HELLO!

Yesterday I stuck around the church after work for another practice session, the dinner theatre production “Lost in the Fifties” is scheduled for April. We have a lot of work to do, learning our lines, singings, even some dancing. I am impressed with Janet and Myrna’s timing, how their phrase their lines to maximum effect. There is one line, Bethe has written this script, that includes the word “dummy”. It is perfectly delivered by Myrna. You can’t teach that, it comes naturally. Also, last night I heard Penny (a relative of Rick’s) sing for the first time. She has a beautiful voice. AND…Adelia is super charged for our rendition of “Shut Up and Dance” (it’s definitely NOT a 50’s song). Adelia sings it conviction!

In between my last pastoral visit and the practice, I crammed in a visit with a family who were looking for a minister to speak at their mother’s funeral on Saturday afternoon. Seven adult children, all deeply grateful for their mother’s love and attention. I discovered Grace was a big fan of 105.9 Seaside FM. I told the family (we met in the Sams Room) “we have one of Seaside’s most popular hosts in the congregation”. A few of the children listen to Peter’s show. https://seasidefm.com/peter-woods/

I asked the family for some songs we might share at the funeral. They had a long list of their mom’s favorite singers, all country artists. But I struggled to get them to name specific songs. My wife Kim tells me, “You are very open to other people’s opinions, decisions, choices, preferences, and you are most flexible in planning sessions that accommodate these. BUT you have no patience when people are undecided about their selections”. Guilty as charged! In 62 years, I have never struggled to name a preference (wait staff at restaurants love me, especially since I never ask, “can you replace the potatoes with onion rings…” or “what are contents of that sauce?”). But as my guests grill the wait staff with questions and requests, my eyes roll…Finally, the family chose three songs their mother loved. I had better luck with the stories, as I listened, I knew right away how to weave them with Bible passages, how to share these offerings with their friends and family. Good thing, as none of the family, nor friends, want to speak, I will be the only participant.

All the family members live near our church. I hunch many of those who come to the funeral also live nearby. It does not hurt our profile when I introduce myself to everyone, “I am Kevin Little, honoured to be here supporting this family as they celebrate their mother’s life. I serve Woodlawn United Church, not far from this place (funeral home)”.

I may not as well-known as Peter, but I do get around. I may not be able to sing or dance like the other 20 cast members, but I was the only one who did not require voice projection instruction. That helps with funerals as well. However, it is not so wonderful for others at the coffee shops where I take parishioners. I have seen people get up from nearby tables and more to the other end of the room. My voice, a blessing and a curse.

Peace, Kevin