Becca, sisters in Christ from my Moms in Prayer group, women I faithfully pray with every week and who have become treasured mommy mentors. They invited me to sit with them, and then two more women from church joined us, ladies who love Advent by Candlelight, the special event I lead each year. I looked around and realized I was surrounded by community. Teachers from my daughter’s school. Parents and students in my daughter’s class. Church members who have poured into our lives in countless and beautiful ways.
And then the show began. It was so good I skipped choir and stayed until the end!
I recognized so many young faces on that stage—kids I’ve watched grow up in church, at Zion Lutheran School, in choir. And there, in the lead role of Mary Poppins, was none other than our senior pastor’s daughter. She sang beautifully, as did the entire cast, and flew high above us like the Mary Poppins in the professional productions! What amazed me the most is many of these young people are involved in other activities outside of theatre, but theatre is the thread that brings them together, unites them. And it’s through theatre that they created art for a room full of people to enjoy. They gifted me with this moment. Full circle. Full heart.
During the show I thought of my loving church/school family, in the room that night, people whom I didn’t even know a mere ten years ago. They are exactly what I got on my knees and prayed for. Tears welled in my eyes as I realized how God works in layers and loops. That He’s constantly weaving stories we don’t fully understand until we’re living in the beauty of their unfolding. Mary Poppins wasn’t just a show that once got me through a tough time. It’s become a symbol of how God plants seeds of hope through art, through people, and through the unexpected magic of second chances.
So yes, Mary Poppins the musical will always be very special to me. Not just because it’s better than the movie (sorry again, Julie), not just because of the amazing score or the masterful writing, but because it was there—God placed it there—when I needed it most.
And I’ll never stop believing:
Go and chase your dreams
You won’t regret it. Anything can happen if you let it.
Anything Can Happen Video Link
Click on this link and see a special performance of Anything Can Happen Video featuring the leading women of past and present Disney Broadway shows (Ashley Brown is front and center) along with talented girls who participated in a special fine arts program in NYC.
Noteworthy Mommy 