So What's Up With You?

I haven't been around these parts in a little while, but Straddling the Gap still lives.  The last 9 months have been occupied with fundraising, planning, stressing and looking for donors.  Why?  My husband's children's choir, Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux, is going to Rome at this time next year to participate in the International Congress of Pueri Cantores.  Huh?  We get to sing for Pope Francis on New Year's Day 2016!!

It's an amazing opportunity to join nearly 5,000 other children from all over the world singing together in the Catholic Church's official language - Latin.  We are the only group from Arizona that is going and we're very proud of our kids - ages 9 through 18.  So was it enough to have this enormous endeavor on his plate?  Oh no.  I volunteered to be the chairperson of a $150,000 development campaign to fund the trip.  Yikes!

It has been a whirlwind to say the least.  We've had some adventures in fundraising and learned about development campaigns.  We're still learning.  Daily.  Sometimes I think we are learning by osmosis - constantly absorbing.  It's been thrilling but frustrating.  Scary and exhilarating all at the same time.  And we're only halfway through.

This has left me with little time to write Straddling the Gap and I do miss it.  So, for 2015 I'm going to write about what I'm doing.  Unfortunately it's not much crafting or sewing, but our fundraisers are interesting.  Next time I'll tell you about our newest fundraising endeavor - we have a tiger by the tail and a trip for two on the line.

In the meantime, if you want to hear more about our choir, please visit our website at www.pcsbc.org or like Pueri Cantores St. Bernard of Clairvaux on Facebook.

Cindy

The Way It Ought to Be

My son participates in a an extracurricular school for the arts and every year about this time they do a revue with the various age groups.  The theme this year was America, and this little group did some great little numbers

They were so sweet.  Each came forward and sang little solos, including "God Bless America."

I loved it, but it also made me cry.

These are kindergarteners.

This is the way kindergarteners should be spending a Saturday before Christmas.

cindy

Once in a Lifetime

Last Saturday my husband surprised me with a once in a lifetime opportunity.  He is a church music director and we both have been musicians for many years (that's how we met).  He arranged for us to meet this guy:

For those of you who don't follow Christian contemporary music, this is Michael W. Smith, who is probably one of the best known and prolific songwriters in this genre.  This alone would have been very cool, but we had a very unique way of "meeting" him:

That's us in the back - we're in the backup choir!!  There were 40 voices in the choir and we rehearsed all day with Michael's fabulous music director, David Hamilton

It was so exciting - and challenging!  Because my dear husband wanted it to be a surprise, I didn't get to see the music until that morning (on the way to the theater).  Still, the opportunity to sing in a concert with Michael W. Smith and a full orchestra was amazing:

What a great time!  Thanks Kent!  Thank you David Hamilton!  Thank you Michael!

cindy

Chance Encounters

This is Emma.

I was sitting in a local theater waiting for the show from the Do Re Mi School of the Arts.  (My son loves performing.)  I felt a little hand tap on my hand and looked over to see this adorable but serious little face standing in front of the seat next to me.  She said: "Would you mind holding my seat down while I sit?  The seat makes me nervous that I might fall on the floor."  She immediately made me smile.

She told me her name (Emma), that she is 4 years old, and was attending the performance with her sister and babysitter.  They were there to see Mary, the babysitter's sister.  "Do you know Mary?" she asked.

She kept talking. "I have definitely been here before.  I remember those chairs and that piano."  She pointed to the props on stage.  "Yes, I've definitely been here before."  I introduced her to my daughter, who was sitting to my left.  Mackenzie was immediately charmed by this little girl.

By this time Emma was becoming more comfortable with me, and asked if I would tie the ribbon on her dress.  Then she started to get silly.

She and Mackenzie got the giggles and then she wanted to make faces.

(By this time her big sister was having fun too.)

When the show was ready to start, the lights went down and Emma put her hand on my arm. "Is this going to be really loud?"  I told her no.  "Will the lights come back on?"  I told her yes.

For the next two hours, I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she giggled, bounced in her chair and clapped for the kids onstage.  Despite the length of the show, she never fidgeted, but sat in her seat watching intently.  When "Mary" finally came onstage, she turned to me: "That's Mary!"

By the end of the show, I couldn't tell which entertained me more, the kids on the stage or the one sitting next to me.  After the show, she turned to me and said "I have to go now.  Thanks for sitting with me."

My pleasure, Emma.  My pleasure.

cindy

The Happiest Place on Earth

There are some places that you know immediately by sound and smell even if you can't see them.  They instantaneously create feelings and memories that rush in like you just felt or experienced them.  For me, one of those places is Disneyland.

We made our first trip to Disneyland when our kids were 9 months and nearly 3.  They don't remember anything about that trip, but they do remember the subsequent trips we took nearly every year.  Now when we go back it feels like a comfortable sweater - someplace familiar.  Every ride, every store, every part of the park has a memory for me of my kids at various ages.

A couple of weeks ago we went there again.  The St. Bernard Choristers had the privilege of singing at Disneyland.  (This was the big trip we were fundraising for.)  It was a new experience and very special because it was a place we knew so well.  We did get to see a new part of Disneyland because we were able to go "backstage".   It seemed so . . . ordinary.  What was extraordinary was seeing my husband direct his children's choir and watch my daughter sing a solo.  Funny thing about that song - after the beginning of the song (which is my daughter's first solo) the music track suddenly stopped.  My clever and talented husband didn't miss a beat - he jumped over to the piano and finished the song!  Here's both parts of the song:

Life is not always perfect, but Disneyland is still the Happiest Place on Earth!

cindy

Rush, Rush, Rush

We're in the thick of it now.  It's like a tidal wave that will carry you away if you're not careful, and you'll end up on that desert island, but you will get beat up getting there.  Of course I'm talking about Christmas season.  Are you under the tidal wave or riding the wave?

My husband is a church music director so the pressure of December has a whole different meaning.  There is no such thing as Christmas vacation.  He's busy preparing for 6 masses for Christmas (including 2 that occur at the same time!)  He has five choirs and two cantors.  There's a concert on Sunday and he's been working like a dog on it.  He just finished producing a CD featuring the two cantors and it goes on sale this weekend.  In addition to the concert on Sunday (in which both my daughter and I are singing), my son is in a holiday concert on Saturday completely unrelated to church. Yep, it's a little hectic.

I am having fun, though.  My kids are enjoying the Advent calendar and are looking forward to adding a person to our nativity every night.  Santa is still a big deal, but they recognize that mom and dad also give them gifts (so they have two lists for Christmas).  I'm going to write a Christmas letter for the first time in years and I should be mailing my Christmas cards before December 23.  I actually get to eat Christmas dinner!  Oh, and Jesus is coming too.  It's going to be a blessed Christmas!

I may not be riding on top of that tidal wave, but I think I'm body surfing without getting tossed on the beach.  Ho, ho, ho!

cindy