Simply Trusting

I began working on this post recently as I was sitting in my classroom with one student clicking away on his keyboard; the others are gone on class trips to other parts of Europe, so we took a break from our curriculum so he can explore his own creativity. Sometimes this life we live blows my mind. The student has decided that the day's class schedule makes a really great chord progression. So he's writing a song using those chords. As one does. The school year is off to a great start, and I find my role to be a multi-faceted one. I have two sections of group Piano 1 this semester, and from day one, I knew it would be exciting. One of my favorite things about teaching group piano is helping each student fill in the gaps of their basic musical knowledge. Already there are students who are playing pieces that would have felt impossible just one month ago. I'm continually reminded that good learning is a slow, deliberate process that can often feel tedious and even useless. ...

Dear friends, Happy May! Germany is so very excited to have beautiful spring weather - so excited, that there was a marching band that began making its way around town at 6:30am today! They were still going strong around 1pm, and I don't know that they've truly stopped yet. Seriously though, springtime in this part of the world has been stunning this year, and we are grateful! At the end of this post you will find some pictures of the area around Kandern, as well as of many of the events which have made this time of year so exciting. Since my last update, much has happened. We held another very successful Music Festival. All of our private lesson students performed on various instruments and received helpful, valuable insights from each of the visiting adjudicators. While many students tackle stage fright during this week, they also gain a lot from the interactions they have with the judge. It is also an exciting week for me as a teacher, because my students are pushed to a ...

This post comes on the heels of a ministry update, but I want to take time to give tribute to someone whose loving influence made a big impression on me. Not long ago, in the middle of the night, I received a message informing me that my grandfather's wife, whom we affectionately called Grandmama (she was from Montreal) had passed away.  Hearing news like this from so far away is never easy, and I've been processing this loss over the last week. I've been journaling a lot, and decided to publish some of those thoughts here as my tribute to her. When I received the message from mom, I wasn't quite sure what to feel or do. We hadn't seen Grandmama in a really long time, at least for most of my adult life. Like most family relationships, this is a complex thing. My whole life, this exotic woman with a charming accent and dramatic eyes was another grandma to me and my siblings, though I think I may have the most vivid memories of her. We wholeheartedly embraced her...

Greetings from snowy Germany! The last month and a half have been busy, so I'll spare you most of the tedious details. I have been hoping to post for about a month, but I've been busy recovering from a flu bug that moved in as I flew back from the US at the beginning of January, and has only recently gotten better. In the midst of sickness and busyness, there is excitement, with great things happening in many areas. First, we are heading into production week for our school musical, Fiddler on the Roof. This is the first time I've been involved as part of the pit; I've also been playing piano for daily after-school rehearsals. The cast has been working hard, learning lines, practicing the songs, and enjoying the process. After any of them finish singing one of the numbers, the others will applaud and encourage them. It's pretty cool to watch. Performances are this coming weekend (February 23-25), and we would appreciate prayer for strength, and for the many teachi...