tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51075341815949079752024-03-20T03:30:36.599-05:00Sara's BlogStories, ideas, and perspectives about music, kids, parenting and faith.Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.comBlogger606125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-53619714168052285392021-07-11T20:28:00.004-05:002021-07-11T20:30:29.254-05:00Sara's New Blog<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_-355a0NqormtfMvodObBiI_BmJJWCToaMWJKBkucJqIUzjDKltMxrPFSA5adBe_Cr2i312RAP34KmmyxvD5Ylx0XNl1_LRRldu9NMUBCCzGFqK6raJ96VV1oCQvRNWdQKn-UL-NRA/s2048/IMG_8379.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_-355a0NqormtfMvodObBiI_BmJJWCToaMWJKBkucJqIUzjDKltMxrPFSA5adBe_Cr2i312RAP34KmmyxvD5Ylx0XNl1_LRRldu9NMUBCCzGFqK6raJ96VV1oCQvRNWdQKn-UL-NRA/s600/IMG_8379.png" width="600" /></a>My new blog can be found at <a href="http://sarakotrbablog.com" target="_blank">link to sarakotrbablog.com</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I hope you will follow me there and resubscribe. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Sara</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_-355a0NqormtfMvodObBiI_BmJJWCToaMWJKBkucJqIUzjDKltMxrPFSA5adBe_Cr2i312RAP34KmmyxvD5Ylx0XNl1_LRRldu9NMUBCCzGFqK6raJ96VV1oCQvRNWdQKn-UL-NRA/s2048/IMG_8379.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></a></div>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-52681247233753344982021-06-29T08:07:00.001-05:002021-06-29T08:07:48.019-05:00Moving to Another Blog. . . <p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxdFTQc-RWE2GFpD7TolNWOFKNrQR93-pi-dReVpiBSW9AYEB6OtgCyq-xSuPgCmaENlnlD3pvt_GZjGf7R3T0nAoCJyQU5FTS8icGarwbPvjvsHbIOsGDg6LAT_tFfzoYgusyMJ5Lg/s2048/October.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbxdFTQc-RWE2GFpD7TolNWOFKNrQR93-pi-dReVpiBSW9AYEB6OtgCyq-xSuPgCmaENlnlD3pvt_GZjGf7R3T0nAoCJyQU5FTS8icGarwbPvjvsHbIOsGDg6LAT_tFfzoYgusyMJ5Lg/w640-h424/October.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They have made for you a friend. . . </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35GS3A3bbOerpPRIzytoYRBG18BMEy-MXGCtdwuDSe_hnVLANhNTFj6rYsNnaDffyTYImRIrDoTzsRZuuHOVd7mi5CjGZCI2pHNbtxEFADW0e-xjLABmfZgae6LJpCN52KeyA2yUYBg/s1756/S3500018.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="1756" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh35GS3A3bbOerpPRIzytoYRBG18BMEy-MXGCtdwuDSe_hnVLANhNTFj6rYsNnaDffyTYImRIrDoTzsRZuuHOVd7mi5CjGZCI2pHNbtxEFADW0e-xjLABmfZgae6LJpCN52KeyA2yUYBg/w640-h428/S3500018.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Grandmother Hope 1919-2010</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8s_cKMAp6L4m_FQvurxfIGSeLSGHBkLjQUDhM7nPg_-JK2nypyCfUKQqQy34uOHVlVbUE6ULQkk8SgqQ_TJF2YZKq1Kt9pCDVzDdwR08nWzFeYkZpjS1dTMhFMYbop8bcqIERKZt6g/s2048/S3500035.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="2048" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8s_cKMAp6L4m_FQvurxfIGSeLSGHBkLjQUDhM7nPg_-JK2nypyCfUKQqQy34uOHVlVbUE6ULQkk8SgqQ_TJF2YZKq1Kt9pCDVzDdwR08nWzFeYkZpjS1dTMhFMYbop8bcqIERKZt6g/w640-h424/S3500035.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Dad with Calvin and Sam 1940-2009</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> Hi friends!</p><p>Thank you for reading here for so many years. I've been on this blogspot space for a very long time, and this blog will remain open, but July 1, 2021, Google is changing things so that the posts will no longer automatically be sent out. It's a good time to update my blog format. I'm setting up a new blog, and I'll post the address here when I create it. I hope to keep sharing ideas about music, faith, family life, cats and gardening. . . thank you Google, for eleven years of lavender stripes and easy photo uploads. It's been a journal of family life, and though every post is not a work of art, it has served it's original purpose, which was a therapeutic refuge from losing my dad too young, saying goodbye to my grandma, and raising little kids while keeping a highly committed studio running among myriad volunteer and side gigs. . . </p><p>I hope to keep writing, and I hope you will keep reading. </p><p>With love,</p><p>Sara</p><p>P.S. Accepting suggestions about what the new blog will be called. . . . </p><p>"Notes from Sara's Overgrown Faithful Musical Feline Garden?" I don't know. . . </p><p>One of my students suggested "Sara's Perfect Blog." </p><p>I'll take it. . . </p><p><br /></p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-11917477747953071932021-06-20T08:24:00.000-05:002021-06-20T08:24:23.793-05:00New England with the Boy<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi71RupzxgY48Z-p6OCz5_zui0OkZmjGSII2q3H7NBv_l-DhjmFHp8mUcke7x9TGaaG1UGs1VataC5F78rAR-332SHo3ewWIE6fOUCMmoe8iZWELVKKrt13loPtjvFVDBFJF_u2CC1oVQ/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTkTUmMdOXKiwjvxEnSu3r5pbKsDEvoWu_tUhmwz3xd697B8ZnwmwrHm0rj2srVtGWqyTuAbCy0ISFNCk75hQKE06GC5D6uxWEYTgUDArdNjCefWiAGn0BdyrKwvnFUdLENQO0rtKcQ/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPTkTUmMdOXKiwjvxEnSu3r5pbKsDEvoWu_tUhmwz3xd697B8ZnwmwrHm0rj2srVtGWqyTuAbCy0ISFNCk75hQKE06GC5D6uxWEYTgUDArdNjCefWiAGn0BdyrKwvnFUdLENQO0rtKcQ/w480-h640/IMG_1488.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And I thought my life was a balancing act. . . </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDNMfvEzefpvVPufpKai2zREFdxd33NgItczSuYm0Hn7Q3Ec7-XraMADaF7hUleL_k-dO0g289-DoFXYBz6ccAeRUBr8LjZn3oNgKBN6YCeVQcmoL0NxZY5vWyXjCIl83mhV7_4OkGA/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidDNMfvEzefpvVPufpKai2zREFdxd33NgItczSuYm0Hn7Q3Ec7-XraMADaF7hUleL_k-dO0g289-DoFXYBz6ccAeRUBr8LjZn3oNgKBN6YCeVQcmoL0NxZY5vWyXjCIl83mhV7_4OkGA/w640-h480/IMG_1414.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top of Bee Hive</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-0sMq4A_7BHZW010ZrMd1hzcbsHUUR1PHF89o67lNEiBR6hH2R1Gywgo7JC-BL5GyD-KmYq1pKrSUpYrwnlqkyCXpo_uc30EtpTgm2TB8PuDTE4XGk3ugXdExkAWDXJ-dh1x5rl0ug/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb-0sMq4A_7BHZW010ZrMd1hzcbsHUUR1PHF89o67lNEiBR6hH2R1Gywgo7JC-BL5GyD-KmYq1pKrSUpYrwnlqkyCXpo_uc30EtpTgm2TB8PuDTE4XGk3ugXdExkAWDXJ-dh1x5rl0ug/w480-h640/IMG_1408.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Route to Bee Hive</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKM1fSuzlE9RcWCRizQ3kl9iGbEWvxN9cU9ynZEPlml0V1hJpjJGHhv75XhWwD2HwP46b2dmaJTp86reMVr8eSqEw-UO5LA8M71tii0jipkahpv5C56xfaQTqgBxhqCEMxn3fVwIwQpw/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKM1fSuzlE9RcWCRizQ3kl9iGbEWvxN9cU9ynZEPlml0V1hJpjJGHhv75XhWwD2HwP46b2dmaJTp86reMVr8eSqEw-UO5LA8M71tii0jipkahpv5C56xfaQTqgBxhqCEMxn3fVwIwQpw/w480-h640/IMG_1381.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planning the next day, with an actual map</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaZgfMgjAru2TvkoIkQdqFhDGuNEpGr-IRV-zwMVRFI4iEoWgWxS5oMeo0-9rWQdno1tHcw6CssQY5QPgXPuoZ7gVZD-OtHOzRoLwfUITfnceHDbzf82GrMzseRGy4SnbXwWuhcj9TA/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZaZgfMgjAru2TvkoIkQdqFhDGuNEpGr-IRV-zwMVRFI4iEoWgWxS5oMeo0-9rWQdno1tHcw6CssQY5QPgXPuoZ7gVZD-OtHOzRoLwfUITfnceHDbzf82GrMzseRGy4SnbXwWuhcj9TA/w640-h480/IMG_0371.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't do Maine without a lighthouse </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBM9hpBoa483q8nSQsO7LGEWA8eTltZop4_v9L0rQiQduskjrqtYDy7bZ5VkVGjOc4A50-Mynk2y3IBQX-Oz6tIdmtNX4ivkGApW-iDHkOGLrt1VpvuTDY5S4T_rfro54PY-lGlRgx7Q/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBM9hpBoa483q8nSQsO7LGEWA8eTltZop4_v9L0rQiQduskjrqtYDy7bZ5VkVGjOc4A50-Mynk2y3IBQX-Oz6tIdmtNX4ivkGApW-iDHkOGLrt1VpvuTDY5S4T_rfro54PY-lGlRgx7Q/w640-h480/IMG_0313.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hikers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ_8YH_YUFnkqWuBQZ4-AeLxe8dbfGfi0qXMyNR8yUGQ5ImbOM1fjGYEjEgcdWfX46_6KXyU6Gt0Jf_hDP9HlQB_ACifUZO29hRNi1kiXfma_vcSOB7foRhWWN0BCztBSZrfBvy2FcA/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzZ_8YH_YUFnkqWuBQZ4-AeLxe8dbfGfi0qXMyNR8yUGQ5ImbOM1fjGYEjEgcdWfX46_6KXyU6Gt0Jf_hDP9HlQB_ACifUZO29hRNi1kiXfma_vcSOB7foRhWWN0BCztBSZrfBvy2FcA/w640-h480/IMG_0277.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gorham Mountain Summit</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></a></div>The boy and I took a trip to Maine and New Hampshire. Family time is important, but sooner or later we all long to be loved alone. Between Bill, Calvin, Mary and my mom, there have been all kinds of duet travels, but this was my first trip with just Calvin. <p></p><p>He planned most of the planes, trains, and automobiles for this trip. I didn't have to hold his hand on the escalator, or get his food in the buffet line. I didn't pack his suitcase or remind him to bring his toothbrush. I didn't give him a lecture before going through security. He navigated. </p><p>A fifty-three year old and a nineteen year old traveled as companions. </p><p>I highly recommend it. </p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuICWyv8zMLPKJwMSy5qkWXi3ukVjzAsJ474z8gxooFv9YWdTNm5FoMYH6TAz_M8965xI2S4G40zXvTxtUPEA5l3xtc0Lb93vFwKqIHF2I7zACKlgA1fg-v80mD-PlBxWQdYGgJHW4A/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtuICWyv8zMLPKJwMSy5qkWXi3ukVjzAsJ474z8gxooFv9YWdTNm5FoMYH6TAz_M8965xI2S4G40zXvTxtUPEA5l3xtc0Lb93vFwKqIHF2I7zACKlgA1fg-v80mD-PlBxWQdYGgJHW4A/" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Travelers<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-63750825648352408112021-05-11T17:55:00.002-05:002021-05-11T17:59:00.363-05:00An Overbooked May Weekend and the Resuscitation of Live Student Music<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBMzvM0kUPdmlTkzaWbsCGfxXuJ03HGiW_oEt-RQLLf4lLiB1F9dsA6UZ8g6mYsRCSJY_qnSCZG24yfuFozTfK_SKLQYFAV6_Q7K48eB-4SanIf8m-78IiGIXCOr7ECOjzcdH9ynVjA/s6016/6BC4CD21-1251-46BB-996E-7C69020EA18D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4016" data-original-width="6016" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnBMzvM0kUPdmlTkzaWbsCGfxXuJ03HGiW_oEt-RQLLf4lLiB1F9dsA6UZ8g6mYsRCSJY_qnSCZG24yfuFozTfK_SKLQYFAV6_Q7K48eB-4SanIf8m-78IiGIXCOr7ECOjzcdH9ynVjA/w640-h428/6BC4CD21-1251-46BB-996E-7C69020EA18D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0vwrron4-G85wBSfrfwWoWSVwyYc1j2FUyk_WyM2KF7vugU5_7lNUjzoUHmekQl-hdPRUFOctyANcmOUo162QjLexz-eaWa1Nt5v49cPfaqeqqaAmlqmy-EazvD3r-mLB3lp-bNPQvA/s2544/IMG_1110.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigesKctFLBJcC8f73Eohb13oWA69Gmsi4q2zfL13aHOQ7DJ8EtfOcrEP7vWimFrSN26Ldo7o9le45xnV8MeJwFJuwTkppU8BS1G8Po-WqYTBIU-dS5305x40HNyo3asd-hidykozZ4ig/s2048/IMG_1080.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigesKctFLBJcC8f73Eohb13oWA69Gmsi4q2zfL13aHOQ7DJ8EtfOcrEP7vWimFrSN26Ldo7o9le45xnV8MeJwFJuwTkppU8BS1G8Po-WqYTBIU-dS5305x40HNyo3asd-hidykozZ4ig/w300-h400/IMG_1080.HEIC" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAfTSdQ7iojTck3UWXKSnDILpqC5OgLH5d5HaWi8dvcfwgtmrc_vC6hgOgDUwWHLLNXpZhxOWHiMxIhZmmOpqJp2CyrN11G3aHhbhjbA6ekwUKJG71vS8Roxl5UU5TXhG_MEQEczAmw/s2048/IMG_1079.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAfTSdQ7iojTck3UWXKSnDILpqC5OgLH5d5HaWi8dvcfwgtmrc_vC6hgOgDUwWHLLNXpZhxOWHiMxIhZmmOpqJp2CyrN11G3aHhbhjbA6ekwUKJG71vS8Roxl5UU5TXhG_MEQEczAmw/s320/IMG_1079.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>The heart is still beating. Our kids are resuscitating live music. There was no pulse for over a year but around here we believe in resurrection. <p></p><p>For every tear of frustration I cried last week, I cried two tears of joy this last weekend. </p><p>It was more amazing than ever. It was an overbooked weekend in May. Just like old times. </p><p>We kicked it off with Thursday night's jazz ensemble concert in the Eastview PAC. My kids make fun of me because I call it the P-A-C. I guess you're supposed to say "PAC." Whatever. It's a place where you bring an extra sweater and lots of tissues, so that you can watch high school kids pour out their souls into whatever it is they are currently performing. Mary had a solo, I really liked it! Bill is a good improvisation coach. The band was great. Afterwards, one of the band directors referred to Mary as resilient. I can't think of a higher compliment. I only cried just a little bit. Well, it's all relative, maybe I cried a lot. The last time we heard jazz there it was Calvin behind the drum set. Time did march on while we zoomed along.</p><p>Saturday night. . .back to the PAC to watch the Bravo show, that was prerecorded, on the big screen. This is Eastview's big production, it's their vocal, instrumental and dance showcase each year. The full length video was completely 1000% amazing. The directors are creative musical geniuses. Instead of wallowing in everything they couldn't do, they made a show that was over the top, literally, they hired a drone to film some acts. They filmed it all over the school and the stadium and the grounds. Mary's jazz ensemble accompanied the show and they filmed a lot of those kids too. I cried through the first act even before they paid tribute to last year's seniors who lost their show to covid lockdown, and then they paid tribute to this year's seniors. This is not my sentimental first rodeo, but blowing your nose while choking back sobs is a little more challenging with a mask on. These are not even my kids graduating. Pathetic. Happy pathetic. I have never been more grateful for and proud of our school. </p><p>Sunday! My studio recital! The first time we were all together since May of 2019. We got a hall, followed the rules and the kids got to shine on the 9' Steinway under the lights. Every family was there. There were flowers and treat bags and stickers! My heart was so full. These families. These kids. This music. </p><p>The program notes that the students each wrote said over and over, "this piece is fun to play.. . . this piece makes me happy. . I like this piece because it made me a better piano player." I learned how to practice preparing this piece. </p><p>This is why we sing. Why we keep showing up. We are all resilient. Each and everyone of us in our own way. </p><p>Music is the great healer, the great unifier, the ultimate voice of peace and love and harmony. Our children are the lifeblood of it. They kept the pulse going and now we got a May weekend filled with music more amazing than ever. </p><p>Congrats to Eastview Performing Arts, and congrats to every student and family in the Kotrba Piano Studio. Happy 20th anniversary. </p><p>Sara</p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-79159422366160843302021-04-25T16:54:00.001-05:002021-04-25T16:54:54.570-05:00Scaffolding, Resilience, Relinquishment and Boundaries<p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNa33EFpczpMveuoajxssj8Ia2DqOohX8AnQJCKhwWk4Dv0qvCK6pZB3D_DuYcndIXZoflMdp-1vXiCk8BbWJiyltcK197ckD4KyQXDpT2SANDtF5roap2hAe3oknc9SvfnXDyjC24w/s2048/IMG_1043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHNa33EFpczpMveuoajxssj8Ia2DqOohX8AnQJCKhwWk4Dv0qvCK6pZB3D_DuYcndIXZoflMdp-1vXiCk8BbWJiyltcK197ckD4KyQXDpT2SANDtF5roap2hAe3oknc9SvfnXDyjC24w/w300-h400/IMG_1043.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Springtime recital joy</td></tr></tbody></table> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-l82t-9xKm9Q8obwLfScSmVDxc85rONUYmQvU_ru-MdFNZPu9VxTCc6bBznGDZZBshPGCSkCkt_trH5HcshrWYYD0aCXbqVm6AHD6z57sjNAvKc050SCln7UuNvbCNaJZAueOOPlMQ/s2048/IMG_1044.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1-l82t-9xKm9Q8obwLfScSmVDxc85rONUYmQvU_ru-MdFNZPu9VxTCc6bBznGDZZBshPGCSkCkt_trH5HcshrWYYD0aCXbqVm6AHD6z57sjNAvKc050SCln7UuNvbCNaJZAueOOPlMQ/s320/IMG_1044.HEIC" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's already feeing better</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_utJSj9QzlyyXQZrjGPQKIP1ukIUZbEXcn5QBqgNVEpTusbGC1UpDyVz0FQRxjZ2zINE8rNzjkCrKYPGFzr9af8p27sDCizXdPQ4KXyq8JuzPrasrk36wyZPyd73ovSL_qcw3KcQDPg/s2048/IMG_1038.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_utJSj9QzlyyXQZrjGPQKIP1ukIUZbEXcn5QBqgNVEpTusbGC1UpDyVz0FQRxjZ2zINE8rNzjkCrKYPGFzr9af8p27sDCizXdPQ4KXyq8JuzPrasrk36wyZPyd73ovSL_qcw3KcQDPg/s320/IMG_1038.HEIC" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't let him fool you. . . he loves Oliver</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z2YhebKzWiLHr8xEH-FrY6_zzeho3idNBGJsO8VS-nI-YDL3BZN49o3cndGnt-hYtnLgqfiRlTWrAH0n8fMwknbnGwgr1TzrskZqswv3x5F3MLn-iSw6nRrtT4rKH53yfhF4j3prqw/s2048/IMG_1045.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0z2YhebKzWiLHr8xEH-FrY6_zzeho3idNBGJsO8VS-nI-YDL3BZN49o3cndGnt-hYtnLgqfiRlTWrAH0n8fMwknbnGwgr1TzrskZqswv3x5F3MLn-iSw6nRrtT4rKH53yfhF4j3prqw/w480-h640/IMG_1045.HEIC" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of my happy places</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIgX10Qc-VoPO_gl3a_uCT8l5TR-myzjQOfTA97xwjzvp7e_7fXVbBEc4NH1ebt42nZAD-G0retm7fTiddTAWpH5AC0QxzLiiUqEHgDvo7iQx7P6RbjiIYM9PEKXHe56E-YFCSjAWhg/s2048/FXE40074.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUIgX10Qc-VoPO_gl3a_uCT8l5TR-myzjQOfTA97xwjzvp7e_7fXVbBEc4NH1ebt42nZAD-G0retm7fTiddTAWpH5AC0QxzLiiUqEHgDvo7iQx7P6RbjiIYM9PEKXHe56E-YFCSjAWhg/s320/FXE40074.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Grand Canyon in March ~ Bill and Mary went</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfyVtFF7kc3BA8Dje0z6uWZ-bZEooIJlsiJQZdCLL_LKIhp4YAqoHV8A_YyPIIOCGFWMWRLz613iuPHTNWwI5oh139aEvZka80I4JqBsu7DTNetUVPL_UBOR4n8-9GOB1fgElVUfxjA/s2048/FXE40033.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkfyVtFF7kc3BA8Dje0z6uWZ-bZEooIJlsiJQZdCLL_LKIhp4YAqoHV8A_YyPIIOCGFWMWRLz613iuPHTNWwI5oh139aEvZka80I4JqBsu7DTNetUVPL_UBOR4n8-9GOB1fgElVUfxjA/w640-h426/FXE40033.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best prayer. . . </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8oVLJY4y4SJ3S85a0v168m6Qi7K2RSoF9tbHfvsF1iT4qnosYDJAeKa43xnMAiN9n1tNA6Z3ZK6sfFS6dS8KaH5SlwlLUddeJkiW2Ng8_Mq5P3tXmtX_9UGFXe-cE_hwacIt0vwtZg/s2048/FXE40026.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8oVLJY4y4SJ3S85a0v168m6Qi7K2RSoF9tbHfvsF1iT4qnosYDJAeKa43xnMAiN9n1tNA6Z3ZK6sfFS6dS8KaH5SlwlLUddeJkiW2Ng8_Mq5P3tXmtX_9UGFXe-cE_hwacIt0vwtZg/w400-h266/FXE40026.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please don't slip</td></tr></tbody></table>It's Sunday afternoon at our cabin, the Little Pines Lodge. If I were a napper I would be napping. Instead, I'm writing. </p><p>I've always, thought, if a person were to read my journals that he or she might think me a troubled person. How often we write our sorrows and how seldom we take the time to write down the joy. I'm writing to say that I'm feeling better. Joy is seeping back. My light is shining again. </p><p>I sprained my ankle on Friday. Not badly. Just enough to set me back. I was tamping down dirt around a new shrub and my foot went down into the hole and twisted. Still, by Saturday night I was having trouble walking. </p><p>Late Saturday afternoon we drove to the cabin after a lovely morning graduation recital and an afternoon of Zoom teacher training. We arrived late and Bill and I settled ourselves in chairs around the new furnace with a little glass of wine. I studied my swollen ankle. We went to bed and with no cats to wake me up, I slept over nine hours. When I woke up the ankle was fine. Healed. In the night the little guys in my body put up the scaffolding and went to work on fixing it. Nine hours with no weight and it was ready to go. </p><p>Ours minds are the same way. Resilient. This weekend the mental health repairmen in my brain went to work and started fixing things too. </p><p>What is the scaffolding? What are the tools of resilience? How do we move from disequilibrium to equilibrium? I'm not talking about clinical depression, but times when events of life reach the tipping point where it's hard to be the light. </p><p>What's in the mental health toolbox? </p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>sleep -- hands down the number one tool</li><li>friends, sisters, husbands and mothers who listen and respond with compassion and honesty</li><li>writing in public -- just writing the blog on Friday, admitting I was having a really tough time, went a long way towards relieving the pressure to act like everything is okay</li><li>writing in private -- making a list of everything around me and in the news that is wrong, and realizing that 99% are things I can do absolutely nothing about</li><li>making a gratitude list-- I NEVER take for granted my God, my spouse, my kids, my friends, my family, my home, my studio, my garden, and our cabin, but writing it all down distracts the brain from it's negative pattern -- this is proven </li><li>relinquishment -- turning it all -- the whole list --over to God, knowing that he loves this world and all the people in it even more than I do -- He does in deed have the whole world in His hands, I can rest knowing that it turns out it not all up to me to fix it all (see humor below) </li><li>nature -- God's gift of creation -- the ultimate show of resilience </li><li>humor -- Zooming out and trying to laugh a little at yourself, with compassion</li><li>setting boundaries -- being compassionate ultimately means setting boundaries in myriad ways -- personal and professional, boundaries from the news and social media -- boundaries from overworking -- recommitting to boundaries is an important tool for maintaining the joy of life and relationships </li></ul><div>I'm not some highly read author, I just have a few tried and true friends and family who read this. I certainly don't want to write things that bring people down. I thought about taking Friday's blog post down, but, my mom always told me, if you are feeling a certain way, chances are that someone else is feeling that way too. Maybe it will be of some use to somebody. </div><div><br /></div><div>So, if you are like me, a mostly happy cheerful person, who is blessed beyond belief, but who occasionally get pulled down with the events of life, you are not alone. </div><div><br /></div><div>Thank you for all the uplifting comments and prayers this weekend. My heart is lighter and I'm ready to shine my light again. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lord,</i></div><div><i>Thank you for my small but beautiful circle of my friends and family who lift each other up and who helped me reignite my candles. Thank you physical and emotional healing and scaffolding. That you for reminding me that I don't have to fix it all. And thank you for reminding me to set healthy boundaries in my life. May these words lift up someone else along the way. </i></div><div><i>Amen. </i></div><p></p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-81787054570152424562021-04-23T11:45:00.001-05:002021-04-23T11:45:53.185-05:00Optimism is Fragile<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsVocEofyISgewyanS8M8m9EZmvhKheTPLq8PkJHm3CEx0ZJAE2w6rsz7U88UgZvPr3pWozpwhJvOhenCHTCCouwCuYg_sALqw8TFHJ78kWo6A8o6KgoyqZSHFdgzncbvaAl-GavJfw/s2048/IMG_1022.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhsVocEofyISgewyanS8M8m9EZmvhKheTPLq8PkJHm3CEx0ZJAE2w6rsz7U88UgZvPr3pWozpwhJvOhenCHTCCouwCuYg_sALqw8TFHJ78kWo6A8o6KgoyqZSHFdgzncbvaAl-GavJfw/w300-h400/IMG_1022.HEIC" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A new creature in our yard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLx4kS-pmwSx83uXn9PQt-6sgaS7MxeyfiWrldBZB2ePP4MEyQm1hWO5hXvA8i28SiKGQ6ZZEhhja9nlcCjiBa_Jaa3uT2nwWTf-C4cfuawiI46BiUMKsGYoNUYdLNDTJSXYZQF4XCw/s2048/IMG_1020.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRLx4kS-pmwSx83uXn9PQt-6sgaS7MxeyfiWrldBZB2ePP4MEyQm1hWO5hXvA8i28SiKGQ6ZZEhhja9nlcCjiBa_Jaa3uT2nwWTf-C4cfuawiI46BiUMKsGYoNUYdLNDTJSXYZQF4XCw/s320/IMG_1020.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just visiting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6OvhmPHgsaGV0FN1jYeQeEpX1AbALsJnpmhVO8CCS2Zw1EsdK6xBdaIYeiXvd62wXyhLpHkw-8FsP71GG7XtLWZ9eFyVPttIerQC-1z-aVJpdcXL-n-_J0T2iTi087_fpRLBLwCWSQ/s2048/IMG_1014.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV6OvhmPHgsaGV0FN1jYeQeEpX1AbALsJnpmhVO8CCS2Zw1EsdK6xBdaIYeiXvd62wXyhLpHkw-8FsP71GG7XtLWZ9eFyVPttIerQC-1z-aVJpdcXL-n-_J0T2iTi087_fpRLBLwCWSQ/s320/IMG_1014.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thank you Fay! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrg34ua-h3gy5zBi2kU5cDJwvcYY9ce5pxA2FB7q0oETeyuJM2p01D3nYn4Y11Yt1F3k_XDaamnBl-jf87Ec0Ai-v150oo1G_h9a4l4lOSzIwMG3lSrazQA0hmg54kJgcbQy99kc3EQ/s2048/IMG_0993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRrg34ua-h3gy5zBi2kU5cDJwvcYY9ce5pxA2FB7q0oETeyuJM2p01D3nYn4Y11Yt1F3k_XDaamnBl-jf87Ec0Ai-v150oo1G_h9a4l4lOSzIwMG3lSrazQA0hmg54kJgcbQy99kc3EQ/s320/IMG_0993.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Religious cat</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMQjQA_uEMKvVXRPPlyCoZCg600kcOpG3LaUWJDdhcI21KkPaLA5yhLnMaKwtNEPEJtqJ0GGV-Tq-8Gb7qLBjmPuc5Vt3sHrZxzkXE_uSrcL0yGcOyVc9e2VXengs-_KTFZFDfOGIcQ/s1280/IMG_0991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMQjQA_uEMKvVXRPPlyCoZCg600kcOpG3LaUWJDdhcI21KkPaLA5yhLnMaKwtNEPEJtqJ0GGV-Tq-8Gb7qLBjmPuc5Vt3sHrZxzkXE_uSrcL0yGcOyVc9e2VXengs-_KTFZFDfOGIcQ/s320/IMG_0991.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We could all use some. . . </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfa9cnEQSrS7vEMWKjWIaabSC2afApYViv92aJHVbVoELFTe0hrTV00gRzfprsRJHFPIrYBhXsBYkEzF0JSBg0llQFKdMjoBldvEjUqVq-nx-fgUUB9ac423pPBSziQ7Y6WeFBCmavQ/s2048/IMG_0979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOfa9cnEQSrS7vEMWKjWIaabSC2afApYViv92aJHVbVoELFTe0hrTV00gRzfprsRJHFPIrYBhXsBYkEzF0JSBg0llQFKdMjoBldvEjUqVq-nx-fgUUB9ac423pPBSziQ7Y6WeFBCmavQ/s320/IMG_0979.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live live stream</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcyMDJ2Aa-zi7sY20jktD8pDhjgXm8iIyIp80ioKVgoXmgMess_Vs7fAh47QB701yyid0RbFyceZz1tLTARCAFGje5_rntG-fPAIEnS1g2rLUUYWiDT8aAM1vHB5R8RkO68iKskk6pg/s2048/IMG_0976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPcyMDJ2Aa-zi7sY20jktD8pDhjgXm8iIyIp80ioKVgoXmgMess_Vs7fAh47QB701yyid0RbFyceZz1tLTARCAFGje5_rntG-fPAIEnS1g2rLUUYWiDT8aAM1vHB5R8RkO68iKskk6pg/s320/IMG_0976.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At last. . . </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3TBUCLyzNBsjjESfswLNtb7ZH7rsUFYznamUuscwo2guntIwhpCo8756KfRu9JP4rLnVde54RtswSe_l4HYdiZ194wkSf_gne5vuEuwvi6zHK0gRAsPQ0IugXXfiE-eUwT1iGG8IkA/s2048/IMG_0975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF3TBUCLyzNBsjjESfswLNtb7ZH7rsUFYznamUuscwo2guntIwhpCo8756KfRu9JP4rLnVde54RtswSe_l4HYdiZ194wkSf_gne5vuEuwvi6zHK0gRAsPQ0IugXXfiE-eUwT1iGG8IkA/s320/IMG_0975.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello! </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RRNIh_wXau5XbPULCpcyvsZfc7nfJ-VXbCrh4bBL4ltgHNTLEtZ4asWUMQbf_wph1YoOiQTTuJLQN_7jMU3KDFqSdmPe3b2xOakwpdaSjNle9nUDzn6udMIOzzVKxWmtXy7vWX1zVw/s2048/IMG_0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5RRNIh_wXau5XbPULCpcyvsZfc7nfJ-VXbCrh4bBL4ltgHNTLEtZ4asWUMQbf_wph1YoOiQTTuJLQN_7jMU3KDFqSdmPe3b2xOakwpdaSjNle9nUDzn6udMIOzzVKxWmtXy7vWX1zVw/s320/IMG_0973.JPG" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">King of the cat tree</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9sSEVWvne9uzsG9Aln7oaAu8fX4A1oiTNATx_HbKWsghdWKLXZZYKLYJUO4ULOty7qjHA4TgH1UUoZQ3ClJfM1GqjhIsc2XuLuQ5tcitJIc3GPzE0d857OS1gmzzLlPtQY4Lv0OTjg/s2048/IMG_0963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ9sSEVWvne9uzsG9Aln7oaAu8fX4A1oiTNATx_HbKWsghdWKLXZZYKLYJUO4ULOty7qjHA4TgH1UUoZQ3ClJfM1GqjhIsc2XuLuQ5tcitJIc3GPzE0d857OS1gmzzLlPtQY4Lv0OTjg/s320/IMG_0963.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite turkeys</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><p>I've been very busy. Teaching Suzuki Piano Book One for the first time is a total joy, but 28 hours of class is a lot of prep. I have a wonderful group of teachers. Book One has always been my favorite and this course has given me a chance to reflect and solidify my ideas. Watching hour after hour of yourself teaching is also risky business. I am either a complete genius or a complete catastrophe. This is contingent not upon my actual teaching strategies, but determined by the amount of caffeine or sleep I have had when I actually edit the videos. The reality is of course somewhere in the middle. </p><p>Between the Book One class, masterclasses, and my upcoming studio recital, I will have worked 12 straight weekends. The weather here in Minnesota is still cold and rainy. Our news feed is even more dismal. Minnesota has had a tough run. </p><p>Mary's high school allowed a walkout yesterday. What might have been a moment of silence for a lost life, and a prayer for change turned into the F word being chalked all over the school and the "walker-outers" yelling disrespectful chants at the faculty who were supervising them. Oh, and by the way. . . the students were given an excused absence for their profanity. Not Eastview's finest moment. </p><p>I have found myself trying to preserve my mental health on an hour by hour basis. </p><p>I guess optimism is fragile. </p><p>When I'm high I'm making plans and living in the moment and noticing the miracles of nature everywhere around me. </p><p>When I'm low I worry that I might spill my darkness over everyone around me. </p><p>It's a good reminder to me how fragile we are. How fragile our optimism can be. How much darkness can we light? How can one person's love lift the fear of the masses. How can one person's joy assuage the anger in the street. I'm a little too fragile for that responsibility. </p><p>I got to see the lower faces of many of my students this week. The last of the masks are coming off during private piano lessons. My eyes were wet because their teeth have changed in a year. The teeth of 6-9 years olds change and grow. It seemed to me that their teeth were all very different than the last time I saw them. I'm sure I stared. They smiled big toothy smiles at me. They stared at my mouth too. We were all just smiling. I can't stand what we have done to our children this year. I can't stand it that we have filled them with fear. It goes against everything I have tried to provide for my own kids, and everything I wish for for every child. </p><p>Without diminishing the acknowledgment of the suffering of those who have lost loved ones, and those those health has been compromised from covid, I can unapologetically say that the contagion of fear is exponentially worse to me than covid itself. There. I've said it. </p><p><i>The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself. </i></p><p>I'm committed to letting my light shine, but sometimes that candle is just a little flickery. It's fragile. Perhaps acknowledging that fragility makes things a little better. A little brighter. Maybe when we sit with the darkness a little while, it can make us more compassionate. More ready for the light. When the temp gets above 50 and the sun actually shines, we will appreciate it even more. </p><p>Every time I say goodbye to Calvin and Mary or drop them at school, I say --let your light shine. </p><p>The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it. . . John 1:5.</p><p>That light is the alpha and omega. I know it will shine. I want to be its harbinger, but the wick in my candle is a little damp. </p><p>Thanks for listening. And wherever you are on the continuum of fear and love, of joy and anger, darkness and light-- after you sit there for a bit, may your optimism be reignited. Your matches will dry out. If you don't mind, you can say the same prayer for me. </p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-38968982192144904582021-03-05T13:29:00.000-06:002021-03-05T13:29:56.143-06:00Contagious Optimism<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsoPHRGUZjBLL0Cmr_V9ydLJIAUh9iXWrGLTEm7-w3ASpWje19pTbYj7J-PSrKga0pHHgar4OxCCxzHXGpMJIi3WetX_K7aTqdz7ogKpnLyaaJZDmThusFP2N3blBOCVCcApQ4E_img/s2048/IMG_0791.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsoPHRGUZjBLL0Cmr_V9ydLJIAUh9iXWrGLTEm7-w3ASpWje19pTbYj7J-PSrKga0pHHgar4OxCCxzHXGpMJIi3WetX_K7aTqdz7ogKpnLyaaJZDmThusFP2N3blBOCVCcApQ4E_img/w300-h400/IMG_0791.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKYezQcKB858w3FgYZbOIhhULUZPjiE7qjrt4N2_4SjD3ZS2YYgNQm-vrUGE-yQgeZBx9LW9rEUZSSW26SplGqalN88L5qU8fENjkYefH_OcKl3uZBub97gOTI6KGDXpjH070GhUYTg/s2048/IMG_0600.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1463" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJKYezQcKB858w3FgYZbOIhhULUZPjiE7qjrt4N2_4SjD3ZS2YYgNQm-vrUGE-yQgeZBx9LW9rEUZSSW26SplGqalN88L5qU8fENjkYefH_OcKl3uZBub97gOTI6KGDXpjH070GhUYTg/w286-h400/IMG_0600.JPG" width="286" /></a></div>Every couple years I have my blog printed out into a soft-cover book so that just in case google implodes, I have a backup of my writing. There was a sale, so I ordered the 2019-2020 book this week. Glancing through the blog entries, I felt something very weird. I felt like maybe something deep inside me has changed this year. The events of 2020 and this year of covid have shifted my thoughts. I feel closer than ever to God and my family and close friends, yet dramatically more protective of my public expressions. Simply said, it isn't as easy or fun to write in the present environment. It's actually even a little scary to write anything at all.<div><br /></div><div>Another aspect is that my kids are older now and it's less and less appropriate for me to write about their lives. <p></p><p>I won't write about Mary's experience getting her driver's license on Tuesday. The emotions of a teen and the manifestations of performance anxiety are very, very interesting to me and you might benefit from hearing about them, but ultimately, those stories don't belong to me anymore. What I <i>can</i> say, is that we <i>can </i>do things, and important things, even under the worst of circumstances. I told her, I have had big performances where my hands were dripping with sweat and my heart was racing and my leg was shaking and guess what? You can actually do the thing you worked so hard for even under these physical symptoms. The moment it is over you feel quite glorious and victorious. </p><p>I shouldn't write about Calvin's frustrations with online college continuing even as the covid numbers zero out. The lessons in tolerance completely outweigh anything anyone could ever learn in academia. Calvin has earned a PhD in tolerance at college during covid. </p><p></p><blockquote>"The highest result of education is tolerance. Long ago men fought and died for their faith; but it took ages to teach them the other kind of courage, -- the courage to recognize the faiths of their brethren and their rights of conscience. Tolerance is the first principle of community; it is the spirit which conserves the best that all men think."</blockquote><p></p><p>Whose quote? Helen Keller. My new favorite author. Can you believe that? Published in 1903. </p><p>I'm reading her essays on optimism. I've highlighted every single paragraph. </p><p></p><blockquote>"If I am happy in spite of my deprivations, if my happiness is so deep that it is a faith, so thoughtful that it becomes a philosophy of life, -- if, in short, I am an optimist, my testimony to the creed of optimism is worth hearing. As sinners stand up in meeting and testify to the goodness of God, so one who is called afflicted may rise up in gladness of conviction and testify to the goodness of life." Page. 87</blockquote><p></p><p>I feel an internal optimism starting to spill out of my heart. We have almost made it through this pandemic and we have not lost a year of our lives, but on the contrary, we have had a very rich year. </p><p></p><blockquote>"I distrust the rash optimism in this country that cries, "Hurrah, we're all right! This is the greatest nation on earth," when there are grievances that call loudly for redress. That is false optimism. Optimism that does not count the cost is like a house builded on sand. A man must understand evil and be acquainted with sorrow before he can write himself an optimist and expect others to believe that he has reason for the faith that is in him." Page 89. </blockquote><p></p><p>Again, published in 1903. </p><p>It's been almost 365 days since the first lockdown. Yes, there have been losses of life and health and experiences. But there has been great progress. Family time. The piano kids all kept growing in musicianship. Bill finished one job and started another. I hiked in Colorado. Bill and Mary saw Zion and Bryce. We snuck a weekend to Wisconsin with almost the whole family. We got to have weekends with Sam. Calvin performed an amazing program for his sophomore recital in the Voxman Recital Hall. My garden had the best year ever. We had an over the top Christmas season. I've made new some new friends along the path. It was still, a very good year. </p><p>If Helen Keller can testify, so I am lifted to proclaim a little springtime optimism. Optimism can be contagious too. </p><p>In a world where it seems like it's not okay to be okay, I'm ready to come out a little. We are okay. We never let fear get the best of us. It wasn't that everything was perfect, it's not that we never melted down. It's that after the meltdown our faith still served us and still lifts us to a higher place. We aren't governed by covid. We never were. We can float above the news and the statistics and the graphs. We get to just be happy and try to let our optimism be contagious. </p><p></p><blockquote>"I trust, and nothing that happens disturbs my trust. I recognize the beneficence of the power which we all worship as supreme--Order, Fate, the Great Spirit, Nature, God. I recognize this power in the sun that make all things grow and keeps life afoot. I make a friend of this indefinable force, and straightway I feel glad, brave, and ready for any lot Heaven may decree for me. This is my religion of optimism." Page 91. </blockquote><p><br /></p><p>Amen. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2w1pwGdy2VlbBuXYmOLbM5jsZS_nwJUNdaWLul2zvqwWFR_-fTXd5kQvVkMhMXGC0AuHe8m4MIWsMut7xHhEs03EdKdOLgJQ3sgyIc9tGl-CbOLownXbc9CzLlqMq8UBHhWMkRZJfQ/s2048/IMG_0800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2w1pwGdy2VlbBuXYmOLbM5jsZS_nwJUNdaWLul2zvqwWFR_-fTXd5kQvVkMhMXGC0AuHe8m4MIWsMut7xHhEs03EdKdOLgJQ3sgyIc9tGl-CbOLownXbc9CzLlqMq8UBHhWMkRZJfQ/w300-h400/IMG_0800.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ8-FT9ras-l0hecDsvX19QXnmkHymO44pdUBEp6jrp9VtL8BCBAy_552CiStym4fw6mVqeqDBdo-oRNDGUkslGun_6QwN6sWMXAIqjqovdr59G5QFrC_1A3Ts4UHgxKSVokYk4XGhAg/s2048/IMG_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqirHOPS0VHG8Jt9qdPDXnLo0pPq9Oj7HS99mRj19peS2lYJPprssWvL1ekTF5hxvO3523-dd8r_x2CZBFMkgJ6frkDu3H8qIjbnqnGXn9ZcctPm9lajhCCS8qmdMOuNTtWbZ5quBX3Q/s2048/IMG_5484.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqirHOPS0VHG8Jt9qdPDXnLo0pPq9Oj7HS99mRj19peS2lYJPprssWvL1ekTF5hxvO3523-dd8r_x2CZBFMkgJ6frkDu3H8qIjbnqnGXn9ZcctPm9lajhCCS8qmdMOuNTtWbZ5quBX3Q/w480-h640/IMG_5484.HEIC" width="480" /></a></div>The high school and middle school kids go back to school today. It's two days a week for just a few hours. It's been hard to write blogs this season. It's just delicate to write what I really feel while being respectful to the hearts of all the people in my circle. Forgive my transparency, I think the public school kids need to be back full time and get on with their precious lives. <div><br /></div><div>We have still kept busy. Mary played piano for the musical Charlie Brown which dragged on for months and months in a socially distanced masked fashion. Let's continue our honesty and remind the powers that be that the piano player takes the hit for this. The gal who was sharing the book finally had to quit a few days before the final recordings. Mary picked up the slack. They would have gone broke paying union scale for an accompanist. . . but Mary kept going. Learning and relearning the book. Recording and recording the charts. We can't wait to see the finished video with the cast. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now she is on to Bravo rehearsals and recording with the jazz ensemble on tenor. The day we return to the Eastview High School Performing Arts Center for a full company production we will weep tears of joy. Our kids are missing experiences that they just can't get back. </div><div><br /></div><div>What they have lost, they will gain in resilience. If we are lucky. If we keep playing our cards right and lifting them up. Those without our stamina have fallen off the grid. </div><div><br /></div><div>None of Mary's friends are returning to in person school. I don't really understand. If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all. . . . </div><div><br /></div><div>One of my middle school piano kids is having his first day at the actual school today. In the fall he did distance learning. He doesn't know the building. He doesn't know where his classes are. He doesn't know the teachers. And there will be no ticker tape parade of eighth grade volunteers showing these new sixth graders the ropes with signs and directions. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm sending out a blessing to all those kids arriving at all those buildings in district 196 today. </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Lord,</i></div><div><i>Bless all the children, but today especially, bless all those who are returning to the school building to learn and grow. Also bless the teachers and give them the tools they need for the difficult tasks before them. Use these trials to your glory, that we may become stronger and more resilient and not lose hope. Keep students and teachers safe and let them be a light to one another, spreading your never ending and boundless love. </i></div><div><i>Amen</i></div><div><br /></div><div>P.S. Calvin has been busy too. He gave a huge recital to a socially distanced audience. That is another blog. Until then, congrats also to Calvin. </div>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-13034354523948861522020-12-10T08:28:00.002-06:002020-12-10T08:29:37.237-06:00Seasons of Love<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp30thsZeNGSiPhsUB7MlOgUf5UUPAI-dRwJwbiusQGHSb0xvFFdWHwSNgAbTs9Xuk-NtlodIbLifNYLkx7QwPNZzGDKhB4QI3NmBWFv-cARzhVFoD1KvrappBxryxuUdkplzVaKkqw/s2048/IMG_9798.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjp30thsZeNGSiPhsUB7MlOgUf5UUPAI-dRwJwbiusQGHSb0xvFFdWHwSNgAbTs9Xuk-NtlodIbLifNYLkx7QwPNZzGDKhB4QI3NmBWFv-cARzhVFoD1KvrappBxryxuUdkplzVaKkqw/w640-h480/IMG_9798.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgcqvOviczhUMEFQNRUpaNbklkP1i-k8l43PJkC_JtMjFNLf_fWVTX8jz8F-us0x8Fh_b-R3V_hytsu4FqtqSsU80uvt7j5TGxZwns8BrS44ux3O-s5aCJecE97c4MgCQCyp2u5skdg/s2048/IMG_9781.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgcqvOviczhUMEFQNRUpaNbklkP1i-k8l43PJkC_JtMjFNLf_fWVTX8jz8F-us0x8Fh_b-R3V_hytsu4FqtqSsU80uvt7j5TGxZwns8BrS44ux3O-s5aCJecE97c4MgCQCyp2u5skdg/w480-h640/IMG_9781.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><p></p><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge"></span></div><blockquote><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">525, 600 minutes</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">525, 000 moments so dear</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">525, 600 minutes</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">How do you measure, measure a year?</span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">In 525, 600 minutes</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">How do you measure a year in the life?</span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">How about love?</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">How about love?</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">How about love?</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Measure in love</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Seasons of love</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Seasons of love</span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">525, 600 minutes</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">525, 000 journeys to plan</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">525, 600 minutes</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">How do you measure the life of a woman or man?