Good-bye 2008

Its the last day of 2008. It seems the time for deep thoughts. This has been a year for deep thoughts. Illness, recovery. Cancer, death. Shocking news and a painful walk with a friend. But there has been joy and laughter too. Hilarious adventures with a pram, a baby and IV carts. Gentle memories at a funeral. The joy of seeing a grandchild who lives far away three times in one year. And talking to him. To borrow a phrase from Disney, "The circle of life." Its goes on and on and what we need to do is to live each moment safe and secure knowing that our Lord guards and guides through the journey. Laughter or tears, we live.

Update

The concert went well last night. The kindergartners got up on stage but I put them on the wrong row so there had to be a bit of rearranging. Oops! Fortunately, the congregation still had a verse of "Hark, the Herald" left to go so we were covered. There were wiggling kids, a few tears, two kids threw up but made it to a bathroom which is wonderful, the shepherds almost forgot to come off stage for their part - all normal happenings at a school concert. Mary and Joseph survived each other and the angel actually spoke with angelic confidence! And for the most important part, the kids all sang beautifully and I think Christ was praised.

That's one more thing of our list. Now the kids here can just have fun at school while they check off the days on the calendar until Christmas Break. The teachers are doing that too.

Christmas Concert

For more years than I can remember I have been involved with the Christmas concert. My official title is the Stage Manager but in reality I help the classes get on and get off the stage. That is a lot harder to do than most people think, especially if your are herding 40+ sensory overloaded kindergartners to the front for their first school concert. We give our concert in a large downtown church so these children have never seen the building or the stage and once they get up there parents and Grandparents are waving and aiming video and digital cameras at them. But they usually perform beautifully and in reality, for the Ks, who really cares. The cuteness factors carries them far.

The other primary grades usually go with out a hitch and the main event of the evening is the program of acting and song given by the Grade 5/6 choir. This year there are narrators, shepherds, magi, an innkeeper, Mary and Joseph of course and many soloists and a stage full of Orff instruments. (Xylophone type things for those who don't know.) With little time to put all the parts together, its always a big scary when the classes go to the church for the dress rehearsal the morning before the concert. But today's run through went well. The church had remodeled and put a tree that COULD NOT be moved in the middle of the choir area. So a well thought out plan had to be quickly reworked. Elementary children always speak too quickly and never use mikes properly but I think that is one of the reasons we go through this exercise year after year. They get better. But our Mary and Joseph this year have a problem. They don't like each other and are not willing to take on their characters and get passed it. I finally threatened to put a tape X where their bums should be and where their feet should be so that they would at least turn towards each other at the creche but trying to get Joseph to put his hand on Mary's elbow to guide her away from the inn to the stable is beyond their repertoire. The choir's singing is beautiful - even the guys who are getting "cool" in Grade 6 participate. There is a boy with a solo in Stille Nacht that makes everyone stop, listen and often wipe away a tear. It will be a good concert.

I love going to concerts at this time of year from Messiah to Steve Bell to the Winnipeg Singers (Kayla sings with them) to the efforts of these children. Listening to the songs of Christmas, the same songs, year after year with such a variety of voices never gets old. Some old grumpy voice in the back of my head occasionally hisses, is this really the TRUE meaning of Christ's birth, shouldn't we be more God focused? But sometimes we think too much and just experience too little. Christ's birth is about light and life and love and I am going to go with it and hopefully experience that at all the concerts I attend this year.

Better

I started this several times and was interrupted. Its my day off and I'm glad I'm home to conquer this bug. I would have made it at school but am better off at home. Kayla also dropped off Elliott who is now napping. She went for a haircut and its taking longer than she anticipated, I think. Anyway, its lightly snowing, I brought the Christmas stuff up from the basement and have Fred Penner and the Snoopy Gang's Christmas in the CD player. I'm better today than yesterday and hope I am even feeling better tomorrow.

Sick

I'm sick today. Not any kind of acute thing - no major sniffles, coughing, running to the bathroom sort of thing. More headachy, cold, stiff, not eating. General malaise. I heard that somewhere and like the sound. I guess I could have sucked it up and made myself go through the motions of the day at school but I'm too old to need to prove myself like that anymore. I also don't have to write up sub plans which may help a bit too. I did worry off and on about the EAs and their boys but I really shouldn't think so much of myself as to imagine that they can't survive without me. So I am home.

I slept all morning and watched a bit of the Canadian political crisis on CBC in the afternoon. Yes! Canada is having a political crisis and its mostly because all of the politicians aren't behaving like nice people. What a surprise. So the drama will now continue for the next month. Pundits are the only winners I think.

I also am going to miss a CD launch I really wanted to go to this evening. Rei Hotoda - asian avant-garde solo piano. It sounds interesting and there was sushi. She's the assistant conductor of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and a good friend someone we are close too. I was looking forward to the evening and to spending time with my friend. We don't see each other nearly enough and I miss her.

This is rambling. Time for more peppermint tea and to get to the end of the mystery I am reading. Pure fluff. A good thing to do when you are sick.