The Meadows Family in Church

I think that I mentioned in a blog long ago that the woman who played the piano in church for the past many, many years was in a honda accident prior to the Thanksgiving service. I was asked to play and have been playing ever since (the woman has healed well, but is getting older and would rather not play with her failing eyesight). This has presented some challenges. First, I hadn't really played the piano for 12 years and wasn't all that great even then. Secondly, I'm also the mother of 2-year old twins who sit with me during church. In all honesty, I've enjoyed having to play the piano and watch the boys at the same time...they provide a good excuse for my poor playing:) If nothing else, we keep the congregation entertained. There was the time that I thought the boys were playing happily in the back room, when in the middle of a song, they came crying down the aisle one by one. There was the song during the funeral when Owen decided to dump out his Cheerios and jump on them. A few other children thought this looked like fun so they joined him. Ihhh! There was the song during the baptism, when both boys decided to join Jacob up by the pulpit. I kept playing because they seemed to be content enough. Apparently, they had discovered the baptismal water that Jacob had left under the pulpit and they were having a grand time...seemed a bit sacreligious, but we didn't know until after the fact. Woops! Often, one or both children join me on the bench while I attempt to accompany. For the most part, they have done quite well, especially these last few months. I stuff them full of snacks and generally they read while I play. This morning, however, they both woke up on the wrong side of the bed! In the middle of, "I Know Whom I Have Believed" I heard an angry whisper, "No!" Soon it escalated to full volume. I just kept playing louder in hopes of drowning out my children's squabble. Unfortunately, it escalated to pushing which brought Daddy down from the pulpit which pacified them through the last verse, after which I promptly rose from the bench to continue mediation, only to hear Jacob belting out the last verse again! I was sure I'd played all 4 verses and by the looks on the congregations faces, they were sure they had sung all 4 verses...but there are some things that when started from such a public venue, must be carried out to completion!:) During the evening service, I heard "meow...ribbit, ribbit" very loudly in the middle of "Amazing Grace". Logan found some play animals in his bag and apparently the cat was chasing the frog across the front of the church. Never a dull moment when the Meadows Family is around:)