How to Survive a Maine Winter

Toulouse, stretched out on a warm radiator

My Life in Paris

Well, one glorious week that is...Bill and I went the last week of January, during the heart of the French winter.  We took our LL Bean down coats, hats and gloves and the 44 degrees felt downright balmy to us. The upside was that there were no crowds; the only place we stood in line was at the Louvre.

One can't spend time in Paris without walking, a lot.  It was one of my favorite things about the trip after being cooped up for months during our current Maine winter.  During our walks we stumbled upon two beautiful outdoor markets...vegetables, meat, fish, cheese, bread, you name it.  The only thing missing was processed food, unless you count the foie gras.

Several weeks before our trip we began watching a series of DVD's about the Louvre: Museum Masterpieces: The Louvre by Rick Bretell.  Wow, were they ever helpful.  The first time I visited the Louvre, a few years ago, I became so frustrated at trying to find my way around that I sat down on a bench and cried.  I was ready this time, with a list of paintings I wanted to see and a good idea of where they were located.

The best thing about our time in Paris was sharing the trip with our dear friends Susan and Jay from California.  Having spent much time in Paris and knowing the language well, they were superb tour guides and companions.

What would a trip to Paris be without music?  A solo piano recital in an 18th century church, the Paris Conservatory Orchestra, Faure's Requiem at La Madeleine (where he worked) and marvelous organ playing by Daniel Roth at Sunday Mass at St. Sulpice.  Just imagine...the postlude was an improvisation on the day's readings.

And of course there is the food.  Croissants for breakfast, French onion soup and salad with salmon and artichokes for lunch, omelettes, croques monsieurs, and lovely dinners of fish and chicken on top of pasta. Baguettes, fruit tarts, chocolate.  But don't forget, we were walking miles every day!

A fun discovery was this tiny, quaint shop, L"Autre Monde, just down the street from our hotel in Saint-Germain.  It specialized in all things Baroque, including recordings and books about music and art, some in English.

And last, but certainly not least, the coffee.  How I love Parisian coffee- I think I may have become something of a cafe-au-lait expert. The waiter brings a cup and saucer with a small amount of very strong coffee and a stainless pitcher of whole milk heated to just the right degree.  He then pours the milk into the coffee right in front of you, finishing off with a bit of a whirl.  One does not order a coffee to go and don't even think of asking for artificial sweetener.

I loved every minute and my soul was fed by art and music and beauty and companionship. I am grateful.

How Can I Help?

My dear students Lily and Eva have lost their mother.  She died right before Christmas after a valiant struggle with cancer.

Five days after she died Lily and Eva, with their dad, came to their regularly scheduled piano lessons.  How I was dreading seeing them that first time!  I just didn’t know what I could possibly say.  So I didn’t say anything; I just wrapped them in my arms. Two precious girls, ages 11 and 8, and their mother is dead. (I previously wrote about Lily in July 2012.)

In turn they each sat down to play, and play they did, from the heart.  After a few minutes,  Lily, the older girl, said I don’t feel so good, can I lie down?  There is a soft rug next to the piano and she stayed there for a short while.  She came back to the piano, played a bit, and the same thing happened again…and again.  She will be the one who takes this death the hardest.

I have asked their father many times what can I do to help? His answer is always the same:  Just keep teaching them how to make music. So in that regard I guess I’m one of the lucky ones; there is actually something I CAN DO. 

Many years ago an adult student gave me a beautiful picture book called Rondo in C.  A young girl with beautiful long dark hair (like Lily) is playing this work by Beethoven at a recital and the author shows what memories it recalls for several audience members.  It is a book that simply speaks to the power of music.  I took it off my shelf, wrapped it in pretty paper and sent it to Lily and Eva.  In signing the book I told them how playing the piano can bring happy memories of their mother.  How I hope this is true for them.

Ann Patchett, in her new collection of essays, This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage, says something comforting about untimely death: The truth is that every life ends.  The quality of a life is defined not by its length, but by its depth, its actions and achievements.  It is defined by our ability to love.  

Lily and Eva’s mother loved them with every ounce of her being, until the very end.  May that love sustain them in their new life.

For the New Year

The media is overflowing today with advice on the New Year. Should one make New Year’s resolutions? How does one stick to them?  Make them obtainable!  I’ve also noticed another, smaller movement, particularly among bloggers, which suggests choosing a word or phrase as one’s theme for the year.  I’m going to try that.

For as long as I can remember my resolutions have been very similar from year to year: exercise more, drop sugar from my diet, take time to smell the roses…you know them, they are probably yours, too.  I enjoy following Always Well Within and when I read Sandra’s post about choosing a word instead of resolutions a word instantly popped into my head: LISTEN.  So that is going to be my goal for the year.

Listen? To the many people I come in contact with each week, from family to students to choir members to the clerk at the supermarket-what are they saying, not what do I want to say to them; to my body, for its needs for exercise, healthy food and rest; to myself, my strong intuition, for what is right for my life at this time; and to the Spirit, or God, for infinite wisdom which simply cannot be described.

I will let you know how it goes.  To group what used to be a long list under one word seems liberating and attainable.

As I think back on 2013 I am filled with gratitude:  for friendships, including time spent with far-flung friends, for my mother’s first trip to Maine in 10 years, for meaningful work, for Emily’s pregnancy, for Bill’s relatively good health at age 80, and for the addition of our dear dog Prudy to our lives.

A Happy New Year to you.

Snow Storm

Announced by all the trumpets of the sky,
Arrives the snow, and, driving o'er the fields,
Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air
Hides hills and woods, the river and the heaven,
And veils the farm-house at the garden's end.
The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet
Delayed, all friends shut out, the housemates sit
Around the radiant fireplace, enclosed
In a tumultuous privacy of storm.

      Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Snow Storm

According to the weather woman it was to be a "whopper" of a storm, and she was right.  About a foot of snow has fallen, starting in the night and now combined with gusty winds.  For the first time in a 25-year career as a church musician I was unable to get to work this morning and our service of Advent Lessons and Carols scheduled for this afternoon, has been postponed until tomorrow evening.

What a gift this day is.  Finally, a pause in this hectic season with a chance to decorate the tree, write Christmas cards and make Christmas cookies from scratch.  I am loving every minute.

A Big Birthday

 My husband Bill turned 80 on November 16.  It has been several weeks of celebrations, cards, gifts, phone calls and guests.  Emily and Jeff came for the official party, a potluck for 18.  The house was crowded and lively and the food superb.  The actual weekend of the birthday I surprised Bill with a cake at the coffee hour after church.  It gave his many admirers there a chance to congratulate him on this milestone.  And in the meantime our dining table is covered in cards and the phone has been ringing non-stop.

Bill is in excellent shape for his age-I often jokingly attribute that to his marrying a younger wife who won’t let him rest on his laurels.  He exercises, eats well, reads voraciously, teaches a few private ‘cello students and travels.  All good things to keep the mind and body in good shape.  However, 80 is daunting- no ifs, ands or buts, one is firmly planted in old age by this time.

This has been a hard birthday for me; a sobering one, in fact.  I found myself unable to join in the festivities with a light spirit and instead felt more like an observer on the outside looking in.  My usual optimism about the future suddenly included a twinge of fear and foreboding.  I feel like a corner has been turned and the path is now somewhat different.  And my footing is not so sure.

I have been married to Bill for 30 years, over half of my life.  It is a good life, one that I hope will continue for _____ years.  I don’t know how to fill in the blank anymore. 

New Life

I'm going to be a grandmother...early April!