A Sweet Word from Patrick

Upon returning home from a quick but wonderful trip to OKC, I received a new letter from Patrick. In it, he shared that although he still hasn't passed the 2-mile run, he has improved greatly on it and the rest of the physical fitness test. He has one more opportunity to pass it and has felt the prayers of all of his family and friends. Please read the following words from Patrick that he asked me to post.

TO ALL OF OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS:

"Thank you so much for your prayer support. Daily I can feel God's guidance through this training. My PT scores have drastically improved and I WILL pass the next test. I love and appreciate each of you and look forward to finishing my training and getting to thank each of you in person."

-Patrick

I just want to add my thanks as well for your prayers for me through this time. I can feel them as I get through each day. I am SLOWLY adjusting to this no job, no schedule thing. It's a very hard thing for a band director to get used to, but I'm not complaining. It is also difficult knowing that Patrick is working extremely hard in very tough surroundings and I'm doing nothing.

On another note, it's so relaxing right now listening to the thunderstorm outside. We've been so long without rain and I almost forgot what it sounds like.

Thank you God for the rain and for your constant provision in my life.

To Conduct or not to Conduct...

And I don't mean electricity...

A week has passed since my trip to Kansas City and I have neglected to do any blogging.

My trip was wonderful. I made some new friends, renewed an old friendship, learned a whole mess of useful stuff, some not-so-useful stuff, and ate at a few really good restaurants.

I'll spare you all of the details, but would like to share the conclusion of my journey. I went to KC wondering if I should continue my pursuit of conducting/band directing. It has been my prayer that God would show me very clearly if I'm doing the right thing. All week long, He showed me that this is definitely what I love to do and I should seek to do it with all of my heart.

We concluded the symposium with this question from the director -
"Why am I a conductor?"

Immediately, my pen began writing the following words with no question and no doubts:

I believe that God has given me a deep sense of musical appreciation. I live and breathe the music that I hear and perform. My passion is to convey my love of music to others in a way that allows them to know who I am. Music moves me in deeply profound ways. It is at the core of who I am and to not share it would be a great denial of who God made me.

When I grow up...

You know, I'm going to admit something. I don't know what I want to be when I grow up and I've been seeking God's direction. Forgive me if you've heard me say this before, but I needed to be honest. Currently, I'm sitting in a dorm room at a university far from home. No, I'm not a student here. I'm attending a week-long wind band teaching symposium to further my personal education in the band world. I've wanted to be a conductor since I was in junior high but I've only dreamed it. Yes, I am a band director, but it's not the same. I don't think I feel like explaining the difference right now.

I've always wanted to attend a symposium like this to see if this is really what I should do. This is the first one I've actually attended. Usually, I get interested in participating in one, then I chicken out with excuses like no money and no time. I've never done it because it's a very personal growth experience when you are critiqued on your conducting technique.

Well, Patrick encouraged me to attend this one because we could finally afford it and he knew he'd be gone so I'd have no excuse. So, here I am. And, I'm wondering why... As I meet and interact with most of these people, I'm finding a huge sense of self-importance from each one. It's the kind of career in which you have to know the right people and have a "no fear" attitude. And ego must be a prerequisite also. I feel like I don't belong. Of course, it could be that I'm just emotional about Patrick not being here to talk with me.

We've only finished one day, and I am actually having a good time. It's just that I am getting even more confused about what path I should take in my career. I want to be obedient to what God wants for me, but it's hard to understand right now. Everyone asks me where I teach and I have to say, "Well, I'm between jobs...and here's why..."

God, I know that you have a plan for me. Help me be open to what it is.

S...N...A...I...L...M...A...I...L..........................................

In case I wasn't exactly sure why people have all but stopped using written word as a means of communication, I now have no doubts at all...

I finally received mail from my dear husband this week. Three envelopes came on Monday after the holiday weekend. Those three envelopes contained letters that covered June 24th through 30th. It was great to read about Patrick's new adventures in the Army. I have been obsessed with checking the mail. I feel bad for wondering why he hasn't written. He has written, it just takes the US Postal Service FOREVER to deliver things. I guess that's the real reason they started selling those FOREVER stamps. Maybe that's the kind of forever they meant.

A fourth envelope came just today. It covered July 1st through 3rd. Okay, in case you didn't see the date for today's post, that is a full week behind. He mentioned that he's finally getting the bed making routine down. One day, he was the only one in his room that got it done. Everybody else got their beds tossed... I'm supposed to ask my brother-in-law what that means.

He sounds like he's having fun in some ways. He really loved rapelling down a fifty foot tower. He also enjoyed the nutrition class.

Well, after catching up with him through reading those notes, I feel much better. Little by little it's sinking in that he's in the Army. I'm extremely proud of him. We have no idea how long we'll be living the military life, but it is a huge adjustment.

