Easter eve

It's Easter eve...

Time was, actually, believe it or not, just a couple years ago, back in the days of my real life, while David was alive and before my disability so authoritatively defined the limits of my life, Easter eve was a significant time. It was the culmination of a Holy Week in which David had 1) held a difficult choir rehearsal, covering music for Food Friday and Easter; 2) attended and provided music for the "somewhat silly" Lutheran approximation of a Seder meal on Thursday night; 3) held a Good Friday service. Often he planned and executed Good Friday himself - one year I know he did a really meaningful "Stations of the Cross", and the choir always sang 2 or three anthems; 4) orchestrated a major Saturday dress rehearsal for Sunday morning. He always had 1 5 minutes of bell music before the service, and bells supporting and enhancing many of the choir pieces throughout the service, plus 5 - 6 choir pieces, plus "Hallelujah Chorus". In addition, he assembled a bunch of extra instruments which added incredible flair and majesty to the music. He always had a trumpet. It took a number of tries, but by the end David had a really good player who kept coming back every year. Charles Hiebert came back every year and played timpani - wonder whatever happened to him? Maybe I'll GOOGLE him someday. Then David also used to have a flautist and a violinist and a cellist who went to the church.

You know, David was unbelievably professional and a perfectionist when it came to his work. I'm just really lucky that I had the chance to to sing in his choir.

So lets switch to silly stuff we don't really have to think about.... I got into trouble for misbehavior on occasional Easters in the past. Two of these times were early in David's career. The first was when he had me hide Easter eggs back at Dulin UMC. This was in the early '90's. He had planned for his whole Children's Choir rehearsal to consist of the children searching for the eggs. BUT NO-O-O-0! I had hidden the eggs so poorly that the children ran out the door, snatched up all the eggs, threw themselves and their baskets on the ground, and stared up at David in hopeful expectation. He, however, had planned nothing else for them to do. Wonder shy he never asked me to hide eggs for him again?

My second Easter sin was this:

It was again the early '90's at Dulin. I was in the bell choir. I was never much good at bell choir. David was just indulgent and let me do what I wanted. It was Easter, and we were to do a 15 minute prelude before the service. This meant we had to start at about 6:30 AM. I got drunk on Easter Eve. At 6:15 AM my friend Betty bursts into my bedroom and rousts me from bed. I got to church and played bells. I probably stank and played badly. David just seemed sort of amused... I wonder why he put up with me?

After church, we always went with Ron & Sue to Mom's and Dad's for hame and pickled eggs and coconut cake. And, of course, green bean casserole.

This year I'm not doing church (but please don't tell Mom!), but then Sue and Ron and Martha and Shirley and I are all going to the Hermitage and eating in Mom's and Dad's room - Mom moved her dining room table, you know, despite having no kitchen. Sue is bringing ham and green bean casserole and coordinating everything, Ron is bringing his famous potato salad, Shirley brings cake. It should be real nice.


Well, Happy Easter to all!