Gifts From Coming Home (Take 333)

Another 700 miles on the car over the weekend--that makes three out of the last four weekends spent out of town!--but so worth the exhaustion and the hassles. I got to go to Indiana Wesleyan University for homecoming again this year and sing with the chorale again! It's become an every-other-year event. The first year, I was out-to-HERE pregnant with Jude and was so disappointed I couldn't go. In 2012 they put together an alumni choir again, and I wouldn't have missed it for the world. This fall, we were slated to sing with Michael W. Smith (instead of the Gaither Vocal Band as in the last two times), and I was all over signup as soon as I found out!

We had originally planned to go as a family, but at the last minute, Steve decided he'd just stay home with the boys, and I think (especially given the not-so-nice weather) that turned out to be for the best. So I drove up on my own Friday night, arriving at a dear friend's house at 12:30AM, and packed it in over the next 48 hours. The weekend's blessings included...

6568. Steve's willingness to stay home with the boys and let me go
6569. family members taking our extra concert tickets so we didn't have to eat those costs
6570. standstill traffic = opportunity to practice my music in the car :)
6571. a sweet old friend waiting up until 12:30AM for my arrival and hosting me

6572. a walk around campus, seeing my old dorms and townhouses
6573. extended time to catch up with a dear friend and hear her heart

6574. a brief chat with my wonderful thesis and newspaper advisor
6575. lunch at an old, beloved Mexican restaurant whose name I still don't know how to pronounce
6576. the harmonizing scale in D
6577. Prof's hilarity, and the impact he's had on my life

6578. third sweet friend and second-soprano buddy

6579. the way I can still sing "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" after years, with no struggle to remember
6580. all of Prof's familiar conducting gestures, like the way he points upward in glad worship at "Were not the right Man on our side..."
6581. current chorale members swiping us into the dining center for a free dinner
6582. a chorale table full of old friends and laughter, like old times (except now we're old!)

6583. hugs and familiar faces

6584. the opportunity to come "home" and sing with the chorale and Michael W. Smith

6585. Steve putting the boys to work while I was gone and sending photos

6586. Prof taking a photo with Michael W. Smith when he came over to give us a pre-concert pep talk

6587. a fantastic, worshipful concert
6588. Michael W. Smith unexpectedly asking us to sing one of our own songs during the concert

IWU Chorale singing "A Mighty Fortress"

6589. his response: singing "Friends Are Friends Forever" with us! so funny.
6590. my voice holding up through way more singing (and oversinging) than I'm used to

6591. another dear friend hosting me at her house Saturday night

6592. the way we can go deep and be real after so many years of friendship
6593. safety on the road
6594. Paige Benton Brown preaching so powerfully to my heart in the car (seriously, download these! SO GOOD)
6595. a big hug from Steve
6596. kisses for sweet sleeping boys