Time For Things to Pick Up Again....

Here it is just past the middle of August. Our schedules will soon be picking up to normal level with activities for Boy Scouts, church, and other things. You like to be busy, but enjoy the halcyon time where days and evenings are not quite so full giving you a little flexibility for doing things spontaneously. Whoever said things slow down once the kids are out of the house must not have had any, in my humble opinion. Our days are just as full, or maybe more, since our son left home for college days. Just different things are there rather than school sports activities.
Our chosen activities are still working with kids. We both are active in Boy Scouts with Ter as a Merit Badge Counselor, Assistant Scoutmaster, and working with training. I am a Unit Commissioner for position but help in training also. A Unit Commissioner is a liaison between their assigned Units (Pack, Troop, or Crew) and the local Council to help troubleshoot problems and keeping up with what is going on within the Units. I have helped with various types of training to help new leaders be the best they can be along with training the boys to lead their Troop and help with Packs. This part really keeps you on your toes as you never know what the boys may come up with as the session goes on. I also work with the kids at church on Wednesday evenings for our AWANA (Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed) program. The kids have to memorize Bible verses and facts to gain prizes and we always have a time for a story on a Bible theme known as Council Time. My room leader and I had an extremely eager bunch of girls last season which kept us looking forward to each week. There is also time for fun with about a half an hour for games. This time can be pretty raucous with some great competition. This time is also where I may shut off my hearing aids, aka Tune Out Time, but keep my eyes open to what is going on and to encourage the girls as they play their games. There are times I am really thankful NOT to know what the decibel reading is in the fellowship room where we hold opening and game time. You are always thrilled when a child receives Christ as their Savior. That is the TRUE reason for working with these kids, to bring them to a saving knowledge of Christ. These girls have become kind of my surrogate daughters through the years. It has been neat to watch them grow up and mature into fine young ladies.
Choir will also be starting up again. We have a pretty good choir thanks to the hard work of our Director and musicians. Our organist and pianist are mother and daughter with our Director being son and brother. A truly musical family. Our pianist is one of those rare talents who can sit down, look at a piece of music and play it right now. I have only met three people like that in my lifetime. We also have a wonderful husband and wife team who bring string bass, cello, violin and viola to the musical mix. It is not unusual when we do a big program to have some of their students come to make up an orchestra. It is quite a sound to go along with the usual keyboard, guitar, bass guitar and drums. I do really enjoy choir. I usually sing alto, or the lower female voice, but have been known to switch to soprano, or higher voice, when needed. I know the limit of my voice. I am just at times overwhelmed with the musical talent in our church. God has surely blessed us.
I am thankful to be busy and to feel I am contributing to things. As long as God gives me the strength and talent I will be there. My feeling is we should never let our talents go to waste and God has promised each of us has a talent to use for Him. We just have to be willing to be open to His leading and to do what He asks. As my good friend says, “Do it now because you never know when things may be taken away from you.” How true, how true.