Some Review

What a struggle it is to catch up when I’ve been absent…. You’d think I’d learn!

Again, I’ll give you the bullet list:

• First, my confession: I’ve been struggling health-wise for over a month, and in all truth, it gets me down.  I’ve just not had the energy to blog with how I’ve been feeling.
• This last week I’ve been improving incrementally each day, and as a singer, I have primarily gauged my improvement by how my voice is doing.  I was able to attend choir rehearsal last week, though I barely sang; but then on Sunday, I could sing almost everything (if only at half strength).  By last night, I was back to probably 80% strength, and that felt wonderful indeed!
• Speaking of last night: so first you have to understand that during Holy Week the opportunities to go to confession are drastically increased.  Thus there were two priests AND the bishop hearing confessions last night, and the scheduled time was from 7:00 to 7:30. Since three of us had to be at church at 7:30 anyway for choir, we decided to take the whole family early and go to confession.  We arrived at 6:50pm, and there were already lines 10-15 deep outside each confessional.  We split up, with Geneva, Megan, and Jacob coming with me, while Laurent, Paul and Mom went to another line.  We then were afforded a welcome time for reflection and preparation, while listening to the otherworldly beauty of our schola men and choirmaster practicing some of the chants for the Triduum.  As time wore on, and we inched ever closer to the confessional doors, I grew certain that there would not be enough time for us choristers to get through the line before our 7:30 rehearsal, and sure enough, at 7:27 when I gave up there were still six people in line ahead of me.  As the girls and I moved across the nave to the choir we determined to come back on Friday when they will be open between 11-2pm.
• A wonderful development as of last night was that a fourth Heidmann joined the cathedral choir.  Megan has been singing in the Youth Choir at the 5pm Sunday mass with her sisters for about two and a half years, and was very happy there.  However over the last year, while first Laurent and then Geneva too were rehearsing with the adult choir on Wednesdays, she sat in on most of every rehearsal (coming over to the cathedral from the youth house after youth group finished every Wednesday).  Her interest has grown as her voice has been developing, and last night she sat in for her first rehearsal.  I have to say, she has been vastly underrating herself musically.  I mean, I knew she could sing pop music like Adele, and have been enjoying hearing her jam with Geneva at home.  But sitting next to her last night, I was so impressed with her sight reading and the ease and confidence with which she sang through a totally different sort of music — hymns, chants, and sacred polyphony.  It gives me so much joy that all three of my daughters want to use their gifts for the Lord this way!
• We are now in Holy Week – tonight is Holy Thursday, tomorrow Good Friday, and Saturday will be the culmination of months of preparation for those entering the church.  Two of our Gonzales family will be receiving baptism, confirmation and first Holy Communion on Saturday night.  Tuesday I took Desiree and Joanna to the church to rehearse how everything will flow for the vigil mass.  It seemed like there were about 400 people there, including the RCIA class, the children being baptised, and the RICA  class (Spanish membership class) — plus all the sponsors.  Lots of people to coordinate (and of course the whole evening was bi-lingual) for all the different sacraments!  I remember how exciting/confusing it was for me two years ago when we came into the church, so I’m happy I can be there to help out, to allay concerns, to offer reminders of where to go and what to say, etc.  It is such a gift to be able to assist someone as they make this step of faith and commitment to Christ and His Church!
• One of the fun things that has kept me occupied during my blogging hiatus was working with the 460+ photos that Paul found and scanned into the computer, including old photos from his childhood, our wedding, honeymoon, and onward. You know how faded old photos can get – some hard to even see.  I did just a little work with photoshop to make them more presentable and true-to-original color, and many of them turned out brilliantly.  I posted a few on Facebook, and I’ll post more here soon.  Here’s collage of my two youngest (“Pepita and Pepito”!) that melts my heart: