My sister-in-law, Katie, is a member of the choir at my church, Jubilee Christian Center. Our choir recently competed in, and won, the regional competition for the Verizon Wireless How Sweet the Sound competition, a competition that serves to find the best church choir in America.
In recognition of the Jubilee choir’s win, the entire choir, all 100+ members, were flown to Atlanta Georgia to compete in the national finale. So tonight I took my family to church to watch the finale. And boy was it awesome.
Verizon Wireless is a class act. I have to say this ahead of everything because the came to our church, set up a satellite and broadcast the entire event on a very large screen television that they brought. They also brought coffee, juice, tea, water and a host of appetizers and deserts. They also brought the staff to prepare these treats so that those watching the finale could be about the business of watching the finale rather than serving food and drinks. Way to go Verizon. I am impressed.
Now on to the goods. We got to church just in time to see our church perform first. I thought at first that this was a good thing but the more I think about it the more I realize that a church that performs toward the end of a two and half hour long competition has a much better chance of being remembered than does the church that started the whole thing off.
I thought because our church did not win. The top two churches actually performed in the last three routines. And while I thought both of these church choirs were good, I did not think the runner up had the vocals, the management or the sounds that our choir did. I had our choir squarely in the top four. The runner up was my number five. In the end though it didn’t matter what my list looked like. It was all on the judges. And they cast their votes.
Overall our choir kicked some serious butt. To see that many people of that many varying backgrounds on stage, singing together, with an African American choir director and a Philippine choir leader was amazing. Just the diversity alone was something to behold. Not to mention they sang their butts off. And they did this at the end of the week of Thunder in the Bay. That is truly a testament to their resolve to perform and perform well.
So to my choir I have to tell you congratulations for doing so well and for representing Jubilee Christian Center the way you did. It was awesome. And next year you will knock them out of the park.
Yesterday I was able to take about 5/7 of my family to church with me. 
What that means is that we were finally able to get back to Sunday morning church after about a 6 week absence because of head lice that never seemed to go away. With the exception of my daughter Alaynah all of my children were able to go with me. And as much I as I hate going to church alone it was a good time.
The kids were able to spend some time with their friends that they really haven’t seen in a while and I was able to actually worship and learn a bit. I felt almost like the prodigal running back to daddy after being in the wild for a time. I know it wasn’t that bad, but it was pretty long for me.
The rest of the day afterward was a pretty big blur. We hit up Costco, came home and put some food together for eating, I cooked and cleaned then it was bedtime so I worked. But I think what made yesterday bearable for me was that it started out right. I like being able to go to church on a Sunday morning.
Now if I could just figure out this waking up alone thing I will be golden.
Most anyone that knows me knows that I go to church. I am there on Sundays with the family and I am there Wednesdays with at least Sarah and Adrianna (drama team meets on Wednesday). And I am usually pretty happy about going.
Recently though I have noticed a growing dissatisfaction with attending church. Please don’t misunderstand me. It has nothing to do with the church. It has everything to do with the fact that I am going to church, for the most part, alone.
I have been married for 13 years now. And it has only been lately that I have been doing things pretty much in a single fashion. By single, I mean as a person who is not espoused in any way may be.
I go to church by myself and sit alone on Wednesdays. On Sundays I usually sit with my sister-in-law Katie. It is getting to a point now where folks think Katie and I are married.
I go to the grocery store with all my kids. I take them to dinner. I take them for walks. I take them to the park. And mom, because of her physical condition at the moment, is nowhere to be found.
I know this sounds a bit like I am whining. If it comes across that way to you, so be it. Maybe I am. I am married and have been for 13 frickin’ years. I should be living a single man’s lifestyle. But I digress…
I love my children and being able to spend time with them means the world to me. But I love my wife too and being able to spend time with her means more than anything to me. I just wish I could spend more time with her and less time taking care of the things that need taking care of (because that necessarily means less time with her AND the kids).
I am happy though. At least she is alive and my kids are healthy. And I have enough energy to still have fun with my children.
Like today for example, I took all five kids for a walk to 7-11 to go get slushies. Since Sandi was out at a birthday party for a friend of hers I had all the children and no stroller (seeing as it was in the Suburban and Sandi took that).
So I got the kids dressed warm enough for a walk and we hit the streets. Even my two year old was walking. We made the (normally 15 minute) walk to 7-11 in about 25 minutes where we grabbed a small colony of slushies and a bag of Doritos (it has to be chips… it is normally Funyons, but it has to be something in a bag). We then hit the sidewalk outside 7-11 like a family of vagrants that were asking for money and we sat and communed and had drinks and made merry with our family.
After this little pit stop we walked home together, taking a slight detour along the way. We got home and the kids lazed on the couch for a bit. Aaron fell asleep H-A-R-D and we just chilled until mom came home.
And therein lies my one issue with the day. Mom was not with us. I was, again, feeling like a single father out for the day with his kids.
I had a great time. I just wish these types of things could included mom more. And I especially wish that she would at least be able to attend church with me.
Until then however, Katie and I will continue to chuckle as more and more people either confuse her with Sandi or think that she and I are married.