It's been a rough week.....I have a bunion....AND a hammer toe - just starting to make themselves known. John's car died - really dead. Thanksgiving fell this year on the second anniversary of my nephews' passing. My visiting Sister In Law wound up in our local hospital on the day after Thanksgiving, and was their guest for a few days while they divested her of a multiplicity of kidney stones. Just last night, Baby Girl broke three toes while babysitting.....
When the alarm rang this morning at 6:00 a.m., for the briefest of moments I considered ignoring it and burying myself so far under the covers that Jethro Gibbs and the whole NCIS team wouldn't be able to find me. But there is no rest for the wicked, or for Children's Ministers either. This was the first Sunday of Advent AND a Lolapalooza day. Lolapalooza occurs on the Fifth Sunday - it gives the Sunday School teachers a well deserved break, and provides a chance for me to teach the kids....grade K - 5. It's kind of a mini Vacation Bible School - we have a lesson, craft, game, and a snack - all centered around the theme of the day. It will come as no surprise that today's lesson was the building of a Nativity. As we were gathered around the table, enjoying our appropriately themed snack of popcorn and Little Debbie Christmas Tree Brownies, the talk turned to pets. Baby Girl (who was serving as my assistant) mentioned how fat our CrackHouse Puppy is. Challenged by the assemblage to show just how fat, Baby Girl drew on the board - a very round Puppy Dog. A second grade boy jumped up to complete the drawing....pointy ears, glaring eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth turned my sweet puppy into a nasty gremlin dog. While we were discussing the merits of Canine Facial Expressions, another precious second grader stole to the board, picked up the chalk and made a quick scribble....whereupon she slyly announced to the room that she had fixed him good and well....the puppy was now "a boy". For a moment, I was unsure as to her meaning, until I noticed the additional appendage....yep - it was a boy alright. What exactly does one say to that? "OK, time to clean up", that's what!!
As we were over by the craft area, I grabbed my coffee cup to take a much needed fortifying swig. Fortunately, I looked down just before the cup reached my lips...."Blergh....there is GLITTER in my coffee", I moaned. (Yes.....there were glittering parts to our Nativity craft - what can I say? I am a big fan of glitter!) As one, my little charges shouted "oohh - let me see", so I put the cup down on the table for them to take a gander. "COOL!"....."That's so pretty"......."I've never seen THAT before"....They were thrilled with the glittery coffee. Where I only saw a disaster, they saw the beauty, the whimsy, the art. They laughed at the sight, and danced from the sheer novelty of the moment. It was then, that the students became the teacher....reminding me that the quality of your life has more to do with your perspective than your circumstance. A fine lesson to be sure, on this first Sunday of Advent....."And a little Child shall lead them.....".......Thus endeth the lesson.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
All Good Gifts Around Us....
The first time I sang this anthem, I was pregnant with Babiest Girl....16 years ago - the Sunday before Thanksgiving. "All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above. So thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his Love...." The words are familiar and simple....the melody and harmonies are haunting and soul stirring. I have never sung this piece, that it did not reduce me to tears - today was no exception.
The tears have actually flown freely in the last 24 hours.....First - it was a YaYa Weekend, so there were tears of joyful greetings, tears from laughter, and tears from worries and troubles shared. Sadly, I had to leave the Gathering early, to get to the Theatre for the final performance of my current Show. At Intermission, the Night Manager came to my dressing room, and told me I had a friend in the Audience. The name she offered rang no bells, and I momentarily feared for the state of my stellar memory. A tugging began in the back of my mind, as I thought - that must be a married name. I grabbed up my phone, and started going through my FaceBook friend list - and then....NO.....it couldn't be. My Childhood friend.....my Neighborhood Bestie.....how many hours had we spent, playing in the creek, skating in her carport.....putting on plays in my room, playing Monopoly, praying for snow days.....
I could hardly wait for the show to be over. Would I recognize her? Suddenly, her sweet face was in front of me...unchanged over the years. More tears, shrieks of joy and disbelief....her dear smile transporting me to long ago and far away.
This morning, surprise tears overtook me, as I learned that a young woman I have long loved had been named a Deacon in our Church. I taught this girl in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Children's Choir. As she grew to a Teenager, she became my babysitter, and as she grew to Adulthood, she became my friend. I had to lock myself in my office to cry tears of happiness and wonder, as I bore witness to the Circle of Life.
Which is how I found myself in the Choir Loft at the 11:00 service singing through my tears..."All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above. So thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his Love". In that 8 pages of music I saw myself as a little girl, long hair flying as I twirled around a carport in my new boot skates.....I felt myself pregnant with my last child, happy and wistful...I was a naturally raven haired 20 something (no hair dye required), walking through campus with my friends....I was a MidLife Wife, astonished by how blessed life can be - even when it is bone crushingly difficult....
