Last week I returned back from Wisconsin after spending a long weekend visiting Will and staying with family. It was sometimes more than my heart could take and I often found myself crying while driving the hour back and forth from LPS to Jeff and Steph's. Alone in my rental car with some pop station from Milwaukee playing in the background (do you like piña colada's and getting caught in the rain?!) I was overwhelmed with emotions of how proud I am of my kid, what dear and wonderful friends I have in my life, what a great school LPS is and and how blessed we are to have it as an educational option, and the love of my sweet family that housed me for 6 nights while their crazy, busy lives continued!
There is nothing like the American high school experience - pep rallies, school spirit, Homecoming, dances and yes - Friday night football. My own high school experience included all these things and some of my fondest memories were in the stands or out in front cheerleading for a game I really knew nothing about (first and ten, do it again!) and let's be honest, I was there for the socializing. 25 years later I found myself back in the stands, cheering on my son's team and watching a game I still know little about. I still responded to the peer pressure and cheered along appropriately with those around me in hopes of not giving away my cluelessness. Go Phoenix!!!!
Not only was I there on Homecoming weekend but it was also Parent's Day and Alumni weekend. There were special activities planned for those able to attend. As mentioned in my previous post, I was allowed to follow Will to several of his classes. Both classes I attended were unique to Prep and specifically to our Lutheran synod. They were both ones I had too about 25 years ago.
Funny how the view from the student's seat is different than the view of a parent's.
The first few minutes of Senior year music class was chatting about the recent Shakespeare play field trip taken earlier that week. A Midsummer Night's Dream seemed to have been slightly overshadowed by the unusually hot September temps and sunburns on the neck. But nobody was complaining that they got out of a day of regular classes! After the discussion, it was time to sing and the students got out their first piece of sacred music they had been working on for the upcoming Reformation festival. It was My Hope is Built on Nothing Less set to a different tune than the one from the hymnal. This was my confirmation hymn and I love it dearly. To hear it sung in four part harmony by the 17 year olds surrounding me was incredibly moving. The class also listened to Rodeo by composer Aaron Copeland and wrote their thoughts on it as the movements transitioned.
The other class I observed was Doctrine. The first 10 minutes of class was silently reading the Bible. Can you imagine?!!! Then the rest of the period was spent discussing the doctrine of the Trinity. They read through the Augsburg Confession and sited the proof passages of Scripture related to this. They learned what a Fundamental Doctrine was. This was serious business.
That afternoon was the Pep Rally which in years past I've watched the Livestream of from home. It was great to be there in person and to watch the silliness (and line dancing) from the stands.
The football game was amazing! It was a beautiful, hot day and the evening cooled just slightly. The sights, sounds, and smells all brought back so many memories of my own time at MLPS. The Phoenix didn't win that night but they played a good game to be proud of.
I went back to campus on Sunday so that I could attend church service with Will. I'm impressed with how much they incorporate the musical skills of the students in their worship. They are truly equipping the next generation of church goers to use their God-given gifts to His glory!
Afterwards we went out for lunch, did some shopping, got his hair cut at the local Chop Cutters (haha), and found a coffee shop to sit down at with our iced coffees and played the game of Life app on my phone for an hour. We did nothing spectacular or exciting but just being together was enough. I bought him a Jimmy John's sub, dropped him off at the school, and we said our goodbye's until November.
Are you starting to understand why I was a blubbering mess?
What really surprised me about the weekend was reconnecting with some friends from my past and the common thread through those short moments of catching up. The interactions that I was most affected by came from friends I knew in a variety of ways:
Prep days (friends since 14, watched each get married, have families, become pastor's wives)
Seminary days (our husbands attended at the same time, we were "Sem Gems", we also became mamas to boys during those years)
Grafton days (last year of Sem, attended same church, fellow hairdresser, spiritual mentor)
Canada connection (among MANY other interwoven WELS connections)
I don't see these people often and I sometimes don't hear from them in years. Maybe it's even just a Christmas card and picture. Maybe Facebook.
In each of these moments with my friends it was like picking up where we left off. We had no time to waste with platitudes and discussion about the weather (although it was seriously warm!). There was this baring of souls; This is what's hard in my life. These are my struggles and these are my joys. God is good. Great is His faithfulness!
It wasn't complaining or whoa is me ... it was being real and honest about the struggles on this side of heaven. It was the body of Christ sharing in our constant wrestling of the old and new man that lives in each of us. It was opportunities taken to share something real with a sister in Christ so that I can better pray for you and you can better pray for me. It was humbling to have such intelligent, beautifully diverse, godly women be so open to sharing all this with me. And it was comforting to know that I have friends all over that are cheering me on too.
Would if we lived our lives this way as Christian brothers and sisters? Why do we protect ourselves by keeping our hurt so close and our burden so heavy? Why do we believe in Christ but fear the body of Christ?
This weekend in Wisconsin reminded me what a gift we are to each other.
Keeping in touch doesn't have to be regular or routine but keeping it real when we do connect can be a relief and repose.
Finally, I'm so very thankful to my BIL and SIL who are always so agreeable to opening their home to me/us/passerbys. I appreciated that Steph still made time to hang out with me even while battling a cold while teaching and going to school. I was also included in the "meet the parents" dinner of the first Halldo grandchild to almost be engaged. It's an occasion in the midwest that can only be accompanied by an old fashioned (says the crazy auntie from Canada).
After the meet the parents dinner in Milwaukee, we made an evening stop at Wisconsin Lutheran College where two of my nieces and my sister-in-law go to school. I'm loving this statue of The Servant - Jesus washing his disciple's feet.
Jesus did that perfectly as He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:28. That righteousness and perfection is now ours through faith. We are now free to serve others in our lives, roles, vocations and jobs whatever they may be! Kinda puts things into perspective, huh?!
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