Avenue of Life

Hello, hello!

I hope this finds you all well and enjoying back-to-school season.  ☺

I promised to tell you about some of the new things going on in life here, so I'd like to share about one of them today:

A few months ago, I heard about a community center in the area called Avenue of Life.  A friend was tutoring there for the summer, and I thought it sounded like a pretty neat establishment.  It didn't occur to me till a few weeks later, however, that there might be opportunity for me to help out there, too.

Long story short, I am currently teaching piano lessons there on a volunteer basis!  I started a month or so ago, and for now, am teaching one afternoon a week, in order to continue to try to protect Bryant and my evenings together.  It was good to start in the summertime, because I was able to teach kiddos during the earlier afternoon hours.  I/we didn't know what my time there would look like once school started, but I just found out (as luck...actually, as God would have it) that the day I chose to teach lessons there happens to be the weekly district-wide early release day!

The clientele has varied a bit every week, but I've seen some students attend more and more regularly, as well as new ones coming each week.  It's a bit of a challenge to know what to be prepared for each time I'm there, but I just take as many books/resources as I can, and hope I can meet the needs of whoever shows up!  I enjoy the variety, and the "unknown" keeps it interesting and exciting.  (For example: A brother and sister who recently started lessons with me previously took lessons with a Spanish-speaking teacher and learned the notes not as letters, but as solfège syllables!  Their goal is to learn the "letter version" of the musical alphabet in addition to learning to read the actual notes on the staff, rather than intervals and patterns.)  

I'm confident this opportunity was an answer to my prayers for guidance in finding ways to use my time and share my gifts.  This season in my life is "wide open," at the moment, and I'm thankful for the ability to take advantage of this particular opportunity, especially.

I haven't shared a student story in quite a while, so here is a short one for you:
One of my adult students (who has Asperger's syndrome and suffers from other physical ailments) told me this past week that our piano lessons are the highlight of her week.  She is "obsessed" (her word, not mine) with the piano and absolutely loves to practice.  What more could a teacher ask for?  ☺

Thanks for reading!

Musically yours,
Kensy

Favorites of the day:

date nights, courtesy of Groupon and my thoughtful husband

sunshine and pool time

exploring

FULL life

My dear, faithful readers,

You're probably wondering if I've forgotten the password to my Blogger account...or if I've lost the ability to type...or if the heat has melted my laptop and rendered any updates unpostable...or if I've given up for good on this journey of the written type.

Not one of those scenarios is true (though losing my laptop to the heat has sure seemed plausible lately!).  Rather, I've just been working to further find my niche here in KC, and I'm ready to play the "open book" card and tell you about it.

I'll be completely honest in sharing the fact that this transition hasn't been all roses and butterflies...or ponies and rainbows, for that matter.  It's been tricky (a word I use more than I realized - one of the boys I nanny for has started using it...in conjunction with scrunching up his face in the most adorable way).

Yes, I love being a wife and supporting/caring for/enjoying time with my husband.  Yes, I like being able to help a wonderful family out by caring for their precious boys whenever they need me to do so.  Yes, I enjoy meeting new people and making connections in order to not only build my clientele, but also to build relationships here.  Yes, I appreciate and take advantage of this season in life when I have ample time to myself and can do what I want when I want.

All that said, however, I found myself having a hard time being content (speaking of...you might remember the post I once wrote about contentment).  I felt like I didn't have a lot to show for this new life I'd entered into; like I wasn't truly accomplishing anything, contributing to society, or using my God-given skill set to the fullest.  And I'm realizing this might also be why I haven't written a blog post in the recent past...I haven't really felt like I have anything to write about, I guess.

My life in Lincoln (and Topeka, for that matter) was FULL - I knew a lot of people, I did a lot of things, and I had a lot of friends.  I know those seem like fairly broad statements, but that doesn't make them less true.  I was used to completing myriad tasks in short time frames, having many musical outlets for practice/performance/collaboration, finishing large projects after months of problem-solving and much effort, seeing and furthering the progress of many students in a week's time, being very involved in church and church-related activities, and never being at a loss for things to do or people to see.   

After leaving those things behind, I found myself realizing how much weight those aspects of life carried and contributed to my feelings of accomplishment and self-worth.  I won't go so far as to say I was feeling worthless, but like I said, I wasn't feeling like I had much to say when asked, "So, what are you doing in KC?"

