Joyce a Choir Director

Saying for the Day- It's not how much talent you have but how you use it that counts.

Today at St. Mark’s we are going to sing “ On Eagle’s Wings”. To most of the congregation it will be just another hymn but for me it will flood my mined with memories of United Lutheran and a choir director named Joyce. It was and probably still is one of her favorite songs.
Joyce was our backup choir director. If we couldn’t find anybody else she would direct. She didn’t want to. She didn’t feel adequate for the job but she did it.
We had other choir directors. There was the one that wanted to sing “ Ave Maria” on Reformation Sunday and caused a revolt in the choir
There was the French teacher that if she had worn skirts any shorter we would have been raided.
They came and went. But in between and after there was Joyce..
Joyce was a very sharp lady. You don’t get to be bank President in a man’s world if your not sharp. But she always felt inadequate to the job. I could count on her being in my office every Spring and telling me that next Fall we had to get a new director. Somebody who could do a better job.
But if we didn’t find one she was there. Joyce was the best Choir Director we had over those thirty five years because under her leadership the choir did not perform it worshipped and added to the worship. She understood the task of the choir. It lead the liturgy. It lifted the singing of the hymns. It praised God.
Other directors worked at perfection. Other directors worked at getting things right. Other directors missed the whole point of the Church choir.
It is Sunday. We will sing “ On Eagle’s Wings” and I will remember Joyce.

#### News from Pigeon Falls-The little town in my basement where the trains still run, dragons fly, and life is back to normal. People were disappointed last night the town dragon just flew up and down the main street. They expected a little more.
Joseph Becan was found this morning. He was coming out of the woods at the foot of Mt. Hillary. He had one wild story to tell. It seems he got lost and then found this huge cave. In the cave were these great big leathery eggs. Two of them. Just after he left the cage Mt. Hillary did one of its famous shifts. The ground moved and he found himself lost. He didn’t know where he was yet alone were the cave was. Nobody knows what kind of eggs those are. Our Department of Agriculture man said he never heard of eggs like that. There are Eagles nests up on Mt. Hillary but they don’t nest in caves. They might just have been big rocks that looked like eggs.
Now the rumor in town is that Mrs. Petrovich is going to have twins. It maybe that the Petrovich rumor has gotten mixed with the McGregor fact. One of the joys of small town life are the rumors.
Nancy says he heard from Fedia, who heard from Aliice, who heard from Anna, who heard from Dorthoy down at the lab that Petrovich was having twins.. You can’t get it anymore authentic than that now can you?
*****

Today's Link-In Search of Isis- On trees and a book but not about trees.
It was a great day. Church went well. It was first Communion and there were six children receiving for the first time. We did sing "On Eagle's Wings" . After Church we came back to the house and Pat grilled. It was a very good meal. Pennie, Maggie, and Alex went to the dog park. My grandson used the saw he got for his birthday and started building a birdhouse. Then they all left. It is so quiet. Pennie, Betty and I played Canasta and I won. now I need a breathing treatment.
GBYA

Pat on the grill.