Date: 23 December 2012 19:41:17
So, term finished, and organ playing took over!
It's been one of the nicest terms ever. Even with the group that seemed to be really awful at the start of the year. We've come to a set of amicable agreements, and it mostly works. They've just provided me with my extreme moments!! (There was a week we concluded they may not want me directly involved in their group conversations, but they do want me to hear them, as I'll then do something about whatever I've heard...but the day they all settled down to do some serious work on a Friday afternoon, and produced it, was a real highlight.) I could've done without the pressure of possibly being observed at any point in the final two weeks. I was quite miffed that this never happened, but relieved as well!
Then, term ended, and organist duties started. One Christingle, (well, that was really on the Sunday before term ended) one end of term service, (for a school that finished after me) one funeral, one Nursing Home carol singing and one Sunday service down. Crib service, Midnight and Christmas Morning to go... Should have been another service in there this afternoon, but it's changed time, day and type of service. One re-ordering of the music files in church, one contemplation of a washing of the currently redundant choir robes, one grapple with the lectionary/hymnbooks for January, and some of February. (Yes, I know - it's scary, but I'm done with hymn choosing until Lent, then will have a glorious Lent/Easter choosing in February.)
I've even cleaned the house, sorted some of my own financial matters out, and done a shopping spree whilst it was relatively quiet. Sometimes, it's definitely worth working in a different county to the one in which I live when the holiday dates work in my favour!
Then, there's the fact I am settled in a church, and it is the right place to be. Which is probably the very best Christmas present of all after these three years of wondering if I'd ever be OK with being an active part of a worshipping community again.