By the grace of God, and with a little help from my husband and those closest to me, though, I recently had a little epiphany: my KC life is equally FULL - just in different ways and with different "things!"  I told you about some of those things in a previous post, and am excited to tell you more, but what I want to make clear as I wrap up this little-glimpse-into-my-heart post is that I am becoming more and more content with my "new life."  I'm recognizing the ways I am and can be using my gifts.  I'm meeting new people and forming new relationships.  I'm continuing to enjoy the time I spend making our house a home and serving my husband.  I'm finding new "things" to do and ways to help out and contribute to the greater good.  I'm embracing the new place and new life to which God has called me...and truly loving married life.

I'd like to thank you all for reading.  I hesitated to write all this out, much less post it, but I'd also like to be honest and share my life - good and bad, ups and downs - in hopes that you might be able to relate in some way.  I also know a lot of you really do care, and I appreciate that very much!

In other news...the front flower bed has continued to take off!

One last thing: I'd like to give a quick shout out to my awesome brother and the amazing woman he has asked to be part of our family!  Please join me in congratulating them on their upcoming wedding and praying for blessings on their marriage.  ☺

Thanks again!

Love,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

Andy Stanley's "Brand: New" series

Netflix

WEDDING WEEKEND!!

A few points for contemplation and discussion

Hello again!  I know - you're shocked that this post is in such close proximity to the last.  There are some things I'd really like to share, though!  The following topics have been on my heart, lately, and God has addressed them in very clear ways.  I'm in awe of the timing and clarity of these answers, and thought I'd share with you all!


Fasting: This is something I'd seen/heard about others doing through various groups in college.  It was never something I felt called to do, though.  Plus, my-mother-in-me had me convinced that it was not a nutritiously smart thing to do.  Recently, however, I've been looking for things to challenge and grow me spiritually.  A family member mentioned that he'd participated in a 5-day fast and how much it had strengthened his faith and changed his perspective on life (and food) in many ways.  So, I started considering it, and mentioned it to a friend.  As it turns out, she had been planning on fasting sometime in the near future, but wasn't sure when or how long, or if she'd even have the strength to do it on her own.  Me bringing it up was a clear push for her to go ahead and do it, and I believe the fact that she'd been planning on it was my call to participate, as well.


Tithing: Because I'm not actually a member of the church(es) I've been attending in the recent past, I've been wondering where my monetary offering should go.  I was recently reminded, however, that the money is God's money and He will use it for the good of His kingdom no matter where I give it.  Then, in church this morning, it was announced that the next few weeks will be a campaign to get the church out of debt.  Normally, people (including myself) groan at stewardship messages.  The fact that this had been on my heart, however, really drove it home that God can and will use my money no matter where it goes, AND He gave me a clear picture of where it is needed right now (in my little part of the world, at least).


Contentment: Lately, I've been hearing from various sources that it's dangerous to be content in life.  According to these sources, if you're content, there's nothing in your life that can only be handled by God - if you're content, you're not really relying on God to take care of the "unknowns" in your life.  This is some of what the Bible says about contentment, though:   

• Philippians 4:11-12 - "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."
• 1 Timothy 6:6 - "Now godliness with contentment is great gain."
• Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"

So, I think being content is perfectly acceptable and to be admired, HOWEVER we shouldn't become complacent.  Here's some of what the Bible has to say about complacency:

• Zephaniah 1:12 - "I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem's darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the LORD will do nothing to them, either good or bad."
• Revelation 3:16-17 - "So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." 

I think it's very easy to confuse these two words, and we should be careful not to do so.  Being content with life (what we have, where we are, who we know, etc.) is very different than becoming complacent in our faith (i.e. thinking we don't need to show God's love to EVERYone around us, not living like Christ outside of going to church on Sundays, living by our own power rather than by faith in God's, etc.).  May we all be content with the life God has granted us and be able to fight the complacency that can so easily accompany the blessing of this contentment.

I hope this didn't get too deep for you all.  : )  I'd love to hear your thoughts on any of it!

In Him,

Kensy

P.S.  Charlie's appointment/shots went very well yesterday!  He weighs 10 lbs. (5 more than when I got him), and it a healthy kitty!

Favorites of the day:

not having to go somewhere else (or having to pay) to do my laundry

crossing things off my to-do list(s)