Why I Like Singing in the Choir

A number of years ago I wrote a post about why I go to church and I'm updating that today as I joined the church choir a couple of years ago. 

The music at our church is one of the draws for people and I love being about to contribute to that. 

And that goes for me too. I am not someone who reads the Bible all the time, although I am familiar with much of it and even took a class in university called "The Making of the English Bible", but it is mostly the hymns that I connect with. The music contributes to the message and can be very moving.

I love that we are singing songs that people have sung for years.  Sometimes we have new hymns and anthems, or old hymns with new words, but occasionally we will do one of the old ones and I feel connected to choirs and congregations of years past that gathered to sing those same words. 

And in particular, my own family would have sung those words. My grandfather and mother both sang in church choirs and would have sung their parts to those hymns. When I hear the lower parts of the song it's like my Papa Doug is there with me. 

I like being able to read music and hit the right notes. Many of our anthems are new to me and take some practice, but it is satisfying to perform it and get it right (or most of it right anyway!).

It's nice to have my own hobby, not that skiing and golf (and watching baseball) aren't great ways to spend my time, but going to choir is something I do for myself and that's a good thing. 

Why I...Send my kids to overnight camp

 

With our kids away at summer camp for the next two weeks, I thought I would write about why we send our kids to overnight camp.  It’s not for everyone, but it is for us.  People say they could never send their kids to camp for so long, but even though we miss them, I would never deprive them of the opportunity just because of that.  I know they are being well looked after and they will be back soon enough. 

So we like camp because: 

It builds independence - We do so much for our kids, probably too much, especially for Q since he’s the younger one and he complains more so we help him along.  When they are at camp, even though I have packed their clothes, they need to figure out what to actually wear each day, how to look after their things so they know where it all is.  They need to figure out what to eat, and how much. They have to talk to new people, grown ups and kids.  And they have to deal with their emotions.  I’m sure not every minute of every day is a joyful party, and they don’t get the relief of coming home at the end of each day, like during the school year.  If they are sad, mad, or lonely, they have to sort that out.

They get to try new things - The camp they attend has so many things and its so neat to see the different things they get to try - sailing, archery, paddling, pickleball, skateboarding, axe throwing.  There have been many times during the year when E casually says “oh, we did that at Muskoka Woods”. 

They get a real break from screens - as hard we try to limit screen time, ultimately they both spend too much time watching TV and playing video games.  This is a true break from screens for two weeks.  E even decided to leave his phone at home.  (Kids are allowed to bring their phones, although it is discouraged and they have time each day to play on it.) 

They have fun - Obviously! Who wouldn't want to play games, be outside, and sing songs all day long?! 

To create core memories - I went to summer camp as a kid and those are some core memories.  I remember the games we played, early morning swim, songs we sang, and crafts we made.  Even if they only go a few times, I know they are making memories that will stay with them for life.

Spend time away from us - Our kids love us and spending time with us, but it’s still a good opportunity to take a break from us and not have us getting after them for one reason or another.

And we get a break too! - We miss the kids but I am appreciating that I don’t need to rush home from work to pick someone up, get a meal ready or attend at practice or game.  Dave and I have plans to go out for dinner and golf. 

Why I...Blog

Today marks 5 years of this blog so this edition of "Why I..." answers why I write this blog.

It's a good record of our lives.  I love going back to see what we were up to at the same time last year.  And it forces me to document our trips and holidays properly.

On that note, it forces me to take photos, and try to remember to take a variety of photos - some of each kid, ones of Dave and me together, and of all four of us.

It allows our family to keep up with what we are doing. I don't like talking on the phone and I usually fall behind in my email correspondence, but I don't feel too bad about that because people can just hop over here and catch up with us.

I like to give advice and talk about myself, but I am conscious of the fact that people don't always want to hear it all.  This way, I can share all of my opinions, and if anyone wants to read about it, they are welcome to do so on their own time, but if they aren't interested, that's fine too!

It challenges me to come up with different things to write about.  I post something each weekday and although some things are a constant, like Weekend Recap, I try to come up with different and engaging topics.

