Transition TIme

I am in SOuthern California today for a major reunion at the La Sierra Spanish SDA Church in Riverside, California.  Of course, that means I get to see my family in Riverside.  Just a coincidence, of course!      

By now, you may have heard that I have officially announced my intent to return to California at that end of the present school year.  It has been a gut-wrenching decision on many levels.  A big part of me does not want to leave a job that I have just begun.  There is so much to yet to do.  AAF is just beginning to establish itself at Thunderbird.  The transition has not been one without some serious adjustments.  I believe God brought me here to be part of that transition.  It saddens me to think that I may be leaving before my role in this incredible journey is completed.

The elementary educational system is still in a state of transition as well.  Although enrollment has been up every year since I arrived, there is little comfort in that.  There are changes that need to take place that require more time.  It can’t be done in three short years.  Some changes are in place.  Some are about to take place.  Others require more time.  I am saddened that I will not be able to see those changes through.  I trust God will find the person to continue the move towards continual improvement.

Ultimately, this is a family-based decision.  Penny and I miss the family.  I have resisted conference-office work for many years because of family.  I thought that it might be a workable scenario now that that my children are all independent and relatively established in their respective calling.  I responded to a need and I do not regret the decision.  I had to respond—it is how I raised my children.  It is what I taught my youth groups.

But I also raised my children to treasure family.  I have made most of my professional decisions with family in mind.  When I did not do that I lived to regret the impact it had on one or more members of my nuclear family circle.  I have missed so much of the lives of my children and grandchildren.  Little and big things—some people might even consider them insignificant.  But they are not.  They are moments forever lost.

My melancholy is tempered by the amount of work that remains in the months to come.  I ask for your collective prayers for the events, the tasks, and the decisions that have yet to be made.   God is still at work.  The best days of education in the Arizona Conference remain to be seen.  God will raise up who he needs.

California Ramblings

We’re still in California.  It’s beautiful in California during this time of year.  The skies are clear and you can see forever in any direction.  The mountains are now-capped and candy clouds decorate the blue skies.  The weather is crisp but not frigid.  The best part of it is that Penny and I can enjoy the grandkids every evening without having to travel much.

We are catching up on the local tasks that have been neglected over time.  We spent a couple hours this morning at the Social Security Office trying to normalize the status of a developmentally disadvantaged lady. 

We have an evening planned in Orange County with Amanda and her husband.  We’re looking forward to that.  Later.

Off and Running

Penny and I find myself in Riverside, California this morning.  We survived the long trek back from Gilbert, Arizona to Riverside yesterday.  We had enjoyed some pleasant moments with the Anobile family as they celebrated their 25^th anniversary at the Gilbert Church on the last day of 2012.  We stayed past 10 o’clock, with the intent of staying until midnight.  But alas, we reconsidered when the thought of beginning our trip after midnight began to soak in.  We needed to be there before morning because we had a very important package to deliver to a person who needed it as soon as possible.  So we left at about 10:45 p.m. and arrived after 3:30 a.m. the next morning, California time).

It was quite a whirlwind day yesterday.  Visited family and ate too much again!  I got a chance to see a little of the Rose Parade on TV, since it was on in one of the homes we visited.  Not much bowl watching, since no one was watching college football bowl games.  The evening ended with some Chinese Food with the family and a relatively early bedtime at about 11 p.m.

Today is a somewhat open day with many errands to run and catching up with some office-related communications.  Hopefully I will get some time just to relax and vegetate.  Those are rare commodities.  Gotta go!   

Penultimate Day Contemplation

Only one more day remains of the year 2012.  Penny and I are back from California and Christmas with the family.  It was pretty awesome.  Every day that goes by I miss them more and more.  Being there only reminds me of all that I am missing.  I know that there is much more to do here in Arizona.  That is why I came.  I confess that my resolve is beginning to weaken.  There will be much prayer in the next few weeks and months as I assess what God has in store for me in Arizona and beyond.

I had a great time preaching this past week at AWC.  My sermon title was “Now What!” but it could have just as easily been “Happy Ebenezer Day!”  I am learning to savor every time I stand to preach since I do not know how long I will have the privilege.  Life is fragile and unpredictable.  I have had too many reminders of that reality this year.

Now I have a couple of very busy days ahead before I head out again for the West Coast (actually Central California) where my step-mom still lives.  Our plan is to travel with grandchildren in tow and spend a day or so with her.  She hasn’t seen them for a few months.  It is too easy to get too busy and lose sight of the priorities in life.  Our parents and those who had a part in seeing us through our formative years should not be forgotten.

Well, I ate too much during the holidays.  My scale was not happy when I returned to Scottsdale.  I am in recovery…but, alas, I am returning to the land of endless invitations to eat heartily and drink deeply.  I see plenty of “green juice” in my future, upon my return from the holidays!  (217.8

Running on Fumes

If that date sounds familiar, it should, since today was prognosticated by many as the last day of planet earth.  This may sound a bit crazy in a few years, but it was taken quite seriously by many people.  Oh well, we’re still here.

