Welcome What Is

We had a big summer. Calvin went to Portland with my mom, and St. Olaf Piano Academy and two weeks of marching band camp. Mary had Colorado and MacPhail piano camps and YMCA camp and horse camp. I did Colorado with Mary and taught at MacPhail and did 107,437 hours of observation (actually 43) at my teacher trainer internship out in Connecticut. I taught six weeks of lessons. I drove about 732 miles back and forth to Eastview High School. Bill's just Bill. He's got a lot going on too. 

Two small words have been added to my Suzuki Association of the Americas profile page. 

Teacher.

Trainer. 

Just a little clause on my otherwise boring list of accomplishments. 

I'm cautiously and humbly excited. I'm not in a hurry. I have a lot of organizing and planning and learning to do before I'm ready to teach a class of teachers. I do believe wholeheartedly in what I'm doing and I do believe in the future of Dr. Suzuki's legacy. To everything there is a season. Right now my season is my family and my studio and oh yeah. . . the Suzuki Association of Minnesota. . . and oh yeah. . . Easter Lutheran Senior Choir. I do hope we rename it. 

That's all I have to say about the teacher training thing. 

Lazy days of summer? 

A lot of music. A lot of family. A lot of friends. A lot of cabin life. A little gardening. 

It seems like the kids grew up about five years this summer. Not cool. Calvin is about way taller than me. And Bill. No one prepares you for this. I guess it's happened before in history--kids getting taller than their moms. But it's different when it's your kid. 

We're going through some changes. Calvin is officially signed up in the piano studio of Dr. Paul Wirth. This after much prayer and more than a little bit of sentimentality. If you know me you know that means about ten days of tears. The time is right, and I know it. It all came together like a total God incident. The pieces fell together like a beautiful puzzle. I don't know what all this is going to mean. We are just taking life one day at a time. I trust Paul. I like Paul. He's got an unparalleled track record. And I happen to think he is a very, very good person. Calvin's heart will still be moving in the right direction. 

I'm about thirty hours into the Fall SAM Workshop. . . since Monday. That's not counting the work Cindy and I have been doing all summer. It's something else. And choir is looming. 

Welcome what is. 

One of my devotions had that focus last week and I like it very much. Welcome what is. Welcome change, welcome the new school year, welcome busy family life and volunteer stuff. Welcome whatever comes our way. This is it. This is this day and this part of our life. It's busy. It's full. It's easy to leave your checkbook on one of the tables at the middle school Gymboree orientation. This will force your daughter into early independence because she will be forced to find all the new classrooms on her own while you go back and search every table where you wrote a check for gym uniforms and planners and lunch money and yearbooks. It's easy to blink. It's easy to busy the next precious three years away. 

It's time for me to officially put aside the fantasy of Sally. Sally is my personal assistant. She does all my administrative work and some laundry and she changes the oil in the car every three months. She does what needs to be done without even asking. She does everything I'm just not in the mood to do. 

But there is never going to be a Sally. 

Why would I want Sally living my life anyway? I like my life. 

Welcome what is. 

Dear Lord,

Thank you for this summer. Thank you for family and friends. For the piano kids and music. Thank you for our home and the cabin--let them be a blessing to everyone. Thank you for all the opportunities we have to make a difference. Keep our yes sacred, but help us to welcome what is. 

Amen