life's river sweeping by...

egads! It seems like time is just slippin away like never before, especially this past week.

To catch you up to speed, a couple of weeks ago after discerning that my true calling was to church music ministry, I gave my notice at Guitar Center and put in a bid for the job that was open where I was currently subbing as organist. They accepted my proposal to make the job full-time, and since then have been taken off the schedule at GC and began to rally my forces to begin the job formally on February 1. Since then, Sheetz called and we made arrangements for me to start on the 14th, Monday working nights from 10pm - 6am. And yesterday I got the go ahead from Ressi to go to Guitar Center to purchase a drum set and new amplifier for the contemporary choir. What a strange turn of events!

So even tho I won't start at Ressi til February, I will still continue to share the task of playing servies with Walter, the dear 87 year old treasure of a man who still plays and is sharp as a tack! But this is not going to be a slacker job, as I have already attended 2 staff meetings this past Monday. One was a general meeting, the other a meeting of the dre's and personnel involved in the Confirmation that will take place at Ressi on February 5th. And yours truly is coordinating the involvement of the 3 area churches. In the meantime each day this week has brought a new adventure there. Just yesterday I spent all morning checking out the various possible angles for using the sound system, which, btw, sux at the moment. It is very inadequate, much like St John's was when I first started there. Anyway, Ressi's 100th anniversary is coming up, and on Fr Frank's wish list is a new sound system. Oh yeah, he also wants to relocate the music ministry area to the front of the church......I sure hope he has budgeted for a newer organ. The current one, and old Allen, has been struck by lightening 3 times, yet still, defiantly limps along, waiting for it's opportunity to die in a blaze of glory, I'm sure.

Anyway, I have using my free time this week to corral the forces that will constitute the new music ministry. This is going to be quite the job.....but this parish is hungry..... no - make that starving.....for a solid music program. And Frank is a wonderful and supportive pastor. And he loves music! He even goes before the congregation himself to review music before mass! That's definitely a first for me. He is going to be my new Peter Wittmann ..... what blessed men, the both of them!

Also, I have been getting music ready for Lent, putting it all together in Finale, making bell arrangements, designing liturgies etc. Something tells me I'm not in minnesota anymore, but that's OK, I am ready to make lemonade!

On other fronts, I talked with Mandy last night and she told me that her and Tonya are planning to move to Pittsburgh at the end of this school year. Tonya has already gone ahead to make arrangements for her teaching certification in this state. Wonderful news! It will be great to have us all in one general area, making it more likely for our orbits to intersect.

Also, talked with Janet yesterday, and she told me that Gethsemani had sent her a bunch of cards that came for me....they are from folks who were not aware that I had moved back to Pittsburgh. So I have a ton of letter writing to do....bad timing! I am so preoccupied with getting ready to meet in rehearsal with two of the existing choirs at Ressi next Tuesday and Wednesday evening, and I am consumed with making preparations for that.

I have just resigned myself to accept this to be my lot in life! Just think.... I could have just left well enough alone, and stayed at Guitar Center, in a boring humdrum rut of an existence. Now here I am, standing at the portal of a labyrnth of creativity and shared joy. O whoa is me!

....I'll keep you posted.....

Dear Abby,

Thank you so much for your wonderful letter!

I love the vibrant colors you chose for the picture.....seeing them reminds me of the sunshine that fills up any room that you are in.

Funny you should ask about birds, especially like the parrot you included in your drawing. I actually went to two places to check them out just last week. We must have been on the same wavelength. Just last Sunday actually, I went here to this place near the church where I play. They were closed, even though they advertised that they were open; I was a bit bummed. Then on Wednesday, I stopped by a Petco since it was next to a Caribou Coffee House where I occasionally get hot chocolate.....mmmmmmm. Anyway, they did not have much of a selection there, and I was on my way to work and did not have a lot of time to visit with them. While I was there I actually thought about the potential diseases that birds get living in these commercial store environments (you musta been in my head again...).

Anyway, I am on the look out for a new bird companion, and I will let you know when and if I get one.

By the way, do you remember when we made this:
Well, you had better get back to doing dishes now. Thanks for writing!

Day 2 of Year New

Yesterday I had a day off! It was awesome. Been quite a while since that happened and I loved it!

So here's what happended: I spent the morning composing the music for JoAnn's prayer Welcome Guest.

Then I went over to Doris and John's house at 1pm for a visit. Doris is the secretary for the Diocesan Music Office, and also a member of the parish where I am currently subbing. She is also on the search committee and we have gotten to be friends over the last 3 months. This Sunday we are planning a meeting to discuss the possibility of expanding the open position to a full time position. The pastor and the worship committee are open to the idea, and now the finance committee just needs to be convinced. I proposed that they give it a year and decide whether or not they think it worth the investment. Of course, knowing the potential of a good music program to invest parishioners on deeper levels, and create a new dimension both psychically and spiritually for the parish and its members, I feel that success will ensue.

After the visit to Doris' I went to mom's where Sue had prepared the traditional pork and saurkraut for dinner. It is so good to be home!

++++++++++++

Time to say goodbye to wreckless abandon in the sweets department, so I took this picture, showing two of my favorite foods: music for the soul, and chocolate for the palate. Time to take a break from the chocolate. It starts to define one's life when wrecklessly indulged. So does music, but music does not poison the system like chocolate does. Or something like that....

As always......I'll keep you posted

JoAnn's Prayer: Welcome Guest

The latest creation, done just today.

JoAnn, a former choir member at St John's had sent the text to a prayer she was inspired to write while on retreat at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Minnesota.

I told her I felt compelled to put it to music, and not really knowing what I was going to do, came up with this early this morning while enjoying my first day off in 3 months!