May 7 Day 7
So… As usual, my sleep was jacked up. Late night. Three hours later, I suddenly remembered I hadn’t put out the garbage. I got up and did it and then I couldn’t get back to sleep for a couple of hours. Then I woke up with a Charlie horse in my calf. Then, I finally got back to sleep and the phone rang. I took the unusual step of saying “I had little sleep. Can I possibly talk to you later?” It was important. So… after that, I finally got up for real.
Good, consistent sleep is something I took waaaay for granted when I was younger, because I don’t get it too often these days. I do know if I don’t get this thing nailed down, I am likely heading for another infection. One thing for sure… Either you give your body what it needs or it takes it from you.
While getting Mom up and around, I kind of crammed in everything else. It seems that most of what I do from day to day is call or contact people. (Interestingly, I just remembered someone else who just dropped me a line that I need to follow up with.)
I briefly alluded to my electric piano malfunctioning on Sunday morning. There were warning signs for about a month that something was out of whack, but it finally hit with a fury Sunday morning at band rehearsal. It was fortunate for me that I scheduled a good friend for auxiliary keyboards that day. He did what he did. I sang at the mic and led and then he left me use his rig for the one song I really needed to play. It wasn’t how I planned for everything to work, but it was apparently how God planned it to work.
Today, I was dealing with the “fall-out” as it were. I contacted a friend who fixed the same keyboard before. It’s probably a wire on the inside like it was back then, but I figure I’d have him look a couple sticking keys, too. It really is no surprise it is acting up, because in terms of being careful, I failed miserably on multiple fronts! I’ve never had a case for it. For the past two years I’ve been with Mosaic Church, I’ve been carting it with me multiple times a week and to the occasional gig. Wear and tear? Okay… That’ll happen. Placing my mother’s wheelchair on top of it? Yeah, I was asking for trouble, but it was the only way I could fit both of them in my Honda Accord. Now that I drive a Chevy Trailblazer, I typically place my keyboard next to my mother’s wheelchair ramp and then place my dolly ON TOP of the keyboard.
Yes… I know. I’m lucky I made it this far with only these few problems.
My knucklehead pastors have decreed the church is getting a keyboard. They wanted to do it when we first started, but I was the one who talked them out of it because I didn’t want it coming out of my budget. They aren’t giving me a choice on it, now. They dusted off the threat for sure while I was getting my face pounded in the boxing ring last November. Knowing them, there were cheering for my opponent to knock some sense into me.
Just kidding. I saw the video with my knucklehead pastors screaming at the side of the ring. The electric piano was meant as bribery.
Yeah… Notice how I just dropped the “Yeah… Sure… I was in the boxing ring in November…” as if it were no big deal, I do it all the time, and gratuitous violence is the first thing people think of when they know I’m a pianist. (If people only knew the antics that happen inside of conservatories. Pianists are among the most cutthroat creatures on Earth. I get along with about 50% of them.)
Not sure, but I think I digressed… Anyway, the same friend who came to my rescue on Sunday sent me a listing for a model. One thing I gotta say – SM had my tastes down to a tee. I didn’t even want to buy an electric piano, but I already want my own of this model.
I’m hopeless.
The latter part of my day was at our inaugural ESL (English as a Second Language) Open House Celebration. It was the first year the House for All Nations launched the ESL program and the final day was an open invitation for the church community to see what the hubbub was about. The ESL program is under the House for All Nations program, but it was a joint effort with Mosaic Church and our sister Christ Church to make it happen. I think our final tally tonight was 12 nations. My “main role” was to drive the church van for transport… and also make sure Mom got up there!
Man… It was a blast.
My friends from El Salvador brought pupusas. Another student brought peruvian desserts and displayed native dolls. Our brothers from United Theological Seminary wrote our names in Korean and led us in singing How Great Thou Art along with the sister from Peru. The kids – many from Congo and Rwanda – did a small lesson on God’s love and sang three songs for everyone. A LOT of stuff happened. I can’t say enough how amazing it was.
It was also exhausting. Especially when the pastor and your fellow chaperone give each kid a gift bag in the middle of the parking lot before you are supposed to take them home. Especially when said pastor takes off lickity split and leaves me with the kids. NOT FOOLING ANYONE, DUDE. Especially when the kids are hyped up and enjoying themselves the ride back to their homes.
Momma thoroughly enjoyed herself. (She didn’t ride with me on transport. I dropped her off at the church early and picked her up once I was done.) A young child of one of the Korean brothers called Mom “grandma” which had all the feels going. One of the Rwandan sisters who speaks very little English at all looked at her and looked at me and ask “Your mother?”, which I of course confirmed. The church loves its Momma Jane, but I’m seeing the ESL Program loves her too.
It was a crazy and awesome day.
Wish you all the best,
TKP
5/7/2019