NEW day Dawn Day 1

 

Here are some banners that were in the opening Eucharist. 

I arrived last last evening to The Galt House Hotel. It was too late to check in with the DOK so I checked into the hotel and relaxed in the room. 

The morning was busy, we had worship in the morning,  with a banner procession. I did not get a chance to procure the Central Gulf Coast banner, so I did not process.

My name badge. It carries all my meal tickets, my credential number and has room for pens. 

International night, the food and the programming was amazing. 

That's all for now.

For His Sake....

Sarahbeth 

Testing 123 testing....

  I am testing how to blog from my Galaxy Tablet, sine I'll be using this format to keep in touch with folks back home while I am at Triennial. I had to reset all my passwords , since the new-to- me tablet is handed down from Brian. 

I'm grateful 🙏  but she's, all the password changing has been daunting. But it will save my bank a lot of pain, as the tablet is much  lighter than my laptop, and still has all the features I'll need to do my work at Triennial. 

The voting will be done electronically,  so I needed emaill access. I'll post to our Assembly 's  Facebook page, so needed ( and wanted ) access to Facebook.  Additionally,  I'd told my sisters here in Pensacola as well as our priest that I'll update them daily using this blog. 

There has been much beta testing of this device, making sure it is travel ready by tomorrow.  

Prayers, if you pray, are appreciated,as I am not fond of air travel. But, it is the only way to Louisville  for me. 

My bags are packed and I'm excited 😊.  This is such an incredible  honor, and I look forward  to sharing the experience  from my room at The Galt House Hotel  and upon my return. 

Blessings, and as always, For His Sake....

Sarahbeth 

Ready, Set, Triennial!

 

 In ONE WEEK, I'll be in the midst of my first full day of #Triennial2024 in Louisville, Kentucky. I'm blessed and privileged to be the voting delegate of the Assembly of my Diocese. 

The Triennial, which coincides with the 81st General Convention of The Episcopal Church, will have about 500 women from across the USA and around the world {we do have Assemblies in other nations} 

This is a huge honor for me, and I am getting extremely excited. 

Since I am arriving late on Wednesday, I will need to take an UBER to the Galt House Hotel, where the event will happen. Thankfully, once I arrive at The Galt House, I won't need to leave until Sunday after the closing Eucharist. 

My " credentialing" email finally arrived this morning to my Inbox. Whew. Since I was voted in late, and registered late, {Barely made the May 31 deadline for postmarking, though no fault of my own} 

My flight arrives in Louisville too late for me to attend the Provence Dinner on Wednesday evening {because I did not know this was a thing and booked my flights too late in the day to attend.} No big deal, I'll grab some supper in Atlanta during my layover.  The required events do not start until Thursday morning anyway, I'll just need to get up early and make sure I pick up my packet before the opening Eucharist. 

I am taking part in the Healing Eucharist on Friday evening. to get ready for this, I picked up a vial of Frankincense to use to anoint people for whom I pray in my line. As someone who has benefited from the comfort of Healing Services, this is also a huge blessing to me to serve my sisters in this way.  On Sunday, I'll ask my priest to bless the oil that I will carry to Triennial and pray that it is a small enough vial to be permitted in my carryon luggage. 

I'll do my best to write something each night when I return to my hotel room. The schedule is packed, so I doubt I will have time for too much texting. 

Peace...

Sarahbeth 

Brava!

 

                                                 

Brava!  I say to myself, Brava! 

On June 12, 2024, I played two pieces in a music recital. 

I played two piano pieces in a recital. 

It might not seem like it to my dear readers, but this is a Big Deal to me. 

I'm not a" natural performer" as I've overcame chronic childhood shyness and still prefer to be working in the background rather than in front of people.  

 While I've come a long way from the weird, awkward, socially inept teen that many remember, I'm still very introverted and prefer small groups or one-on-one interactions to large crowds. 

Up until that afternoon, the only two people who had heard me play the piano were my spouse and my teacher. 

 I was born with some neurological challenges that make eye-hand coordination and using both the right and left sides of my body in tandem very difficult. It was because of these challenges that I never took any music lessons as a child. 

 When I was growing up in the 80's and early 90's, the understanding of different neurodiversity and how the brain works was still very much a new field. It was so new that I did not get the partial diagnosis of PDD: NOS. This acronym Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified-- basically saying that medical people have no damn clue why my brain works differently from " normies" {Fans of the show _Wednesday_ will understand that reference} 

I'd always wanted to learn to play the piano, but never got that opportunity until my late 40's when I met my teacher. We started slowly, as I'd never read music {no need to, as I'd been told that playing any musical instrument was not happening for me} and my teacher is patient, taking the time that my neurodiverse brain and corresponding body needs. 

As an adult learner, and one with some neurological challenges, having a teacher who understands neurodiverse brains has been the key to my piano success. Her teaching methods and patience with my more rigid adult brain, enable me to enjoy the learning process and find joy and healing in my hobby.  I feel safe enough to work diligently on each week's assignments, but also know that I will not disappoint as long as I practice. 

Learning to play the piano as an adult is satisfying because I want to be there.  Practice time each day, and weekly lesson time, are some of the regularly scheduled things that add so much joy to my life. The healing benefits of a neurodiverse person learning to play the piano have been proven by science. 

https://colourfulkeys.ie/neurodivergent-piano-students/

https://www.brainline.org/article/how-music-helps-heal-injured-brain

Playing the piano boosts brain processing power and helps lift the blues | ScienceDaily

This article is a wee bit boring, so here is a quote that illustrates my point well :

 Cognitive psychologist and music specialist Dr Karin Petrini from the University of Bath's Department of Psychology, explained: "We know that playing and listening to music often brings joy to our lives, but with this study we were interested in learning more about the direct effects a short period of music learning can have on our cognitive abilities.

"Learning to play an instrument like the piano is a complex task: it requires a musician to read a score, generate movements and monitor the auditory and tactile feedback to adjust their further actions. In scientific terms, the process couples visual with auditory cues and results in a multisensory training for individuals."

Yes! 

In the year and a half that I've been taking lessons:

1. My hand-eye coordination has improved. I still drop things, but not as often. 

2. My balance has improved. I can safely stand on one foot for longer than two or three seconds without wobbling. 

3. I can use BOTH hands in tandem. 

All this is happening when I engage in a hobby that brings me joy and peace. 

I'm damn proud of myself, and grateful to all the people who make this happen for me. 

I'll never be a virtuoso.. and I am not sure I'd even want to be one. Yet I can love playing , and reap the benefits of piano study as occupational therapy for my weird little brain. 

Amen. 

Sarahbeth McCarren 

June 12 2024