1. What is sitting on your desk right now?
Best answer: way too much is sitting on my desk right now! Ever since switching abruptly to online teaching a year ago, my study became the center of my classes and piles grew with abandon. I’m still sorting through everything…
2. What would I rather be doing right now?
Two answers:
(1) As always, I wish I were traveling somewhere, preferably international… I grew up in Africa where my parents were missionaries, and we traveled a lot, usually stopping in Europe to be tourists for a week or two as we moved back and forth between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (“DRC”) and the U.S.
(2) Realistically, I wish I was “on the other side” of integrating 20 boxes of books from my teaching days at Moody Bible Institute into the huge library of books my husband and I already have at home. I’d much rather be reading my books instead of unpacking and reorganizing them.
3. The best advice I ever received?
Right before I left Africa to attend a Christian college in the U.S., my mother warned me not to expect people to be perfect, even at a Christian college. Over the years, as I encountered less than perfect fellow students and professors, instead of being shocked and disappointed, I kind of shrugged my shoulders and thought “Mom told me it would be like this”! This same advice helped me keep things in perspective during my 44 years teaching at a Christian school, Moody Bible Institute, and 50+ years working in church music.
4. The best advice I ever gave?
During 44 years of organ teaching, I occasionally had to use draconian measures to get students to focus on practicing. The measure that worked best was to let them know I would walk out of their next lesson if it became clear that they still had not practiced. I frequently had to walk out of that next lesson … but after that students buckled down and their music making clearly improved!
5. What keeps me motivated in life?
Last year I finally “completely retired” (i.e. actually moved out of my office) after 42 years teaching full-time and then 2 years part-time at Moody Bible Institute. I was afraid I’d miss all the motivation provided by a hectic teaching schedule, but I haven’t missed teaching at all. So what’s keeping me motivated? Ultimately, my faith and confidence as a Christian that God is in charge and that I am doing what He wants me to be doing right now at my church (I’m still working part-time as Director of Music & Organist at First Presbyterian, Waukegan), at home with my husband and cats, etc. As mentioned above, I am clearly NOT motivated by the 20 boxes of books from my office at Moody that need to be unpacked….
6. What is one good memory from this crazy year of the pandemic?
I fell in love with handbells in college, so have led bell choirs in every church where I’ve worked. Over the years, I’ve ordered an incredible amount of bell music and equipment from Jeffers Handbell Supply in Irmo, South Carolina. Because of the pandemic, they offered very good discounts last summer and fall for handbell maintenance and refurbishment, so my husband and I personally drove to South Carolina with our church’s bells. It felt like a veritable pilgrimage to finally go in person to the Jeffers compound, which is called “Carillon Park” – see my “happy pilgrim” photo!