I like connecting with other bloggers - some that I know read my blog too, and others who don't read my blog but who I am inspired by.

I wrote about my tips for starting a blog here.

Thanks for keeping up with me over these past 5 years.  I never know how long I'll keep this up, but I'm here for now!

Why I...love travelling in Europe

I was reminded this week, after seeing Notre Dame in flames, how much I love visiting Europe.  We have been lucky to visit Italy, Switzerland, France, England, Ireland, Spain, and Portugal (with an airport stop in Germany if that counts!).  Europe will always be my ultimate destination, I feel comfortable there, even though the language may be different.  It is close enough to home (Starbucks anyone) but is another world.

One of the things I especially appreciate is the history, mostly often captured in churches we have visited.  I know the Catholic Church (and the Protestants for that matter) have a sordid past but I do truly love to step into a church and feel the spirits of the people who have been there before.  I imagine the people, some famous, some not, that have walked up those same aisles, who have prayed for things I could never imagine, and have dedicated their lives to the service of God, either as a priest, nun, or architect (think Gaudí). Those people believed in a higher calling and the church is an extension of that.  Those churches are sacred places and although they made of just stone and wood, they have stood by and have witnessed decades and centuries.  We take them for granted, but when one of them is burning down, like on Monday, it really does put into perspective what has happened before.  Napoleon, for goodness sake, had his coronation at Notre Dame, Napoleon!

St. Peter's Basilica - Vatican City

We were here first thing in the morning - the light coming through the windows, the faint singing coming from another room, so peaceful 

Notre Dame in 2009

Sagrada Familia - Gaudí walked down these stairs

And it's not just churches, when we walked through the streets of Venice and attended the Vivaldi concert, I could imagine Vivaldi himself scurrying through those same streets to get to a performance.  Or thinking of Princess Diana walking up the steps of St. Paul's Cathedral for her wedding.  Or Irish peasants being held in the courtyard of Dublin Castle by the English.

Having really only seen a handful of these historic buildings and sites, it makes me want to book another European holiday right now! Scotland where my grandfather was stationed during the war?  Istanbul (not Constantinople)? Germany?

Why I...Changed Jobs

Making a change can be difficult but I knew I was ready to look for a new job.  Here are some reasons why:

- I really like practicing law but I was not enjoying the work that goes along with that in private practice - marketing yourself to clients and referral sources, docketing my time, trying to achieve my target for hours and billed work, invoicing, and collecting those invoices.  At a small firm where I was, we also had lots of other administrative responsibilities that took away from the time I had during the day to bill to files.  There were literally not enough hours in the day.  In my new in-house position, meaning I am employed by one company to do their legal work, I do not have to docket my time, and there are no billable targets, so administrative stuff is just part of my day.

- In private practice there are basically two positions you can hold - associate and partner (setting aside the various types of partner).  The next step for me would be partner, although that doesn't happen automatically, and then that would be it, nothing else.  

- I wanted a challenge.  I had been doing pretty much exactly the same thing for ten, almost eleven years.  The work varied between clients but it was relatively the same thing.  I wanted to expand into a different opportunity - and I found it in mining!!  Another thing that I like is that I get to be part of all aspects of the business, not just the corporate stuff after the decisions have been made.  I am involved in everything and it means I am constantly learning new things which I really like. 

- Many people want to move into less demanding careers or positions as they get older and their children get older.  I feel the opposite. My kids are small now but they won't be small forever.  I will be working long after they become teenagers and then later move out and don't need me as much anymore (sniff) so I need to advance my career now.  If I was to wait until they were older, it would be too late to make the change.  

- And then obvious things like a higher salary, better benefits, the opportunity to travel, and location of the office. Don't get my wrong, I loved my office in Mississauga, and the comfort of driving to work, but it is a fun experience to take the subway everyday and be out there with all of the people.  And so far I haven't spent all of my money in the PATH!

I only on my fourth week there, but so far it has been the right decision!

