Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 10 Apr 01 - 06:30 PM

Sounds like the way I thought it should be - not a concert, but simply music in the house, like a fountain in a garden, or birdsong. Refreshing.

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Max
Date: 10 Apr 01 - 07:09 PM

REFRESH - Thread of the Week

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Noreen
Date: 10 Apr 01 - 08:12 PM

Lovely, kat. So glad it went well. I can picture you there, in harmony with the peacefulness of the house.

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: katlaughing
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 01:16 AM

I cannot begin to tell you all how very much your comments and support mean to me. I feel as though I am reconnecting with a part of me that is so important. I always loved working in medicine, just didn't see how I could physically anymore, now I can have that connection, again, in an even better way, and I am grateful.

No, Sorcha, I thought of Greensleeves, but I don't think it is. I'll try to get the tabs posted, tomorrow.

Thansk a bunch and thanks Max and Bert for the Thread of the Week!

luvyakat

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Gypsy
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 01:20 AM

Darlin Kat, great thing to do, lassie. Husband and i have similar plans, when we are no longer caregivers. But, his mother does enjoy our music in the house!

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Night Owl
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 01:37 AM

kat..you bring a smile to my heart!!! Congratulations.

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 02:15 AM

simply music in the house, like a fountain in a garden, or birdsong. Couldn't have put it better....

Well done, brave Kat, now the next challenge is to go back again.

XX

Liz

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Dani
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 08:10 AM

Great God I love this place. Thanks so much for sharing, Kat. I'm really happy for you.

My church is just beginning to become involved with a nearby hospice, and I think my contribution will be limited to working in their garden right now. Don't think they want me practicing my three chords on my banjo just yet.... but who knows?!

Dani

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: LR Mole
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 08:54 AM

Farina used to do "Ode to Joy" in waltz time. Very natural. This all makes sense to me: the dulcimer with the open strings blends what the player does with what already is. Only music, of all the arts, calls itself muse-ic, in touch with the next and the other. Who knows what part of the circle we're on, and why bother to distinguish the dancer from the dance, as WBY asked.

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Ma-K
Date: 11 Apr 01 - 09:02 AM

Good for you Kat...Last week when I was playing at the nurseing home I noticed one of the ladys who had played for Church for many years was moveing her fingers like she was playing the music. I told the nurse that she played the piano. The nurse took her to the piano and ask her to play Amazing Grace. She sat and looked at her hands with a puzzled look on her face and then picked it out with one finger, then two, then all. Then she played How much is that doggy in the window. Oh...Be careful about playing the national anthem. A friend was asked to play it. One lady stood up put her hand over on her heart and then then a room full of wheel chair setters tryed to stand up. Only one hit the floor (no one was hurt). Playing at the nurseing home was where I really learned to play my dulcimer....Mary

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 May 01 - 10:38 PM

I meant to post this earlier: the hymn for which I didn't have a name is Sweet Hour of Prayer. My sister, bet, recognised it as soon as I played it for her. She teased me that my early days as a Job's Daughter aka Jobie, were coming through, as that is one of the closing songs we used to sing at Temple. Amazing what our minds remember, unbidden, the tune, but no name!**BG**

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Boab
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:55 AM

Congrats, Kat; many of those places couldn't continue to function without volunteer help in all departments, not only entertainment.I joined a phone-list of volunteer entertainers some years back, and our group [the "Winklepickers"]do regular work in the local eventide homes . Keeps us "tight" for commercial gigs! You have set out on a very worthwhile project. Boab

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Amergin
Date: 10 May 01 - 07:21 AM

Kat, what is a Job's Daughter?

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 May 01 - 11:28 AM

It's like the Rainbow Girls and DeMolay, which is for boys. An organisation which is based on the Book of Job, teaching patience, virtue, and perseverance to girls from about 12-18 or so. Under the aegis of the Masons. If you'd like more info, I'll post it later.

For now, I am off to play at hospice. Thanks Boab!

kat

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Amergin
Date: 10 May 01 - 12:46 PM

Oh....I can see you didn't learn much from them then...*BG*

Glad to hear you're off to play again! Break a nail!

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 May 01 - 01:43 PM

Well, I did learn the perseverance part! It helps to be an optimist. :-) If you'd like to read more about them, there is a nice historical bit at THIS SITE Scroll down and click on Tradition.

Today's gig went well. An old lady came out and sat in a recliner. She apologised about no one coming out to listen. I told her I didn't expect them to and that it was fine. We visited quite a bit and best of all, I knew some of the songs she knew, so she hummed along! She had a beautiful voice. I also have a couple of new ones to work up, just for her.

She was very straightforward about being there; she has stomach cancer and was given 6 months to live, 3 months ago. She knows she will be there for the duration. Very gracious, polite, and accepting of her situation.

She told me a wonderful story about her brother, who died last Fall. He had called her and begged her to come out to see him, as they knew he was dying. It cost a lot of money, but she decided she just had to. When she arrived, he was in a terrible state. No one could get him to settle down, he couldn't sleep or get comfortable in any way.

She was there by 9pm that evening. She started rubbing his back, just a soothing, over and over gentle massage. After about an hour of that, she asked him if that was enough. He said, "Oh, Ginny, it's never enough!" So, she rubbed until 1130pm, at which point he was completely relaxed and able to go to bed.

About 2am, his wife come into Ginny's room and said he had passed on, in his sleep, no struggle, no strife, just slipped away.

Ginny and I had a wonderful discussion, after she told me this story, about therapeutic touch and music thanatology. She knows, now, if she wants music when her time comes, I will be there for her. What a beautiful woman she is.

I also met the Volunteer Coordinator, Vickie, who was suprised and delighted that I was there. Seems she has about 75 volunteers, but only one who does music, the flute player on Mondays. She'd been thinking she needed to do something about it, so when she found out my plans to be there every week, she said it was "meant to be." Nice to get that validation and SO MANY people do NOT know what a lap dulcimer is!! I am having a blast just introducing everyone to it, staff, patients, and families. Hope I get some recruits out of it!

One other thing about Vickie, that I was delighted to find out: She's been to a couple of workshops, in NYC and elsewwhere, which had presentations by music thanotologist's (ones with degrees from uni)using harps and was quite taken with it.

Thanks,

kat

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Amergin
Date: 10 May 01 - 02:59 PM

Well, thanks for the link...very interesting....

katdarling....you know you should do a book or something about your experiences there at the hospice....and maybe put in the stories of the folks who reside there....

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Don Firth
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:09 PM

I second that motion.

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:15 PM

Oh, geez, Nathan and Don, not like I don't have a bunch of other things which need to be written, too! I hope to get the ranch book finished before my dad checks out; then there's the catbook with the Moving Tales; and, let's see the....well....seriously, THANK YOu very much for the interest and vote of confidence. It really does mean a lot to me and I will keep some notes with that in mind.

luvyadarlin's...kat

Subject: RE: Help: Took a big step, Now to avoid cold feet
From: Amergin
Date: 10 May 01 - 03:59 PM

Well you had better get busy then, shouldn't you?;-)