Saving a Special Place and Sitting in One

I'm very proud of the babyMomma who met a field producer for WBUR on our first visit back to Boston Children's Hospital after saying goodbye to her baby girl.  The station was doing a story on the garden, and plans to expand the hospital where the garden now sits.  Reading about our story on Change.org, a producer called our home and Schuyler agreed to meet.   We were not able to do the interview in the garden, so we met on a noisy sidewalk outside.  I don't know why I said "we."  This was all the babyMomma.  I had no courage whatsoever.  From the entire conversation, a tiny little soundbite was used in the story.  For me, more powerful than that and far more brave, was that the babyMomma allowed the use of two pictures in the slideshow that accompanies the story online.  If you have a moment, you can read the story and view the slideshow here.

It has been a tough week around here.  A very special woman in our church passed away.  20+ years later than her doctors ever thought she would!  My piano teacher and second mom.  I must have driven her crazy with my talking about everything but the lesson, and my need to be perfect that had me stopping and restarting so many times in those early years.  From third grade through sophomore in high school, I believe.  She put me on the piano rotation for evening church services when I was in sixth or seventh grade.  In high school, she somehow managed to get me to play for Sunday School opening exercises which were held in the church sanctuary and there was no organ to hide behind.  Piano to accompany singing and then an offertory while ushers took up the Sunday School offering.  When I came back to my home church after college and marriage, she made sure I was on the piano rotation for morning and evening services and somehow, when my children were very young she talked me into accompanying the church choir to replace an accompanist who left.  Several years ago when her heart was making her just too weak to do what she loved, she would step off the organ bench for a few months and yet again, persuaded me to do something way out of my comfort zone.  Today, for her funeral service, I found myself sitting in her seat, trying to bring some peace and comfort to her family, trying to hear her in my playing.  I regret that I never got grandbaby girl over to her house for a visit.  They both had failing hearts and were pretty weak.  They shared puffy faces and eyes from weak hearts and heart meds.  They both had such a stronghold on my heart and I miss them terribly.

23 

Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.

24 

You guide me with your counsel,

    and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 

Whom have I in heaven but you?

    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 

My flesh and my heart may fail,

    but God is the strength of my heart

    and my portion forever.

Psalm 73: 23-26