In any case, it is late Friday night in Scottsdale.  Another busy week has come to a close, but for a busy Sabbath awaiting me tomorrow.  This week produced quite a few memorable moments. 

Tuesday I enjoyed a great musical concert at GAA.  It was amazing what that school has put together at their school.  The children sound nothing short of amazing!  The selection of music was not simple and basic.  It was challenging and more than a bit complex.  But the kids rose to the occasion and produced some wonderful melodies and harmonies.

            Thursday was the Christmas Concert at TCE, where Penny and I work a few days out of the week.  All I can say about that evening is that God rescued what could have been a disastrous night.  Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong went wrong, not just that evening, but for a couple days leading up to the concert.

To name a few (not all), we lost our performance CD.  It was taken by mistake to California.  We failed to order a rush copy, because we were convinced that we could use a “Dropbox” copy of the performance CD for the rehearsals and the “dress rehearsal”.  As it was, we were unable to open the Dropbox copy on time to use during our rehearsals on Wednesday due to some security firewalls.  We had to use a scratched and imperfect copy to rehearse.

We had planned a dress rehearsal on Thursday morning in the TAA Auditorium.  Instead we were forced into a “lockdown” situation due to a police situation a couple of miles away from our school.  That was after we were informed that the person who was running all the lights for the evening program had been admitted to the hospital in California (with our CD). When we finally went to rehearse, the good news is that we had a workable copy created by a very intelligent computer genius.  On that down side, our sound technician did not show up.  We were forced to have a dress rehearsal without the microphones we were going to use in the evening.

We survived.  The technician arrived that afternoon, about 4:00 p.m., and set up the microphones and other amenities. All was working well. No lights, though, since the technician was not familiar with the intricacies, as was his wife, who was in the hospital in California.  We launched the program anyway, only to discover too late that most of the microphones were in fact not working.  One speaker and the “fold-back” speakers used by the choir also when dead early in the cantata.  Do you see a pattern?

The good news is that the kids did wonderfully!  They sang their little hearts out, and in the end, the parents left delighted with the results, not realizing that the choral director was close to a coronary!  It was an amazing night, in spite of the technical difficulties.

Tonight I went for the last rehearsal before tomorrow’s cantata at AWC.  I’m tired!  Good night!  (213.6)

No Time to Rest...Yet

Thursday is over.  I spent the lion’s share of the day at GAA doing some teacher observations and dealing with some matters that needed special attention.  I had an opportunity to sit through a portion of the rehearsal for the Christmas program scheduled for next week.  GAA’s music program is incredible and the students work hard to create an amazing concert.  It was sight to behold!

I did not have much time to be in the office.  I was there long enough to get some documents signed and some Christmas cards completed before I had to head home to get ready for the evening.  It was the AZ Conference Christmas Dinner.  It is always a fun night, although it was close to 10 o’clock when we ended the evening at the office.  We still had more work waiting for us at home.

The evening was complicated unnecessarily due to a typical male behavioral pattern.  I apparently failed to make note of the dress code for the evening and proudly accompanied Penny to the evening festivities all gussied up only to discover upon arriving at the office that no one else was dressed up for the evening.

Penny had to run home and change, but the evening had already gotten off on the wrong foot.  At least she came back to the party, but the evening was quite cold for a considerable spell thereafter.  The Quartet sang a few songs.  The office staff sang some Christmas carols.  There were some readings and some humorous moments.  The food was quite delicious although I did not eat as much as I would have wanted since I was going to sing.

The White Elephant gift exchange went on forever, but it was very entertaining.  The items most in demand were some electronic picture frame and a large can of Big Franks--- go figure.  I ended up with a wind-up radio and a can opener!  It will be a late night followed by an early morning leading to a full weekend and a busy next week leading into the holidays!  Aaargh!  (217)

The Pace is Picking Up

Today was 12/12/12 and it will not be that again for 100 years.  I guess the next big day is December 21, huh?  I truly doubt the day will be anything other than another day, except for some “crazy” that may use the day to create some sort of apocalyptic scenario to get some sick sense of notoriety.  No need to worry!  Every day bring enough to worry about.

These have been a couple of very busy days in my life.  Education Board for the Arizona Conference took place on Tuesday and the Executive Board for the Arizona Conference took place today.  Add a personnel committee and a budget committee to the mix and you can begin to sense my level of busyness. 

But at least I am on this side of the storm and I’m still standing.  Some pretty sensitive matters were considered.  It’s tough to have make decisions that seriously impact people’s lives.  But sometimes it’s inevitable.  Great discussion took place during the Education Board related to identifying new sources of income for the school system.  The good news is that Tax Credit funds have spiked considerably this year.  That bodes well for December donations.  But it is going to take quite a windfall to significantly impact the financial challenges that exist presently in certain schools in the system.

The coming days do not offer any hope of slowing down.  Christmas season only picks up the pace.  Additional rehearsals are planned this week and next for the TCE Christmas Concert.  That should be fun.  Tomorrow I will be visiting GAA to do teacher observations after rehearsing with the TCE group in the early morning.

Change is in the air! (217)