Graduations, Weddings, and Funerals....oh my!

My 6 year old niece is graduating from Kindergarten!  

My 18 year old nephew is graduating from high school!  

My step-son and his wife are having a baby!  

My former students are graduating and getting married!

I only have 7.5 days of school left before summer break! 

My husband and I have great things planned. 

Life is FULL of exciting events right now!

But, I want it all to slow down.  

I want to breathe deep and savor each thing.  

I just got home from a funeral.

I am full up with emotion.

Sixty two years this couple was married.  

Then she was gone.

I sat directly behind the one left behind.  

It was touching watching him experience the service.

He was so thankful for the years.  

The memories.  

The love.

The pastor spoke eloquently.

My piano playing went smoothly.

God was glorified.

Why do I feel full up with emotion?

62 years still wasn't enough time.  

I want to make the most of every day I have on this earth.

I don't want to waste a moment... 

with my husband, my parents, my loved ones, my friends....

I want to make a difference in the lives of my students.

I want to live life to the fullest and be fully alive.

I want to shine for Jesus.

And savor each moment.

And breathe deep.

  

My German Homestay with a Professional Violinist

     20 years ago today I was spending a "Career Morning" with my host mom in Paderborn, Germany.  By 8:00 in the morning I was in the music room playing the violin that belonged to my host sister, Eva.  My host mom, Barbara came in at 10:00 to play duets with me.  I will never, ever forget that experience.  We could not talk to each other with words, but we could read the music and both understand the notes and phrasing.  It was powerful!

     Below is an entry I wrote for a writing contest one year later about this experience.  Enjoy:

Staying With a Professional Violinist

By Jennifer Ann Iverson

Written July of 1997

As I patiently waited in line to be given my host family’s name, a low sinking feeling came into my stomach.  This would be home stay #10 in Germany and I had been away from my American home for five months!  Sure life on the road was exciting and sure I had had some neat host families to stay with, but I certainly was exhausted!  It is tough work doing community service projects all day, performing musical shows at night, traveling for hours on a bus, and meeting  a new host family every three days!  I longed to sit down and have something familiar, something that would remind me of home.

As I drew to the front of the line I was handed a card which read, “Barbara Gabrys - a professional violinist!”  I was overjoyed!  How I had missed my dear violin from home.  Perhaps my host mom and I could play together!

When I finally met this exciting host mom/musician, I was thrown aback.  This was the right woman but she spoke NO ENGLISH!  She was from Poland and knew only Polish and German.  I knew English only, but I was determined to communicate with this intriguing person who shared my love of music.

Barbara’s beautiful home was full of pictures of her and her daughter performing on violin together.  I grabbed this opportunity to tell her I too could play.  I flailed my exhausted arms around, pointed my finger and spoke with pleading eyes.  She understood!  Oh hurrah!

Barbara went right to her music room.  I followed behind like a cat awaiting a treat.  Two violins emerged and we played duets together.  We played Telemann, Mozart, Bach, and even a little Gabrys improvisation on some German hymns.  It was amazing!  We could not communicate verbally but music was acting as the international language!  At last, I felt refreshed and revived by the power of music and its bond between peoples.

Host family book entry written by Barbara and translated from German to English by my friend, Anette:

“Dear Jennifer,  It was very refreshing for us to play music with you.  It’s a pity that we couldn’t spend more time together.  The Festival was an experience for us and I hope all people can see you and your message and can practice it.  I wish you all the best for the time with Up With People and afterwards.  Live as you have been on stage with love, happiness, spark, and power.  Lots of love, Barbara and Eva”  May 14th, 1996  

Twenty Year High School Reunion

My Senior Photo (1995)

My Teaching Photo (2015)

Written in June of 2015:  

     I have my twenty year high school class reunion tomorrow. Twenty years. I’m not the same gal I was twenty years ago. I’ve grown in my faith. I’ve developed a broader global perspective. I’m an experienced teacher.  I am happily married. I’ve become much more comfortable with who I am. So, why do I feel nervous to attend my class reunion? 
      I might be nervous because my ten year reunion was a bit awkward. Once we got over the initial shock of seeing the girls pregnant and the guys going bald, it was rather nice having conversations with people I hadn't seen in years. Unfortunately, people stood around in their same little circles with the same cliques. Athletes. Musicians. Smokers. Debaters. Gamers. Beauty queens. Farmers. I remember "breaking into" one of the circles where I didn’t “belong” to talk with a gal who had attended my eighth birthday party. She’d always been nice to me (even if we ran in different crowds). The rest of the circle literally turned their backs to us as we visited. There were additional disappointments and surprises that night that left me feeling disheartened and determined to never attend another class reunion. 
      But, time heals such wounds and here I am all registered and ready for tomorrow night. I’ve got my outfit picked out and I’ve reviewed faces in my yearbook to help me remember names. My husband has agreed to attend with me. There is a dinner and a dance, so we’ll have a fun evening out together. We recently attended his thirty year class reunion and had a wonderful time connecting with people. I’ve warned him that I graduated with four times as many classmates, so it won’t be the same. He’s keeping an open mind. 
      I’m keeping an open mind too. After all, this isn’t about me. My classmates and I have shared experiences and memories. We’re adults now. We contribute to society. I teach kids who are exactly like theirs. I do parent teacher conferences with adults who are just like them. Athletes. Musicians. Smokers. Debaters. Gamers. Beauty queens. Farmers. 
      There are going to be people there tomorrow night who don’t know the Lord. Some were friends of mine once upon a time. That friend from my sixth grade class. That girl who was in orchestra with me. That person who worked on the yearbook with me. That guy who sang in choir with me. That kid who was confirmed the same year as me. That classmate who was friends with the student who committed suicide. I wish I could take time to sit down in a quiet corner with each one and hear their stories. I wish I could share with them the hope and joy I have found in knowing the Lord. He is the answer to life’s hard things. He is good and He is faithful. He cares about every single soul who will be there tomorrow night. My prayer is that my classmates can see Jesus in me. I hope to have a great time at the reunion, but in addition, I am hoping that God uses me to encourage someone and draw someone closer to Him. 
    

Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen

     "This is the best day ever!” Ramona shouts as she jumps through the gigantic hole on the side of her house made by construction workers who are putting a new room on the Quimbys’ home.  I love the enthusiastic way Ramona exclaims that line in the movie, Beezus and Ramona.  I have lots of “best day ever” moments that flash through my own mind…..like the day my husband proposed to me and the day I asked Jesus into my heart and the day I gave my senior recital… and the day I was a rebel in Copenhagen!  Intrigued?  Jennifer Sapp, a rebel?  Yup!  

Twenty years ago I was traveling in the Up With People organization with 150 other students from 26 different countries.  We stayed with host families, did community learning activities and performed a show about peace and understanding among nations.  We traveled in busses and usually stayed in one city for only three or four days before moving on.  Our tour included the United States and Canada for 8 months, Venezuela for 3 weeks, Sweden and Denmark for a month, Germany for a month, and Portugal for a month.  Our year began in July of 1995 and ended in July of 1996.  So, 20 years ago on May 4th, 1996 I was loving every moment of being in Europe.  During lunch breaks I’d take walks to see the sights.  On free days I took tons of photos.  I asked my host families question after question about life in Europe.  I didn’t want to miss a thing!

As a child I loved old, happy, endearing musicals.  One of my favorites was Hans Christian Andersen by MGM Pictures starring Danny Kaye.  Some of my favorite songs from the production included The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen.  As a girl, I imagined myself visiting Copenhagen one day.  When I learned that my cast would be in Denmark for part of our tour, my hopes of getting to Copenhagen rose.  “Wonderful Copenhagen, Wonderful Copenhagen, friendly old girl of a town!”  

So, when my host family In Slagelse, Denmark offered to drop me off in Copenhagen on the Saturday of our stay I jumped at the chance!  But, it meant I had to tell a lie to the staff.  I had to call in sick… without really being sick.  That was a very hard phone call to make.  I’d never done such a thing.  I knew plenty of people in Up With People who called in sick (and really weren’t) all the time.  For that matter, I knew plenty of people who showed up for a day in Up With People but never lifted a finger to help with anything….they’d go hang out at a park for three hours until all the work was done.  The staff never did anything about those people so I decided I was justified.  Besides, Copenhagen!?!  Seize The Day!  When would I ever have an opportunity like this again?  I was ready to fulfill a dream!

May 4th, 1996 was an overcast, rainy day in Copenhagen, Denmark.  But, to Jennifer Ann Iverson, it was a sunshiny, beautiful, glorious day!  I distinctly remember that the song, “Blue Skies” was in my head the ENTIRE DAY!  I may have even burst into song out loud a few times as I practically skipped along those cobblestone streets.  “Blue skies smiling at me.  Nothing but blue skies do I see.  Never saw the sun shining so bright.  Never saw things going so right….”

My journal from that day tells of the impressive sights I saw.  The Queens Royal Palace with guards in red and a big statue and fountain in front took my breath away.  My heart was racing as I strolled around the famous, colorful street along the harbor.  The Little Mermaid statue was lovely.  Tivoli Park was enchanting.    

All the people I met were very kind.  I asked strangers to take my picture or to help me decipher my map.  One Dane suggested I take a city train from the Little Mermaid Statue to Tivoli Gardens instead of walking that long distance a second time.  I met a jolly train conductor who seemed delighted to help me find the correct train to Tivoli.  He even rode the train and made sure I got off correctly!  Everyone spoke beautiful English and didn’t seem to mind talking to an American tourist at all.  

Other than that short train ride I walked all day.  All.  Day.  I even ate my bag lunch as I walked around.  I was a determined tourist who wanted to see it all.  But, I was also a happy girl on “Holiday” in an enchanting place fulfilling a dream.  I remember buying ice cream for myself at one point in the day and purposefully savoring the moment as I savored the treat.

I’m thankful for that day 20 years ago.  I enjoyed my own company.  I sensed that God gave me that day as a gift.  I felt peaceful and content.  I enjoyed a break from the stresses and drama of the Up With People world.  I felt refreshed by the adventure of it all.  It was a selfish day, a rebellious day, and a day worthy of being in the “best day ever!” category.