And now to some not-so-happy news... I found out that our precious dog must have some teeth pulled. Several of our family members' dogs have had this done. I scheduled the surgery and pray that he'll do okay. The weirdest thing is that Patrick and I had a discussion right before he shipped about our sweet dog. I didn't want to have to make decisions on my own about the dog's medical needs if they were major. Basically, we agreed that if it was less than a certain amount of money, I should proceed. Now I am just debating over letting Patrick know. I don't want to worry him.

Only 5 Minutes???

Patrick was able to call today. But, he only had five minutes of time before he had to give the phone to the next guy.

He sounded so much better than he did last week. This weekend was relatively light due to the holiday. He seems to be handling the training okay. He mentioned that he really needs some duct tape. When I asked him why, he explained that he and others have been wrapping their feet in duct tape to help protect the blisters. OUCH!!!! Can you imagine pulling it off??? I guess he's not using the band-aids I sent. He did say that one guy in his unit busted his head open and everyone remembered that Patrick had some bandages. He was able to help the kid out.

Of course, we couldn't talk long, but he said that he'd mailed me several letters already. I haven't gotten anything from him in the mail. I hope they come tomorrow. He did have time to mention that tomorrow is the Gas Chamber day. Yikes!

God Bless the USA!

Wow! What an amazing weekend! I must say that this year's Independence Day weekend has been a wonderful one. Friday morning, Mom and I treated ourselves to a movie and had a great time. Then my sister and her husband came over for some good ole' hot dogs and ice cream. After we got our Guitar Hero fix, we headed out to join some friends from church. A group of us went out to Lake Grapevine to see the Grapevine fireworks display. We chose that location because we thought it would be less crowded. The super thing was that because we were sitting at such a high elevation near the dam, we could actual watch about nine different cities' fireworks displays. It was a great evening. While we waited for the sun to set, we played games and fellowshipped.

Of course, I couldn't totally relax because I was hoping that Patrick would have some personal time to call. I mean, come on, it's our nation's birthday... But, I managed to enjoy the fun anyway.

Saturday was not extraordinary. I had to mow the lawn. I don't hate it, but I slept too late to get it done before the heat really turned up.

Today's church services were so powerful. We had guest speakers in both. The morning service was filled with lots of history about our Christian heritage as a nation. It was really eye-opening. It was amazing to hear all of the stories about our Founding Fathers and how much they wanted to be guided by God and their love for Jesus Christ. We've all heard a few of the stories, but people today have tried to distort the facts and they only focus on the to least religious founders, Franklin and Jefferson. However, the other 54 signers were devout Christians who wanted Biblical principles to define our nation. I encourage you to visit WallBuilders to learn more about it.

I spent the afternoon at my sister's place. We went swimming and got sunburns. Ouch!

This evening, I was talked into singing in the choir. After all, I had heard most of the music before. We had a guest soloist and also Rick Scarborough from Vision America. He inspired us to take a stand for Christ and for America. It was a very powerful and moving message.

This 4th was very different for me. First, Patrick was not here to celebrate. And second, he's in the military now and that gives a whole new meaning to anything patriotic for me.

Blisters, Band-aids, and Brats

Oh, Happy Day!!!! At about 5:30 pm on Sunday night, Mom and I were exiting the interstate to visit my grandparents in Hope. Suddenly, my phone rang and it was Patrick. Between the road noise, dog in my lap, and just the shear excitement, I couldn't hear him very well. I told Mom to pull into a gas station just a block from my grandparents' house and I was able to speak to Patrick more clearly.

His unit had started Basic Training on Friday after a few days at Reception Battalion. His first three days included paperwork, shots, uniform issue, a hair cut, and I'm sure a lot of yelling from Drill Sergeants. He said that it hasn't been unbearable yet, except for the painful blisters he and most of the other guys are getting on their feet from their boots. I thought the boots were supposed to be fitting better than that...oh, well, what do I know? Patrick asked me to send him a box of band-aids. Actually, he asked me to overnight them. So, first thing Monday morning, I went to Walmart and bought a large selection of bandages and some antibiotic cream. I hope they don't make him throw them in the trash. When I went to mail them, I couldn't overnight them because Hope doesn't have an airport. The best I could do is get them there by Wednesday (today). I'm not even sure if he'll get them today because I'm not sure how often they get Mail Call.

Patrick said that the sleeping arrangements are better than he thought they'd be. He is in a room with seven other guys. The worst part of the training has been the unruly teenage and twenty-something brats who won't do what they are told. Patrick said he could totally identify with the Drill Sergeants. It reminds him of being a band director. Problem is, as band directors, we punished the problem kids, not the whole band. In Basic, it's quite different. The whole company gets punished when the brats cause problems. Needless to say, they've already received a great deal of punishment. Hopefully, those guys will grow up sooner, not later.

I'm not sure how often Patrick will get to call, but I know I'm looking forward to each call. I know I need to start sending him some letters.