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Year Four, Day 308, Pandemic Times Day 57: "Stay Home - Stay Safe" Day 44: Growth

Psalm 96 New King James Version (NKJV)

A Song of Praise to God Coming in Judgment

96 
"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song!
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
2 
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.
3 
Declare His glory among the [a]nations,
His wonders among all peoples.
4 
For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods.
5 
For all the gods of the peoples are idols,
But the Lord made the heavens.
6 
Honor and majesty are before Him;
Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.
7 
Give[b] to the Lord, O families of the peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength.
8 
[c]Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
Bring an offering, and come into His courts.
9 
Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Tremble before Him, all the earth.
10 
Say among the [d]nations, “The Lord reigns;
The world also is firmly established,
It shall not be [e]moved;
He shall judge the peoples righteously.”
11 
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad;
Let the sea roar, and [f]all its fullness;
12 
Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it.
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice
13 
    before the Lord.
For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth.
He shall judge the world with righteousness,
And the peoples with His truth."

The weather was glorious today. And it is expected to get warmer.  It felt so wonderful to walk Honey Dog this morning in the park, with only a sweater, fresh air swirling through my nostrils, and birds serenading us with their cheerful chirps!

However, it is bittersweet. With Mother's Day coming up this Sunday, I, like so many people, was looking forward to a family gathering, honoring all the mothers.  But that is not a good idea, yet.

My brother is a health care worker at the Portland VA. He warned me that we should be careful not to gather en masse, especially at my mother and father's house.

I am inclined to agree. Here in Washington, we are entering phase one of reopening.  Gatherings are still banned.

Plus, my asthma has been bothering me today. As have my allergies.

I sent my mother a card.  There will be other holidays. I prefer to err on the side of caution.

I have also been doing some deep thinking. I have decided for now, to continue teaching piano online, but not seek employment as a church pianist. Even when churches are free to open and gather together, I expect there will be social distancing rules in order. And I am just not prepared to go back to commuting and working in public. 

I prefer to watch and wait. And pray.  And practice my piano. One of my goals is to expand my musical style. I am nowhere near where I'd like to be skill wise. I am studying chords, voicing and rhythmic patterns for playing worship piano.

This is much different than playing hymns from the written score. I can sightread nearly anything with very little effort.  I am challenging myself to play more by ear, use leadsheets, and improvise.

Change is good.

I am also working on my singing voice.  That needs even more work.  But I have found my Qi Gong breathing exercises have helped me with breath control.

I feel like I am going up a level with my musical growth. And for that matter, my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth.

Growth is good!

On that note, I wish you a wonderful evening full of blessings. I am praying for you and our whole world, especially those suffering physically, and for those who are struggling with their mental health. I am also praying those that are feeling lonely. For those who are incarcerated. For the homeless. For those in abusive relationships.  For those who are hungry. And of course our health care professionals as they carry the brunt of the fight against this pandemic.

And all of the "essential workers" who do not have the luxury to stay home and examine their lives. Like me.  I really am blessed.

I need to remember this when I am feeling low.

Maybe shoot a prayer my way if you are so inclined. 

Talk to you tomorrow!
Love,

Zita

p.s. I had only a short 1/2 mile walk this morning with Honey Dog, because I was needed to babysit earlier than usual. But I did get a Qi Gong Breathing Exercise and Hoop workout in!



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