</span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">In truths that she learned, or in times that he criеd</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">In bridges he burned, or thе way that she died</span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 12px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">It's time now to sing out</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Though the story never ends</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">Let's celebrate, remember a year</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">In the life of friends</span></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">Remember the</span>…</div></blockquote><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Mary and I have been listening to the new Pentatonix Christmas album. This song from Rent is new to me. I put it on repeat. As a Suzuki Piano teacher, I'm not subject to song burnout. Hearing the same song or piece over and over again for a couple hours actually sorts out my brain waves. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Here is the link to listen to the song. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OS-JhHdE-Q" target="_blank">"Season's of Love" link. </a></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">In cups of coffee. In journey's planned. Calvin and Mary have a game where they pick a random place on the globe and plan a trip there. Hotels, airfare, restaurants and museums. Calvin has a whole itinerary for he and I to take a trip. The year of cancelled plans. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Bill is getting caught up with putting photos on my computer. Instead of albums called "Piano Festival in Italy" and "Mary and Janel in the Czech Republic" the folders are called "April Lockdown" and "Covid Walks." </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Bill and I have not been on a date since our anniversary March 14. The next week the restaurants closed. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Still, spring, summer, fall, and now winter, have been seasons of love. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">This too shall pass. And we will be stronger and more resilient. More tough and more tender. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Mary is in her room on Zoom school eight hours a day. Day after day. One day at a time. Practice. Try to set up a horizon. The next thing to look forward to. And try not to worry that it won't be cancelled. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Try to say yes to as much as we can. This year 23 out of 27 students are playing Carol of the Bells for the Christmas Recital. Only a slight exaggeration. Every kid gets to play whatever they want. We will make videos to share. I've got some surprises cooking for the studio kids. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">I started this blog ten years ago. I'm not so naive to think that what I have to say is terribly interesting. It's not going viral. It's just therapy for me and a bit of a family journal. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Seasons of love. That's what we have had this year. Spring. Summer. Fall. Winter. That's really about all we got. Love. Family time. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Piano kids. I want them to know that where there's a will there's a way. Or as Amit, one of my piano dads said, "where there's a Bill there's a way." It's true. I have a great husband. We all give 100% everyday. Keep showing up. </div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="ujudUb WRZytc OULBYb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.666666030883789px; line-height: 1.58; margin-bottom: 0px;">Seasons of love. Let's celebrate a year. Truths we've learned. In laughter. In strife. Keep going, Mary. </div>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-27652083114135300472020-12-04T13:50:00.002-06:002020-12-04T13:50:54.086-06:00So Close and Yet So Far ~ a different kind of Christmas <div class="separator"><div class="separator" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVopRSREZZJluN2oJn_kHGdH9gLqZVXiKl0YKH-Eu1vFKUy1S2rzcruD-iynQLWbHeWnkIEbq-UThXp7S1jJNaynleQe8Xvxtk053rnch5NEn9KvmC2p5IKwkJATqCLlx0bdJclDIsGA/s2048/IMG_5838.HEIC" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVopRSREZZJluN2oJn_kHGdH9gLqZVXiKl0YKH-Eu1vFKUy1S2rzcruD-iynQLWbHeWnkIEbq-UThXp7S1jJNaynleQe8Xvxtk053rnch5NEn9KvmC2p5IKwkJATqCLlx0bdJclDIsGA/s600/IMG_5838.HEIC" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSUU6TyNg0Khv1xdC0UQ2fwByzqcEmeNunhkQgBqOiJs9sV974QNkr3Ftrufp8_LTLIBQOyA_dO1mdz7SdDf82pfVXgAYNIe_wkuJ_8eZjLc8yrLdH_hj8KUAWVn73s1qNbaaoA5zxtg/s2048/IMG_8512.HEIC" style="display: block; 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padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg3zqLh5poNJstR0B3STBvrz7xDqSU60913TinTSdG1KdRaTmyqX1dBLng6oPnfL8UgL2qQWhWIi9SmNTfzOy01FU3zak-icbhwYKoiOv65m0IbVqfoYWYdOoosWCvOGh5pdEP49OakA/s600/IMG_9671.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEO-pJD7b1gyGhI3AXY8Ox5vp3ZUK8d6QGEN2y2JI61v32_rsQhYlp9l4-l0DHZJEBr0OfbEx6Nvm3B7r_tt4Z_jWZrYjkUkC9rgvN_R6SbaBFL5DHQCoGh1Z10QBUP5f9gw8OqtxSQ/s2048/IMG_9681.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEO-pJD7b1gyGhI3AXY8Ox5vp3ZUK8d6QGEN2y2JI61v32_rsQhYlp9l4-l0DHZJEBr0OfbEx6Nvm3B7r_tt4Z_jWZrYjkUkC9rgvN_R6SbaBFL5DHQCoGh1Z10QBUP5f9gw8OqtxSQ/s600/IMG_9681.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbrv3H2zv4x7F_Iy52UEDOhEqfXCRJ56n55SlsjtYtADIy6GfrPjyGDY-tXLZJ3ZSmsT0XMEU8pVnxVQ74kzJi7gEMIcRDtbeOT8Ns2oLJoot9vz1YQfSJOQkr5tce3g-DLnVfl1RTQ/s2048/IMG_9714.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPbrv3H2zv4x7F_Iy52UEDOhEqfXCRJ56n55SlsjtYtADIy6GfrPjyGDY-tXLZJ3ZSmsT0XMEU8pVnxVQ74kzJi7gEMIcRDtbeOT8Ns2oLJoot9vz1YQfSJOQkr5tce3g-DLnVfl1RTQ/s600/IMG_9714.JPG" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5J6uWzLlclYL4Tz2YsyvkjS3r66kujeGFYMCsaKTzzz3KoO2BE2fzjuvQRooEtIC8EljqWTJv1OqJujv11oQHgEkqiHhbOO1sNum1Pj4EuXaNfWQrodXPHJa5LaL4uWtS8Kp_WD4EA/s2048/IMG_9715.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe5J6uWzLlclYL4Tz2YsyvkjS3r66kujeGFYMCsaKTzzz3KoO2BE2fzjuvQRooEtIC8EljqWTJv1OqJujv11oQHgEkqiHhbOO1sNum1Pj4EuXaNfWQrodXPHJa5LaL4uWtS8Kp_WD4EA/w480-h640/IMG_9715.JPG" width="480" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br />So close but yet so far. That is the phrase that keeps going through my head. I've been having unprecedented insomnia. Hmm. Don't you just hate those two words? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There is nothing to fear but fear itself. The fear of not sleeping will induce insomnia quicker than a second espresso. Motherhood prepares you for this. We can function even on zero hours. But, it's nothing close to our very best self. This too shall pass. I should have gotten the tattoo years ago. I repeat, as every year passes, caregivers, secure your own oxygen mask. I know how to get the low hanging self care fruit. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">As I decorate for Christmas, with no one coming, no parties, no recitals, probably not many friends stopping by, I'm taken back to the ghosts of Christmas past. All the way back. The smell of cranberry candle in my Eldridge, Iowa house. My mom having everything perfect. Rag curlers in our hair. The Harry Simeone Choral Little Drummer Boy on the record player, with Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians cued up. Her home sewn decorations everywhere. Little red lights in the cupboard. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then, the Christmases I lived alone, completely broke, in Austin. The ornaments my Austin students gave me each year. The gingerbread houses they made for me. The little Christmas plates and mugs my sister gave me for graduation. They came from the fancy Williams Sonoma store and I still cherish them. Eleven years of the long cold drive home across the country. Seventeen hours in good weather. Please, celebrate me home. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Then marriage and the years of littles. The years of the Christmas train. You can go back to past blogs to read the INSANE amount of activities we had to fit in between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Forgive us our Christmases as we forgive. . . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This year there is no calendar stress. It is a different kind of Christmas. The calendar is virtually, ha, ha, get it. . . "virtually" empty. Yet we have different kinds of stress. To wish for things to be different is a recipe for melancholy. So, let's just wish for what we have, a peaceful holiday time where we focus on keeping people well while preserving as much as we can of traditional Christmas life. Pay attention to what people might be needing, try to lift each other up while acknowledging that it's okay to just be what we are. We really can't fix it. We can just be there. Thank you to my family and friends for listening to the daily sleep report. I'm also happy to listen to your daily report as well, whatever that might be. I'll try to listen. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">This morning I discovered a new Christmas album. It's Enya's 2019 Christmas album. When I was practicing for my graduation recital, I listened to a lot of Enya. I needed music to get the other music out of my head in order to sleep. I needed music, that is, without too much going on. A pure voice and slow predictable harmonic progressions. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Here is a link if you need something like this: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_lEfvzqyJL6sVujVrZHHgEP92d1Ir4JwHc" target="_blank">Enya Christmas</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">So close and yet so far. Sleep. Grandparents. Friends. Christmas. Christmas past. Christmas future. And here we are in Christmas now. A different kind of Christmas. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I started writing this yesterday morning. Yesterday afternoon my mom's dog Josie was hit by a Fed Ex truck. Josie was a good dog. She was loved by all for nine good years. The pain is the price we pay for loving. We are not going to stop loving. Still, things can change very fast, as fast as a truck going by the mailbox. I can think back to every moment when I lost a pet. They are etched. Thank you Josie, for being a good companion to Janel. Janel, we are all thinking of you and wishing you peace. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Well, I'm almost done with my decorations. And then we bake, and then we wrap presents. That's how it's done around here. And in between we wait for the kid to come home. And wait for school to start again. And wait to see each other in pure joy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Peace to you. And little moments of connection and joy. We are not going to stop loving. We aren't going to stop Christmas -- Dr. Fauci said Santa is immune. It's just going to be a little different. There is a lot to be thankful for. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I apologize for the rambling blog. It's a little bit where I'm at I guess. Not in a huge hurry and letting my mind wander back and forth from year to year and on to some huge party next year with caroling and appetizers and huge spreads of cookies for the children. On to live Christmas shows. And live church choirs. Mixing generations. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I'm thinking of the last scene of the Grinch, when Grinch can't stop Christmas from coming. I like that. It will come without all its usual glory. It will be a different kind of Christmas, but I'm still showing up for as many people as I can. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Merry Christmas and big hugs to all of you who keep reading this, year after year, through the ups and downs, the high highs and the low lows. I love you all very much. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjlmvDWms0qUdcHfcKJkkPE19c7DWKCkTnJWV5xloQh6ilyvZtRku9IP-0vVHOiDC5O-H3OJTVL_SKp8u5yO8SpMsqSLd4IzCqNJzE-1xQ0Aw6C7MO-mtd2UfJiBj6qsA8RR3q3LWIg/s2048/D75_7277+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOjlmvDWms0qUdcHfcKJkkPE19c7DWKCkTnJWV5xloQh6ilyvZtRku9IP-0vVHOiDC5O-H3OJTVL_SKp8u5yO8SpMsqSLd4IzCqNJzE-1xQ0Aw6C7MO-mtd2UfJiBj6qsA8RR3q3LWIg/s320/D75_7277+2.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-19880929182879102432020-11-12T08:50:00.000-06:002020-11-12T08:50:55.781-06:00Being a Great-Souled People<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmQ4UFetmcZZ3pGsNhUZSQTxZt4QjAaTtHr2At6hhrqcurJpO1PGVAbMIe9BMdALJryqq0pNj_inREHRaLxLvg8YkfT0-63pJcC5x_VY5zZwSVaNdGnY9XQIKQcbZjqI9CzCbD9Chnw/s2048/IMG_9617.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmQ4UFetmcZZ3pGsNhUZSQTxZt4QjAaTtHr2At6hhrqcurJpO1PGVAbMIe9BMdALJryqq0pNj_inREHRaLxLvg8YkfT0-63pJcC5x_VY5zZwSVaNdGnY9XQIKQcbZjqI9CzCbD9Chnw/w640-h480/IMG_9617.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of us are not stressed. <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz24IV5YxP5mF7MbKnHoLFEIpKCsn_NdIzdgqadgACn-mRIWwl7dQStXFS0KeJnXlD3ayjiFSVdaLjlsqAWP26od6HvFaMeJF_dg2P6k364d3Nkqyk_HflyArgRhmTDAXMdZT9bCJdbA/s2048/IMG_9613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz24IV5YxP5mF7MbKnHoLFEIpKCsn_NdIzdgqadgACn-mRIWwl7dQStXFS0KeJnXlD3ayjiFSVdaLjlsqAWP26od6HvFaMeJF_dg2P6k364d3Nkqyk_HflyArgRhmTDAXMdZT9bCJdbA/w640-h480/IMG_9613.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Live Streaming Calvin's Service<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz2jFqSqZ1__AbANNwQXtHHCV7vx7AZT1PL71zGjzUyDUyNRa-3ry_H79YH2cjBmRLFarhp_SZpyC1X-yWn0053mwhUfcfqD2mxG_rALL4yBjUB-4HettSd7oHGy_q_EPZXoubywScA/s1600/IMG_9612.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqz2jFqSqZ1__AbANNwQXtHHCV7vx7AZT1PL71zGjzUyDUyNRa-3ry_H79YH2cjBmRLFarhp_SZpyC1X-yWn0053mwhUfcfqD2mxG_rALL4yBjUB-4HettSd7oHGy_q_EPZXoubywScA/w480-h640/IMG_9612.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calvin Becomes a Member of St. Paul's in Iowa City<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJyuYXGPW872OqO8cl2-8ItroUOYZBvbGQBuCTaOusKn2BnGHyexRNE2lZP4quxjpL8Sa56k5FDbk8zb__Ne6MkHqwADghJWhkNubSIJaXMWdMoJAKwNgUm7K_PSoMzZ03P7Wt0lu6g/s2048/IMG_9611.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJyuYXGPW872OqO8cl2-8ItroUOYZBvbGQBuCTaOusKn2BnGHyexRNE2lZP4quxjpL8Sa56k5FDbk8zb__Ne6MkHqwADghJWhkNubSIJaXMWdMoJAKwNgUm7K_PSoMzZ03P7Wt0lu6g/w480-h640/IMG_9611.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of Course I Sent Flowers <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhqNI06ANW-trNmQXCtrJ3otto1UoLpfCb9hFbGPu6cCTfP_FlnOvb_745_nJZoTBGX2XyrbJou-5MruMZGs9bq4NX4mZESYEdz0ARrlHYglONukKtIWLeHM8cY3qP6Ify-YzuUYg2Q/s2048/IMG_9609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyhqNI06ANW-trNmQXCtrJ3otto1UoLpfCb9hFbGPu6cCTfP_FlnOvb_745_nJZoTBGX2XyrbJou-5MruMZGs9bq4NX4mZESYEdz0ARrlHYglONukKtIWLeHM8cY3qP6Ify-YzuUYg2Q/w480-h640/IMG_9609.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Morning to Spark the Kitchen<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeSF5neTKdn17roSazTOdnvssD63BpPn2K3XsjnAt_ghqEGFNbTxoAt4Km-nl_FKXUtv3LLf4VSMuVyjuVqdp2_eJFvZoXcA2eXI4GMyphXcjMWxh3vN1atx_Ic_dOdfQhkGoA8ZTYg/s2048/IMG_9584.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoeSF5neTKdn17roSazTOdnvssD63BpPn2K3XsjnAt_ghqEGFNbTxoAt4Km-nl_FKXUtv3LLf4VSMuVyjuVqdp2_eJFvZoXcA2eXI4GMyphXcjMWxh3vN1atx_Ic_dOdfQhkGoA8ZTYg/w640-h480/IMG_9584.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Standing in Line to Vote<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LCourOC9leObggp4cjxOnXcG0TzCySjmE7JGZw50fHtnAGFl-T8it3C5feqKPORNE7sWQzlR1YWeD6NkxfXOUTzIaRHXdlhaCfOwTNX-w-He1DOOSEXJqaNcYuxCXlPwdx0sdXcZPQ/s2048/IMG_9497.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3LCourOC9leObggp4cjxOnXcG0TzCySjmE7JGZw50fHtnAGFl-T8it3C5feqKPORNE7sWQzlR1YWeD6NkxfXOUTzIaRHXdlhaCfOwTNX-w-He1DOOSEXJqaNcYuxCXlPwdx0sdXcZPQ/w480-h640/IMG_9497.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calvin Training to be a Poll Worker<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOL14jFYJ-fSGxsqzyB8FQohVxgOv5KnW5pXY7Gn0KduQPBZ-12vKK2aPV4z3lc9P84BCK8QTFYx8rNp9ivbR2Bq-f-jpuR5XSOjlishbetdNffqVXIAG8hWIATOaB94cQFLT6ijvXQ/s2048/IMG_9415.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOL14jFYJ-fSGxsqzyB8FQohVxgOv5KnW5pXY7Gn0KduQPBZ-12vKK2aPV4z3lc9P84BCK8QTFYx8rNp9ivbR2Bq-f-jpuR5XSOjlishbetdNffqVXIAG8hWIATOaB94cQFLT6ijvXQ/w640-h480/IMG_9415.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Masked Chamber Music<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsS8Or06VTD-0kQRQ_Q_kCHfbZbFN5bQs9ICS_UP6860sP-1tpm1Z4uoIm0Tn59EQ8c2w8KDgyTsUYuu7DgUWTBgR0208YwP0ItHErtzXSPzJva_coKaqoNGl7gA6z-Zn6lohal7w9A/s2048/FXE32572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmsS8Or06VTD-0kQRQ_Q_kCHfbZbFN5bQs9ICS_UP6860sP-1tpm1Z4uoIm0Tn59EQ8c2w8KDgyTsUYuu7DgUWTBgR0208YwP0ItHErtzXSPzJva_coKaqoNGl7gA6z-Zn6lohal7w9A/w640-h426/FXE32572.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zoom Confirmation Reception </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzwpBI6NbtwV8QyLMJl36VMuJWjZu2DBHvdd9wnXBiL1F77Ew6B7huIP37pppuYusDQ8Y7n4I8M-agQWJeT69_FbqtzTUhNZM8DP23ZiwrF_VUsav9mZ4PLlYQNAxTO-MxSWaurDJ-A/s2048/FXE32565.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkzwpBI6NbtwV8QyLMJl36VMuJWjZu2DBHvdd9wnXBiL1F77Ew6B7huIP37pppuYusDQ8Y7n4I8M-agQWJeT69_FbqtzTUhNZM8DP23ZiwrF_VUsav9mZ4PLlYQNAxTO-MxSWaurDJ-A/w426-h640/FXE32565.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful Girl, Beautiful Heart, and a Resistant Cat <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5E1ei3ot_OK6lZ_Sx3mGsuiOLZslfI4afGQQIBCLLPuxNzLpuKUhmOMOj6aL6rpHkOasiWiJC7MxXIOC7Guslz9kaqNM2MXA8zPA2yMFEFr1iOo7qanKnNohnp-8PRa7eO76U03X4Q/s2048/FXE32562.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq5E1ei3ot_OK6lZ_Sx3mGsuiOLZslfI4afGQQIBCLLPuxNzLpuKUhmOMOj6aL6rpHkOasiWiJC7MxXIOC7Guslz9kaqNM2MXA8zPA2yMFEFr1iOo7qanKnNohnp-8PRa7eO76U03X4Q/w640-h426/FXE32562.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Confirmation Flowers <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-DmgulSfdzDiLVDbjN0s4TV0yEqHEcrcfGwhf6QFYY5zMSQqF3uNFcyLenh43fEScNWnBka1YE37IVm5Dy5pq5A9Lp-WcEdSbo6tjCmYYGOulxCFwv2UMvaKmcD2lYzlp25_HyfrvQ/s2048/FXE32560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-DmgulSfdzDiLVDbjN0s4TV0yEqHEcrcfGwhf6QFYY5zMSQqF3uNFcyLenh43fEScNWnBka1YE37IVm5Dy5pq5A9Lp-WcEdSbo6tjCmYYGOulxCFwv2UMvaKmcD2lYzlp25_HyfrvQ/w640-h426/FXE32560.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Affirmation of Cake<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RbLHkyS3JrlpTbdA7EkU17SaNN2lrOXZ-SjVJT9Yho73mk1picDkMT_qQvo71WMnqOmf4J855xY0Y-ZAkqC0ewSyo80t2azYCvaJ2n0wl0CGPyp4LlK4uMQVhJgB-zh_t_2YSltsWQ/s2048/FXE32558.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2RbLHkyS3JrlpTbdA7EkU17SaNN2lrOXZ-SjVJT9Yho73mk1picDkMT_qQvo71WMnqOmf4J855xY0Y-ZAkqC0ewSyo80t2azYCvaJ2n0wl0CGPyp4LlK4uMQVhJgB-zh_t_2YSltsWQ/w426-h640/FXE32558.JPG" width="426" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's not too early in the Winter for Chocolate</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbitfFx3sd7oJdRwSWkfwize5gZWl2QaIcl2g_xZde0k-i36Zy8vLmmdWYfXYmUi8yEJTDbZ8mWAD_apuX1mBZOeYLzaDlvekJQOGQDxywlvxdVTAvwj1l7UCcrblqsxTbE2edFAqs2w/s2048/FXE32557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbitfFx3sd7oJdRwSWkfwize5gZWl2QaIcl2g_xZde0k-i36Zy8vLmmdWYfXYmUi8yEJTDbZ8mWAD_apuX1mBZOeYLzaDlvekJQOGQDxywlvxdVTAvwj1l7UCcrblqsxTbE2edFAqs2w/w640-h426/FXE32557.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Affirmation of Baptism<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcTICsq6iQnxOh8NF1_Uuwd0jiNBkd6cqBFwX7icq1wilwxhm1LhcMUs6pJXwYK_1bRtib2lCWx4zz0J1uvKQCpYzXh_rXPKCzP3UY5nmKRec9zkCS92IuHNAqNNnC7WRgZRzdTz-Kw/s2048/FXE32553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcTICsq6iQnxOh8NF1_Uuwd0jiNBkd6cqBFwX7icq1wilwxhm1LhcMUs6pJXwYK_1bRtib2lCWx4zz0J1uvKQCpYzXh_rXPKCzP3UY5nmKRec9zkCS92IuHNAqNNnC7WRgZRzdTz-Kw/w640-h426/FXE32553.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surprise Attendance <br /></td></tr></tbody></table>Calvin texted us this morning that Anthony Fauci says he estimates most Americans will be able to receive a vaccine by the end of April. Right now about anything will bring me to tears and that does. </p><p>Yesterday I cried at the gym. The poor teacher. . . it's just that we've been holding it together for so long that a couple nights of no sleep and a governor's new set of restrictions is enough to break it all down. Usually I save my meltdowns for the parking lot of the grocery store. She must have felt honored. </p><p>It's been a busy month. Time marches on. Here is a beautiful project that Mary was involved in. She was an alternate and only had 48 hours to get this recording done. This song reminds me of my father. </p><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOErolMLgvo">Air Force Clarinet Link</a><br /></p><p>Calvin worked a 16 hour voting day at the polls on campus in Iowa City. He's a music and math major but deep down I think he might be a political journalist. He's already contributed to the Wall Street Journal's college op-ed. And other mostly conservative publications. That said, this was not a normal election for some conservatives. </p><p>Mary got confirmed. Confirmation was a rocky road. She was saved by her mentor Jennifer. They have been meeting by Zoom every week, digging way deeper than required. Mary's grandma surprised her by showing up at the church for the socially distanced-do the best they can confirmation of baptism ceremony. I'll take that. We have been at Easter for 20 years and this was a nice bookmark. </p><p>Meanwhile, Calvin joined a church in Iowa City. I couldn't go, because we had an epic SPTG Workshop on the Zoom all weekend with Gail Lange from Canada. But, I sent flowers etc. My mom and Susan showed up. Janel gets an A+ for showing up amid Covid restrictions. May God bless her with health and safety and an endless supply of medical grade masks and hand sanitizer. Congratulation Calvin, may you be blessed by the community, music and message there. And thank you to Pastor Mons, who met with Calvin, again, above and beyond, to dig deep into his faith journey. The things other people have done for my kids-with nothing in return, is amazingly uplifting to me. I'm so thankful. I'm humbled. </p><p>They are great-souled people. </p><p></p><blockquote>We long for great-souled people who can hold the chaos together within themselves and give us the courage to do the same. Richard Rohr 10/28/20</blockquote><p></p><p>That is, the ability to stay present to what is, and meet it with wisdom, compassion, and courage. That is what we are all trying to do. I show up everyday to try to be there for my kids who are missing their high school and college years. Sixteen year olds are not supposed to sit in their rooms sixteen hours a day studying by themselves. They aren't supposed to practice hours and hours for performances that never happen. College kids aren't supposed to Zoom their lives in. </p><p>I try to show up everyday for the studio kids who continue to practice and do all the work with very little of the fun. I try to show up for their parents who are working from home and trying to help their kids with online or homeschool and like me, they have been spending an awful lot of time with the same cast of characters. </p><p>I try to write letters to people in nursing homes who can't have visitors again. Try to show up for retired baby-sitters living alone, who get so excited for an outdoor veterans's marching band program, only to have it cancel at the last minute. </p><p>We get to break down. We get to be a little grouchy. We get to cry at the kitchen table or the Kowalski's parking lot or at the gym. </p><p>But then, we have to wipe the tears and dig in and keep showing up for each other. We each have to be that person trying to hold the chaos together within themselves. We give each other the courage to do the same. </p><p>We are a great-souled people. All of us. Everyone I know. My husband is. My mother is. My father in law is. My kids are. My sister is. My friends are. My studio kids and parents are. </p><p>I commit to bringing as much meaning and connection to this season as I possible can. I'm gonna decorate the house and buy gifts and sneak visits as safely as I can. </p><p>And next year we're gonna have the biggest Christmas party we've ever had. </p><p>May God bless you with patience and courage and perseverance. </p><p>You are a great-souled person. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-27257615940524446902020-10-15T09:42:00.000-05:002020-10-15T09:42:46.413-05:00The Eighth Aspiration ~ Presence ~ ANTS ~ Joy<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfMw3uTbiPcPUFY71KhLGafCUAInYabGCcOedVDY_UvTphnuL0Qmecax-K5NhrfjtL8p-46jGlIKNXeRZ-LfVZ897SeckZ3862QmZHa2JqpG6Wh9wWq-6aSPa-oTwzzZ375-I1NPoow/s2048/IMG_9202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJfMw3uTbiPcPUFY71KhLGafCUAInYabGCcOedVDY_UvTphnuL0Qmecax-K5NhrfjtL8p-46jGlIKNXeRZ-LfVZ897SeckZ3862QmZHa2JqpG6Wh9wWq-6aSPa-oTwzzZ375-I1NPoow/w480-h640/IMG_9202.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Third Covid Journal<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPOUzXVr0x9O4IqnjCh-eLvj5o4zCiXnRRFQ_nb5sM85L7mwfkrjv8TwOq853twa3qhWvnIjH9kHllx2X8A6ls5lUagW-Z5uaWxopbYcK00BB3JBoG-abZRZWX1puotLjBDrDUJaDaw/s2048/IMG_9093.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPOUzXVr0x9O4IqnjCh-eLvj5o4zCiXnRRFQ_nb5sM85L7mwfkrjv8TwOq853twa3qhWvnIjH9kHllx2X8A6ls5lUagW-Z5uaWxopbYcK00BB3JBoG-abZRZWX1puotLjBDrDUJaDaw/w480-h640/IMG_9093.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello Froggy<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Today I started the third notebook of Covid. My daily journal, or morning pages. Who would have thought? <p></p><p>The eighth of my ten aspirations is presence, which includes posture and breathing. I guess I could fill a whole lot more than three notebooks on this. Not that I have achieved this. It's a lifetime thing. </p><p>When I'm lacking joy, one of the first check points is to see if I'm suffering from ANTS. Automatic negative thoughts. Our brains can get into habits. It's a prefrontal cortex thing? There is a lot of information you can google. </p><p>We can move away from ANTS. Making a list of all the things we are grateful for is one easy way. Getting away from social media and curating our news intake is another tool. Taking time each day (not so easy for busy parents) to center yourself is critical. That's why I wake up so early. To have some time each day to write, read my Bible and other devotions and try to hit the reset button each and every morning. </p><p></p><blockquote>Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand. Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:4-8 </blockquote><p></p><p>In a perfect world that should about take care of it. . . I hope you have a lovely fall day. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-34563327402846317452020-10-10T12:05:00.004-05:002020-10-10T12:14:18.676-05:00I Don't Know How You Do it All<p> </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBosgvu9g3YH7OyiljCmHZH8nqlXSpszhvMrsI_gigH80rrZI8BbD0oMoSCu-cjA1qf6W39eet6TKOraU84qzVinm4Aay3NoAIlEJgMZDVcvdCVqT7EUCyCJ1_KbYzmBoSx9oiDsDKA/s2048/IMG_9177.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBBosgvu9g3YH7OyiljCmHZH8nqlXSpszhvMrsI_gigH80rrZI8BbD0oMoSCu-cjA1qf6W39eet6TKOraU84qzVinm4Aay3NoAIlEJgMZDVcvdCVqT7EUCyCJ1_KbYzmBoSx9oiDsDKA/w640-h480/IMG_9177.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What was lost is found. . . under the stove<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDrQdrMKnE9ft1j8Rynl8CDn8lZwiUC0SGDUs0YvWMcXlZTJWOlykhXAuf1P1rO15IKV1-0hc1rVAdrk6OvB0o8Y_xXrwJYy1x81fX7MU9SFXMa-7o91s_1pMk4axhyphenhyphen-Zq8ZMTBC8bg/s1024/IMG_9149.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTDrQdrMKnE9ft1j8Rynl8CDn8lZwiUC0SGDUs0YvWMcXlZTJWOlykhXAuf1P1rO15IKV1-0hc1rVAdrk6OvB0o8Y_xXrwJYy1x81fX7MU9SFXMa-7o91s_1pMk4axhyphenhyphen-Zq8ZMTBC8bg/w640-h480/IMG_9149.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For me? <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVmL90aKTVb1aUFU24ZzC-maYBLRHu7WpjVAeX5XVm5A-aYTRXqBIWE5GcLN6hwRKw3tdL9hWUF-WTf_dAVIZy6YMvJpJWKFvDCoDg_lWTYsZpwBoIY2s-kvQ1t70Zu3gv0_MbciUXw/s2048/IMG_9125.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaVmL90aKTVb1aUFU24ZzC-maYBLRHu7WpjVAeX5XVm5A-aYTRXqBIWE5GcLN6hwRKw3tdL9hWUF-WTf_dAVIZy6YMvJpJWKFvDCoDg_lWTYsZpwBoIY2s-kvQ1t70Zu3gv0_MbciUXw/w640-h480/IMG_9125.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adoring EVMB Fans<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mHoXvfEBG_KjGosQtaGa2n_9-gOpeyYU390VzHiamVLVWKxuZSbqJOpeZb2_ON4TKVRr64GtTPsttjD4tnqaG-yQmm5GhNGMlF321HK1U7fqaH4d20oOpOR-qbF03O-q4hUPMnwkAQ/s2048/IMG_9115.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9mHoXvfEBG_KjGosQtaGa2n_9-gOpeyYU390VzHiamVLVWKxuZSbqJOpeZb2_ON4TKVRr64GtTPsttjD4tnqaG-yQmm5GhNGMlF321HK1U7fqaH4d20oOpOR-qbF03O-q4hUPMnwkAQ/w640-h480/IMG_9115.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xl96EeOMP0bePUCoeWwp34V7iKXk9qPx6xpML2u1O4Nl9_4MWhDmaVfz04f_RAod2k8qpqBvZ0mCFblDRSdq4YkoniB3tGesXW7VqwtVf_t70UxGzspMqwtk3TGkbqGLf5LxHi-88g/s1280/IMG_9112.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9xl96EeOMP0bePUCoeWwp34V7iKXk9qPx6xpML2u1O4Nl9_4MWhDmaVfz04f_RAod2k8qpqBvZ0mCFblDRSdq4YkoniB3tGesXW7VqwtVf_t70UxGzspMqwtk3TGkbqGLf5LxHi-88g/w640-h480/IMG_9112.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm Taking a Greyhound</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwqzARwcyplWIXCYN1YG-NNH0HM51qOlNrq5VlqYWE1DTFKqxc03VDJrTdO-UDeCng_R2kDmtp3KbfC7OeKBmKIn3M_ZHRe5U3S7vrs20pl-XOMX-ECUEjhRzxDImLgxD14vEQ4C_ww/s2048/IMG_9081.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtwqzARwcyplWIXCYN1YG-NNH0HM51qOlNrq5VlqYWE1DTFKqxc03VDJrTdO-UDeCng_R2kDmtp3KbfC7OeKBmKIn3M_ZHRe5U3S7vrs20pl-XOMX-ECUEjhRzxDImLgxD14vEQ4C_ww/w480-h640/IMG_9081.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oliver Loves Amazon<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1llA_Iitj1nkEVU9nS21MWvYmj7BvOX5iA3WlW7spLdt8tlnN59zYIpz0mLwyCW_Q_3qIQ0fUzmibw9uTjtIJHPk7OwEqkOLaWUH9tNE4XLakJDqgif7yBCuKFTlyzUlEnmyJCsWg0A/s2048/IMG_9079.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1llA_Iitj1nkEVU9nS21MWvYmj7BvOX5iA3WlW7spLdt8tlnN59zYIpz0mLwyCW_Q_3qIQ0fUzmibw9uTjtIJHPk7OwEqkOLaWUH9tNE4XLakJDqgif7yBCuKFTlyzUlEnmyJCsWg0A/w640-h480/IMG_9079.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fall Hikes<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgp9hPMR5unXoa9P8dHw47vdfrnKZYvnyHgtkxgw0_X2EPVyF-G9GO8OoyYzuUgPQ1v6T_8Fzq8cJXZiJ__LyppMtRF45k_ZIHY4n4RHr3RuI49SJTQIL0TaguQGFJykHsi27Iboeuug/s2048/IMG_9044.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgp9hPMR5unXoa9P8dHw47vdfrnKZYvnyHgtkxgw0_X2EPVyF-G9GO8OoyYzuUgPQ1v6T_8Fzq8cJXZiJ__LyppMtRF45k_ZIHY4n4RHr3RuI49SJTQIL0TaguQGFJykHsi27Iboeuug/w480-h640/IMG_9044.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferns!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAiT4YrUQMnngs7QFtztZRXl5FFgtvgETDXm9xTo_HXs7b7DA5SCJImtJiVa7XLnvy4_EqweZ01IvVgNFrzEiEgXZgbGFZOGLv-WNaj8naiS0cAZl0xBswFkbfuOf5V5EmjJfOPuioQ/s2048/IMG_9040.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAiT4YrUQMnngs7QFtztZRXl5FFgtvgETDXm9xTo_HXs7b7DA5SCJImtJiVa7XLnvy4_EqweZ01IvVgNFrzEiEgXZgbGFZOGLv-WNaj8naiS0cAZl0xBswFkbfuOf5V5EmjJfOPuioQ/w480-h640/IMG_9040.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjAmmAgef_1Uw_XK_uk578HK6I-hbHhVX296RRToDaU1YSxU65OnQgn_7PGHhTtLdPfGQ5dMJ-gBNQwy3bPCJZNX9XHsItUWzV8JUyZeU5P3jKRsgARczmcV4lij3eM36-3g8oKw5gw/s2048/IMG_9028.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbjAmmAgef_1Uw_XK_uk578HK6I-hbHhVX296RRToDaU1YSxU65OnQgn_7PGHhTtLdPfGQ5dMJ-gBNQwy3bPCJZNX9XHsItUWzV8JUyZeU5P3jKRsgARczmcV4lij3eM36-3g8oKw5gw/w640-h480/IMG_9028.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Where you lead, I will follow<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMdv-05wP-PJIylK_53XIA9-YjL5uaAdd6MVRzKsCERQBJh9Z6Blm10Nq7YYWjAxEx2fNB0VlwWb9-s77oxcUWkFZxh3VB-7b9c0oK1fIjhSrwsYTXA2nqQRVSr-FbJ6fQ0pUYnfkEQ/s1184/EF17AADB-C23F-4C0E-8B0F-30AD5ECA8B58-9865-0000061EA7E7D879.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="789" data-original-width="1184" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMdv-05wP-PJIylK_53XIA9-YjL5uaAdd6MVRzKsCERQBJh9Z6Blm10Nq7YYWjAxEx2fNB0VlwWb9-s77oxcUWkFZxh3VB-7b9c0oK1fIjhSrwsYTXA2nqQRVSr-FbJ6fQ0pUYnfkEQ/w640-h426/EF17AADB-C23F-4C0E-8B0F-30AD5ECA8B58-9865-0000061EA7E7D879.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4CgXM-PhULGbHtVP_r-tDcQwRXW10P14v1aTMedy1eno3371zOBzXmvVxmayRUNaw8qJnKzb30RXZ1CSr6R56wFLs-j1G4HK5P8VsJFNNTls8-YkqmjM1EWXT67Heb_sI7OpgiGtWA/s2048/IMG_9130.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2048" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix4CgXM-PhULGbHtVP_r-tDcQwRXW10P14v1aTMedy1eno3371zOBzXmvVxmayRUNaw8qJnKzb30RXZ1CSr6R56wFLs-j1G4HK5P8VsJFNNTls8-YkqmjM1EWXT67Heb_sI7OpgiGtWA/w640-h428/IMG_9130.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This season's performance<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPst9sFu3TFYLyf96QvW9AqGy6aUP_dPr5q2C6Mn7zT1iNSA1vYTLzWn6RS8JoUSX4OYa7WZge0aKhiPTvVSRi-FjM9Cq5Ev_M9bRfZqU8v1vUAlH242GdRh2zxRpWGp-BdnFl_XcYFQ/s2048/D75_8046.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2047" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPst9sFu3TFYLyf96QvW9AqGy6aUP_dPr5q2C6Mn7zT1iNSA1vYTLzWn6RS8JoUSX4OYa7WZge0aKhiPTvVSRi-FjM9Cq5Ev_M9bRfZqU8v1vUAlH242GdRh2zxRpWGp-BdnFl_XcYFQ/w640-h640/D75_8046.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Socially distant masked marching band. Who would have thought?<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>There is a phrase my ego loves to hear. It<i> longs</i> to hear. "I don't know how you do it all?" Don't we all need to hear that now and then? I don't know how you do it all. Working mothers. School teachers. Home school moms. </p><p>There have been months and even years of my life when it felt like every waking moment was spoken for. Bill calls it trying to fit ten pounds in a five pound box. It's the Stephens' way of moving time and space to make something happen. It's not some huge sin, but neither does it make me very happy. </p><p>When we live in what I call <i>survival mode</i> for too long, we start to commit violence to the people around us. I'm not my very best self when there is more to do than can actually be done. I start to say things I didn't mean and force the people around me into an impossible zone of productivity. There isn't a moment to think about words before I say them and interruptions are a federal offense punishable by extreme grouchiness. <i>Did you know the byproduct of perfectionism is anger?</i> </p><p>I fill in all the little boxes on the google calendar and then when I finally have a day off I expect every task on the to-do list to magically get done in one day, and then I get mad when the ten pounds doesn't fit. </p><p>If I had to do it all again, that is the last twenty years, I <i>might</i> do less. I am who I am, and the things I have done and volunteered for and achieved are part of who I am. Still, the calm of things as they should be is where are souls come alive. I started to rehabilitate three years ago when I started bullet journaling. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7UvlO5KyCYvEhn-kGYqGIUw8cKPNABL3Y0tkPHU8N17TN8IULW54cF0amupd5YPUw72JfO8BFOtKJ4A24gueyoeWFAmUHWsKg8gtAFCjPopdX1HyhNrKhqXcI3j8DKLDPHTUcdz-gg/s2048/IMG_9181.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR7UvlO5KyCYvEhn-kGYqGIUw8cKPNABL3Y0tkPHU8N17TN8IULW54cF0amupd5YPUw72JfO8BFOtKJ4A24gueyoeWFAmUHWsKg8gtAFCjPopdX1HyhNrKhqXcI3j8DKLDPHTUcdz-gg/w640-h480/IMG_9181.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p>I started by creating a year at a glance bullet journal spread. How many extra activities can each month hold? I made a point to block two weekends each month. No recitals or workshops. I become more aware of the big picture and the patterns that develop year over year between family life, studio life and my kid's activities. Months that have a big event need extra margin. </p><p>I started taking periodic breaks from teaching. If the daily schedule with kids and teaching is pretty tight, which it is, then I need a week off every four to six weeks to catch up. For example, I'm taking the whole week of MEA, the Minnesota school fall break, off. I take the whole week of Thanksgiving off. The more energy I put into teaching, the more I need periodic breaks. It doesn't mean I don't love my job, on the contrary. I love it so much that I know I need to force breaks into the calendar so that I don't get burned out. </p><p>After getting the yearly plan under control, at least to some extent, I dug into the weekly and daily routine. I started calendar blocking weekdays, and even weekends. I didn't do this so that I could do more and more, I started this so that I would have a realistic overview of what I actually could fit into a day or a weekend. I hoped to whittle my list down to five pounds so that it could actually fit into the box I have. For example, on a fall Saturday I used to want to sleep till 8:00, write a blog, go for a walk, do some yard work, run some errands, practice with the kids, watch a movie, go out for dinner, get together with friends for coffee, organize the coats, hats and mittens for winter, make and freeze some soup for the busy upcoming week. . . you get my point. Then I would be frustrated and angry with everyone in the house for not helping me get it all done. </p><p>With a hourly calendar block, I could get real about the day. How many hours is each of these things going to actually take? How many hours are there? It's not that I wanted every waking moment to be planned. There is flexibility in the end product. I don't always follow the hourly plan. It's about picking which five pounds are the most important for that day and letting the <strike>dream</strike> nightmare of bending time and space go. Let it go. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3MD6i83r4ofe8qcnpfvQkRmqHJZRy4-ef_h_1fsmD68ur18ilmY_IE6G_jtf1Zr6yHlxoDxyDr-6Vrf_kY_p2j7_2XOnioXzH8NiAUp7acAU4DEUjvO-pOM_gTjen-wVweISkxxvTA/s2048/IMG_0D53E93996AD-1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1152" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3MD6i83r4ofe8qcnpfvQkRmqHJZRy4-ef_h_1fsmD68ur18ilmY_IE6G_jtf1Zr6yHlxoDxyDr-6Vrf_kY_p2j7_2XOnioXzH8NiAUp7acAU4DEUjvO-pOM_gTjen-wVweISkxxvTA/w360-h640/IMG_0D53E93996AD-1.jpeg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><p>It doesn't take me an hour to shower. During that margin I can tidy the upstairs, make a phone call, or fold a little laundry. If I don't set an hourly limit on the garden, I would accidentally stay out all day. Now that I schedule "desk" time, I don't have to be checking and responding to email all morning. I know there is a time set aside for desk work and I can do it then. I'm trying to set the precedent with SAA, SAM, SPTG and studio email, that I will check and respond to email once a day. When Bill worked in cargo for the airlines, there was a crisis where there was a cooler going round and round on the baggage carousel unclaimed. The cooler was labeled "live organs for transplant." This became a big metaphor for us. Someone missing their organ transplant is a crisis. Nothing involved teaching piano lessons is a crisis. It's not live organs for transplant. Waiting a few hours to respond to an email isn't putting anyones life on the line. It's only my ego that makes me feel that way. </p><p>Calendar blocking helps me be realistic about my goals. If I have goals to practice two hours a day, and write a book and get in better shape and read more books. . . let's face it. . . there just isn't time in an average day to work toward those goals. Some of it is going to have to wait. It just doesn't all fit on the calendar. Side note. . . penciling in forty-five minutes for Facebook? I would never do that. Yet, without a plan it's easy to accidentally do that. Same with news. Calendar blocking helps me stick to my values. </p><p>I'm learning the ways in which my ego has encouraged me to take on too much. I must be very important since I'm so very busy. Yes, but, I also just really love doing a lot of things. I'm not beating myself up too badly. It's a journey. I can also laugh at myself, especially when I have to calendar block time to calendar block. Still, I feel much less angry than I did three years ago. I'm more accepting of the reality of what I can actually do without harming the small animals, plants and people in my life. And I continue to take stock of what is really the most important. We always find time to do what is the most important to us. That is a fact, but if we are on autopilot there might be a chasm between what we say is the most important and what actually happens. </p><p>Bullet journaling and calendar blocking is what's working for me right here right now. It's a plan to be realistic about my time and how I want to spend it. </p><p>I don't know how you do it all? What is most important about that phrase is how we determine what <i>all</i> is. </p><p>Happiness is. . . having just the right amount of time to do the things we want and need to do, in the way that we want to do them. The calm of things as they should be. Not having more to do than can actually be done. Then our souls come alive. </p><p>I wish this for myself and my family and for you. </p><p>Love,</p><p>Sara</p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-10358130382069475002020-09-11T11:35:00.000-05:002020-09-11T11:35:16.447-05:00Cairn to Cairn<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpssy5AmaA6EDNARGHAgHvW-t6TZBxCqqGaXky56LmtkX3hOZMglVxwucwLXyVSQ7cLWyYEu8gl93P6OrW_nG5QaOlOl5Ts-6gtqVvGQ7vNzDo3q-zIS_JjxqvCavjb97q3NvV_TEURg/s2048/IMG_8993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Mary and Bill took their own journey" border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1539" height="800" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpssy5AmaA6EDNARGHAgHvW-t6TZBxCqqGaXky56LmtkX3hOZMglVxwucwLXyVSQ7cLWyYEu8gl93P6OrW_nG5QaOlOl5Ts-6gtqVvGQ7vNzDo3q-zIS_JjxqvCavjb97q3NvV_TEURg/w600-h800/IMG_8993.JPG" title="Mary and Bill took their own journey" width="600" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill and Mary took their own journey<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbtBwi7xfpUu4K-gckZYMz40bhh-B2Zb3PHd1KypXAbteaVELQdcBSteUd96x3oDT-0gKGsi8qbvfXlJbPFDBlpF1e1DEEQ67twjiWPGKNq-fsvotNBLIHHO64FnNVdfb3L5LNZ3AUw/s2048/IMG_0900.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="781" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbtBwi7xfpUu4K-gckZYMz40bhh-B2Zb3PHd1KypXAbteaVELQdcBSteUd96x3oDT-0gKGsi8qbvfXlJbPFDBlpF1e1DEEQ67twjiWPGKNq-fsvotNBLIHHO64FnNVdfb3L5LNZ3AUw/w586-h781/IMG_0900.HEIC" width="586" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aspens are my tree!<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uRPCyKYoZdUm1wsvB6fU6PgqQKfUnes6MS01MXIWNnKkc__mZGwDPnIeySYj5h5GcvIm6U33aBcmCyd7Y9O8e3RyS4R9Cat3gxsMh84eMGLrs4ojpmwd4FVXpVzHQ_QGT87_XfJReA/s2048/IMG_0897.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uRPCyKYoZdUm1wsvB6fU6PgqQKfUnes6MS01MXIWNnKkc__mZGwDPnIeySYj5h5GcvIm6U33aBcmCyd7Y9O8e3RyS4R9Cat3gxsMh84eMGLrs4ojpmwd4FVXpVzHQ_QGT87_XfJReA/w469-h625/IMG_0897.HEIC" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calypso Cascade<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5xB6FRK6HJrQgQOO4wjlz0BQimYbY1lGjikE11eOMxV3xxpUIqXardsiaZLQbJG5JTyIhnhDkED5AMWG2SEGBe4-g_TzGHrLcfoV8x9hPrdrkJ1-AyDHK_i8wqw1_hQbuwleiCA0HQ/s2048/IMG_0891.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA5xB6FRK6HJrQgQOO4wjlz0BQimYbY1lGjikE11eOMxV3xxpUIqXardsiaZLQbJG5JTyIhnhDkED5AMWG2SEGBe4-g_TzGHrLcfoV8x9hPrdrkJ1-AyDHK_i8wqw1_hQbuwleiCA0HQ/w375-h500/IMG_0891.HEIC" width="375" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Casey's Butterfly<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBhbmcr_iU7MhuEC9qWmOH_omIcGeY9G9GGLC6ixUHpMYOGayAczYdQRrJ9R3vq2-Y1XT3Vr3zSOzeh8Dp2Qz3OH1ZsT1-Fgh2vf2hKCAV27PcBhvhNWtgHll-s5XyjN1EvMpxbMN9A/s2048/IMG_0880.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBhbmcr_iU7MhuEC9qWmOH_omIcGeY9G9GGLC6ixUHpMYOGayAczYdQRrJ9R3vq2-Y1XT3Vr3zSOzeh8Dp2Qz3OH1ZsT1-Fgh2vf2hKCAV27PcBhvhNWtgHll-s5XyjN1EvMpxbMN9A/w469-h625/IMG_0880.HEIC" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ouzel Falls</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHv5iD9mOHsSbnXi6OTrQmsosWkS4B_VZCu7YMKVHHn92lm99aFd9x28FYGMIMsu-sJJfhOj_lrfFuDzLMULjcEhO6hUpX9XJq2cFFvsH3S9ugN0dy19ES6tUoL5vMwjYIehfGcVchA/s2048/IMG_0874.