I lifted my voice in Thanksgiving....grateful to know that you can dance in the rain, mindful that I have been granted my hearts desire - a family to love and call my own. Grateful for the view from MidLife - where I can pause, and see the tapestry, woven by my years on this earth.....see the beautiful smiles of old friends, cry tears of love and remembrance, and hold hope for the sunshine tomorrow. So, thank the Lord......for all his love.....Blessed Be.
The tears have actually flown freely in the last 24 hours.....First - it was a YaYa Weekend, so there were tears of joyful greetings, tears from laughter, and tears from worries and troubles shared. Sadly, I had to leave the Gathering early, to get to the Theatre for the final performance of my current Show. At Intermission, the Night Manager came to my dressing room, and told me I had a friend in the Audience. The name she offered rang no bells, and I momentarily feared for the state of my stellar memory. A tugging began in the back of my mind, as I thought - that must be a married name. I grabbed up my phone, and started going through my FaceBook friend list - and then....NO.....it couldn't be. My Childhood friend.....my Neighborhood Bestie.....how many hours had we spent, playing in the creek, skating in her carport.....putting on plays in my room, playing Monopoly, praying for snow days.....
I could hardly wait for the show to be over. Would I recognize her? Suddenly, her sweet face was in front of me...unchanged over the years. More tears, shrieks of joy and disbelief....her dear smile transporting me to long ago and far away.
This morning, surprise tears overtook me, as I learned that a young woman I have long loved had been named a Deacon in our Church. I taught this girl in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School and Children's Choir. As she grew to a Teenager, she became my babysitter, and as she grew to Adulthood, she became my friend. I had to lock myself in my office to cry tears of happiness and wonder, as I bore witness to the Circle of Life.
Which is how I found myself in the Choir Loft at the 11:00 service singing through my tears..."All good gifts around us are sent from Heaven above. So thank the Lord, Oh thank the Lord for all his Love". In that 8 pages of music I saw myself as a little girl, long hair flying as I twirled around a carport in my new boot skates.....I felt myself pregnant with my last child, happy and wistful...I was a naturally raven haired 20 something (no hair dye required), walking through campus with my friends....I was a MidLife Wife, astonished by how blessed life can be - even when it is bone crushingly difficult....
I lifted my voice in Thanksgiving....grateful to know that you can dance in the rain, mindful that I have been granted my hearts desire - a family to love and call my own. Grateful for the view from MidLife - where I can pause, and see the tapestry, woven by my years on this earth.....see the beautiful smiles of old friends, cry tears of love and remembrance, and hold hope for the sunshine tomorrow. So, thank the Lord......for all his love.....Blessed Be.
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
The Actor's Life for Me.....
It is 8:00 p.m., and I find myself in the kitchen, running the water, trying to coax my bladder into releasing that which it is designed to hold.....it's just been that kind of a day. It started off well enough - Special K and Cheese Toast for breakfast. 2 Cups of coffee, Babiest girl out the door mostly on time to school. A couple of loads of laundry, and I too was out the door - headed to the next town over, where I had a matinee at the Dinner Theatre.
I believe I have mentioned before, that one of the perks of working Dinner Theatre is the meal that accompanies your paycheck. As I set my plate down at the table and joined my cast mates for lunch, I caught the tail end of the news of the morning....plumbing issues. A few toilets non functioning (unless you call overflowing functioning), but not to worry, the plumber was on his way. By the time I shimmied into my Act one Costume, the entire Women's Restroom was closed due to....ummm....malfunctions. The Men's room hurriedly became the Women's, and the Men came upstairs to the Actors Restroom (Theatre folk are resourceful, you know?)....that would be about the time I scared my bladder into submission. After having Three Children, AND not listening to my Doctor about the importance of the Kegel exercise, I find myself in need of the facilities.....often. Not entirely possible today....which is why I had prayer meeting with my poor aforementioned bladder before I stepped foot onstage.
About ten minutes into the show, out of the periphery of my left eye, I saw some sort of commotion in the audience. (The theatre is in the round - in the square, actually, and the stage is surround on all four sides by patrons). As I turned, following my blocking, I saw the sweet little lady with whom I had chatted in the buffet line, slumped over her table in a dead faint. As people rushed to tend to her, amid mumbles and rumbles, the action on stage continued. I had a fortuitous exit, and used my time off stage to ask about halting the show. The lobby was quite a scene....managers on the phone to 911, a family member pacing and telling me that he thought she was "gone". Another bemoaning the fact that the lady had no pulse....you get the picture. We managed to get through the scene, and then paused while the paramedics entered the Theatre to tend to the still unresponsive woman. To our great surprise, the woman we feared deceased was revived, and walked out to the waiting ambulance. (She later returned to the theatre, to sit in the lobby for the remainder of the show).
