Sunday's Nightmare

Sacrament meeting was interesting yesterday (and by interesting I mean sweating-bullets-terrifying). Our organist was out of town, so as the assistant organist, I was assigned to play for the meeting. I have substituted for her before, but that was before I was really trying to play the organ. I just played it like a piano and they are two completely different things. I didn't have too many problems playing it that way. (Although, one time I accidently hit a key while the Bishop's counselor was conducting, and he turned around and looked at me like he was afraid I might break into a rousing rendition of "If You Could Hie to Kolob" or something. That was embarassing. He felt bad and apologized after church. It wasn't his fault-everyone turned and looked. But he felt bad that he called attention to it. Brother Hall redeemed himself yesterday-I'll tell you how in a minute.) Anyway,  I practiced really hard all week. I spent about 8 hours at the church trying to learn the feet and put them together with my hands, which had to play completely different fingering than they do at the piano. I practiced until my hands and back ached.

I ordered organ shoes, which remind me of my childhood tap shoes. Did you know that there are special shoes for organists? That was news to me. They are not my usual kind of shoes and yet, they are probably the most expensive pair that I own (and I own a LOT of shoes). LaFaye, our organist, who has been teaching me, highly suggested that I get them. I have been playing simple postlude hymns for a few months now in bare feet, but I thought this might be a good time to get some fancy organ shoes. (I was secretly hoping that organ-playing-super-powers would be included, but, sadly, they weren't.)

So, I practiced my little heart out all week and I went to church 45 minutes early to get in a little practicing before the meeting. I talked to the chorister and the Bishop and told them to get their poker faces ready because I knew there would be mistakes. The chorister told me that he would go slow and I told him to just go at the regular pace and I would survive, but when I started the opening hymn, "How Firm a Foundation", at what I felt was a good pace, he slowed it down after the intro and the congregation was singing in what felt like slow motion to me. Maybe that was just my nerves wanting to play faster to get the whole thing over with, I don't know, but it felt very slow. All the hymns went like that, really slow, yet still riddled with mistakes because I was so nervous. 

Just before the sacrament hymn, as the Bishop was returning to his seat and I was about to start playing, Saige came hiking up the stairs on the stand to talk to me. (Trent was at work, so I told my kids they had better behave sitting down there alone, but I guess I forgot to cover the part where I would be unavailable for conversing.) She needed to go to the bathroom and wanted my permission. That was my favorite part of the whole day and I don't even mean that sarcastically. It reminded me that we are all just human.

After the sacrament hymn, I went and sat with my kids and totally forgot to pay attention to when the rest hymn was coming up. Of course this had to be the sunday of 5 speakers, so I couldn't even figure it out. This is how Brother Hall redeemed himself and gained my complete forgiveness. He pulled out his Hymn book as one of the speakers was finishing up, saving me from looking, once again, like an idiot. So, thanks, Lee, we're even.

This whole experience has me thinking a lot about my Grandma Christiansen. She was an amazing pianist and organist. (She actually gave Clay Christiansen, her nephew and now Tabernacle organist, his first piano lessons.)  My cousin, Megan, got to have organ lessons from Grandma, something I wish I had thought to ask her for. I really miss her. She was all the things that I hope to be someday.

Here are the life lessons I learned from my day as an organist:

1. Shoes cannot give you magical powers. LOTS of practice is required to do anything well.

2. Tell your kids exactly what you expect of them, leave nothing out.

3.  Doing something slowly doesn't always make it better.

4. Take extra deodorant with you wherever you go, it may come in handy.

5. Really listen when someone is talking, so you don't get caught off guard.

6.  If your Grandma is still around, ask her to teach you everything she knows about everything, so that you will be prepared for whatever comes your way.

These are my organ shoes. Stylish, right? They have a felt sole so the pedals don't get scratched and a 1 and 1/4" heel to help in moving from note to note. (You play with your toes and heels.)