Back to Work

Much activity over the last 2 weeks that can be sorted into 2 categories: Sympo 2006 and "Back to Work".

The Calvin Symposium on Worship is held annually on campus at Calvin College. This is my third year attending. The first year I was midly irritated by the lack of diversity in worship styles during the services and workshops, but each year the event has broadened in scope and participants. This was the best year yet. I enjoyed an all day workshop on piano on Thursday. Friday and Saturday I went to sessions on "Blended Worship", vocal technique, arranging for the worship band and writing lead sheets. I was nervous about attending, not knowing how Isabelle would do being out for the whole day. My mom, dad and brother (and Rika) arrived on Wednesday evening. My mom played "nanny" to Isabelle - following me around to the sessions and looking after Isabelle when she wasn't being fed. Both mom and Isabelle did great and seemed to enjoy their time together! And you know, I thought that going would make me really stressed, but I really enjoyed the material and the opportunity to be in adult land again. The icing on the cake was having my family here and enjoying their presence both at home and at the conference.

One of the phrases I've heard most often in the last two months is "When will you be going back to work?". This has been a difficult question to answer. The truth is, I have been working since I had the baby, but in a different way: answering Ben's questions, reminding him to call people, telling him where charts can be found, etc. I didn't really have a time where I wasn't thinking about what needed to be done in the office. BUT, this week represents something different in that I'm going back to meetings, and going to rehearsals, and seeing students again. Again, I'm nervous about how all that will go, but I'm so blessed to have a flexible job, and also a husband who has one too. Except for a few hours a week, Ben will be with Isabelle whenever I'm working. What a blessing.

Isabelle is doing great. She had her first set of immunizations on Friday and there were tears shed by both parents and baby. She continues to smile and coo at us regularly, and delight us with her ability to soak the top of her outfit by biting it continually when she's sitting up. She cries a lot less and is sleeping well at night.

I usually buy sheet music at the Symposium but this year I went for CDs:
Deanna Witkowski (jazz presenter)
49 Hidden Treasures from the African American Hymnal

One of my favorite songs of all time is on "49 Hidden..." which goes like this:

Take courage my soul and let us journey on
for the night is long and I am far from home.
Thanks be to God, the morning light is here.

The storm is passing over. The storm is passing over.
The storm is passing over, hallelu!