Good, better, best…

As I sit in the trailer in Arizona, listening to Kevin learn to play the hymn, “For All the Saints” on our new portable Yamaha keyboard, I am smiling. Hearing him play the piano summons so many positive memories of our life together. I recall my desire twenty years ago that Kevin should have a piano to play, then about seven years later moving into a rental home in Encinitas, California, that came with an old upright piano. It was in terrible shape, had sticky keys, and when we had someone look at it, we learned it would cost more to fix than it was worth.  It had whet our appetite, though, so we shopped for our own digital piano.  I remember the sound of Kevin’s voice telling the salesman, “She’s just learning!” with a tinge of pride when I played several of the digital pianos in the store. I remember smiling as I fell asleep in bed one evening listening to him quietly playing, “The Book of Love” in the living room (such a soothing, almost hypnotic song!) I remember trying to teach myself to play that piano, with Kevin’s help, and practicing every evening and weekend trying to learn a ridiculously hard Jim Brickman song that was far beyond my abilities, and I remember Kevin’s repeated and loving encouragement as I did so.

Kevin gets frustrated sometimes when he plays piano, because, as anyone who knows him will tell you, he is a perfectionist. Whenever I think of his mother, I first imagine her saying, “Good, better, best! Never let it rest ‘til your good is better and your better best!” and then I imagine that so often-seen look on Kevin’s face; a look of intense concentration tinged with frustration as he tries to live that out. I look over at him now and see that look.

So why is Kevin learning hymns on the piano, you ask? Well, on Sunday, we attended a small local church. Prior to going, I had visited their website. The site is brand new and I could see that the webmaster might need a little help in figuring out the platform that they were using, which happens to be the same one I am using. I resolved to offer my services if it turned out to be the case.

At the worship service on Sunday, they had no accompanist. They were using some recorded music that just didn’t work very well to lead the congregation in song. Our first hymn was one of our favorites, “Here I Am Lord.” The hymn was made difficult to sing by the recording using key changes.  The pastor informed the congregation that she had a lead on an accompanist and might have one in a few weeks. As she spoke, the words of the hymn came back to me, “Here I am Lord. Is it I Lord?” and I thought, “I’m going to discuss that with Kevin after worship. Perhaps he could offer to do it while we are here until they find someone.” A few minutes later, Kevin leaned toward me and whispered, “What do you think of my offering to be their accompanist for next week?” I smiled and said, “Yes,’” knowing we had both just been set up by the Holy Spirit again!

The pastor was happy to accept Kevin’s offer, and my suspicions of the webmaster’s inexperience were confirmed. She seemed thrilled when I offered to share with her what I have learned. We had a little problem though.  Getting access to a piano for Kevin to practice proved to be quite difficult.  We discussed it, and since we felt called to help, and we had discussed trading in our digital piano at home for something more portable, we went shopping and added a portable 61-key Yamaha digital keyboard to our traveling collection of instruments that includes two guitars, six harmonicas, an egg shaker and two pennywhistles.  (We’ll have a nice Kawai Digital Piano for sale when we return to Connersville!)  So, this evening, Kevin is learning the hymns on the piano for Sunday!  I have spent some time looking up resources to share with the webmaster when we meet so I can help her learn a little more about how to manage and update the church’s website.  Kevin and I are both smiling (well, when he’s not concentrating, he’s smiling!)

For the past several weeks, I have been thinking of the covenant we entered when we joined the United Methodist Church. Two of the seven vows of membership are to be loyal to Christ through The United Methodist Church and do all in our power to strengthen its ministries; and to faithfully participate in its ministries by our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness. Since we have been traveling the past two-and-a-half months, we have attended several churches along the way. While we continue to pray for our church’s ministries and those of the churches we visit, continue to give financially to our church in our absence, and try to make our lives a witness (we can always use work in this area) we know we have not been contributing our talents in service of the church’s ministries.  This has been an uncomfortable change, I think, for both of us. We feel self-indulgent. I have felt like we are church tourists rather than active members.

Here I am, Lord!

We are both grateful for the opportunity to contribute our talents to this small local church, even if it is only for a few weeks. In doing so, we participate in the connectional nature of the UMC,  and live out our commitments as members. The reward I have for this is getting to hear Kevin play the piano again and allow some wonderfully happy memories to wash over me as I listen.

Blessings!

Kate