Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in thee …

A closer reading of the ad let me know this was not a religious show. Rather than the hymn, the title referred to rock songs “of the ages.”

Isn’t it interesting how phrases and words resolate with meaning, depending on our own frame of reference?

Sleet and freezing rain were in the forecast but the temperatures stayed at 33, just above freezing so we were spared the icy roads we could have had. The highway department made sure they pre-treated the roads and kept a close eye on the temperature in an effort to avoid a repeat of an earlier weather event they hadn’t adequately managed.

So, we have no sleet, no freezing rain, and no snow. If all this rain had been snow, we would be dealing with ten inches of snow! I’ll deal with the grey overcast skies we currently have — I’m almost afraid to say it but I think it’s stopped raining.

These meetings are an opportunity to ask questions or get help for a problem you’re having. One tutor told how the little boy she worked with last year avoids her now and is embarrassed if he sees her in the hall. In the ensuing conversation about this situation, it was decided that his high-achieving father had put so much pressure on the boy that it caused him to react in this way. The poor little guy must have a miserable time of trying to please his father.

Are you thinking about your taxes yet?

Our local newspaper has a food section once a week. In that section is a column where people write in looking for some recipe that is special to them. Other readers send in what they believe to be that recipe. Yesterday when I read that column, I could scarcely believe my eyes. Someone had written in looking for that cheesecake!

What was even better, someone had the recipe and sent it in. I now have Mom’s recipe and can make the cheesecake for a special treat some time.  Blessings on the person who asked for the recipe and double blessings on the person who sent it in!

Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heard to the Lord. Eph. 5:19

Are you in need of encouragement? Hearing someone sing “Somebody prayed for me, they had me on their mind, they sacrificed their time, they fell down on their knees and prayed for me …” encourages me. I know that God can prompt us to pray for one another but we don’t have to wait for His prompting. Make a note of those mentioned in prayer requests or the friends who sent you a Christmas card and add them to your prayer list. You can be that somebody who prayed for someone else.

When bills pile up, singing, “Jehovah Jirah, my provider” reminds me that God has and will continue to take care of my needs. Just in case I need another reminder, the old chorus “He’s all I need, all I need, Jesus is all I need” takes my mind off my needs and wants. My thoughts are back on the one who provides everything for me.

It’s not easy to sing when I’m in pain. But “The Healer’s coming down the road, coming down the road …” reminds me that Jesus took the stripes on his back at Calvary for my healing. Isaiah tells us “by His stripes we were healed.” Maybe I feel overwhelmed with problems. We all have them, you know. That’s when “Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms, leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms” becomes my prayer song.

Finally, on days when things are going well, or even if they aren’t, I can sing “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine, Oh what a foretaste of glory divine … This is my story, this is my song, praising my Savior all the day long …”

It was good to touch base with friends I hadn’t seen in months. One woman who hadn’t been there for months hugged me! The educational program was on color knitting: intarsia, slip stitch patterns and stranded knitting. I sat in on the slip stitch section which was good. I think most people in our section caught on to what they needed to do although the woman next to me did have some struggles. Between my help and the teacher, I think we got her going correctly.

I got home from the Guild meeting with just enough time to warm-up the leftover casserole (it turned out well, by the way) and leave for the Symphony concert tonight. I got there in time for the pre-concert lecture. However, I don’t think the conductor did his usual excellent job on the lecture. At times, it seemed to me, he lost his train of thought.

The program tonight was a little different. It started with a symphony by Dvorak which was lovely music. After the intermission came a strange piece of music that seemed to be mostly bangs from the percussion section. There were emphatic notes struck on the piano but they had damped the strings somehow so it sounded strange. As the woman sitting next to me said, she kept waiting for the “music” to start. At least that piece was only 18 minutes long.

The last part of the concert was the part I really wanted to hear although I enjoyed the Dvorak. Christine Brewer, a soprano who lives maybe 50 miles from St. Louis, was the featured soloist. She sang the last four songs by Richard Strauss. We consider Christine “our singer” and it’s always good to hear her.

Christine is a large woman and I do wish someone had altered her dress or made it to fit her properly. It was a black velvet dress with a large white portrait collar and white cuffs on the long black sleeves. It definitely didn’t fit her properly through the shoulders/neckline. I know she’s a large woman but that dress which was floor length made her look even larger. I’m guessing that she had it made for her and I do think her dressmaker could have done a better job.

One nice thing the Symphony did was lower a screen and project the words of Christine’s songs — in English — on it. She sang, of course, in German. There were a couple of spots in the songs where there was a short violin solo by the concertmaster. He made his violin sing. Christine’s part of the program made it worth going to the concert.

One of the ingredients called for was thinly sliced green onions. I wasn’t too sure about that. I didn’t find any green onions at my regular supermarket. I wondered if I could substitute the dried onions I usually use in cooking.

However, I had to pick up some prescriptions at Wal-Mart so I decided to check their food department. I don’t normally shop for food there but as long as I was going to be in the store, I might as well check.

To my surprise — and delight — I not only found green onions, they were already sliced. True, I ended up having to buy a carton that contained ‘way more than I need for this recipe but I figured they’d stay good in the refrigerator or perhaps I’d freeze the extra. I was so pleased with my discovery.

The Bible Study has been cancelled due to our snowy/icy weather today. Oh, well, I’m going to make the casserole anyway and see how I like it. I have plenty of green onions so I can make it next month to take to the group.

I got to wondering why this would be so. Do you suppose some people made a New Year’s resolution to attend church? We did have a numbmer of visitors yesterday. One woman had quite a few relatives from out of town with her. But I don’t believe that reason would account for the sizeable increase in attendance.

I hope we made all the visitors feel welcome and that they return again and again. Church growth is a welcome thing.

I did well until I got to the University. As I turned on the campus drive which leads to the building where I needed to be, I noticed the usual balloons and directional sign wasn’t up. It crossed my mind that maybe I was later than I thought and someone had already taken them down. When I got a building or so away from the one where I needed to be, the street was entirely closed off. All the entrances to the parking garage were blocked off. What was going on?

Back on the city street next to the campus, I finally found a sign for the travelogue but it was in a dark enough place that I couldn’t read where it was directing me. I took the next entrance into the campus but didn’t see any more signs.  Since I was now later than I wanted to be, I gave up and came home. I shall need to make a daytime trip to the campus before next month’s program to see if there are any more unwelcome surprises.