Toilets continued to fall to blockage, one by one, until none remained. After a quick costume change at intermission, and another stern warning to the old bladder, we finished the show...amazed that we were all still standing.
, As I left the Theatre, on my way to yet another town to pick up Babiest Girl from the Fancy Pants School, I realized I needed coffee.....badly. So, I stopped at the Sheetz before I got on the Highway, where I added a little Irish Cream flavoring to my Dark Roast - I deserved those extra calories after THAT show! Standing in a very long line to pay, I was happy to hear one of my favorite songs cue up on the Musak......"SHOUT!" You know, of Animal House Fame? The very same song that I broke my wrist to, at my Best Friends Wedding (but that is another story). As to what happened next, my only excuse is that I was still in Actor mode....you know....we dance to the preshow music in the Lobby, dance to the scene change music in the Lobby, dance to the curtain call music......I just zoned out for a minute. Imagine my surprise and extreme mortification, when I realized I was dancing. Not just tapping my feet, but DANCING in the Pay Line at the Sheetz.....during Rush Hour....holding a very hot large Coffee. I must have been pretty good, because by the time I got to the front of the line, Head down, trying to hide my blushing face behind my newly short hair, my coffee was free!!
20 minute drive, Babiest Girl secured....another 20 minutes back to the old hometown, dinner to fix and eat...dishes to wash....And that is how I find myself, at 8:00 p.m., trying to assure my Bladder that it is O.K. to.....Let it Go! I believe that it must be suffering from a wicked case of stage fright.....terrified to function after such a day.....oh....wait.....gotta run......fast!!
I believe I have mentioned before, that one of the perks of working Dinner Theatre is the meal that accompanies your paycheck. As I set my plate down at the table and joined my cast mates for lunch, I caught the tail end of the news of the morning....plumbing issues. A few toilets non functioning (unless you call overflowing functioning), but not to worry, the plumber was on his way. By the time I shimmied into my Act one Costume, the entire Women's Restroom was closed due to....ummm....malfunctions. The Men's room hurriedly became the Women's, and the Men came upstairs to the Actors Restroom (Theatre folk are resourceful, you know?)....that would be about the time I scared my bladder into submission. After having Three Children, AND not listening to my Doctor about the importance of the Kegel exercise, I find myself in need of the facilities.....often. Not entirely possible today....which is why I had prayer meeting with my poor aforementioned bladder before I stepped foot onstage.
About ten minutes into the show, out of the periphery of my left eye, I saw some sort of commotion in the audience. (The theatre is in the round - in the square, actually, and the stage is surround on all four sides by patrons). As I turned, following my blocking, I saw the sweet little lady with whom I had chatted in the buffet line, slumped over her table in a dead faint. As people rushed to tend to her, amid mumbles and rumbles, the action on stage continued. I had a fortuitous exit, and used my time off stage to ask about halting the show. The lobby was quite a scene....managers on the phone to 911, a family member pacing and telling me that he thought she was "gone". Another bemoaning the fact that the lady had no pulse....you get the picture. We managed to get through the scene, and then paused while the paramedics entered the Theatre to tend to the still unresponsive woman. To our great surprise, the woman we feared deceased was revived, and walked out to the waiting ambulance. (She later returned to the theatre, to sit in the lobby for the remainder of the show).
Toilets continued to fall to blockage, one by one, until none remained. After a quick costume change at intermission, and another stern warning to the old bladder, we finished the show...amazed that we were all still standing.
, As I left the Theatre, on my way to yet another town to pick up Babiest Girl from the Fancy Pants School, I realized I needed coffee.....badly. So, I stopped at the Sheetz before I got on the Highway, where I added a little Irish Cream flavoring to my Dark Roast - I deserved those extra calories after THAT show! Standing in a very long line to pay, I was happy to hear one of my favorite songs cue up on the Musak......"SHOUT!" You know, of Animal House Fame? The very same song that I broke my wrist to, at my Best Friends Wedding (but that is another story). As to what happened next, my only excuse is that I was still in Actor mode....you know....we dance to the preshow music in the Lobby, dance to the scene change music in the Lobby, dance to the curtain call music......I just zoned out for a minute. Imagine my surprise and extreme mortification, when I realized I was dancing. Not just tapping my feet, but DANCING in the Pay Line at the Sheetz.....during Rush Hour....holding a very hot large Coffee. I must have been pretty good, because by the time I got to the front of the line, Head down, trying to hide my blushing face behind my newly short hair, my coffee was free!!
20 minute drive, Babiest Girl secured....another 20 minutes back to the old hometown, dinner to fix and eat...dishes to wash....And that is how I find myself, at 8:00 p.m., trying to assure my Bladder that it is O.K. to.....Let it Go! I believe that it must be suffering from a wicked case of stage fright.....terrified to function after such a day.....oh....wait.....gotta run......fast!!
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