My advice to you if you are looking to make a change (not that you asked) is to take your time in making the decision.  It took me several months to decide to look for a new job and then several more months to actually find one, by that time, I was sure I was making the right decision.  Also, start networking now - beef up your LinkedIn profile, contact several recruiters (and keep following up with them), seek out someone who can give you unbiased advice on your resume, and ask your (non-work) friends about any opportunities they know about.

Why I...Send Christmas Cards

The other day I was sitting in the kitchen at work and mentioned something about taking our family photo for our Christmas card, and someone asked me why I send cards. It had never occurred to me to not send cards, but then I thought about my reasons why.

It is a nice way to keep in touch.  There are many people on our list that we only connect with around Christmastime with a card.  With Facebook, etc. I sometimes feel pressured to keep up with everyone all of the time, but that is simply impossible.  Sending a card lets the person know we are still thinking of them and that they are important!

It spreads Christmas cheer.  Getting a holiday card in the mail is exciting for the recipient.  We don't get a ton of personal mail anymore so it is nice to get a card. 

It puts me in the holiday spirit.  Like putting up the tree and hanging the lights outside, designing and sending our Christmas cards is another thing that is part of the holiday season.  I love a good task like stuffing the envelopes, writing the addresses, and applying the stamp, and then seeing my progress.  

I like getting cards.  So I can't expect people to keep sending me cards if I don't send any myself!

It's a record of how our family has grown. I keep a copy of each of our cards since we started doing the photo card, and even though we only have four (this year is number 5), I will love to someday have a stack of cards to look through. 

It's an excuse to take a family photo.  We take lots of photos, most of the kids, some selfies, but getting a photo for the card is a good reason to dress in coordinating outfits and all get in the photo.  

Last year's card - let's hope this year's makes it through the Canada Post strike!

If you'd like to receive a Christmas card from us, send me a DM with your address.

Why I...Love Seinfeld

I have loved Seinfeld for many many years.  I can recall watching episodes in high school (is it possible that they were showing reruns even while they were making new shows?) and there was something about it that drew me in.  I sometimes wonder if I am who I am because of Seinfeld or I like Seinfeld because of who I am.  Perhaps it's a little bit of both.

The obvious reason I like the show is that I appreciate the sense of humour; Jerry's sarcasm and his timing is my type of comedy.  The other characters are even better than him.  

Not that I don't like people and I'm not a unsocial person, but people are just the worst sometimes and I can appreciate Jerry et al's disdain for them.

Since I've seen all of the episodes multiple times and since they are about "nothing" I find that something from the show comes up in some form everyday.  This has helped sustain my appreciation for the show over the years.

Now if only Netflix could get all of the episodes I wouldn't have to get my DVDs out to watch the entire series all over again...

Why I...Encourage my Kids to Believe in God

Further to my post yesterday about how to encourage your children, I wanted to write about how I encourage my children to be believers in God and Jesus.  If my kids grown up to be atheists or agnostics, or even covert to another religion, that's fine, but I want to give them a foundation in something (and my something is Christianity) so that they can be informed about one way of thinking, and give them a starting place.

Now, to be clear, we do not talk about God and Jesus all of the time, we do not pray as family, we do not say grace. It's not who we are and I don't want to project an exaggerated belief on my kids, but rather we will bring up God when it is appropriate, and we think about Him as someone who is always around loving us.  We are members of the United Church after all, we aren't [fill in the blank]!!

To give them some exposure to religion:

We go to church.  That's an obvious one.  I grew up going to church on a regular basis and I wrote about why I like to go here.  Going to church isn't a priority for Dave and that's fine but he supports us going and will come along for the high holidays or if E is singing.  So far Q has just been in the nursery, but in September I'll start having him sit with me for the first part of the service and then take him downstairs to the nursery when the kids leave.  Slowly but surely he will start hearing the same things E has been learning.

We read bible stories.  We have this children's bible that tells the famous stories in a way for kids to understand.  E actually requests some of the stories now; last night we read about Jonah, Moses, and David and Goliath.  When E is a little older, I'd like to get him this bible or something like it.

I answer questions as honestly as possible.  E once asked me what happens when people die, and I gave him a variety of possibilities based on what different people believe.  I said I don't know for sure, but I would really like to believe we go to heaven where we can see our loved ones and live with Jesus forever.