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKHv5iD9mOHsSbnXi6OTrQmsosWkS4B_VZCu7YMKVHHn92lm99aFd9x28FYGMIMsu-sJJfhOj_lrfFuDzLMULjcEhO6hUpX9XJq2cFFvsH3S9ugN0dy19ES6tUoL5vMwjYIehfGcVchA/w469-h625/IMG_0874.HEIC" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calypso Cascade in different light on the way down<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY99jetlL0IcXFBoDfoZWnsDByrT8G4bvTP_7eZ9n9IXDJvn9csjoi_VdgjZQgQ36ukrwtIqyUxQw3-Ie64p2RvYFBiV5f9mj_cXCIuHFNIFTC4CMoKAEc_G7NF-FF2ARE-AHk7u4d8w/s2048/IMG_0796.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY99jetlL0IcXFBoDfoZWnsDByrT8G4bvTP_7eZ9n9IXDJvn9csjoi_VdgjZQgQ36ukrwtIqyUxQw3-Ie64p2RvYFBiV5f9mj_cXCIuHFNIFTC4CMoKAEc_G7NF-FF2ARE-AHk7u4d8w/w375-h500/IMG_0796.HEIC" width="375" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Estes Cone Summit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6BS1ArKKYI3gSfxdQasTnP6sb5JF29j-amyN2qmcdTNioQo62MjEvvAsRPmOoTY9wlHNIK5-Em-dWwVbxBV_kv0k8E6MxhoKxCZdKtIWn1Ki-b3WPORkOjK4Vq8ZXA4vECaA3L-N0w/s2048/IMG_0785.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6BS1ArKKYI3gSfxdQasTnP6sb5JF29j-amyN2qmcdTNioQo62MjEvvAsRPmOoTY9wlHNIK5-Em-dWwVbxBV_kv0k8E6MxhoKxCZdKtIWn1Ki-b3WPORkOjK4Vq8ZXA4vECaA3L-N0w/w469-h625/IMG_0785.HEIC" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cairn<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgf3TdLNVR-2k6OszGMbPUQKyfYitNRWKALWR5nsUkMgaGV2oGkdVJf47AgogtTmPbyW1XOiE6AAmkKFEfIR7XJc2mDktqAzjSGWrBT0MbVwHJo-0HIXE4_Rb8l0jowvJja9IgsOsgA/s2048/IMG_0784.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgf3TdLNVR-2k6OszGMbPUQKyfYitNRWKALWR5nsUkMgaGV2oGkdVJf47AgogtTmPbyW1XOiE6AAmkKFEfIR7XJc2mDktqAzjSGWrBT0MbVwHJo-0HIXE4_Rb8l0jowvJja9IgsOsgA/w469-h625/IMG_0784.HEIC" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cairn when we actually needed it<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qBDnDRSBQobVsClAifUUmcoJ26D75KQh0xdFSyveFlyQWlO-Lqa-jsoJiOwbzydRJZnYS_Q9k79pviAm-O6HawGT4eEZb9n3qFmNs1li4Vts_vVJVdJgXI8U6nU0HQiB6rp_LAUvbQ/s2048/IMG_0783.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qBDnDRSBQobVsClAifUUmcoJ26D75KQh0xdFSyveFlyQWlO-Lqa-jsoJiOwbzydRJZnYS_Q9k79pviAm-O6HawGT4eEZb9n3qFmNs1li4Vts_vVJVdJgXI8U6nU0HQiB6rp_LAUvbQ/w469-h625/IMG_0783.HEIC" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cairn when we thought they were just kinda cute<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk88vWY8DMp-6tEF1wHuEglR8gHUZXw1sxBlEMCfJc0gxJ0mXrVRYx0OT0E9EIs5vscQUIe-ApfTFdbdRUhXN4UOFoXyPUnBVNZwQLDhXdBFExwZJ4z_3h3NqbM9-2qbRs4JLXq1ovg/s2048/IMG_0758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSk88vWY8DMp-6tEF1wHuEglR8gHUZXw1sxBlEMCfJc0gxJ0mXrVRYx0OT0E9EIs5vscQUIe-ApfTFdbdRUhXN4UOFoXyPUnBVNZwQLDhXdBFExwZJ4z_3h3NqbM9-2qbRs4JLXq1ovg/w469-h625/IMG_0758.JPG" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Deer Mountain Summit<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko1YwdLCc_s_bFRrsaBQ34wt5122AhDf3hD_JgHR5R3jlckFc7wYc-2nekyLa_7ViWwN15Gg8jTVdPK2atMQkaz09bPq_LWWHSXobZAxlhxDeZQpnPiwuYGElbh8iypl92uinJNfIGg/s2048/IMG_0735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko1YwdLCc_s_bFRrsaBQ34wt5122AhDf3hD_JgHR5R3jlckFc7wYc-2nekyLa_7ViWwN15Gg8jTVdPK2atMQkaz09bPq_LWWHSXobZAxlhxDeZQpnPiwuYGElbh8iypl92uinJNfIGg/w625-h469/IMG_0735.JPG" width="625" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smoke Free View<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IoQIZRRqK1QT1lViKef9SGV-BgmQ_ZsjrduTUv9X01NrX6qnvJZps6c1490AGhmwkoqZc48p34i67YMSjIXiL5TB_r3GiDaypp4riaVHwlHHbejt5KojUgYdM_ugmYwDCRKha-yHVQ/s2048/IMG_0717.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6IoQIZRRqK1QT1lViKef9SGV-BgmQ_ZsjrduTUv9X01NrX6qnvJZps6c1490AGhmwkoqZc48p34i67YMSjIXiL5TB_r3GiDaypp4riaVHwlHHbejt5KojUgYdM_ugmYwDCRKha-yHVQ/w625-h469/IMG_0717.JPG" width="625" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10,500 feet victory<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrMw-JwEBTCsmKSaQldHPcPXwXHC4zEbbwdCa7_y3OIan394xqmCeCEzG89YfjDG_Fpw7hvnE2CKOMWVzuvLVttf5gzV566sd0Rml1AHk1sfdLe6rlOBLLMrBRGKa4b-OASpXut8b0w/s2048/IMG_0709.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="625" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrMw-JwEBTCsmKSaQldHPcPXwXHC4zEbbwdCa7_y3OIan394xqmCeCEzG89YfjDG_Fpw7hvnE2CKOMWVzuvLVttf5gzV566sd0Rml1AHk1sfdLe6rlOBLLMrBRGKa4b-OASpXut8b0w/w469-h625/IMG_0709.HEIC" width="469" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pathfinder Cairn<br /></td></tr></tbody></table>It's been three years since Casey and I did the Grand Canyon. This time we hiked three days in Rocky Mountain National Park, out of Estes Park, Colorado. We hiked Inn to Inn on the Walter Tisma Way. I'm done with camping, but still want the hikes, so this was perfect for us. Give me primitive wilderness all day, but I'm really into beds and running water at night. Bookending the days with coffee and wine doesn't hurt either. </p><p>On the second day we hiked Storm Pass. Rocky mountain high. There was an option to add an extra 1.5 miles and reach the summit called Estes Cone. The added part would be rocky and steep. Hiking the pass, I was really huffing and puffing, completely forgetting that altitude can take its toll on a body. </p><p>You know by now that I believe that God sends the right people at the right time and the right words at the right time, and really, just all the right things at the right time. Call them angels. Angel thoughts. Angel turkeys, angel butterflies, or angel eagles. Holy Spirit? It's all semantics but as MBE would say, "divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need."</p><p>Still hiking the pass, I didn't think I was going to make it to Estes Cone. I was lightheaded and clammy. Every step was a battle to pick up my feet and not pass out. I told Casey I was doing my fancy yoga breathing and capitalizing on my diaphragmatic French Horn days. We rested and hiked another five minutes. She suggested I breathe in a different way--more like a runner (which she is). That truly helped and by the time we got to the divide I was recovered enough to tackle the cone. Not that I wasn't slow. . . I was slow, but we made it. I made it.</p><p>Our trail guide told us that there would be little stacks of rocks called cairns when we got to the 1.5 mile path to Estes Cone. Isn't that cute? Such sweet little rocks. Photo opportunity. </p><p>She didn't say that the cairns WERE the trail. The mountainside was all rocks and scrappy evergreens trying to get their own oxygen. There was no "trail." It was only imaginary switchbacks made by hikers of days gone by who marked the path with little stacks of rocks. Every fifteen feet or so there was a cairn. Some were fancy and tall, some were just a hint of something that nature couldn't have built on her own. </p><p>An hour later when we got to the top of the cone, the view was 360. Mountaintop experience. Four hawks gave us a flyover and helped us celebrate our victory. </p><p>We couldn't have found the way without the cairns. </p><p>We hiked from cairn to cairn. We couldn't see the next stack until we got to the one in front of us. </p><p>I'm sitting here, writing this at Bill's folks in Nisswa. We are still in the middle of a pandemic. Too much news. Too many decisions. Everyday is a new opportunity to worry about what's next and how is this all going to play out and what is the end game? </p><p>Already on the way down Casey told me I would have to write about the Cairns. This gift of having just enough information. My eyes would flash across the rocky mountain side with the briefest of panic. The rocks blended together. Then like finding the picture in an optical illusion they would settle on the next stack, but you couldn't see two stacks ahead at any moment. </p><p>We only have to see the next cairn. Cairn to cairn. We can't get greedy about the future. You can't go straight up the mountainside, you will probably fall. It's too steep. There is an easier more manageable path. We don't have to see the end. We just have to take the next right step. Do the next right thing. Cairn to cairn. </p><p><i>Lord, thank you for always showing us the next right thing. Thank you for making the path clear. Help us to trust that you always make the next cairn visible. Thank you for friends and mountains, waterfalls and trees and ferns. Thank you for the much more than cute little cairns and the beautiful metaphor they provided us. Amen. </i></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-61008794323958405092020-08-13T07:40:00.001-05:002020-08-13T08:17:05.455-05:00The Best of Times ~ Gratitude and Grit<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1lDCcKzj9kgC7CZYxyQrzvevG8f4-LzasK3X71kGIyYe2Ej0rVZe761pVFPVkZrZEKaMDrcVRjtTuoWS1LNP55BE3pCBD4E7cQacu8M2sZxXiQXbuCadRtVl3rD9usqtCrtfTGrkIA/s2048/IMG_8572.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL1lDCcKzj9kgC7CZYxyQrzvevG8f4-LzasK3X71kGIyYe2Ej0rVZe761pVFPVkZrZEKaMDrcVRjtTuoWS1LNP55BE3pCBD4E7cQacu8M2sZxXiQXbuCadRtVl3rD9usqtCrtfTGrkIA/s640/IMG_8572.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ganley's!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Last Sunset of the Family Season</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill & Sara</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kiddos in the sunset</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset Salutations</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My favorite moment ~ improvised hymns</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary's Sunflower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQGa5sH5CVnIGTfiRUisOmi-mKt0P7oZTFxgrj660FAg7MFY3T_a_YPgGKz3zGTLUSGiWftYzdc05mzLUUZQvn-pA_pf154dDiqFzcZGINt78PjT71dmLpJRS7d_nOGnYLZKX3Jh87Q/s2048/IMG_8469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJQGa5sH5CVnIGTfiRUisOmi-mKt0P7oZTFxgrj660FAg7MFY3T_a_YPgGKz3zGTLUSGiWftYzdc05mzLUUZQvn-pA_pf154dDiqFzcZGINt78PjT71dmLpJRS7d_nOGnYLZKX3Jh87Q/s640/IMG_8469.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My new coffee pot</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mgsg9Q5H3O6bkUxpLvbtuNnmvhrl_IPaQSq2BPyIRSU2aNZR5aG_O3GzpYWH-J2_FoRYQnBvxHM7nX6JXpVEPRakDOwqmAUYube3_rMrbz2b-hiN9G9jDD7x49gd7lFxrUX1QG2r2g/s2048/IMG_8455.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Mgsg9Q5H3O6bkUxpLvbtuNnmvhrl_IPaQSq2BPyIRSU2aNZR5aG_O3GzpYWH-J2_FoRYQnBvxHM7nX6JXpVEPRakDOwqmAUYube3_rMrbz2b-hiN9G9jDD7x49gd7lFxrUX1QG2r2g/s640/IMG_8455.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer friend</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trying for Prairie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoOhCU_XiW3XxDshYitC9yc79QEJMElD2WMNMtw91xgntXTK9Jn78XuTsMxu7NtmviAr4XS5w3KN7nuhOVKh8yerTXCWMpvFBYudCc5ehEo8i8Ln029YMsr8g92yiVQ5lr6Z-1TihRg/s2048/IMG_8342.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVoOhCU_XiW3XxDshYitC9yc79QEJMElD2WMNMtw91xgntXTK9Jn78XuTsMxu7NtmviAr4XS5w3KN7nuhOVKh8yerTXCWMpvFBYudCc5ehEo8i8Ln029YMsr8g92yiVQ5lr6Z-1TihRg/s640/IMG_8342.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill can do it too!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzonMkDcNrTy10Vzf0FCk75xN6XATA_aZw3bu3qEDKZxElUufWzU6kbRivZLoWwU1cueFZ1ss8vwwdVyEJcyny-NcEu-VDJTLAg7WpHfgxnSldP0V9pwdlL9zFTcIqkC2cRiRojZnWkw/s2048/IMG_8316.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzonMkDcNrTy10Vzf0FCk75xN6XATA_aZw3bu3qEDKZxElUufWzU6kbRivZLoWwU1cueFZ1ss8vwwdVyEJcyny-NcEu-VDJTLAg7WpHfgxnSldP0V9pwdlL9zFTcIqkC2cRiRojZnWkw/s640/IMG_8316.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The lilies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunTI437ZWFdKZ-8GTycZ_-HghtVGogaUj6rxq_lleL-lmUoKw6HbXAX8PWOmKNRBmj05sGtNIYkGHxoBddW8TPev-0xTzBQb6YkD_G51hkPclMCJOyYwfLM_eqCUaugK70lrRjVqWvg/s2048/IMG_8287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiunTI437ZWFdKZ-8GTycZ_-HghtVGogaUj6rxq_lleL-lmUoKw6HbXAX8PWOmKNRBmj05sGtNIYkGHxoBddW8TPev-0xTzBQb6YkD_G51hkPclMCJOyYwfLM_eqCUaugK70lrRjVqWvg/s640/IMG_8287.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKn1f0NMCOI7snaU3NkZWc_tLOmTnUvLk5yHfxLcl16ciXGyKfHN4usQlK1I1uitojoKDvxVZWODsu4rsvYYsmonDyfS3dLCod9V2w1h595jvdLq5_KjwUTsgyTCBr9K4Gy7DA2xbUQ/s2048/IMG_8284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguKn1f0NMCOI7snaU3NkZWc_tLOmTnUvLk5yHfxLcl16ciXGyKfHN4usQlK1I1uitojoKDvxVZWODsu4rsvYYsmonDyfS3dLCod9V2w1h595jvdLq5_KjwUTsgyTCBr9K4Gy7DA2xbUQ/s640/IMG_8284.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pollinators</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUden-fBrWECHr1jmLrE-PrI9Lne7l6HsQ3QctFN5JpH6Xwf64P20tmcDIDb4XYMXh1I35p_H-FOJNrZr3k4Y7F3SlMcJxfzZ9GLR0ovOsaxpCK2jYJZYCqlrFqglTU_TdiROuGN451Q/s2048/IMG_8282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUden-fBrWECHr1jmLrE-PrI9Lne7l6HsQ3QctFN5JpH6Xwf64P20tmcDIDb4XYMXh1I35p_H-FOJNrZr3k4Y7F3SlMcJxfzZ9GLR0ovOsaxpCK2jYJZYCqlrFqglTU_TdiROuGN451Q/s640/IMG_8282.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">State Fair Zinnias</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw6UJgBUdzHBtsXcVCRDIj4-gPnTFqgMNZLKK6Qx_5MKe4H_35y7AAGO6Pjdh7YTPSNNCd4TvYiXkvvY_Tm_qIiE42cdRaas84NAww630ITxjPxsiNAFoya3PDOP2ekGbj-ClnDvp2Q/s2048/IMG_8231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKw6UJgBUdzHBtsXcVCRDIj4-gPnTFqgMNZLKK6Qx_5MKe4H_35y7AAGO6Pjdh7YTPSNNCd4TvYiXkvvY_Tm_qIiE42cdRaas84NAww630ITxjPxsiNAFoya3PDOP2ekGbj-ClnDvp2Q/s640/IMG_8231.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My happy place</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvXEkbFjtY4NItPKwxjNLdnWTnWoQmSF2z2gHbqfYp227koAbxtFwn5viW5ktetwhWqUWVm6vF8H-ch5Gmf1L7Y0XzY8nTuT7gPG920ivMgBZQK8Bcryn6q7lNLgnzj-0Q116kSCnOA/s2048/IMG_8141.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvXEkbFjtY4NItPKwxjNLdnWTnWoQmSF2z2gHbqfYp227koAbxtFwn5viW5ktetwhWqUWVm6vF8H-ch5Gmf1L7Y0XzY8nTuT7gPG920ivMgBZQK8Bcryn6q7lNLgnzj-0Q116kSCnOA/s640/IMG_8141.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Home is where the heart is</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYrsog8XOP8J4VS8lzVrMod0bKQ8iI2eyrjRPisluyRblMMQf2z0eE59wiPZDE-qreKYenVq1NYcJIg_zqSwPTC8Tt_E21xLxqHzCfZwaG1KT69zl6aNPB7E4vyvJW8R9zdJR3Bydyg/s2048/IMG_8126.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYrsog8XOP8J4VS8lzVrMod0bKQ8iI2eyrjRPisluyRblMMQf2z0eE59wiPZDE-qreKYenVq1NYcJIg_zqSwPTC8Tt_E21xLxqHzCfZwaG1KT69zl6aNPB7E4vyvJW8R9zdJR3Bydyg/s640/IMG_8126.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The way the summer went. . . </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLO6QJ7Hhsduc-SKfq2hfvM9gfNJ3g-QC4WcqAzA7kssydXQtu_ljWu-c8OyD60_3i63Mq5q66sqpxfN3ll1nLakqXlcsuspbVIZQBtjPO-7GuB7gOE31_nUIlOCCiO_OXu382VUBWQ/s2048/IMG_7337.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuLO6QJ7Hhsduc-SKfq2hfvM9gfNJ3g-QC4WcqAzA7kssydXQtu_ljWu-c8OyD60_3i63Mq5q66sqpxfN3ll1nLakqXlcsuspbVIZQBtjPO-7GuB7gOE31_nUIlOCCiO_OXu382VUBWQ/s640/IMG_7337.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The best ice cream ever made in the whole world</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRLki1yYnzXuRsviSTzIehf8-sf8F3jJCh8kbwuvM6NkVihYjwE5i8BJueqIEQSw3AEhpwkfDw4774ALoUIibAfN6ItP8hngCP1YWo2iEFHmBkta1rqgC7y-IGDZn2oj0Vr3nEmfuaw/s2048/IMG_7005.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVRLki1yYnzXuRsviSTzIehf8-sf8F3jJCh8kbwuvM6NkVihYjwE5i8BJueqIEQSw3AEhpwkfDw4774ALoUIibAfN6ItP8hngCP1YWo2iEFHmBkta1rqgC7y-IGDZn2oj0Vr3nEmfuaw/s640/IMG_7005.HEIC" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk12z8D2ypNKv44KJqHH5yepuXZcSRXskezwUS5lIlO-XMrHnk8YFLoowVtdSUZiD9c8RiSj6lJRHRdnsA2bwyf5hFck2-wj3xJRLFqnEDjJeHlO36lWkRI1svoIN7TSA-QBXffkR2kA/s2048/IMG_4578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk12z8D2ypNKv44KJqHH5yepuXZcSRXskezwUS5lIlO-XMrHnk8YFLoowVtdSUZiD9c8RiSj6lJRHRdnsA2bwyf5hFck2-wj3xJRLFqnEDjJeHlO36lWkRI1svoIN7TSA-QBXffkR2kA/s640/IMG_4578.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">S'mores</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXJIRsCAhcgeKGRYq6yb8WQIoXC8Q2jE7UnEvQ7F8ERp8VK9rCdktZTvswc9CnXtAxxj-FmEyvL38Pcxw8vADk1ELvzSrQEUykn1NPfA_zzhzcuZ_-hp6KT0U9MFwYGFuGBs38N0YIQ/s2048/IMG_4471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdXJIRsCAhcgeKGRYq6yb8WQIoXC8Q2jE7UnEvQ7F8ERp8VK9rCdktZTvswc9CnXtAxxj-FmEyvL38Pcxw8vADk1ELvzSrQEUykn1NPfA_zzhzcuZ_-hp6KT0U9MFwYGFuGBs38N0YIQ/s640/IMG_4471.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was a very good year for the garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczhah4HY0B_9VZv9Pm_0uHpFyi1UjpMfDDOxPO54ofBrqzU5dtxL-9mdoC2Krzsv_-NE5rjswC_d6ZzJja2yYS6j4tR_rfxlcrEMvqOyj5ap7xaNgnpGRaH1fcUKNQ-h9JMuXCdayAw/s2048/IMG_1002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjczhah4HY0B_9VZv9Pm_0uHpFyi1UjpMfDDOxPO54ofBrqzU5dtxL-9mdoC2Krzsv_-NE5rjswC_d6ZzJja2yYS6j4tR_rfxlcrEMvqOyj5ap7xaNgnpGRaH1fcUKNQ-h9JMuXCdayAw/s640/IMG_1002.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sneaking around with Janel</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZOxbNE1w8Zgvnc1KHleFKHkhS-55JJHG40m_grU0WmkT3tYt9ch5txCxhJsD_l2r_6IycFuIrzMUWhdFc0TE05alTgYfNbNtwcevHpz_CUbKJM7xnmZig4Mbg_aLEy9QpySWW5xiQA/s2048/IMG_0780.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZOxbNE1w8Zgvnc1KHleFKHkhS-55JJHG40m_grU0WmkT3tYt9ch5txCxhJsD_l2r_6IycFuIrzMUWhdFc0TE05alTgYfNbNtwcevHpz_CUbKJM7xnmZig4Mbg_aLEy9QpySWW5xiQA/s640/IMG_0780.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flowers from the gardens of friends and family</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhWcoGbYKtjlWdLHxRpd25TdKJeYf8SzrSkMvGWZpa0eFChi2yRGCGA4cx38l_ekesr7mTLCrWyHnrWAcctgsXf3WQBBG8XtQw1vhmsn_dLJUD5EYAT-SYCOVQeHSiwVT9G_uy_lxDA/s2048/IMG_0241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFhWcoGbYKtjlWdLHxRpd25TdKJeYf8SzrSkMvGWZpa0eFChi2yRGCGA4cx38l_ekesr7mTLCrWyHnrWAcctgsXf3WQBBG8XtQw1vhmsn_dLJUD5EYAT-SYCOVQeHSiwVT9G_uy_lxDA/s640/IMG_0241.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unbelievable</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-uDBHOw-WeeF6LxaxywmpJ2I1l9wXJRROWE6rI31wKd-0qM28oTLNDCI-HU2Mge-b1YZEsK3iYxP8UxRb0x9GsAXmovtKijYgnzLa_dLgxP7jDAbG0wP81Cr91ad3i-ergxk5AFIPQ/s2048/61784353195__D7DBE927-BFA5-4840-B0B6-B6AAF1C5E4B4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh-uDBHOw-WeeF6LxaxywmpJ2I1l9wXJRROWE6rI31wKd-0qM28oTLNDCI-HU2Mge-b1YZEsK3iYxP8UxRb0x9GsAXmovtKijYgnzLa_dLgxP7jDAbG0wP81Cr91ad3i-ergxk5AFIPQ/s640/61784353195__D7DBE927-BFA5-4840-B0B6-B6AAF1C5E4B4.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planning for the apartment</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Tuesday was my first day off at home in a very long time. What have I been doing all summer? Five weeks of full studio teaching, two weeks of Zoom piano camps, I took one SAA teacher class from Fay and taught one SAA teacher class with Vickie, we entertained at the cabin ten weekends in a row, many, many zoom recitals and ice cream social distances (my backyard recitals) and I held one outdoor recital at the Little Pines Lodge, where our best social distancing ideals were interrupted by a tornado warning.<br />
<br />
On my day off the kids set me up with Spotify. Where have you been all my life? Suddenly I have access to all my long lost vinyl. James Taylor and Carol King live at the Troubadour was right there waiting for me. The second thing I found? Eighties power ballads.<br />
<br />
My relationship with the band Styx? Buy ten albums for $.01 through the Columbia Record club. Go to church camp and decide they are the work of the devil. Destroy them. Buy them all back in college. Jam Babe and The Best of Times at the piano with friends belting out makeshift harmony. And there it all was just waiting for me on a family Spotify account. Calvin and Mary rolled their eyes big time.<br />
<br />
<i>Tonight's the night we'll make history</i><br />
<i>Honey, you and I </i><br />
<i>And I'll take any risk to tie back the hand of time</i><br />
<i>And stay with you here tonight</i><br />
<i>I know you feel these are the worst of time</i><br />
<i>I do believe it's true</i><br />
<i>People lock their doors and hide inside</i><br />
<i>Rumor has it, it's the end of paradise</i><br />
<i>But I know, if the world just passed us by</i><br />
<i>Baby I know, I wouldn't have to cry, no no. . . </i><br />
<i>The best of times. . . . </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Cue the drum fill and the rock piano. The song is stuck in my head and seems so completely appropriate for this summer. Tomorrow we move Calvin into his new apartment in Iowa City where he can Zoom into his college classes much better than upstairs in his room here in Eagan.<br />
I get it. Nineteen-year-olds are not necessarily supposed to be hanging out with their family for six months straight. As a greedy half empty nester I took this time and ran with it. Amid the global suffering, I've been in seventh heaven. Family walks, family dinners, family games, family TV nights, family calendar blocking time on the Steinway. . .family bullet journal meetings.<br />
<br />
These months. These awful wonderful depressing sacred months. The four of us here in the house having extended family time that wasn't meant to be and probably will never be again. You know me, and you know that my heart is being squeezed tightly at the thought of it all coming to an end. Tomorrow.<br />
<br />
It won't be the same this year. Calvin and my mom won't be able to pop in the car for the weekend and come see Mary in the EVMB, and in other musical productions. COVID is still here outside my bubble of family and friends at home and the cabin. There won't be any musical productions and the high school band directors are doing their best to lift up a couple hundred kids after the death of their colleague, Mr. P, and the cancellation of virtually every thing these kids look forward to.<br />
<br />
<i>The headlines read, "These are the worst of time"</i><br />
<i>I do believe it's true</i><br />
<i>I feel so helpless like a boat against the tide</i><br />
<i>I wish the summer winds could bring back paradise. . . </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
How will we do COVID without the four of us safely here, without cabin weekends, without the garden? That is a very good question. Band director Mr. G told the band kids that band director Mr. P held two values close in his final days fighting cancer: grit and gratitude. I'm going to spread those values and try to find them in my own head.<br />
