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Am I Dreaming?

I have grown to look forward to Wednesday evenings.

Why?

Because I party hard, of course.

Not.

What I actually do is head to my church for handbell practice.

I played years and years ago when the kids were little and gave it up when we moved and my new churches didn’t utilize their bells.

My church’s new music director recently brought out the bells, and I am a happy girl.

He’s teaching us lots of stuff…music theory and such…and frying my brain in the process.

But, I’m having a blast.

We’ve recently begun working on The Old Rugged Cross and hope to have it ready by Easter.

Last night, Brad, the director, accompanied us on his guitar, and oh my word…it was lovely!!

When I got home, I went to YouTube and found this video…

Amazing, eh?

Oh, and check out the next video for an even more astounding performance.  My music director shared it with me after I shared the above video with him…

I don’t think we’re quite ready to do something like this (there are about 15 of us bell ringers), but perhaps…in the next twenty years…we will be.

😉

Chiming In

Today I did a little something out of my comfort zone.

For all of you smarty pants out there, it’s not that I crawled out of bed this morning, thank you very much.

Nope.

Despite a long, but pleasant, day at work, I decided to extend my day a bit…

By going to church…

And signing on to be a part of the handbell choir…

When I told Rooster about my plans, he said, “Mama.  That’s a little lame.  They don’t really do anything.”

That’s when I reminded him that I used to play handbells at church…way back when he and Chicky were wee things.

He, being all grown up now, didn’t remember.

I started playing around the time I was pregnant with Chicky, and I played, on and off, until I moved from Miami to Coral Springs…around the time Chicky entered kindergarten.

Going to church tonight was a big thing for me.

As I’ve mentioned a time or two on my blog, I tend to be a loner, preferring to bury myself beneath lesson plans, television, knitting, or whatever book I’m currently in the middle of.

Meeting new people?  Not on the agenda most days.

But go I did, and oh my gosh…I was soooo glad!!!

I knew one gal there, and although she was wearing an Alabama shirt (boooo, hisssss), I managed to get past the throw-up in my mouth (not against her personally, mind you but those colors she was wearing and the fact that Alabama actually seems to be playing decent football this year) and play nice.

FYI, that last sentence refers to the rivalry between Auburn and Alabama.

😉

Most of the people at the practice haven’t played bells before.  Because it’s been about fifteen years since I’ve picked one up, I was nervous.

Oh my gosh, but the first time I rang the bell I’d been temporarily assigned, I felt like I was home.

There’s something inside of me that is drawn to music.  I love to hear it, but I have a deep desire to learn how to play it.

My church has a new music director, and he’s a very nice guy.  He’s teaching everyone the basics, and I’ll admit that I felt as nervous as one of my students learning a new reading strategy…especially when he called on me to name a certain note.

The 45-minute session flew by.

I could have stayed for a couple of hours.

I am already looking forward to going back next week, getting a little better in my sight reading, and meeting new friends.

Oh, and I plan on wearing my Auburn attire as well.  Might as well fight fire with fire, church or no church.  😉