Blessed Be Your Name

Just as I expected, Blessed Be Your Name was in my head this morning. I don't like the part about "you give and take away", but the rest of the song is lovely. The funeral was beautiful, and the kids sang wonderfully. I am completely drained, after a week of worrying about Tom, getting ready for Thanksgiving, and 2 days of church/funeral.

Blessed Be Your Name
In the land that is plentiful
Where Your streams of abundance flow
Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's 'all as it should be'
Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out
I'll turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

Watch, O Lord

Since I helped sing Watch, O Lord last night at Mary V's prayer service I wasn't surprised to find it in my head this morning.

Watch, O Lord, with all those awake this night
Watch, O Lord, with all those who weep
Give your angels and saints charge over all who sleep

It is a beautiful song, and I know it has meant a lot to Mary's family over the 4 + years she was sick. I couldn't believe Patti and Arden were able to sing every word with us. I could never have done it.

Today at the funeral I'm helping some of the kids lead Dance with Me and Blessed Be Your Name, so I'm sure those will be in my head tonight.

All Things Bright and Beautiful

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. with All Things Bright and Beautiful playing in my head. It's a Christmas Choir song, although it's not specifically for Christmas (the theme of CC this year is Beauty).

This song immediately made me remember that Mary V. died yesterday. She wanted to be a vet, like the author of the books named for this song. I don't know if I'll have anything to do with the music at Mary's funeral on Monday, but this song would be very appropriate.

• Refrain:
  All things bright and beautiful,
  All creatures great and small,
  All things wise and wonderful:
  The Lord God made them all.

1. Each little flow’r that opens,
   Each little bird that sings,
   He made their glowing colors,
   He made their tiny wings.

Over the River and Through the Woods, Heaven Gonna Touch the Earth

It's Thanksgiving Day. Mary Virnig died early this morning, and the day was very much colored by that news. Her bravery and grace leave many of us changed forever and our hearts are broken for her family.

In the middle of the night I awoke to Over the River and Through the Woods. Definitely a Thanksgiving song, especially with the beautiful new snow we have today.

Over the river and through the woods
To Grandmother's house we go
The horse knows the way to carry the sleigh
Through white and drifted snow

Over the river and through the woods
Oh how the wind does blow
It stings the toes and bites the nose
As over the ground we go


This morning the song was, once again, Heaven Gonna Touch the Earth. This song brings strong imagery to my heart--those times when the divine is felt here on earth--the "thin places". The song is also about angels. I don't exactly know why I'm drawn to angels, but I believe that they are real. And I've always thought of Mary V. as an angel of some sort. She will live on in the lives and hearts of all of us.

Heaven gonna touch, gonna touch the earth
Heaven gonna touch the earth
The angels told the shepherds of the Saviour's birth
Heaven gonna touch the earth
Heaven gonna touch the earth

Heaven Gonna Touch the Earth...and Lead Me, Guide Me

Tom's head/jaw pain had gotten horrifically worse the past few days, to the point where he wasn't eating, sleeping, or WORKING. If you know Tom you know that not working means he must be in utter misery. Yesterday he saw the dentist, who didn't find anything wrong and scheduled him with an endodontist today. Last night Tom broached some serious topics, such as 1) could I cope financially and in other ways if he died and 2) has he done enough to teach the girls his values.

This scared me and made me think about life without him. I had lots of trouble sleeping.

When he woke up moaning in pain at 12:40 a.m. the song Heaven Gonna Touch the Earth (a Christmas Choir song) was in my head.

After a very restless night I woke up at 6:00 a.m. with Lead Me, Guide Me (a song I played at the Methodist Church on Sunday) in my head:

Lead me, guide me along the way,
For if you lead me I cannot stray.
Lord let me walk each day with Thee.
Lead me, oh Lord lead me.

I feel as if God was protecting and guiding me through the night.

Today at 10:30 we went to the endodontist, who found a badly cracked tooth. We went to Centrasota later today at 1:30 and the tooth was extracted. Thank God, no more pain! I was thinking the worst. What a relief!

Nine to Five

I woke up at exactly 5 a.m. and at the moment I looked at the clock Nine to Five popped into my head. Then I went back to sleep till almost 7.

I've never had a job like this--at least not since I left college. So glad I've got my teaching degrees!!

Workin' nine to five, what a way to make a living
Barely gettin' by it's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you crazy if you let it
Nine to five, for service and devotion
You would think that I would deserve a fair promotion
Want to move ahead but the boss won't seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me.

Into the Woods

I haven't gotten much sleep the past couple of nights. Tom is having horrible pain in his head, jaw and teeth, and I've been worried (plus of course he isn't sleeping well, which keeps me awake, too).

When I'm not sleeping well the music isn't front and center like it usually is, and I have to lie still and wait for it to emerge from the cobwebs.