<br />
I'm AM so thankful for this unprecedented (sorry kids, I had to fit that word into a blog about the pandemic) family time we have had. Through all of the canceled trips and ruined plans, we held it together and mostly got to see the friends and family we needed. Nature helped. Zoom helped. Walking helped. Masks helped. Gratitude is an easy one for me.<br />
<br />
Now comes the grit part. Staying positive for Mary and my piano kids and doing some creative planning to make sure everyone, including me, has something to look forward to. Buckle down. Double up on the vitamin D. Pay the Zoom bill. Find a winter sport. Follow the example of our parents and grandparents. Avoid adopting any more cats.<br />
<br />
<i>Our memories of yesterday will last a lifetime</i><br />
<i>We'll take the best, forget the rest</i><br />
<i>And someday we'll find</i><br />
<i>These are the best of times</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Blessings to everyone sending their kids off to college and making decisions about school. I'm especially thinking of Casey, Maria, and Jill. May those moms and everyone else, be filled with gratitude and upheld with grit. Amen.<br />
SaraSara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-22766246373194596642020-06-25T07:50:00.001-05:002020-06-25T07:50:14.666-05:00Hope's Birthday Blessing<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVWM4546rNyCbRKHaWqzmXGY9kvNdmAk1zDUAwDOxd2aSy-BFO-F92ifHp3lrhgymE9RIvxhL2ib9wvmJRpOBs69DmFJ6sd3I1gH_mL62Ncwu-QTlABQDsOYSfhaIOyvm1g_jAmjgqQ/s1600/DSC_7004.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgVWM4546rNyCbRKHaWqzmXGY9kvNdmAk1zDUAwDOxd2aSy-BFO-F92ifHp3lrhgymE9RIvxhL2ib9wvmJRpOBs69DmFJ6sd3I1gH_mL62Ncwu-QTlABQDsOYSfhaIOyvm1g_jAmjgqQ/s640/DSC_7004.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking in the Window of Hope's Kitchen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope's 90th Birthday Party</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hope with Mary Ray</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1922557434"></span><span id="goog_1922557435"></span>Good morning.<br />
Today would be my grandma Hope's 101st birthday.<br />
I know I've written before about my childhood and my grandparents and the sacred place that was their farm. And I still have some boxes of memories from their house, in our basement, waiting to be sorted.<br />
<br />
Hope introduced me to C.S. Lewis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Thomas Merton. She gave me my black leather Bible with my name engraved. She shared my love of Madeleine L'Engle.<br />
<br />
She stood by the stove and stirred custard. The same custard I made last weekend for the homemade ice cream. She introduced me to almond extract and vanilla.<br />
<br />
Her plants are in my garden. Now it's a fern nation, but the first ten came from the north side of her garden. I have peonies from the long sunlit lane she road her bike up and down. And heritage roses from the perennial garden by the fence.<br />
<br />
She loved jewelry and gave me silver charms for my charm bracelet. She studied Indian concerns way before they were Native Americans.<br />
<br />
I stayed on their farm for two weeks each summer, taming the barn cats and making forts in a million places. Sewing doll clothes. Putting on shows, which she and grandpa patiently watched when they were probably wanting to turn on Johny Carson.<br />
<br />
She could assess my mental health by the state of my fingernails and my hair color. She knew me. And yet, she only saw the best.<br />
<br />
Most of all she listened. She listened to the ramblings of a four year old and heartbreaks of the twenty year old.<br />
<br />
And then she listened to my kids. She fed baby Mary scrambled eggs. Really GOOD scrambled eggs. She let Calvin wind the GOOD Czech toys. And she thought they hung the moon.<br />
<br />
I thought I could never live without her, but I'm still living eleven years later.<br />
I'm so thankful. I'm just so thankful.<br />
<br />
<i>Lord,</i><br />
<i>Thank you for my grandparents, and especially today, I'm remembering Hope. Thank you for her presence in my life. Thank you for the gift of faith which she shared. Thank you for the wealth of memories she gave to me. It's all So GOOD. Help me to be that listener to the young people in my life. Help me share her ferns. . . and help me to see the God moments she looked for everyday and in everyone. </i><br />
<i>Amen</i><br />
<br />
<br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-53960390375370917772020-06-10T07:48:00.000-05:002020-06-10T10:22:02.658-05:00Listening Last Night<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Last night I went to bed at peace for the first time since in several weeks. At least I was<i> a little bit more</i> at peace.<br />
<br />
Like everyone, the death of George Floyd and the reactive protests and riots have affected my peace of mind. The images on the news have been deeply, deeply disturbing. Lives have been unjustly taken taken and destroyed, property has been damaged, livelihoods have been stripped. I awoke daily to the smell of our city burning. Loved ones were in actual danger. It was really too much.<br />
<br />
I understand here, that my own peace of mind is not the central issue. Yet, it's mine, and I do believe that we have to secure our own oxygen mask before helping others. I've always said that. Yet, these last two weeks I've been unable to read, talk or pray my way to any sort of calm.<br />
<br />
I've been silent here and online because, well, anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of Facebook. I sent money to Minneapolis and tried to keep it together for my students and family.<br />
<br />
I've been trying to just listen, but I really couldn't digest what I was hearing. White friends preaching to me about racism is mostly what I was getting online. A friend of a friend of a friend who said such and such. Toxic memes. News from too far left and too far right.<br />
<br />
I only have a few friends of color and they actually have been very quiet.<br />
<br />
Last night was different for me. Last night the Suzuki Association of the Americas held a Zoom Listening Forum on Racial Inequities in the Suzuki community. Only teachers of color were invited to speak. The rest of us just listened. It was over two hours of teachers and parents sharing their stories. The speakers were emotional. They were hurt. They had righteous anger over the treatment of black children at institutes. They had frustration with language barriers. They had the courage to speak live in front of a primarily white organization and share their grief as well as give us ideas for a hopeful future.<br />
<br />
I guess that's what I really needed to hear all along. Real people, real stories. Real ideas. Real hope.<br />
Face to face. Well. . . Zoom box faces. Listening to the pain in my community, my own Suzuki community, was a great place to start.<br />
<br />
I'm okay with not being <i>completely</i> at peace. We shouldn't be okay with racial inequity and injustice in our community, yet listening to Suzuki people of color gave me an oxygen mask last night. I feel a little better prepared to do my part, whatever God shows me that will be. Step one, keep listening.<br />
<br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-10364153433031789562020-05-08T08:49:00.001-05:002020-05-08T08:49:24.036-05:00Time, Talent, Treasures, Trees ~ the 7th Aspiration ~ Resources<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
May 8. . . it's been eight weeks of the COVID19 stay at home order.<br />
<br />
Our social distancing scorecard? Probably about a B+. We've done pretty good. I don't know. Maybe not so good? What is good? Maybe we are at a B-.<br />
<br />
In eight weeks I've been to Kowalskis about three times, Costco twice, Target twice. One socially distant picnic. The kids went on a walk with Maggie. One student came for his Zoom recital because he didn't have a piano. A couple porch visits. One trip up north. This weekend we are going south. Gosh, maybe we are failing at this.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That is a man 70 feet up in our tree.<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
People are getting restless. Political. Dark hair roots. Dark Facebook posts. Spring break pedicures have long since grown out. Lucky for me I have a garden. I'm spending every spare minute there. The garden knows no vanity.<br />
<br />
My seventh aspiration is the aspiration of resources. Wise use of resources. I'm giving myself a C+ on this one. Maybe that's too rough.<br />
<br />
In Austin I was a minimalist. By choice and not by choice. My apartment was 400 square feet. I was a single piano teacher playing in a band and also working at a bank in the mornings. I didn't have much space or disposable income. There wasn't room or money for an extra set of towels. But that was 22 years ago. Now it takes a greater intentionality to be mindful of resources. Now we have to read books about Sparking Joy and cutting back. Now we have more choices.<br />
<br />
Time<br />
Talent<br />
Treasures<br />
Trees<br />
<br />
Our church added trees to the stewardship list a few years ago and I keep it there, well, because I love trees and my grandpa planted forests of trees and its just seems like part of our family story. We took down a huge tree in our ravine last weekend. It was threatening the house. I say we. . . we is the man who scaled the tree and cut it down limb by limb, trunk segment by trunk segment with spikes on his shoes, ropes, and a chain saw in one hand. When he was back on the ground he smoked a cigarette. I have planted a lot of trees. Sometimes they talk to me, sometimes I talk to them. The oldest ones have a lot to say. I give myself an A on trees.<br />
<br />
Time. All we have is now. This week I took the Facebook application off my phone. I'm reading Cal Newport's book <u>Digital Minimalism</u>. It's not just that computers and phones are BAD thing. . . like I've always said about screens, it's just what you might not be doing while you are doing the screen. And for those of us with addictive personalities, it's something to be careful about. Cal asks us to quantify the value? How does Facebook make me feel? What is its value? I like keeping in touch with the community. But. . . a lot of time I get sucked in and actually come out with a lessor opinion of my "friends." I joined Facebook to say happy birthday, not to see the dark side of humanity. I could write whole more blogs about the resource of time. Calendar blocking, is one thing that helps me be happier. It helps me not think I can do more than I can do in one day. I'll write about that another time. Still during the COVID19 time. .. I give myself a B. Like the popular meme, we are all floating at sea in a storm with sharks trying to finish our novels in life boats and wondering why we can't get it done.<br />
<br />
Talent. Suzuki teachers don't believe in talent. We have a growth mindset. Still. . . how we use the gifts we have is a big deal. Probably I get an A+ in this one. I have done my time volunteering for SAM, SPTG and the SAA. Not to mention ADMTA and HOT in Austin. I've pushed my student load to the limit more than a few times. Fifteen years off and on of church choir. Twelve years each of teaching my kids piano. Yep. A+. <br />
<br />
Treasures? Our money. Our homes. Our finances. Something very personal that every person or couple must go through and set their values. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have choices. Other times not so much. Bill and I try to be generous but I'm sure there is room for growth there. To whom much is given much will be expected. When we have enough, it is incumbent upon us to give back in as many ways as possible. Charitable giving is just one part of that. Opening up our home again and again and again is another. This home is for sharing. Our cabin is for sharing. The garden is for sharing, even though this year only the UPS gal and passers by will see it. I think all in all I give myself a B-. I have been known to buy some clothes and plants that were not exactly on my necessities list. I'm not chasing a minimalist garden or closet. I don't take that for granted.<br />
<br />
The resources all blur together in the final analysis. Time is money, talent is time. Trees are treasures. Like everything else in life it all requires mindfulness, and periodic assessment. Sometimes when we have time we have no money. When we are using our talents to their fullest we might have financial resources but no time. It all weaves together. Regardless, gratitude is huge, in times of want and in times of plenty. I feel a strong sense of accountability for everything that I have been given. . . read. . . Lutheran guilt. . . still... to whom much is given much will be expected.<br />
<br />
I do have a heart that wants to share it all, and I hope that goes a long way in my final resources grade, even after the Gertens Greenhouse trips.<br />
<br />
<i>Lord,</i><br />
<i>Thank you for all the gifts you give us. Our time, our talents, our treasures, our trees. Help us to be mindful and generous, open our doors to serve others with all our resources. Give us eyes to see where there is need. Amen</i><br />
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<br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-83156821442162994872020-04-16T08:49:00.000-05:002020-04-16T08:52:57.763-05:00Lessons of Stillness ~ COVID19 ~ And Now <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzrv0OJSq4oI3RP_sJsmAies5CHPFw1qlwT3GjvsVFABGSAgsnS1iE1ZaVw5YX1Bpp2clWYIbtTy2FNv9cJEf5_ZF-Q4RWri9kH1RrQfoWShnWZ7BxEnTdSLxrDQ2Pz3Y4Eis7hNucw/s1600/VTU1D029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1143" data-original-width="1600" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOzrv0OJSq4oI3RP_sJsmAies5CHPFw1qlwT3GjvsVFABGSAgsnS1iE1ZaVw5YX1Bpp2clWYIbtTy2FNv9cJEf5_ZF-Q4RWri9kH1RrQfoWShnWZ7BxEnTdSLxrDQ2Pz3Y4Eis7hNucw/s640/VTU1D029.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Different Kind of Easter</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmpjC6wkDTIaSdSCBGwTIY6-0iwAbuTvVoBqQ-9huLqkCeztzix1CyZ6wUQ08kQGFwZMnvFlAb7a-Nd0gPwsviX96lPsOP06Iy7s0GaYF1prRZCpmnwPpGF6BHBM9R8HmHm5sOh_HtA/s1600/IMG_0681.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKmpjC6wkDTIaSdSCBGwTIY6-0iwAbuTvVoBqQ-9huLqkCeztzix1CyZ6wUQ08kQGFwZMnvFlAb7a-Nd0gPwsviX96lPsOP06Iy7s0GaYF1prRZCpmnwPpGF6BHBM9R8HmHm5sOh_HtA/s320/IMG_0681.jpeg" width="240" /></a>Right now, it's 8:10 a.m. Calvin is upstairs practicing K.576. Mary is reading at the kitchen table. I'm staring at a bunch of yellow tulips from Kowalski's. The sunlight is streaming in the window, though there are still many patches of snow on the hill. I'm drinking a cup of Door County Amaretto coffee with half and half and an extra splash of Penzey's almond extract.<br />
<br />
I guess it's week four of the stay at home order. Or something like that. Does anybody really know what time or day it is?<br />
<br />
I'm reading two books ~ Eckhart Tolle's <u>The Power of Now</u>, and Ryan Holiday's <u>Stillness is the Key</u>. Timely. All we have is now and there is a heck of a lot of stillness. <br />
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We listened to Easter services in our pajamas on the bedroom sofa. With the cats. One sermon moved me most. We will be different when this is over. We will all be different. None of us will be exactly the same. How do I want to be different?<br />
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There will likely NEVER be another time when Bill, Calvin, Mary and I will be alone in this house for this long. I really want to be here. Don't wish it away.<br />
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I remember the moment when the Stephens family, my mom, my dad, Susan and I were alone in the house last. It was 1997 after my grandpa Gene died. Susan and I flew home from Texas. After the funeral we were just all four there in my folk's log house, we walked on the frozen pond and ate rice pudding and just were together alone.<br />
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I'm spending close to seven hours a day on Zoom between lessons and meetings. How is that changing me, or how could I allow it to help me grow? The biggest thing is the gap. The gap between when one person talks and the other talks. Between when one person can play the piano and when the other person can play the piano. Interrupting on Zoom is impossible, the sound just cuts out when you try. We must simply wait for the gap. I'd like to use that gap to really think about what needs to be said next. Not that I have achieved this. Try to just let simple words sink in. Don't talk too much. <br />
<br />
I'd like to give the gift of my attention.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To experience another person fully in the moment is a rare thing. To feel them engage with you, to be giving all their energy to you, as though there is nothing else that matters in the world, is rarer still.<br />
R. Holiday pg. 24</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Who is so talented that they can afford to bring only part of themselves to bear on a problem or opportunity? Whose relationships are so strong that they can get away with not showing up? Who is so certain that they'll get another moment that they can confidently skip over this one?<br />
R. Holiday pg. 27</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
An artist is <i>present</i>. And from this stillness comes brilliance. This moment we are experiencing right now is a gift (what's why we call it<i> the present</i>). Even if it is a stressful, trying experience--it could be our last. So let's develop the ability to be in it, to put everything we have into appreciation the plentitude of the now.<br />
R. Holiday pg. 28</blockquote>
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So. . . that is what I'm trying to do.<br />
The sun is a little higher than a little bit ago. Bill is now awake and unloading the dishwasher. Mary has gone up to start Zoom school. Calvin has moved on to the development of the first movement of K. 576. My coffee is a little lower. The tulips are still here.<br />
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<br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-67658153964174721202020-04-05T14:35:00.001-05:002020-04-05T15:05:58.323-05:00It's A Good Day for Music ~ It's a Sad Day for Music ~ Doris Harrel <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's a sad day for music. This morning our dear Doris passed away.<br />
When I got the email from Vickie, Calvin was upstairs practicing a Chopin etude on her piano.<br />
Then, a half hour later two of my students performed their Zoom Book One graduation recitals with an audience from Israel, Germany and all over the United States.<br />
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It's a good day for music. I have another Book Three recital this afternoon.<br />
<br />
There are blogs and blogs and more blogs to write about Doris. We can all share our stories. Write me your stories. . .<br />
<br />
To me she was the mother of Suzuki Piano.<br />
The message in the music was everything to her.<br />
The day I met her my life took a different direction.<br />
We met in the lobby of the UT music building and I knew in one conversation that this was it.<br />
<br />
Well. . . there is much more where this came from, but I need to get ready for the next recital. When Ralph passed away the music came first and she taught at the workshop. She found healing in music and we will too. <br />
<br />
It's a sad day for music.<br />
It's a good day for music.<br />
<br />
Sara<br />
