Saturday, December 19, 2015

And That Was My Fall

It's been awhile, hasn't it? I've been pondering whether to keep my little blog going!

One would think that with no kids being homeschooled this fall, I would have had unprecedented amounts of time on my hand, but one would be wrong. Instead, I was unprecedentedly busy, riding a steep learning curve, doing something I had never done before--directing 59 kids in a musical! I had all kinds of new responsibilities to figure out, and in addition, before I was asked to direct, I had already agreed to teach two classes as well (Shakespeare and Dramatic Voice & Diction). Everything--classes, rehearsals, performances--was in Milwaukee, too, an hour away from home. So I was really putting in the hours, 3 days a week commuting and putting in time with the kids, plus prep time at home!

And loving every minute, I might add. 

I might also add that last year, as I kept sensing the Lord nudging me to wrap up my homeschooling days, I heard him say, several times, that He had other things for me to do. At the time, I hoped that one of those things might be directing, but I suspected it was probably my Bible study, relationships with neighbors, and service at Light of Christ, including hosting and co-leading the youth group. I was stunned to be offered the head director job, when I wasn't sure I would even get the chance to be an assistant director again. 

As I've been busy with all these things this fall, but especially with directing, I had to ask the Lord if it really was okay with him that I was spending so much time on a musical theater production. Were there other things He wanted me to do, that I was neglecting? His answer was clear: "I am the one who opened the doors for you! Yes, I want you to walk through them." 

So it was a joyful fall for me. So much to learn, and what fun to learn it! I will write a post about our production (probably in January!), but it's been non-stop since it ended. After our last performance and Strike Party, we hosted Thanksgiving 4 days later...then we had the week of multiple school choir concerts, plus auditions for Fiddler on the Roof (B16, B10 and Chicklet are all in it, but I'm not involved, and it's here in Kenosha, not Milwaukee)... then my parents visited us, to attend Ye Olde Christmasse Feaste with the Madrigal Singers, the elite singing group that B16 is part of...before that, I shopped for them, and we decorated for Christmas...and now I am Christmas shopping, menu planning, and grocery shopping right up till Christmas Eve, I'm afraid!

This weekend, I take my Shakespeare class to Milwaukee to see All's Well That Ends Well...we have a youth group Christmas party and caroling...we are rehearsing for a short Christmas pageant that will be on Christmas Eve...and on Tuesday, we have a funeral, our first ever at Light of Christ. A sad loss to cancer, but an indomitable spirit, eager to be with Jesus, whose only earthly concern was for others who do not yet know Him. She left a list of names for Father Rooster and others from our church to follow up with, and she messaged them all that her dying wish was for them to attend our Christmas Eve service, so it will be interesting to see how God uses that!

But I thought I would take twenty minutes and see what I could write here! I spent twice that much time, but I think that may become one of my New Year's disciplines--to try to write short posts, more frequently. We'll see how it goes!

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