Tag Archives: church

All He takes away

There’s nothing for a couple like good couple friends. Friends who feel to drop by for dinner, call you up spontaneously, cry with you, work alongside you, text you when they’re in need of prayer. Eat your ravaged mustard mash that didn’t turn out quite right with nary a word of complaint.

Especially when they’re not only your couple friends, but your bandmates. Who have also been in your Bible study for 3 years. Oh, and are on the worship team at church with you. And when the female component of this couple is your best girlfriend.

In case you haven’t caught on yet, I’m talking about my friends Eric and Carrie.

Carrie was the one who kicked my butt into the world of blogging over two years ago. Carrie was the first person to call me after our break-in in January. She took me for my first pedicure. Carrie’s thrift shopping stamina is enough to satisfy even this hard-core thrift shopper. And Eric and Carrie forced us to go to a Regency Ball . . . twice!

Carrie invited me to sing back-up vocals for one of her gigs one fall long ago, which put the wheels in motion for the formation of our band, Thornfield.

Eric and Carrie were the first people I played one of my original songs for (with the exception of my husband, of course!), and the catalysts for my songs actually ending up not only being performed in front of actual people, but recorded on our CD. They have encouraged, challenged, pushed, comforted, and advised me.

I can’t say what Eric and Carrie have been to me in the past 3 years.

Now they are moving to North Carolina (a process started long ago), where Eric will be getting his Masters in Composition at UNCG. We had a goodbye brunch for them at our place a few weeks ago, and another goodbye brunch with our church family this past weekend. Yesterday evening we helped them pack up the truck.

And that’s it. Now–as in, this morning–they are going to get into their vehicles with all their stuff (as well as our furry and cruel band manager) and actually drive away. In fact, at this time of the morning they are probably already outside the city limits of Chicago, heading South and zooming off into this new phase of their lives.

And the only reason I’m not burying my head in the sand in despair is because I know God has a plan . . . that his plan is GOOD . . . and that he will meet all of our needs.

We will try to keep both our friendship and Thornfield going from a distance, share our lives and songwriting, engage in road trips for the occasional gig, and hopefully record another album down the road. But the reality is–it’s not going to be the same. I know I have a lot of tears ahead of me, and there’s nothing to be done except cry them, and walk through the pain of my loss.

I take so much comfort in the words of the hymn “Be still my soul” that say:

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on thy side,
Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide,
In every change He, faithful, will remain.
Be still, my soul: thy best, thy heavenly Friend,
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

And especially close to my heart is this verse:

Be still my soul: when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better know his love, his heart,
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From his own fullness all he takes away.

I love you guys, Carrie and Eric.

Drive safely, sweet friends, and I pray that after a few years, somehow, we will end up in the same city so that we can share our lives again in this way that has been so, so precious to me.

Christmas crooning and the Hokey Pokey

Last week was full of music, and after touting the glories of that Christmas on the Town concert, I’d be amiss if I didn’t follow up and share a video I took of my friend Carrie singing her heart out.

Enjoy her sweet crooning, Graham’s incredible skills on the mouth harp, and the fantastic song itself, “Heavenly Peace: a Blues Ballad” composed by our church’s own Ben Lynerd, which he layered with “Silent Night” in a beautiful way.

You can read more about the song on Carrie’s blog–and I love the words, taken from a poem by William Cullen Bryant:

These strifes, these tumults of the noisy world, 
Where Fraud, the coward, tracks his prey by stealth, 
And Strength, the ruffian, glories in his guilt, 
Oppress the heart with sadness. Oh, my friend, 
In what serener mood we look upon 
The gloomiest aspects of the elements 
Among the woods and fields! Let us awhile, 
As the slow wind is rolling up the storm, 
In fancy leave this maze of dusty streets, 
Forever shaken by the importunate jar 
Of commerce, and upon the darkening air 
Look from the shelter of our rural home.
 

On a completely different note, today we hit the road to Wisconsin! Remember Kevin and Katina? The ones whose engagement pictures I took over the summer? Well, they get married tomorrow, and not only do I get to be the second photographer at the wedding (all the fun, none of the pressure) but I will be also be involved in the wedding music shenanigans during the reception. My band Thornfield (Carrie, Eric and me) plus Petras on the drums and Jonathan Gilley on bass will be playing pre-dinner music and then dance music. This includes . . . well, the Hokey Pokey, among other things.

I’ll be doing some heavy tambourining, guitar riffs, singing a little, and possibly even egg-shaking. And I get to play the drums for the first time! Yes, the real drums (as opposed to my usual goat-faced companion). Peter is taking the lead singing on a couple songs (“As Time Goes By” as well as a couple duets with Carrie such as “Unforgettable”), so I staged a takeover of his drum set. So far no one has wrenched those stick thingy whatchamacallits away from me, so wish me luck. And I should also figure out what those stick thingies are called. Drum sticks? (heh heh) Plain old “Sticks”? Rhythm hitting whatsits? Bangy loud poles? Oversized rhythmic chopsticks?

Anyway, it’s going to be a blast. An exhausting blast, but a blast nonetheless. Whoopeee for weddings!