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<br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-39004344014513470942020-03-31T14:04:00.003-05:002020-03-31T14:10:12.198-05:00The Giant Exhale ~ Social Distancing Week Three ~ COVID19<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moving Out of the Dorms</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Making Masks</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The January Calendar</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8NuLZATZJMpA-c3Rih1YqFr-TkFhtpj0pYPeR6wkl532OgomnEyr0CV9rQPWgLQKb0cde2fGneBGS216bnGPsr4aP5OrGgQIOkTbWgfXAMEmCpmpcZmHlnI4W2Origsyn2Q-5aeKZQ/s1600/IMG_7250.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8NuLZATZJMpA-c3Rih1YqFr-TkFhtpj0pYPeR6wkl532OgomnEyr0CV9rQPWgLQKb0cde2fGneBGS216bnGPsr4aP5OrGgQIOkTbWgfXAMEmCpmpcZmHlnI4W2Origsyn2Q-5aeKZQ/s640/IMG_7250.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Few of the Masks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD-l-I-MOTc7c2MDiDXGH-L6m8zylo8hQDah6TS6PI7rb6btT8J3dYdg4JIBia8USYOR1PoGrNgFvw6wkAj_qN_sta_HsNZ0LZU3Kt-Sk5ZiErcyhPdHACEfD8tk5V9ZYvz8vZTMTfw/s1600/IMG_7261.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTD-l-I-MOTc7c2MDiDXGH-L6m8zylo8hQDah6TS6PI7rb6btT8J3dYdg4JIBia8USYOR1PoGrNgFvw6wkAj_qN_sta_HsNZ0LZU3Kt-Sk5ZiErcyhPdHACEfD8tk5V9ZYvz8vZTMTfw/s640/IMG_7261.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Someone's Sidewalk Art</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjYGpS8mskkqYaiKae4nZdP9jBHCzWnV5lSSq6UBH_HiKbGiDbKbMV8U6JqgVS-GKdYA_4J6RxfNqZAZh-QbJXtuyeYG1cypuYirB5XbjEdIDaoVM7kH6CmP_8QCU_V6KUakdnuQasg/s1600/IMG_7267.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGjYGpS8mskkqYaiKae4nZdP9jBHCzWnV5lSSq6UBH_HiKbGiDbKbMV8U6JqgVS-GKdYA_4J6RxfNqZAZh-QbJXtuyeYG1cypuYirB5XbjEdIDaoVM7kH6CmP_8QCU_V6KUakdnuQasg/s640/IMG_7267.PNG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Day of Social Distancing</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K9YRe-dZtORNiW73ZWZXGPOaeRv3rKJJLvRyuKCMue_uzY9akAEE1f22EuokYd0SfkRCY0aGFB4I6NN5-9y_yhb9udV5BObQh4iSjKDcmLdn4EcNFZfQTFxZUNC-YbCsHD0FcZkKgw/s1600/IMG_7280.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K9YRe-dZtORNiW73ZWZXGPOaeRv3rKJJLvRyuKCMue_uzY9akAEE1f22EuokYd0SfkRCY0aGFB4I6NN5-9y_yhb9udV5BObQh4iSjKDcmLdn4EcNFZfQTFxZUNC-YbCsHD0FcZkKgw/s640/IMG_7280.PNG" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yep, Taking Care of Our Peeps</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoq0GcqP9UVE5x52J6nx9PLGqE_9QJszCeScy7p319J58Ufj43vvcakx8h-GQDb2zQvnVh_1w2gxAaZiqo0gFnh8mkmQQZ9EP7lSHvt4NpYGxnW4XzqFdimYkLYJ14K0a3SIRLWcv9A/s1600/IMG_7283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLoq0GcqP9UVE5x52J6nx9PLGqE_9QJszCeScy7p319J58Ufj43vvcakx8h-GQDb2zQvnVh_1w2gxAaZiqo0gFnh8mkmQQZ9EP7lSHvt4NpYGxnW4XzqFdimYkLYJ14K0a3SIRLWcv9A/s640/IMG_7283.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for Online Classes</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmsU3Pq08Y4j0M5A8XoesIWOigHpRiU1HQsTz3K1jDf7XaDj97cYWF-6iwp_6xArxXgeVEFTAhFlDnCuGCCdMNQQ-HHT9dXx1bZyvGhHW57v1NnvRVnnSAKkFe4FDy88CwbGqF-rErA/s1600/IMG_7285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmsU3Pq08Y4j0M5A8XoesIWOigHpRiU1HQsTz3K1jDf7XaDj97cYWF-6iwp_6xArxXgeVEFTAhFlDnCuGCCdMNQQ-HHT9dXx1bZyvGhHW57v1NnvRVnnSAKkFe4FDy88CwbGqF-rErA/s640/IMG_7285.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Friends We Can Hug</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7c-12D12IuvugVEf_nIiI6C-Ie2ROxBTKkBhevoCDZOGd7Xz7uwD6Sym7_ZMelhdBnq3qel_DcNVP7sNOWPPgxOxZ68HjvEa0f5UBIX3GXUa2Ja071BPX-5fguAvMqHsgIQ4ZdMZvw/s1600/IMG_7290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1203" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7c-12D12IuvugVEf_nIiI6C-Ie2ROxBTKkBhevoCDZOGd7Xz7uwD6Sym7_ZMelhdBnq3qel_DcNVP7sNOWPPgxOxZ68HjvEa0f5UBIX3GXUa2Ja071BPX-5fguAvMqHsgIQ4ZdMZvw/s640/IMG_7290.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Grandpa's Barn Coat--Starting the Spring Gardening</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8qVBHrRo-5yIUQ_r2k0opc8JVuAoijC0ICmQsTX97lKA_pTII4e-fgFeP1OY1stsuzuq9OO87rnP9v9b42zvKkvu0Vx27JocNBWbci0o2lZo3HW5JRCG5VAB5vN4Tn_MvCWys-T6GA/s1600/IMG_7296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8qVBHrRo-5yIUQ_r2k0opc8JVuAoijC0ICmQsTX97lKA_pTII4e-fgFeP1OY1stsuzuq9OO87rnP9v9b42zvKkvu0Vx27JocNBWbci0o2lZo3HW5JRCG5VAB5vN4Tn_MvCWys-T6GA/s640/IMG_7296.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Painting and Supporting Local Business</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUILUgfV21KqiSwmpVCIJL4TSk6TLJelZiruxNrpqHXB_a1xyVEUuLu8F_mlKi_glL5mowdzspUPfEURKhyphenhyphenp1unwO7hntsLc0gyZVCCG3E0aH44FpHnKJbzTour5dH9JlqXzYRBSuhug/s1600/IMG_7299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUILUgfV21KqiSwmpVCIJL4TSk6TLJelZiruxNrpqHXB_a1xyVEUuLu8F_mlKi_glL5mowdzspUPfEURKhyphenhyphenp1unwO7hntsLc0gyZVCCG3E0aH44FpHnKJbzTour5dH9JlqXzYRBSuhug/s640/IMG_7299.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Distance Learning</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsTz2Q22UPnOMTJTUvNL5lTtPOCbAeR0nGQNlkN3sgdVxmqWNUMVdQhFcd8GOxhbNT98asrBQpzDmZ_hmvPh-4mrMea5j5y6itOpout60FkCFmsxrRfVnePQCOcvTAiKTsZ0YMjlSAQ/s1600/IMG_7302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzsTz2Q22UPnOMTJTUvNL5lTtPOCbAeR0nGQNlkN3sgdVxmqWNUMVdQhFcd8GOxhbNT98asrBQpzDmZ_hmvPh-4mrMea5j5y6itOpout60FkCFmsxrRfVnePQCOcvTAiKTsZ0YMjlSAQ/s640/IMG_7302.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Facetime Lessons</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rE78jOUIh7CoBWoV2HWsZSC8byC9D56vPngZfEV5QD38mYQ6-Sd6q-VTht5kAd47tWubzscogCTQqOEqCvbBThZVW6p69WHQEdwdPbsTSgXk-_YicLk_KhRd_xp7B-vnPUeDwGVdVg/s1600/IMG_7305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rE78jOUIh7CoBWoV2HWsZSC8byC9D56vPngZfEV5QD38mYQ6-Sd6q-VTht5kAd47tWubzscogCTQqOEqCvbBThZVW6p69WHQEdwdPbsTSgXk-_YicLk_KhRd_xp7B-vnPUeDwGVdVg/s640/IMG_7305.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turtles Have a Visit </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUsT0q_2UCGhj-s2n7FB_KpHLZy4D__zXXvl9aTCYs5A0sANHJSkHuZr0rRv1CSa9FgAcjLeSGp7rslKT24MybCagopD0OutAijHL6i59XsDj_7ud0-HWL_E85DMeC2g0kzoUQy_gQA/s1600/IMG_7311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDUsT0q_2UCGhj-s2n7FB_KpHLZy4D__zXXvl9aTCYs5A0sANHJSkHuZr0rRv1CSa9FgAcjLeSGp7rslKT24MybCagopD0OutAijHL6i59XsDj_7ud0-HWL_E85DMeC2g0kzoUQy_gQA/s640/IMG_7311.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get Down. . . </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRK4BjzdCDpSEsBIzeOc4N1XbAwXbqKm6H5LmTw94ZJkkam75ONYdExgUw6OqoByPcGZZJ6V0A5zopz0asUlMXoslUxRE8-FA_66UVzNBctI3t5Bya0_MOq_0KX3Aj9-IOlPa1VTZ63A/s1600/IMG_7312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRK4BjzdCDpSEsBIzeOc4N1XbAwXbqKm6H5LmTw94ZJkkam75ONYdExgUw6OqoByPcGZZJ6V0A5zopz0asUlMXoslUxRE8-FA_66UVzNBctI3t5Bya0_MOq_0KX3Aj9-IOlPa1VTZ63A/s640/IMG_7312.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Watering Plants</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yzLVRDk4brGAhr8cc_adlZFWmTCssOgNX-guDij9USeDBkGWKteyzKx3n8IQ07qA3tvdARA5NLOXUzqnU-VAwV-23g3TUvgjgNjIn4e4t_sk5oA5GLyZ3_FL1UKwGNNYdJCB1EJq-w/s1600/91260558_10157531536548172_9155390877881860096_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1yzLVRDk4brGAhr8cc_adlZFWmTCssOgNX-guDij9USeDBkGWKteyzKx3n8IQ07qA3tvdARA5NLOXUzqnU-VAwV-23g3TUvgjgNjIn4e4t_sk5oA5GLyZ3_FL1UKwGNNYdJCB1EJq-w/s640/91260558_10157531536548172_9155390877881860096_o.jpg" width="426" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I Liked This</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu49Ed3enOQFDUKQrNGsD1cgMSS7SF9PqB2zVDCkubATZPEHCYqzC1EZQnD8WG_5JmpHzy62sqPqbTvMKU0B5gD9AMBLjpED5aRYF91v6d3piDgMqdyNbJGOI0v46Cxpon3F77ld5qA/s1600/IMG_F48F57A8E576-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmu49Ed3enOQFDUKQrNGsD1cgMSS7SF9PqB2zVDCkubATZPEHCYqzC1EZQnD8WG_5JmpHzy62sqPqbTvMKU0B5gD9AMBLjpED5aRYF91v6d3piDgMqdyNbJGOI0v46Cxpon3F77ld5qA/s640/IMG_F48F57A8E576-1.jpeg" width="360" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An Example of My Distance Learning Day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Hello. . . hello out there. . .<br />
<br />
How is everybody doing?<br />
<br />
Calvin's recital at the U of Iowa would have been tonight. I think the first wave of everyone's disappointment of the canceling of their events has passed. I didn't say it was gone, just the first wave seems to have passed. The trips and special events have been grieved and the gravitas of the pandemic seems to have sunk in.<br />
<br />
I'm peaceful about this week. The distance learning and my Factime teaching gives us a routine. We are using the calendar blocking system, at dinner we block out who needs which room at which times. The four of us are here. I'm teaching video lessons, Mary is doing online high school, Calvin is doing online college, and Bill, well. . . Bill is just here. He's got stuff to do, like fixing the busted off knob to the baking cabinet for me. And other more important things as well.<br />
<br />
It's surreal, the news is so bad and so many people are suffering. Yet here I am, almost more peaceful than I have ever been. I feel a giant exhale.<br />
<br />
The four of us are here. This is what I grieved for all fall. It's like a giant emotional tease, I finally came to a peace about the kid having flown and now he is back and we are all eating every meal together again with no parting in sight.<br />
<br />
The calendar is just wiped. Completely wiped. No Holy Week accompanying stress. No school plays and concerts. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. A giant exhale.<br />
<br />
It's the biggest exhale I have felt since I moved to Minnesota in 1998. A new town. Nothing to do and no-one to do it with. Well. . . I guess Bill and I were newlyweds so we had that. . .<br />
<br />
I've tried to cut back and fight the busyness for years. I've blogged about it and tried to come up with systems and new plans and ways to add margin and observe Sabbath and protect family time ad nauseam. I'm a helpless calendar addict. If there was blank space I filled it. Over and over and over. Now family time is almost all we have.<br />
<br />
I guess it took a global pandemic for me to go cold turkey.<br />
<br />
<h4>
<i>In the rush to return to normal, use this time to consider which parts of normal are worth rushing back to. </i> (David Hollis through becomingminimalist)</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
If you are like me, and think the world needs you to be active every minute or some pressing thing won't be accomplished, maybe this is a good time to reflect on how how life might be without all of it. And then add things back very carefully. Check your ego. We don't have to do it all. I'm going to be right here, right now and embrace this giant exhale. Teach. Garden. Make meals. Call people. Exhale. Take the rest that has been forced upon us with grace and gratitude. The giant exhale. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Lord, </i></div>
<div>
<i>Keep our world under your wings, especially the doctors and nurses and all those at risk. Be with us. For those of us safe at home, help us continue to be at peace and help us continue to reflect on what is the most important. Use us as you will through this time. Amen.</i> </div>
Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-20868047230930075512020-03-22T15:03:00.000-05:002020-03-22T16:12:30.333-05:00Kindness ~ the 6th Aspiration <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0is7yswVeBHDO1IdUR-_G_ykJ4unaetd0naVzx2zCOeg9DaPd-2pjWQXzYmv4sr6LHYJuhQ9bXIg_sKQJXYXGMAKdqW28z29hv4NnmxNzXgKvhA8mFRVjpS5MrIeDsLDi2kVKh28Zg/s1600/IMG_7248.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0is7yswVeBHDO1IdUR-_G_ykJ4unaetd0naVzx2zCOeg9DaPd-2pjWQXzYmv4sr6LHYJuhQ9bXIg_sKQJXYXGMAKdqW28z29hv4NnmxNzXgKvhA8mFRVjpS5MrIeDsLDi2kVKh28Zg/s640/IMG_7248.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary Sewing Masks</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszk77FZtQkn3E9PqgdTgCZUokK7-RpqMroUtZxnPV05zsdubvHeTi298r0BClnJbDVpJJO6HGidgX048TiYJnAI887fJIfO87pqTZARLzlB85Ou66g6MgvupvTqyEYMWTharuQGFIMg/s1600/IMG_7230.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhszk77FZtQkn3E9PqgdTgCZUokK7-RpqMroUtZxnPV05zsdubvHeTi298r0BClnJbDVpJJO6HGidgX048TiYJnAI887fJIfO87pqTZARLzlB85Ou66g6MgvupvTqyEYMWTharuQGFIMg/s640/IMG_7230.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calvin's Freshman Recital at Home</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fgoJb4WhDIxgum3ChRr-7MrVfYcOoeKI3A9q09rblurvCk70M3ibFW_d3w1IIhHJGxYD1yFJP04PdIXZ3sa5r6rDQltzE1cSa_xXAtACMWZx3_3ftO5A3BnqfyhxZCPwG8jvyf5smQ/s1600/IMG_7233.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3fgoJb4WhDIxgum3ChRr-7MrVfYcOoeKI3A9q09rblurvCk70M3ibFW_d3w1IIhHJGxYD1yFJP04PdIXZ3sa5r6rDQltzE1cSa_xXAtACMWZx3_3ftO5A3BnqfyhxZCPwG8jvyf5smQ/s640/IMG_7233.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boy. . . </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILFdMOpQZndKwppKTaM8JUrcBirf97pSkCI3i305zdxrALPMVOMSszf79iYKH9gW_25IDZ_OhI5YUAkkBbeX762ttsw_cRNVIzfVMT0LKFTFj54TeaPyGWsl1iwLv4o-N7mqaSeErKw/s1600/IMG_7236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhILFdMOpQZndKwppKTaM8JUrcBirf97pSkCI3i305zdxrALPMVOMSszf79iYKH9gW_25IDZ_OhI5YUAkkBbeX762ttsw_cRNVIzfVMT0LKFTFj54TeaPyGWsl1iwLv4o-N7mqaSeErKw/s640/IMG_7236.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Audience</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VeOHcHJ-9h67wQ4IKvsRV6ceeGTOzjpQLD6YG3BLMd2PdQR2kyGyCJmJJXZ3a1srIh1p7OIfbs2hRNBIpTQHHWgzZOER-8QDWIrwuH8TC7O1OvJF-MeNsRnJ7JcyM8NQI2d-TYBuTg/s1600/IMG_7238.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-VeOHcHJ-9h67wQ4IKvsRV6ceeGTOzjpQLD6YG3BLMd2PdQR2kyGyCJmJJXZ3a1srIh1p7OIfbs2hRNBIpTQHHWgzZOER-8QDWIrwuH8TC7O1OvJF-MeNsRnJ7JcyM8NQI2d-TYBuTg/s640/IMG_7238.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saturday we had one guest and kept her socially distant</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYOFzwoXfukuyXOUNornuUBixKnuVi1autDcmB6IE_c1ePBwS3zd0j0RxVQnDx27YEJSvk6rPknyndg-2c72_K2sqEahz0-Vu2BEjlGoUaanQ2Qf1ZLS2sWSmM79EP4aiUSk2orsB-Q/s1600/IMG_7219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDYOFzwoXfukuyXOUNornuUBixKnuVi1autDcmB6IE_c1ePBwS3zd0j0RxVQnDx27YEJSvk6rPknyndg-2c72_K2sqEahz0-Vu2BEjlGoUaanQ2Qf1ZLS2sWSmM79EP4aiUSk2orsB-Q/s640/IMG_7219.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cats LOVE the new sofa</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ioo0eMtTPLEoCQ_jp98_LySgL5eSIPbNQpt4GxJwggYz8KhXeAuZDwrPvd1QuNCZJbk-xAl7S0cwaE_PbbhS2nOr-4E-u5UDwYFxfl87a0xfkMnaGYyZSNKCGM4Ptq8Yntkwddu6WQ/s1600/IMG_7242.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ioo0eMtTPLEoCQ_jp98_LySgL5eSIPbNQpt4GxJwggYz8KhXeAuZDwrPvd1QuNCZJbk-xAl7S0cwaE_PbbhS2nOr-4E-u5UDwYFxfl87a0xfkMnaGYyZSNKCGM4Ptq8Yntkwddu6WQ/s640/IMG_7242.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bill works the live stream. . .</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignjctQD3qw33NW0BE4EHmbeFC16yuVMdl9kOEX2Nr89IgVrOQ6L2vY6CcUNNZj60wZUoV3FQxDuf9U_Ej50fpX6Y3DZXtse6sOK3qfjN8hJV5wMK3JyCFHJPhpqsJHo6nCIUg5xvFPg/s1600/IMG_7223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEignjctQD3qw33NW0BE4EHmbeFC16yuVMdl9kOEX2Nr89IgVrOQ6L2vY6CcUNNZj60wZUoV3FQxDuf9U_Ej50fpX6Y3DZXtse6sOK3qfjN8hJV5wMK3JyCFHJPhpqsJHo6nCIUg5xvFPg/s640/IMG_7223.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oliver likes the new pillow. . . a little too much. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYrQ4eNddOL6AE-hoJc-Cs564Ffw7ZhXhASb3ZITLCGSv2ZbFEppmf7_yEC7ICdlh_nwP3BWXIS7uBSf6YQcqkIz_gqf-DxTkbBDaXahCYr6U7hYcw9sxNJasAfJ0jJE54mNo3PBPRA/s1600/IMG_7244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhYrQ4eNddOL6AE-hoJc-Cs564Ffw7ZhXhASb3ZITLCGSv2ZbFEppmf7_yEC7ICdlh_nwP3BWXIS7uBSf6YQcqkIz_gqf-DxTkbBDaXahCYr6U7hYcw9sxNJasAfJ0jJE54mNo3PBPRA/s640/IMG_7244.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Post Recital Hike around Lebanon Hills</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here we are. This weekend was Calvin's recitals, his optional Freshman recital for the University of Iowa School of Music. We had no guests on Friday, we had one guest on Saturday. Other than that it was Bill, and Mary and I, we are after all, Calvin's biggest fans. We had to eat all the brownies ourselves.<br />
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Here are the links. . . the edited video will be posted when we have a chance. The video from Saturday is more smooth.<br />
Friday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzPUQksXM0" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCzPUQksXM0</a><br />
Saturday: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT9Q3Vz0Gbo" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oT9Q3Vz0Gbo</a><br />
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Thank you to everyone who tuned in for the live streams. It could be that more people were able to watch it live than would have been able to attend the recitals, even in Iowa City. What is live music without an audience? I especially loved the Beethoven. The resilience of the human spirit. Beethoven says what we are all feeling.<br />
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You have no idea how hard the man behind the curtain worked to make it happen. Limited band width, computer batteries, camera batteries, limited file sizes on the Nikon, new applications to learn. . . myriad challenges, but for the most part Bill made it happen. <br />
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Mary is making masks for the Minneapolis hospitals. These calico masks are not front line masks, but for the other workers in the hospital. They are asking folks to make them and drop them off. <br />
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The sixth aspiration of my ten aspirations is to be kind. Compassion is not my first virtue. It fell closer to my sister, who teaches junior high special education. She is the most compassionate person I know.<br />
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I know compassion and kindness are not the same thing, but they dance together well. Maybe compassion is the feeling and kindness is the action. What do you think?<br />
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True compassion sets boundaries. For example. . . is it kinder to be very strict about bedtime for a few nights, or for your kids to argue and struggle against going to bed for their entire childhood, especially when we know that proper sleep enables all learning and other functions? Boundaries are actually a form of kindness. I probably live that to a fault.<br />
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Still. . . kindness is probably the secret of life. Being kind and compassionate does not equal a free for all. Doing your kids laundry their whole life is not kind. Teaching them how to do their own laundry <i>is</i> kind. Once they know how to do their laundry, doing their laundry during finals week <i>is</i> kind. Get it?<br />
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I guess we all have to follow our own instincts. I'm <i>trying</i> to look at life through the eyes of the person in front of me. . . but it's not easy. I'm balancing that voice that wants to tell the other person to "just buck up" all the time. I'm afraid if I'm too compassionate it will make the people around me weak. Compassion and kindness and boundaries are a dance.<br />
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It can be the hardest thing to be kind to the people we are the closest to. During this quarantine we really, really need to be kind to each other. Give each other some grace. Guard our tongues. Ask ourselves if what we are saying is kind. My childhood pastor Bohlman used to tell us to filter our words with:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Is it kind?</li>
<li>Is it neccesary?</li>
<li>Is it true?</li>
</ul>
<div>
The greatest of these is kindness. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Lord, </i></div>
<div>
<i>Here we are in this pandemic. We know you are right here with us. Help us to be patient and kind to each other, always. Help us to set boundaries that are kind and compassionate. Be with all the healthcare workers and send us all your peace that passes all understanding.</i></div>
<div>
<i>Amen </i></div>
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<span id="goog_1114813985"></span><span id="goog_1114813986"></span><br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-38912574666947817782020-03-16T14:55:00.003-05:002020-03-18T09:29:53.597-05:00Aspiration Number Five ~ to Limit Screen Time <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJhDhZBWl16qMXN3pu6LEgvPsqH4v-3NF98rUo065Piln8us44jAK5wUjJtCy6EvYZeyd1iJr0xPFCFH8cTk9mxcct7syNDSBLLf6ZCCUMrFOWvWSZhSOjBxmQobr5R3dObbXpQcujQ/s1600/87855767_2463665450564184_846059349871689728_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheJhDhZBWl16qMXN3pu6LEgvPsqH4v-3NF98rUo065Piln8us44jAK5wUjJtCy6EvYZeyd1iJr0xPFCFH8cTk9mxcct7syNDSBLLf6ZCCUMrFOWvWSZhSOjBxmQobr5R3dObbXpQcujQ/s640/87855767_2463665450564184_846059349871689728_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Suzuki Association of Minnesota Piano Graduation</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznBaLl7HhPNiAWmql-g4miSxgQQvDA4ReGgbCfVzt6vX-NXrXXRczyFoRkSM55Pquyf0EPebG5qsmuzkBU1cK0UGqU1-2VRWjkAX88MfGpQJdGUt9jqY9nLmkFGdcJ6AAMnDlrrUapg/s1600/D75_7566.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjznBaLl7HhPNiAWmql-g4miSxgQQvDA4ReGgbCfVzt6vX-NXrXXRczyFoRkSM55Pquyf0EPebG5qsmuzkBU1cK0UGqU1-2VRWjkAX88MfGpQJdGUt9jqY9nLmkFGdcJ6AAMnDlrrUapg/s640/D75_7566.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary and her Book 7 Trophy</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tapxqImUFana9W5BPiN0ibxZWFdko2Pe9_tP36LpVomSSN0uMQzuZBYOr1f-OoPEghocdnsVX0YG36-hiN1vT31hI44v17MMFYkuq8jHRkJwFZ6wd1gw2ayNiT5u9aggZuSCzt5EjA/s1600/D75_7568.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3tapxqImUFana9W5BPiN0ibxZWFdko2Pe9_tP36LpVomSSN0uMQzuZBYOr1f-OoPEghocdnsVX0YG36-hiN1vT31hI44v17MMFYkuq8jHRkJwFZ6wd1gw2ayNiT5u9aggZuSCzt5EjA/s640/D75_7568.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Warm Fuzzies All Around</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpBpUx0EBEzCAfy5tuYiUHh4OFmHaXyTzNxm0wkbgp5B1shJ44QxziUjBXOv5ftWdz27Qe_qzrAf_iBqRoBuyevw_2ZTM-QZ8kP6Oi1HMmzDWbDXlLNZIr7EyI4RJ0ovuSx81KWlxKg/s1600/D75_7575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigpBpUx0EBEzCAfy5tuYiUHh4OFmHaXyTzNxm0wkbgp5B1shJ44QxziUjBXOv5ftWdz27Qe_qzrAf_iBqRoBuyevw_2ZTM-QZ8kP6Oi1HMmzDWbDXlLNZIr7EyI4RJ0ovuSx81KWlxKg/s640/D75_7575.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teacher's Purple Dress Code</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Gj5gXE11rLAG7ikrz9kMpmxgGz8KKnWeXgDAXKZqz0ZGQpHEJZZDrXZqtHI_VqVjHgxzSPAskmaZ3GgkKiC-3rtjV3tACktYzQkyY80LnEQ3kJpb76rXuGLYi87cTUXi68OlPEMazg/s1600/IMG_7193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="778" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Gj5gXE11rLAG7ikrz9kMpmxgGz8KKnWeXgDAXKZqz0ZGQpHEJZZDrXZqtHI_VqVjHgxzSPAskmaZ3GgkKiC-3rtjV3tACktYzQkyY80LnEQ3kJpb76rXuGLYi87cTUXi68OlPEMazg/s640/IMG_7193.JPG" width="310" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peter performed Bach so beautifully </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAFdPph9o9_tYAsOF3P_o0wPTkoNRprvxdiQFtvO2jawKM32VU56QT8HzxvEEHdo-f9mbVdjJYBXWPi6OIPnlSyI4fbYCkwK8V5i4Cr-J-X8EWB3UfOTO8a7LeJOi8qGtYfbkObLK5w/s1600/IMG_7204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAFdPph9o9_tYAsOF3P_o0wPTkoNRprvxdiQFtvO2jawKM32VU56QT8HzxvEEHdo-f9mbVdjJYBXWPi6OIPnlSyI4fbYCkwK8V5i4Cr-J-X8EWB3UfOTO8a7LeJOi8qGtYfbkObLK5w/s640/IMG_7204.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spring Break Brunch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsEX0Ja_6wLTEQf9YKJ_hYRJGELE06QHzSdzWs6gBEFd3_zgi0p3UpHgWKnc4iyshZ4N7vMOn55nxFFSZKXhPVYLVn1JOd8tiLsqJ70jSmOA9-ikgc78TsjuJtMvoolKbQbziYegdTA/s1600/IMG_7205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="961" data-original-width="763" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQsEX0Ja_6wLTEQf9YKJ_hYRJGELE06QHzSdzWs6gBEFd3_zgi0p3UpHgWKnc4iyshZ4N7vMOn55nxFFSZKXhPVYLVn1JOd8tiLsqJ70jSmOA9-ikgc78TsjuJtMvoolKbQbziYegdTA/s640/IMG_7205.JPG" width="508" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My newest piece</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijliv18lNI4RZ4rOEbnO2V0alF5qNmHEaRUAZLClBWLFrlx1dxzGYmaG3iJpdSnEkKnwrHCcpzl2-9WTW0br4Hr0fny7QDPLqN39wf07nF2NgQgv5SdelKg4oURNsYfsLIedsR5DiNvw/s1600/IMG_7212.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijliv18lNI4RZ4rOEbnO2V0alF5qNmHEaRUAZLClBWLFrlx1dxzGYmaG3iJpdSnEkKnwrHCcpzl2-9WTW0br4Hr0fny7QDPLqN39wf07nF2NgQgv5SdelKg4oURNsYfsLIedsR5DiNvw/s640/IMG_7212.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">22 Years and Counting--the love of my life</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1q_cQFBYlEZjzGwj4l3bLrZ7Ny3Tr9L2el73qenJgxwJ8KHY_dJB_1w_9svrAIOoIKNhSpITeO9XTsZ8td6jdSv-LtJKszliJiYYyCxgoQxAIW06o12X63w-ZuQqIIxQM2xMMtMxKQ/s1600/IMG_20200313_171538_MP.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF1q_cQFBYlEZjzGwj4l3bLrZ7Ny3Tr9L2el73qenJgxwJ8KHY_dJB_1w_9svrAIOoIKNhSpITeO9XTsZ8td6jdSv-LtJKszliJiYYyCxgoQxAIW06o12X63w-ZuQqIIxQM2xMMtMxKQ/s640/IMG_20200313_171538_MP.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The show must go on. . . </td></tr>
