Friday...Finally!

It's been an oddly long week, considering we didn't get back into our regular routine until Tuesday. The past four days haven't exactly sped by - certainly not like the four previous days that were chock full of fun times with Mr. Connor, who grows by leaps and bounds and now greets you with smiles, burbles, and coos. How much do I love that???

It's been a busy week, so it wasn't for lack of activity that time seemed to drag. March is turning out to be the most hectic month in quite some time. I have three performances for the middle school (spent all day in rehearsal there yesterday), a benefit concert with Classical Bells (so still rehearsing every Monday), and some accompanying for a musical my friend is directing (spent three hours there on Tuesday). Plus, as of today, I've agreed to return to my former job as a part time consultant. In the midst of all this are five days travel to Arizona to visit another friend.

Buzz, buzz (the proverbial busy bee...)

Today I spent the afternoon in a meeting with my former boss and two of the four people that were hired to replace me. (Think about that for a moment.) At any rate, the woman who was originally hired to fill my position has resigned, so there is a bit of a scramble to get the other members of the department up to snuff in terms of procedures. Since they've only been working there three or four months, there is a lot for them to learn and absorb.

I was happy to learn that my assistance was not being sought for administrative duties, but as a consultant to "fine tune" the writing. Honestly, after just a few moments discussion today about the spreadsheets and timetables, I could feel my stomach tying itself knots again and my heart start fluttering in my chest. "Run!" my body was telling me. "Don't get sucked back into the vortex of paper shuffling!"

But I think I can handle editing and helping the new writers refine their skills for a few hours each week. Also, it's nice to see my friends in the office on occasion as well. As I've discussed before, social relationships are what make so many of our activities worthwhile, especially work activities which can sometimes be less than satisfactory in other ways.

Since I left in June, the company has moved into new digs just down that road that provide twice as much space. Everyone now has their own office with walls and a door, and most of the offices have windows. It's a far cry from the crowded cubicle laden work space we had been using for the past 15 years.

But finally it's Friday. The weekend will be a quiet one, and we plan to finish off all the programs queued up on our TiVo for the past couple of weeks. (Like the Downton Abby finale which I've never yet watched!)

Nothing spectacular, for sure, but something comforting to look forward to after a long week.

How about you? What's on tap for your weekend? 

Give It Up For Lent

Today is Ash Wednesday. This is a day of reconciliation, of being joined back together with God, of being reunited with the one who made you. This is a day of intentionally stopping to remember that we are made in the image of God and we are to treat others as the image of God. This is a day of consciously living in the knowledge that God made us, that Jesus came among us as servant that we might know God better, and that God continues to live among us as the Holy Spirit. Today is a day of reconciliation and being reunited. Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Shannon Kelly, from Journey to the Cross

My friend Lisa and I were walking home from school one afternoon, and she was talking about what she planned to "give up" for Lent. As I recall, she couldn't decide between chocolate and chewing gum - big decisions for a 10 year old.

Because I always wanted to appear at least as smart as Lisa, I pretended I knew exactly what she was referring to, and quickly tried to think of something I could claim to relinquish as well. It seemed that it must be something loved, since I knew chocolate and chewing gum were two of Lisa's favorite things.

"I'm giving up television," I said proudly, the words "giving up" feeling foreign on my tongue. Remember I was a well-loved only child, and giving up things wasn't in my usual vocabulary.

When I got home I asked my mother what Lent was all about and why people gave things up for it. We went to church only sporadically in those days so there were some holes in my Christian education.

"Lent is the time before Easter," she told me. "Some religions require people to make sacrifices during Lent to remind them of how Jesus suffered and died on the cross."

Sacrifice - another unfamiliar concept.

Needless to say, I wasn't successful in my bid to give up television. Truthfully, I probably forgot all about the whole thing. By the end of the week, Lisa was back to devouring Hostess chocolate cupcakes at lunch and blowing huge bubbles with Bazooka bubble gum, so apparently her Lenten sacrifice had proven too much to bear as well.

Today is Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of the Lenten season. Since I've become a regular churchgoer, I understand more about   Lent and the concept of sacrifice historically associated with it. In recent years, I've heard more people talk about using these 40 days as a time to deepen their faith- not by sacrificing some material thing or habit, but by increasing the time they spend in prayer or in doing God's work.

Putting a positive spin on it.

American's are good at that. As a people, we don't like the idea of sacrifice, especially voluntary sacrifice. So we look for ways to turn things to our advantage. I'm certainly no   different. I may not be the spoiled only child I was in 1965, but I'm no happier about suffering than I was back then.

And if I have to suffer, if I have to "give up" something, I at least hope some good will come from it somewhere.

The devotional message I quoted above is from a website called Journey to the Cross, a daily devotional series. Shannon Kelly, who wrote today's message, talks about Lent as a time of reconciliation, a time to remember that each of us is made in God's image, and that we should treat others as the image of God. That's about as positive a spin as I can imagine for a season shadowed by the specter of the crucifixion.

