December 6th, Make a joyful noice!

Silent, Holy Night is a collection of Advent/Christmas songs written by Mark Friedman and Janet Voigt. I was first introduced to the collections of songs at a National Pastoral Music conference. I quickly scooped it up with the intent purpose of sharing it with my faith community. I was the music director for a small, loving church in St. Anne, Illinois. The four years that I spent there were indeed four wonderful fulfilling years. This collection of songs contributed to the experience. The song "Mary's Child" still brings a tear to my eye when I first hear it every year. I had three of my male choir members sing it. Mark Beaupre, Ed Beaupre and Doug Burling. All three of them had unique, beautiful singing voices. In particular Mark's voice melted my heart. To this day, I long to hear him sing it again. The other songs were equally as touching, and I had the pleasure of writing, and directing children at St. Anne church, and St. Joseph Catholic School in a neighboring town. Along with the children of both communities, I had the honor the joy of hearing my children join in the singing, along with my nephews Michael John and Justin Hunger. Our Christmas pageant blended child and adult together to send out and receive the undying message of love and sacrifice as found in the birth of Christ.

Today, on the feast of St. Nicholas, I received a wonderful gift. Those songs were revived. This time with my daughter Aubrey singing. After she left, I grabbed ahold of the microphone and was taken back to a time in my life where the music of church and the season of the church embraced all of my comings and goings. No matter where I sing, what I sing, or when I sing, nothing, and I mean nothing compares to singing for the Lord.

O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods Ps 95:1-3

December 5, a simple Saturday satisfies said soul...

Seriously, it does. Sleeping in, let's go beyond the sleeping in, sleeping straight through the night is sublime. I cannot tell you when the last time was that I slept so soundly through the night as I did last night. I am sure it had something to do with the fact that I worked the entire week at a pace that no woman over the age of forty should have to, not to mention that I was as sick as a dog with a sinus infection the entire week. I am still sneezing, and blowing today!
After waking up at 8:20a.m., (yes, you read correctly, 8:20) I slowly readied myself for a day filled with relaxation, exploration, and gastronomic achievement. Steve, my Saturday partner in crime, announced that he had been waiting for me to wakeup, as he had a hankering for the Blue Plate french toast. The Blue Plate Diner is a favorite of ours. It is located in Lakeside Michigan straight up the Red Arrow Highway from New Buffalo Michigan. The food is wonderful, especially their caramel french toast, and the OOOhla omelete, with tomatoes, tarrogon and goat cheese. This place is so wonderful even their toast and jam is a gourmet delight. Anyway, it was decided, by the baton waiving partner of mine that we would be going soon.
We journeyed towards the east by northeast. The food was as predicted, amazing. Following brunch we traveled further north to St. Joseph, MI and through Benton Harbor. Spending the afternoon looking through a little antique shop called, Days of Yore left us relaxed and discussing how quickly time passes. It is all quite sad really, so much of the old and the simple was traded in for what was seemingly an improvement, but from what I can see, little has been improved. The current architecture is sterile, empty, cookie-cutterish, while the grandeur of the older buildings in Benton Harbor stand empty, neglected, calling out to better days. It was then that I realized that my own memory of the past, past Christmases, my mother, my playmates from childhood are fading from my memory. It was then that I realized the day would come, when memories of me too would be faded, and would be much like the old building we passed by today, fading, neglected and calling out to better days, hanging on by a thin hair of memory. By the time I was done lamenting over this reality of my contribution to the big picture, I sighed, and was satisfied that I am loved, and known. I try daily to contribute to something, to someone, and just be glad to be making memories.
Our journey back into Michigan City was filled with discussion of life, God, and the decision to keep it as simple as possible this holiday season. We settled back into our day, Steve did his thing, and me, I went on to Aldi's (I like to keep it simple, even Aldi's is a little too large for me). It was time to get groceries, time to restock the shelves following a wonderful Thanksgiving week. The grocery cart was filled with goodies. It brings me great joy to feed those that I love. To see the man that I love satisfied through my gastronomic achievement brings about glorious fulfillment.
Saturday was brought to an end with a round of simple songs. Waking up to the one you love, feeding each other's spirit, exploring days of yore, careening along life's highway, preparing feasts of fancy, singing simple songs of love and longing, and knowing, just knowing that today you are loved, simply satisfies, said soul...

“Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who could not hear music.” – Angela Monet

December 4th, what a day, what a day!

Fridays are always my favorite day. It is for all involved with school, it goes with the territory. Whether you are a teacher, a student, a custodian, it does not matter. Fridays are sublime. Today was a tiring day as it was "raceday" for my students. I teach STEM, science, technology, engineering and math, all combined in a problem based format. In other words, we make things. My students were responsible for making a balloon powered car. It was exhausting to say the least, but as most days are, it was rewarding.
As I sit here now listening to Steve sing and play the guitar, I am reminded about how lucky I am that much of my life is centered around music. It has always been this way. Raised in a music rich home, being a singer, and producing musicians, music lovers, and now surrounding myself with an extremely talented musician, it is truly safe to say that music is to a great extent my life. I just completed two new music videos thanks to Animoto. I uploaded a song I recorded last Christmas titled, The Snow is Gently Falling, and then one recorded by Steve and I that features my beautiful daughter Aubrey on a new classic written by Daniel Kantor. Listening to Aubrey sing with an innocence I was reminded of times now past, when my children would begin to prepare for their school Christmas programs. They were always elaborate productions with Mrs. Schultz at the helm. I learned much from Mrs. Schultz and the other teachers at Sts. Patrick and Theresa Catholic School. So much of who I am and who my children are was formed at that simple unadorning school, and the church connected to it. St. Patricks church is where I found my voice. So many times I sang for my supper. So many times I was healed and nurtured through the music at the church on the corner of Indiana Avenue and Hickory St. in the heart of Kankakee Illinois. Yes, the heart of the town that I grew up in and loved so dearly.
As I came to the close of preparing the video "Night of Silence" I found the deep longing in my heart and spirit to be connected to a church community this Christmas. It seems so unfair that in trying to find a place to fit in, I lost so much of what made me fit. My prayer for this Christmas? Well, it is in not much different than Christmastimes past. I pray that I will see Santa, I pray that I will see my children happy and healthy, I pray that I will be able to sing the Psalms of Christmastide, maybe even sing for a congregation of joy-seekers, "Night of Silence" in the tradition of days gone by.
December 4th, what a day, what a day, and thank you Lord for this day, soon the snow will be falling, and rose will wait frozen in the snow laying, waiting...

December 3rd, it snowed, well a little bit...

This morning started out a little cold, and grey, and by the time I walked out of Elston Middle School at 3:35, it was snowing. Okay, flurrying, but all the same, the first snow flake. That snow flake was greeted with great excitement and anticipation. My first response was to quickly text message my daughters and proclaim that I saw it, I saw the first snow flake of the year. Right here in Michigan City! My text's were returned with even more excitement! You see we LaLuna women get overjoyed at the idea of missed school, staying home and getting cozy, making almond moo's, homemade cookies, and just remaining in warm pajama bottoms all day long. It is glorious to see that the things I started with them when they were babies is continuing on. Each one of them has their own traditions that have grown out of our traditions. Snow days would be days filled with giggles, cooking, and shear fun!
By the time I got home today from running a few errands, I could see a white dusting on my neighbors black shingled roof. The wind was howling in from the north. I was waiting for Steve to come home, so that I could share with him my excitement. After his arrival we went out for a bite to eat at a new restaurant, (well, new for us) called Hammers, a fun little place, actually very nice, with a fantastic wait staff. True Michigan City hospitality if you ask me.
Well, by the time we left the restaurant, the temperature dropped, the wind picked up, and in an instance, Steve and I were scrambling for the car. We had forgotten how darned cold Michigan City is! through our chattering teeth, our silly giggles, we asked ourselves, "now why did we move to MC?" The romantic aspect of winter died down real fast as we realized we had about 4.5 months of extreme cold to get through, and probably more snow than anyone person really wants.
Aww well, no matter how you slice it, there is excitement in the first snow flake, there will be in every potential snow day from here until May, and it reminds us what this time of year means. It means Christmas, the birth of our Lord, well, my Lord. It is about family, love, sharing, caring, and renewal. Maybe that is what it is, snow is nature's way of putting a brand new coat of purity on everything that it touches. "And I will wash you clean as snow" Isaiah 1:18