We sing hymns.  E joined the junior choir last year and says he wants to do it again next year (his reason is that sometimes at the end they get to play hide and seek in the church, but I'll take it).  I have a hymn book that I will occasionally play on the piano, and I sing Away in a Manager to Q whenever he is upset and it always calms him down.

We acknowledge other religions.  It is easy to do that in Toronto where we are surrounded by people from all over the world.  The school also celebrates all of the holidays.  Being exposed to all of this also encourages me to learn more so I can answer the questions when they come.

If you are interested in taking your kids to church, I'd be happy to talk about it with you, and you're always welcome to come with us!!

Why I...love the Royal Family

In honour of Harry and Meghan's wedding this weekend, I thought I would write about Why I love the Royal Family....and the answer is easy, I just do, okay?! But seriously, I don't have a really good reason about why I love them, but I have been interested in them for my whole life.  So here are a few possible reasons:

My grandmother always loved the Queen; her parents originally came from England so she had an affinity to the royals.  My grandparents were married in the same year as Elizabeth and Philip, so I think she felt connected to them in that way.  We always listened to the Queen's Christmas Day message.

Charles and Diana got married the same year I was born, and apparently I got up early with my mom to watch their wedding (at about 7 weeks old).

Although I hadn't moved to Shelburne yet, Charles and Diana visited there in 1983.

I always loved Sarah, Duchess of York, for obvious reasons.

Since William is a year younger than us, my friends and I would always dream of meeting him somewhere and marrying him and becoming a princess.  And even though Harry was a few years younger, we always loved him too.

I of course remember vividly when Diana died and since I was in high school, it was very dramatic.

I will be up at 4:00 am to watching the wedding on Saturday morning.  I'm also very excited to see who the guests will be; the Mulroney children are in the wedding which I think is just so cool!

I know there are probably several reasons to not be supportive of the Royal Family, but I am not interested in them.  I think they have done a good job of changing with the times and supporting various causes.  Their pomp and circumstance is a refreshing change from the doldrums of politics.

Why I...go to church

As a continuing series of Wednesday posts, I will tell you about why I do certain things.  The first one is why I go to church.  This was part of the sermon on Sunday and it got me thinking so I thought it would be a good place to start.

Our church is the United Church of Canada, it has been around for almost 100 years and resulted from the merger of the Methodists, Presbyterians, and Congregational churches.  We believe in the bible and the teachings of Jesus, but we are very relaxed in how people practice their beliefs.

The thing I love most about our church is the music. We have a very talented choir with soloists and choir director, and we are get to hear live instrumental music on a regular basis from visiting musicians.  The lyrics and tune of the hymns will often stay with me for the entire week.  Music is a comfort to me and it's just another way to enjoy God's word.  E has joined the junior choir this year and I love to hear him sing.

I also want to raise E and Q with some faith background.  Dave and I both grew up in the United Church and we agree that it is good practice to go to church as a kid.  It is all well and good for someone to say that they want their children to make their own decisions about their beliefs and religion, but in my opinion, if I don't give them a foundation in something, like our church, then it will be difficult for them to ever choose that in the future.  And even if the boys aren't absorbing all of the nuances of the church service, they are learning about sitting still and being quiet in a space.  I have used "it's like church" for setting the standard of behaviour when attending other things so E will know he is supposed to stay in his place and whisper.

It is familiar and that can be comforting.  The hymns and prayers are the ones I have known since I was little and I like that.  I have been going to our local church for quite a few years and I like to see people I know each week.

There are so many causes and charities that I could support that sometimes I get overwhelmed.  I like going to church and making our offering there each week because I know that the United Church does good work in the community and abroad so I feel comfortable giving to it.

Some people practice yoga or meditation as way to centre themselves; church is my way to reset and get centred back on God and the lessons in the bible.  It is an opportunity to listen and intentionally pray.  I always feel better after going to church and it sets me up to take on the week.

These are just some of the reasons I like to attend church on a fairly regular basis.  You're always welcome to come with us!