Music & Service...

After Christmas and New Year's Day, it is time to begin to remember what 'normal' is supposed to be. One thing that is 'normal' is to attend music concerts by our grandmonsters.

 

Friday, January 5th, Bailey would participate in the KMEA's (Kentucky Music Educators Association) High School All District Bands event. This is a two day affair. On Friday they would be given several new pieces of music. A guest conductor would work with them all day that day and also on Saturday. This band is composed of students from High School all over District 5 in Kentucky (several counties). The students would be placed in the Concert Band or the Symphonic Band. I believe this is according to ability. Bailey would be in the Concert Band. She was asked to be 1st Chair in the French Horn section. This is a big deal and we are very proud of Bailey for being invited and then participating in this event. 

Saturday, January 6th, these students would again spend the day with their guest conductor working on those pieces of music. At 6:30pm, parents, family and friends were invited to a concert of these pieces of music. Of course Claude and I trekked to Shelbyville, Kentucky to Martha Layne Collins High School to watch Miss B perform. It was excellent. One could expect nothing less. These are the best in each high school in the district. 

The Concert Band performed four numbers: "Cedar Chest" by David Shaffer, "Ascending" by Larry Clark, "I Wonder and I Wander" by John Jacob Niles, and "The Great Locomotive Chase" by Robert W. Smith. Their guest conductor was Phil Thomas who recently retired after teaching in Georgetown, Indiana for 36 years. 

It was interesting remembering last year. Hayden was asked to participate his senior year. Michael's grandmother was turning 100 years old. The family was having a big party for her and her brother (whose birthday is close to Bea's) in Maryland. Hayden was going to participate in this program and then Claude and I were going to drop him at the airport Sunday morning so he could attend a portion of Bea's party. Friday after Michael, Andie and Bailey left for Maryland in their car, I received a phone call from Andie saying Hayden might need to be picked up. He was not well and they were going to assess and then maybe send him home. He would need us to get over there and get him and take him home. That is exactly what happened. We picked Hayden up on Friday and he missed the day of training so he could not participate. 

Saturday, January 6th, Claude and I both pronounced as "The Perfect Saturday". After a very poor night's sleep on Friday night, we slept in Saturday. I would spend the day working on my Christmas puzzle. We stopped everything and got ready to leave our home by about 4:00 to head to Shelbyville. We stopped in Frankfort for a good meal at Chili's. Then on the Shelbyville to enjoy Bailey's concert. We went to Dairy Queen after with the Marx family for dessert. Then back home for the rest of the evening. Even though the weather was to be bad, it held off and we had good roads on which to drive with a few sprinkles here and there. It was a great Saturday for two fossils!

Sunday, January 7th, Andie, Michael and Hayden were out the door of their home at 6:30am. They were taking Hayden back to DePaul University. He break was over. They would drive up that day and return that afternoon and evening. That is a long hard day. 

Claude and I started the new schedule for sacrament meeting. We now start at 10:30am. That should allow us to sleep in a bit longer, However, the first Sunday of the month Claude has a Zoom meeting for Stake Council at 7am. So, an alarm was set and we were off and running. After church I had a music practice with the Relief Society sisters to prepare to sing the special musical number in two weeks. We would be home the rest of the day. Claude did have a Zoom meeting in the evening.

This day I would finish my Christmas puzzle. It only took me two weeks but I did it!! This was one of the most difficult puzzles I have tackled. The colors of the puzzle flow together because it of a picture of an Impressionist painting. The piece are very irregular and do not join together squarely. It was a chore but it was good to get it complete. 

Monday, January 8th, Claude would begin a low-residue diet in preparation for a colonoscopy on Thursday. Claude would go out to get his PSA test in preparation for his visit with Dr. Slabaugh in the near future. While out, I needed somethings so he ran and extra errand to get them for me. Such a nice guy. I was able to stay home and work on a "to do list" that was a full page. I had procrastinated a LOT over Christmas. Time to get back in the groove. 

This day I listed several things in my Gratitude Journal. 

1. I have a piano on which to practice the special number for the Relief Society.
2. I have a washer and dryer and could change from cotton linens to flannel linens.
3. I started working on a Relief Society lesson I will teach on January 28th. I was grateful for being able to 'tag' things in my Gospel Library App.
4. Katelyn called and we had a video chat with the great grands. I was grateful for cellphones that allow us to do that kind of thing. The cutest moment was when I told Raelyn how much I love her in her glasses. She pulled them down to the end of her little nose and raised her eyebrows and Claude and me. We laughed so hard. I then asked her how I wore my glasses. I thought she would put them on the end of her nose. Not so. She took them off, folded them up and hung them from the neck of her t-shirt. Claude and really did laugh at that one. As we went to bed that night, it was the final thing we chuckled about from our day. 
5. Claude was restless in the evening. I think he has some concerns about this upcoming colonoscopy after having the prostate full of cancer last year. I looked across the living room at him and said, "I think you need a root beer float!" He looked up at me and said, "I think you are right!" I got up and got our A&W Root Beer mugs and fixed us each a float. I was grateful for those mugs, having ice cream and root beer on hand. Nice!

Tuesday, January 9th, we continued the low-residue diet. I continued working on the overdue to do list. I was getting a lot done and felt good about that. Claude would have his last full meal. He chose macaroni and tomato juice soup with grill cheese sandwiches. The man makes the best grill cheese and it was delicious. 

Our first-born Great Grandmonster, Raelyn Jay Roper, will be baptized sometime this year. Claude and I wanted to purchase her a set of scriptures. I called Deseret Book and ordered the one I wanted and a tote for them. I had them put her name on the front. They were received this day. I took these pictures and sent to her mother so she could see what we got. 

Wednesday, January 10th, we were up at 7am and got ready to drive to Morehead, Kentucky. The Deseret truck from the Church had delivered half a truck full of pre-boxed food. The other half would be taken to Hazel Green for distribution. We were going to help distribute this food to food banks and church within our stake boundaries. This truck carried 16 pallets (896 prepacked boxes, each box holding enough emergency food to feed a family of 4 for five days) for a total of 26,880 pounds of shelf stable, nutritious food. There were lots of helping hands. The distribution started at 9am with a greeting by Samone Radcliff, our JustServe Coordinator, a prayer was offered by a local minister, introductions were made and instructions given. Then we started the distribution process. We were finished and cleaned up by 10:15am. It was cold. It was windy. There was a little bit of moisture in the air. But we had a big building in which to work and a great attitude by everyone there. These are really wonderful opportunities to serve. 

Samone gave this scripture in her remarks: Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

     9 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. 

     10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up

A highlight for me was the truck from Sterling Community Food Coalition. A grant was given by the church to help purchase this much needed vehicle. A member of our stake volunteers at SCFC and is the driver of the truck. He was there to help load other trucks and to take boxes back for SCFC. It was a full circle moment and you felt the goodness of all this effort to help Heavenly Father's children in need. 

Serving is Good for the Soul!!

Now I am snuggled in our home. A cold, gray day. We are praying the weather behaves through tomorrow morning. After we get home from the colonoscopy, it can do whatever it wants!