But within that positive message is the need to "give up" some things.

Like our prejudice, our selfishness, our negativity, our impatience, our lack of compassion.

And as difficult as it might be to forgo chocolate, chewing gum, and television, letting go of those things can be even harder.

It's worth a try, though. At least for the next 40 days.

Who knows? It might become a habit that lives in our hearts forever.

Last Year

Thanks for the post, Kathy Shelton I decided last year I was really into swimming so I got a membership at the local gym and started swimming every morning. I loved it at first and I actually lost a lot of weight and toned up my body but after a while my hair started to turn green in my skin got really angry because the chlorine in the water made it so dry. I know it sounds silly but I had to cut back so I've been keeping tabs on the swimming world in other ways. I am so excited about the Summer Olympics that are coming up in just a few months and I recently got tvbydirect to make sure I have all the channels I needed to get every bit of coverage I could about all of the water sports. Obviously, I think Michael Phelps is an incredible athlete and I can't wait to see what he does this year in London. It's only a matter of time before more records are broken and I hope Michael is the one to do it!

Got Bronze?

That was the slogan printed on T-shirts one of the handbell groups was wearing at this week's Bronzefest (the handbell workshop/concert I attended in Kettering, Ohio.) The word Bronze refers to several things - English handbells are crafted from bronze; also, handbell groups have traditionally been classified in levels of proficiency as tin, copper, and bronze, with bronze being the most proficient of the three. Thus, the "Bronzefest" is an invitation only affair with six of the top groups from Michigan and Ohio participating. Classical Bells has been invited to participate for 15 of the 20 years the festival has been in existence. The event involves preparing six pieces of music, working with a guest conductor for about 10 hours of rehearsals over Saturday and Sunday, and then performing a concert en masse on Sunday afternoon.

This year I was a "ringer" in more than one sense of the word, filling in as a substitute for a regular member of Classical Bells who had knee surgery and wasn't able to attend. It gave me an opportunity to brush up on my advanced handbell skills, plus work with the finest director in the handbell business, Fred Gramann, who is the music director of the American Church in Paris. Fred is a regular guest conductor for Bronzefest - he says it's his favorite handbell event. He raises our playing skills several notches by the time the weekend is over. In addition to being a superlative musician, he is gracious and utterly charming. It was worth every minute of standing on my feet for 15 hours - truthfully, I never even noticed being tired because it was so enjoyable.

What Fred does is teach us to make music instead of just playing notes. It's like the difference between writing functional sentences and poetry - one gets the job done and conveys the desired result, the other makes you sigh with pleasure and your heart beat a little faster. It's what we all want to achieve whatever our art might be - that higher level of expression and experience that separates the finished product from the everyday into the extraordinary.

So when I say we all "Got Bronze" over the weekend, it's almost an understatement.

Here's the concert if you'd like to see Bronze in action...Classical Bells is the group wearing the sparkly blue tops (see, I told you we "ring in color"!)

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/37075095]

From the Sublime...

This morning I sat in Orchestra Hall, listening to pianist Emmanuel Ax's fingers fly over the keys filling the Hall with the joyful, sparkling tones of Mozart. His playing was so effortless, the communication between he and the orchestra so relaxed, it was like having all 50 of them in my living room playing just for me. Sublime.

Then over lunch I was perusing the news, where I read about a 56- year old student at one of our local universities who may sue the school because he was banned from campus for writing an essay about his sexual fantasies regarding his creative writing teacher.

Ridiculous.

But it got me thinking about what it takes to be a true artist, the responsibility of the creative person, and the right of free speech. The artist I heard this morning has been performing internationally for over 40 years. His playing reflects not only dedication to his art, but true love and respect for the music. He presents Mozart to the listener with such love and pride, rather like a dear friend would offer a beautiful bouquet or poem as a gift to another.

The student at the university claimed in his "essay" that he wanted his teacher to "kick his ass into being a real writer," and then proceeded to discuss the ways in which  her physical appearance would "distract him from learning anything," thus demonstrating very little respect for the craft of writing and even less for one he's asking to teach it to him.

In his remarks about the possibility of legal action against the university, the student writer sites his right to "freedom of speech." It pains me how often that phrase is used to defend egregious and selfish behavior. As with any "right," this one also bears a responsibility - to act with the best interests of the common good and to refrain from unnecessary harm to others. I don't believe this student's essay qualifies on either count.

In order to be a master at any art, to be a "real" writer or musician or painter or dancer, you must take the work seriously, you must believe in its power and purpose, and you must treat your audience with respect. Above all, you must perform your art with dedication to the highest possible quality you can provide, whether it's lifting music off the piano keys or putting words on the page.  When you can honestly say you've done your best at all those things, then you might approach the kind of sublime experience I had listening to Mozart this morning.

And who wouldn't rather be sublime than ridiculous?