December 2nd, Is it going to SNOW?

I think if I could sum up the question of the day that would be it. I have spent most of my day thinking, writing, teaching, doing all the same ole stuff. I created a new zmag, a Christmas one, titled lovingly Christmas at ArtSees. Stop by, in fact, drop by and give me your favorite Christmas memory, poem, story, picture, song, or maybe just you.
Okay, sorry, I digress... I made a shepherds pie, a cherry cheesecake, watched a strange Orson Welles movie, titled, "F for Fake" did a few other things, and well, I dream of snow...

On my way home from work today, the sky was beginning to darken a little earlier than usual. The clouds were not just floating in, by moving in in a very irratic fashion. Winter's chill was settling in. Nightfall came much earlier tonight and with it, a longing to be snuggled in with no sounds outside except for the sound of a freshly fallen snow. I look forward to looking out my window, gazing across the street at the tree covered hill topped off with snow.
As I type this, I can hear the waves building, (it is amazing, we are 2500ft. from Lake Michigan and the sound of the waves can be heard inside of our house) the wind is blowing, I believe I hear rain tapping on my windows. For this dreamer, I am dreaming of a white December 3rd. Maybe, just maybe, there will be a late start tomorrow, or better yet, our first snow day!

Okay, so a little sentimentality for the 1st...

It is a wonderful life, and I am very much looking forward to the next 24 days. After all, this is the birth month of the greatest human being ever born! Full moon tonight to, and it is glowing so amazingly bright over all of us! PEACE

It is all in a day's work...

Yeah, yeah, yeah...you would think that on the first day of December I would be singin falalalala's and flinging mistletoe around like it was a pillow being fluffed before a long winter's nap. But, no not this girlie girl. Instead, I am sneezing, weezing, coughing and grumbling because once again I am sick thanks to work. Yup, while some people go deep into the ground and develop black lung as they haul out dark coal from the bowels of earth and others risk back injury as they climb up on roofs hauling shingles, I am one of millions of educators who exposed them to injury, illness, and more everyday as they go to work to take care of and educate America's children. While mommies and daddies everyday send their little Suzie and Johnny off to school they go on their way avoiding the reality that their child is ill, and they should probably keep them at home so that the rest of humanity does not succumb to their child's crud!
Sure, they go to work, and if they are lucky they work with adults and are capable of avoiding Fred and Fran's sneezing fits from their kids.

Seriously, this is the second time since September that I have been on Augmentin for a respiratory infection. Suprisingly, when I worked in the "adult" world, I was rarely ill. Never ill enough to go to the doctor. So, the way I see it, if this continues, I will be ill again in February, and then early May before I get a respite from the darlings.

So case in point; it is all in a day's work, teachers, especially those of adolescent age children and below are at a greater risk for chronic illness, (not to mention mental illness)and you would think that keeping that in mind, we would have enough sick days to make sure that we kept our sneezing, weezing, belly cramping illness in bed where it belongs. But, no, the truth is, it is actually more work to stay home and prepare a classroom for a guest teacher, who will undoubtedly not follow your well-crafted lesson plans!

Maybe tomorrow I will feel a little more like falalalala-ing and rejoice in the the season, after all Tis' the season to be "Mary"