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Well. Here we are. It's Calvin's spring break. Mary's and my official spring break is next week but it's really all mixed up. COVID19 is enabling the sky to fall and we are all cozying down in our social distancing. For people like Bill's folks who live down a country road cul-de-sac in northern Minnesota, social distancing is not too hard. Sometimes a car comes down their road and sometimes it doesn't.<br />
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After the obvious victims of the actual illness, my heart next goes out to all the young people and all their spring plans. All the student musicians, and athletes and scholars. All the seniors celebrating the end of high school. So many, many disappointments. Calvin's first recital at the University of Iowa, the SAM Strings graduation. . . proms. . . weddings. . . the list goes on and on and on. We are all just having a giant sad exhale.<br />
<br />
Our Sunday family bullet journal meeting where we go over all the events of the week and all the details about rides and rehearsals? It was very short this week. <br />
<br />
Everything is cancelled. Calvin will still have his recital runs this weekend--Friday at 5:00 and Saturday at 1:00. Please check his YouTube channel to catch it live or watch the video. Here is a link: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8eTT-pv5u9eEwjlOSquYjg" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8eTT-pv5u9eEwjlOSquYjg</a><br />
Or search Calvin Kotrba Piano on Youtube and you will find it. His other Youtube channel is train videos. Don't get confused. I will still serve brownies with a side of hand sanitizer after the music for the die-hards. We will sit six feet away.<br />
<br />
I have time to blog. Lot's of time. Trips are cancelled. The drawers are already pretty clean. Sorry if that makes this entry too long.<br />
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The next aspiration of my ten aspirations is to limit screen time. It's not really great timing as I see my screen time is up 137% during the first two days of social distancing. Eventually we don't need anymore shoes on sale and we have seen all there is to see on Facebook and we know the hourly play by play on how many confirmed cases are in our counties. <br />
<br />
Still screen time is a big deal to me. My mom limited our screen time growing up. We could only watch 30 minutes of television (remember network TV?) per day. That meant if I really wanted to watch Little House on the Prairie on Monday nights I had to save up a day. And it took all week to earn Bob Newhart and Carol Burnett for Friday night. Sometimes if only my dad was home he wouldn't notice me nonchalantly slink down behind the coffee table and watch Charlie's Angels invisibly behind his back. He was doing double media with a Louis l'Amour novel anyway. <br />
<br />
It was only universal karma that my own kids should have even stricter limits. They didn't even know there <i>was</i> network television until they were ten and seven. Bill and I were able to carefully curate every VHS tape that made its way into our library. On Saturdays and Sunday mornings before church Calvin and Mary could put the tapes in and watch to their hearts content. This allowed Bill and I to sleep past 5:30 a.m. We collected archival Sesame Street, The Wiggles, The Bear in the Big Blue House, Teletubbies (they were weird, but that is where Mary's nickname baby sunshine came from) and as they grew we added Loony Tunes and others.<br />
<br />
It was never, ever only about screening content, though that was an important side effect. It was about that which you are NOT doing while you are plugged in. You are not reading. You are not playing with trains and dolls. You are not putting together puzzles and playing games. You are not going outside and playing in the snow. You are not listening to your Suzuki recordings and other music. For music, the kids had a jam box in the living room and in their rooms, and we made copies of all their favorite music disks so they could listen to whatever they wanted whenever they wanted without worrying about damage to the CDs or asking mom and dad to play their disks. We also had a full set of CDs for the car. There were no limits on music.<br />
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We were blessed to not have any smart devices until 2009, when I got my phone. Each of the kids got a smart phone when they were 13. And they have computers and school and personal iPads now too. I don't limit their time now. Calvin is 18 and that would be very weird. That train has left the station. Mary is pretty self-governed as well. We are all probably a little too plugged in, but honestly, I worry more about myself than about them. They are mostly super busy with school and rehearsals and practicing and sleep. Mary loves crafts and pens more than video games and Calvin has his own array of stuff he does, like writing a fantasy novel in his spare time.<br />
<br />
Of course, here in corona virus land, they are both playing Minecraft together at the kitchen table while I write this. We are not some kind of monks. Still it's creative and they are in the world of blocks together so I'm not too uptight. And they are 15 and 18 years old. <br />
<br />
Back to me. . . my temptations? Facebook. Youtube content, some musical and valuable and some junky like capsule wardrobe ideas for spring and how to keep your skin looking like you are 25. I also love watching hours and hours of productivity videos. That is a joke. However, I have gotten a lot of valuable ideas about calendar blocking and bullet journaling which have honestly been very inspirational. Still, remember, it's not only about content. It's about what we are not doing while we have screen time. We are not practicing. We are not reading a book. We are NOT WRITING A BOOK. I repeat, we are not writing a book while we are watching someone else's YouTube video about how to write a book. <br />
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I also know that I'm not listening to my loved ones as carefully while I'm on my phone. See aspiration number two. <br />
<br />
So, I asked the kids how to set limits on my phone. They were able to show me right away. Now any lack of discipline I have is at least shown to me after 20 minutes.<br />
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I'm a little long winded on this today. I always feel like there is a lot at stake about how we spend our time. Writing this reminds me how I want to spend my time. . . with family and friends, practicing, reading and writing. And gardening when the snow melts. And, I like cooking sometimes. We have enough food here in the house to cook for several horses. Socially distanced horses. <br />
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Best wishes everyone~stay well and be kind to each other. There was only ever one tattoo I considered getting and it was on my right forearm and it read <i>This Too Shall Pass</i>. But the feeling passed.<br />
<br />
And, this too shall pass.<br />
Amen.<br />
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<br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-89820790562324939482020-02-26T20:32:00.000-06:002020-02-26T20:32:14.439-06:00Where You Lead, I Will Follow<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62UgyRlaRY3aJs2-vgt1QrlIV89pFRDZGRqihE7Bu5MPMzVFrbkrhDo-4BR9hgJZSFnrPHhTroH4tW9V_Q5yrQqETHk765wtxtzdVyGEr4JrcMY7jABW7FuROUzQi6glCVB2SZaswjw/s1600/IMG_7121.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62UgyRlaRY3aJs2-vgt1QrlIV89pFRDZGRqihE7Bu5MPMzVFrbkrhDo-4BR9hgJZSFnrPHhTroH4tW9V_Q5yrQqETHk765wtxtzdVyGEr4JrcMY7jABW7FuROUzQi6glCVB2SZaswjw/s640/IMG_7121.jpeg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary's First Quilt Top</td></tr>
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Where you lead, I will follow. Mary bought me a key chain for Christmas a year ago, it has those words from the theme song of the Gilmore Girls show. Mary and I watch this show when we have a chance. The characters are unrealistically snarky, (read: life is not a sitcom, we are not a comedy act) but it is a show about a mother and daughter and a grandma and their relationships.<br />
<br />
A while ago my mom commented~ your kids are just like you and Bill. Mary is doing her bullet journal and sewing and Calvin likes trains. Both kids like piano and traveling.<br />
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I guess we do have a lot of interests in common, but Bill and I would say that actually the kids are not like us, they are better than us. We are often inspired by them and motivated to be more of our our best selves. I think eventually all parents learn from their children. At least that is the plan. The hope.<br />
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A few years ago, well. . . 2014 to be exact. . . I purchased a book titled<u> The Life Changing Art of Tidying Up</u>, by Marie Kondo. The spark of joy book. This scratched a big itch. There are several old blog entries about it. The problem for us OCD sparkers is that we really want to spark it all. Our own stuff. Our pets' stuff. Our neighbor's stuff. Most of all. . . our kids' stuff.<br />
<br />
Calvin is no saint, but to be completely honest back then it was Mary's stuff that haunted me. Trinkets. Hundreds of Trinkets. Books. Doll clothes. Little collectables. Craft supplies. Objects of nature. Birthday gifts from twelve girls. Every year. Actually probably thousands of trinkets. Candy wrapper collections. Sacred papers. Stuffed animals adopted from every corner of the world. And their babies. You KNOW what they say about rabbits. <br />
<br />
I blamed myself. After all, as her mother I bought her most of this stuff and the rest just multiplied and became part of the early childhood museum that was the overstuffed hopelessly cluttered 12 foot by 12 foot stacked to the ceiling twilight zone called Mary's room.<br />
<br />
Ms. Kondo is very firm. You can't spark other people's stuff. Not even in the middle of the night when you know there is no way in God's green earth she will miss some of this stuff if you silently slip it into a black hefty big and stealthily heave it curbside. I would never do that. Just saying. I never did that. I swear.<br />
<br />
Kondo recommends just setting the example. So, Mom and Dad's room, just across the hall became an oasis of calm tidiness, almost mimicking a Marriott Courtyard without even a pen on the nightstand.<br />
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The transformation didn't happen overnight. I would say it was a slow and steady wins the race kind of change. First her desk started looking functional. Trinkets started making their way toward the garbage bin. Games were sorted. Collections were culled. I can't exactly pinpoint the moment of lift. I think it was when the dandelion fuzzy collection met its maker.<br />
<br />
Now, at 15, Mary's room has nothing under the bed. Clothes hanging freely in the closet. Books are on the shelves. Only the top 200 stuffed rabbits made the cut. They are settled in sweet hanging planters on the wall. Baby quilts came down. Travel souvenirs went up. Little by little she grew up and cleaned her room. She made it her own place.<br />
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Having a messy room is not necessarily a character flaw. My point is that no amount of nagging and trying to help or pestering ever made a difference. Eventually she just drank the spark of joy Kool-Aid. Marie Kondo was right. We set the example. She followed.<br />
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How many other things in life are just like this. We can pester the daylights out of the kids, but eventually they just end up following our lead. In their own time and space.<br />
<br />
Our best parenting technique may well turn out to be just being our own very best selves.<br />
Where you lead, I will follow.<br />
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It won't be long until we are following them. Maybe even by eighteen. This is what we wanted.<br />
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This blog? A long-winded way of saying most things turn out okay. Give them a little time.<br />
God bless. . .Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5107534181594907975.post-19093568245030472942020-02-08T10:06:00.000-06:002020-02-08T10:09:46.348-06:00The Aspiration to Speak Love<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7WzXvge8fMEG5rph6CV7qfuJeqpLqhoe9sJF3tpvQukYHCy6T69Xlfum5b0My0etWasrKi_UxIpYGEf40tOelubeDAdrzupuCi-6xsWZp6vWgi3lGxyZhLX8-0vkHndPXzbBReP9BQ/s1600/IMG_6682.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1203" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM7WzXvge8fMEG5rph6CV7qfuJeqpLqhoe9sJF3tpvQukYHCy6T69Xlfum5b0My0etWasrKi_UxIpYGEf40tOelubeDAdrzupuCi-6xsWZp6vWgi3lGxyZhLX8-0vkHndPXzbBReP9BQ/s640/IMG_6682.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the Advancing SPTG Recital Selfie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdyVIbExeo2qCzN5uNdOUnOCk7FLZ40noXmT-FhWn-ZBz_gYIcmgYMdsreqnx7iKgT_KOVXlP69ZTilLxA0FSmp-6bwQvRrawShUTgmv2M2d59Sbj5K1HoSYxzsMj5XmtTM1Dk78ykA/s1600/IMG_6685.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdyVIbExeo2qCzN5uNdOUnOCk7FLZ40noXmT-FhWn-ZBz_gYIcmgYMdsreqnx7iKgT_KOVXlP69ZTilLxA0FSmp-6bwQvRrawShUTgmv2M2d59Sbj5K1HoSYxzsMj5XmtTM1Dk78ykA/s640/IMG_6685.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Girls Performed Mozart and Bach</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1dVleHaV4T4QJG0JIX4dAW_Betdrk9HWAHFbu4_NOH0iJkZDUlGRzXNyt8iPDBbJqk-S6MdVvYc4jqHY7rkq_MwQwYBl4jDddKq12BxTwn8eC2q26qZ5pMtHvp7Qhgd2NFhPAJVc2Q/s1600/IMG_6693.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1dVleHaV4T4QJG0JIX4dAW_Betdrk9HWAHFbu4_NOH0iJkZDUlGRzXNyt8iPDBbJqk-S6MdVvYc4jqHY7rkq_MwQwYBl4jDddKq12BxTwn8eC2q26qZ5pMtHvp7Qhgd2NFhPAJVc2Q/s640/IMG_6693.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Minnesota Winter Survival</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVQZQ2j_jXsFKxrsIt9xKGWGMafzTzBTQBXf03t27GzI2Ija7L-P2Ll3zeaolvWuejqd_OMmAD8Jo5h7-RHcl3Movt3C2VMBQ2bKjVzrFJgJnixXjedXmS19ut34tVcl-l_BcIlrbBQ/s1600/IMG_6695.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwVQZQ2j_jXsFKxrsIt9xKGWGMafzTzBTQBXf03t27GzI2Ija7L-P2Ll3zeaolvWuejqd_OMmAD8Jo5h7-RHcl3Movt3C2VMBQ2bKjVzrFJgJnixXjedXmS19ut34tVcl-l_BcIlrbBQ/s640/IMG_6695.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Parent Party Treats</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNXgIDZZxDVWk0t9s0ILmXOWeRHasSXZD5NYyyiIbFSTwubSv0Bio0fJwOw-8XeMCGXLVb383i2-t4OwJTsFChvNLaHcbzadF-w9QkSj7-WOMqwMB5MVCsW-ViC5FpfwNO6um0i6rrg/s1600/IMG_6700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNNXgIDZZxDVWk0t9s0ILmXOWeRHasSXZD5NYyyiIbFSTwubSv0Bio0fJwOw-8XeMCGXLVb383i2-t4OwJTsFChvNLaHcbzadF-w9QkSj7-WOMqwMB5MVCsW-ViC5FpfwNO6um0i6rrg/s640/IMG_6700.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary's First High School Jazz Concert</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfE_6EvD3QblKOcXzZcImWGFutRi8UDOafp6P5xqD6JlUyvyzP2-nV25uEx-udJU31BpgqKhwyzjWr2WnGfHK37tt1dgtrhIopgowZqKtQBY8LYBgP-Ad5eNZHv3S1feABKKxPGENZA/s1600/IMG_6705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfE_6EvD3QblKOcXzZcImWGFutRi8UDOafp6P5xqD6JlUyvyzP2-nV25uEx-udJU31BpgqKhwyzjWr2WnGfHK37tt1dgtrhIopgowZqKtQBY8LYBgP-Ad5eNZHv3S1feABKKxPGENZA/s640/IMG_6705.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A House for A Cheetah</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpJ35KaCz5sEpNxWS-TRkNWJepihvu-DSTCPYsFlAONYoCo-sg_vyGMQTpBdecMZt8egjuQNpF0G2IFQQT-WetUFH7xUDaVI1ZDdWDtVs1QNU067b9Z1bn4B1eOA-ntmqIgZ-g7edhg/s1600/IMG_6708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpJ35KaCz5sEpNxWS-TRkNWJepihvu-DSTCPYsFlAONYoCo-sg_vyGMQTpBdecMZt8egjuQNpF0G2IFQQT-WetUFH7xUDaVI1ZDdWDtVs1QNU067b9Z1bn4B1eOA-ntmqIgZ-g7edhg/s640/IMG_6708.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Throw Back, Complete with Keyboard, Vocal Mic and Tambourine, Taken at a Club in Steamboat Springs</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Posing for Publicity</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summer Practice Partners</td></tr>
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Last weekend was my parent party. We had a good turnout. We get our drinks and visit and then get our desserts and find our way to the living room. This year we watched a piece of Calvin's Italy audition. (The Italy festival, unfortunately has been cancelled due to the virus in China.) Still Calvin got a lovely video. Here is a link to his own YouTube channel and video: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuuxGkdw8Jk" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuuxGkdw8Jk</a>. Then we watched a snippet of his Book One recital complete with side long glances at me after purposeful mistakes. That little four year old face. It's a long and winding road, folks. After the videos the parents went around the circle and shared highs and lows. This year the highs and lows took two and a half hours. There was a lot of pride and also a few tender tears. There was honesty.<br />
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We all need to vent. We vent to our inner circle. Some vent to Facebook. I vent to my mother and my husband. We need a safe place to let it all hang out. Yet, there is a dance to it all. When someone vents to me, it could be my child or a friend or a studio parent, it comes with the responsibility of discernment on my part. Is this something I need to help fix? Or is this just a necessary release of feelings.<br />
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When we are hurting we need someone to listen and be with us. Darling, I love you and I'm here for you. Our presence can be a gift to the other person. A hopeful blessing. Now and then there might be some actual words or actions needed to be of service.<br />
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There is another facet to this which I confess I have been guilty of once or twice in the past. That is, when perhaps we share too much and perhaps with the wrong audience and it crosses the line and becomes gossip. I see this on social media when piano teachers vent about their students to other teachers. Another form of this which unfortunately is in my Souhrada DNA is the propensity to ruminate on the unjust or just plane irritating thing another has done to us. We can go through it over and over in our mind for days, months, and even years.<br />
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Reflecting on this, I made "Speak Love" one of my ten aspirations. It's number four if you are following. Speak love means many things. Firstly it means to only speak lovingly about other people. It has the more important side note of actually <i>seeing</i> the best in other people. Actively looking for the God given light in each and every person we come across. That can and will take me a lifetime to achieve.<br />
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It doesn't mean I never get to share my hurt feelings or frustrations. It just means being mindful about it and knowing when enough is enough. Learning not to ruminate. We talk about popping that bubble. Being the boss of your thoughts.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. Proverbs 26:20. </blockquote>
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And this is a quote in my notebook, unfortunately without reference. It's not mine.<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Words. You may notice that when we speak quickly, without thinking, or rush to get our ideas across, our worlds don't carry the same power as when we speak slowly and confidently, allowing those receiving our words time and space to take them in. When we carefully listen to others before we speak our words have more integrity, and when we take time to center ourselves before speaking, we truly begin to harness the power of speech. Then our words can be intelligent messages of healing and light, transmitting deep and positive feelings to these who receive them. </blockquote>
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Good grief and good luck. Still, it's a worthy aspiration. When I'm in a hurry it takes everything I've got to listen to the long version of the story (remember I have two verbal children) before snapping in. I guess aspiration number two, to listen, and this one, to speak love, are soulmates.<br />
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Everyday is a new chance to practice.<br />
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<i>Lord,</i><br />
<i>Guide the words of my mouth. Help them to speak love at all times. That seems impossible, yet it's worth a try. Help me speak only the best about others, to always speak their name with love. Foster that circle of seeing the best and speaking the best. Help me to not ruminate. And help me discern when my loved ones need a listening ear or when they need active help. </i><br />
<i>Amen</i><br />
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<br />Sara Stephens Kotrbahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06795075654207495106noreply@blogger.com0