Saturday morning I had, instead of a song, a vocal exercise going. Back story: Thursday night I worked at Family Fun Night at the elementary school. We use the music room for our early childhood activities. As we were cleaning up the cast from Into the Woods, the current high school musical, came in with their director to warm up. One of their warm-ups went like this:

1_121_12321_1234321_...etc. It could also be sung like this: Do_do re do_do re mi re do_...etc.

It was a new one to me, and I liked it. Saturday morning that exercise was in my head, and my fingers were even moving the way they would on the piano. LH accompaniment, too!

Last night I went to see Into the Woods. Tom ended up not going because his dad fell and hurt his head and Tom needed to stay with him to be sure he was okay (plus Tom's head/tooth pain was particularly bad last night). It is a very dark musical. I'd love to see it again, done by professionals. Maybe this spring Brienna and I can see it Off-Broadway.

Anyway, the theme song, Into the Woods was in my head. Right now I can't conjure any of it up. Here are some of the lyrics:

Into the woods,
It's time to go,
I hate to leave,
I have to, though.
Into the woods-
It's time, and so
I must begin my journey.

Into the woods
And through the trees
To where I am
Expected ma'am,
Into the woods
To Grandmother's house-

Your Kiss Is On My List

Yikes! Your Kiss Is On My List by Hall and Oates? Where did this one come from? All I can say is--I have been feeling like I might be coming down with the flu (headache, sore throat, watery eyes and mushy brain) and I'm just not myself!

Love the music, hate the words.

You Are a Light On My Path

Wow, so many church songs! You Are A Light On My Path is another one that Bethany Branches sings. Leah sings the solos. We do it as a medley with You Are the Light of the World and This Little Light of Mine.

I'm thinking about Bethany Branches a lot lately, which is probably why these songs are in my head. Just found out that the LaMoreaux committee is funding my request for t-shirts for the kids with the new BB logo on them. That's great--except that unless something changes drastically there won't be a Bethany Branches after the next year or 2. Brienna and Mitch will be done after this year. Leah will be done after next year, and Kiera, Zac, Jennifer and Leevi the year after that. There are so few younger kids in our church. I don't know what we'll do.Sometimes I'm kind of glad. I'm a little burned out. Mostly I'm sad, though.

By Grace

This morning's song was By Grace by Jonathan Rundman. This is a new song, sung by Bethany Branches for the first time this past Sunday. I have to admit, I chose it for Sunday because Bishop Tom Aitkin was the speaker, and I figured a song about grace would impress a Lutheran bishop.

Bishop Tom gave an excellent message about how God loves and includes everyone, "no exceptions". It was a powerful message in today's political climate, and also an important one for the young people (including 4 confirmands) to hear. It made me proud to be a Christian and a Lutheran, and I don't feel that way very often these days.

Just have to mention a couple of other unrelated things. I spent the day with Sam and he is talking so much better! Emily called to say she and Joe are engaged! Beth turns 30 on Friday, and flies to NY with Steve and Sam tomorrow for 12 days!

You Are the Light of the World

I woke up at 3:15 this a.m. with You Are the Light of the World by Cathy Pena in my head. This one was not a surprise. I often have this one in my head at all times of the day and night. I have it on a cd and our young people at church sing it almost every month. I love it.

I think I am very good at helping other people shine their lights, but I'm not sure I do a very good job of shining my own light. Something to think about....

By the way, after waking at 3:15 I couldn't get back to sleep for a long time. Then suddenly it was 7:20 and I was late for work and had to jump in the shower, get dressed, and leave home without coffee or breakfast. On the way to work I realized....there was no song in my head! And there hadn't been since I woke up. I haven't overslept in...hmmm...several decades. And I can't remember a time ever that I've awakened without a song.

The Tide Is High

I've been thinking about starting a blog for quite some time. This seems like a perfect day to begin. Every morning when I wake up there's music in my head--always something different. Sometimes the reason for the song makes lots of sense (a song we've been rehearsing for choir, or a song I've been listening to) but other times there's no obvious reason.

Today's song was one of those--totally random. In fact, I didn't even know the title and only a few of the words. So I found a lyric search engine and typed in what I thought the words were: "The time is right and I'm moving on; I'm gonna be your number one". Most of those words were wrong, but the search engine found the right song: The Tide Is High by Atomic Kitten.

Why that song? No clue. I woke up at 3:15 with the song in my head, and soon went back to sleep, dreaming about trying to find out the name of the song, with help from many strangers and friends (one of whom gave me a helpful song-finding book). When I woke up again at 5:15 the song was still in my head--just the (incorrect) line mentioned above. It's the kind of song I might hear a bit of while trying to find something good on the radio during a long drive. I drove to the Cities twice this weekend, so maybe I did hear a small piece of that song! I've never, until this morning, heard of Atomic Kitten, but I thank them for the dream and the motivation to begin my blog.