What happened to our beautiful weather???

We are having a doozy of a storm right now---huge, crashing thunder, brilliant lightning, tornado watches, and pounding rain. I think I will go to bed!

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Not really, because I accidentally took a nap this late afternoon when I was lying on my bed, reading. My paperwork was so boring that I fell asleep. Our LES steering committee is taking turns reading through the data garnered by the Team which enabled them to make their recommendation regarding adding grades to our school. The reports are primarily statistics about the location, ages, ethnicity, income levels, and so on in the area our congregation serves. Hence, the nap! I guess it does sort of answer the questions, if there were any, as to why we were not ready at this time for additional grades. Not enough people, not enough money, and not enough room to grow. I was looking for more, or rather, less concrete information, I guess.

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Wow, it is just pouring out there now, like fists pounding on my windows and huge rain drops hitting the concrete outside the front door. I am in the family room tonight as my friend, Joanne, and my other friend, Christine, are in Dallas at a Realtor meeting for a few days. This room is usually Joanne's territory where she watches her "Dancing Stars" or other so-called reality shows. I am just fine in my room, doing my computer thing in there, watching really old programs. The lightning is magnificent and I am sorry Joanne is missing it!

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Sunday morning, after my sleepless night, was wonderful, once I got moving. Thankfully it was not going to be freezing cold outside for our worship. Upon arrival at church, I got my attendance sheet out and positioned myself on a very icy folding chair with a great vantage point to make note of who was there. Kathy B. was situated at the keyboard, ready to roll. Just prior to the service beginning, here came my Justin! I was surprised to see him, and more than a little delighted. I knew he was coming for breakfast and Festival service but not sure about Sunrise. At one point during the singing of the last stanzas of "I Know That My Redeemer Lives", he took hold of my hand as he also was blinking back tears. I do not have the market on that, I guess...

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Justin helped carry the folding chairs into the Fellowship Hall after Sunrise worship, just like old times. Many people were coming up to him to tell him how glad they were to see him again, which used to bother Justin. I truly believe he is getting to like being missed, appreciated at both congregations. We waited a while to eat for Olivia to get there, and she finally arrived after being dropped off by her mom. She looked very nice in a purple dress, perfect for Easter. (Judy C. mentioned this a.m. that our breakfast has fewer and fewer people every year, but they keep making the same amount of food. She is going to use the leftovers, some of them anyway, to make breakfast casseroles for Fellowship Sunday.) We ate as much as we could but still, there were leftovers!

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Mark was there for breakfast, driving his poor, sick Grandma Twila to church. She has pneumonia but was able to make it to eat and attend worship. I left the three school mates talking at the table while I had to go rehearse with the choir. Janet was coaching me, helping me to contain my emotions, comforting, all the good things Janet does. And then, it was her turn to shed tears---her son-in-law came to Easter worship, a Jewish man! Later, her son and his wife came to worship, arriving just as church was starting. Her turn again!

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Kathy and Suzanne played the beautiful processional song they had practiced together on Saturday. What was not good was the fact that just prior to worship, Suzanne realized she had forgotten her sheet music! Quickly she made copies of Kathy's music and marked it accordingly, and was quite stressed about the whole thing. She was obviously disturbed about the entire forgetting music thing, so I sprang to the rescue with the suggestion she gave me the day before, "Think about something funny..." That brought back her smile!

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We sang right off the bat, but as a congregation, singing the hymn "In Christ Alone". I sang my heart out! Kathy B. told me that on Friday Pastor had called her to discuss the music for Sunday, including "In Christ Alone"...before he could finish, she jumped in with, "Hey, wait a minute! We have to sing "In Christ Alone" on Sunday---Kim is expecting it..." He quickly assured her that indeed we were singing it, but in a different place in the service. Gotta love that Kathy, watching out for me!

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The choir sang three times plus Brian and Kristi sang a duet. I did have a slight problem with "I Know That......" but Justin anticipated that and asked me if I wanted to get out of the bench before we sang it. I stepped outside the double doors, listening and very slightly weeping when around the side of the church came Pastor! What was he doing out here? Did he come to check on me? He did do just that, hugging me and saying, "Tears of joy, right?" because he is fully aware of the value that hymn has for me. His real mission, however, was to tell the ushers something quickly while the congregation was still singing. I lost track of the stanzas that had been sung due to his hug, so I went back inside in time for the final stanza. It was okay, and I regrouped in time to join the choir which was singing immediately after this hymn. Gulp! I made it!

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The singing was all wonderful and I am so pleased with how it went. We did have a funny thing happen, when the choir crowded into our little space between the MIDI and the piano---a key or button got "butt pushed" when we came or went and when it was time to sing part of the liturgy, the music made a real funny musical tone rather than an organ sound! Suzanne is the one who told me why it happened and I pray it was not my butt that pressed the button. If it was me, there would have been a whole mess of buttons pressed and not only one!!!

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The entire worship experiences and breakfast were wonderful, rich with joy in the resurrection and its assurances. It was wonderful to see so many people I had not seen in a while, to see church nearly full, the lovely Easter lilies, and our Easter tree decorated with fresh cut flowers. Sarah jumped right up into Justin's arms and we got some great photos of us all together, which I will post separately. A wonderful Easter celebration all around, and then there was our feast!

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He is risen! He is risen indeed!!!!