Slice of Life 8 of 31
My first thought today when I entered the church parking lot was; wow, there's still a lot of cars in the lot.  Just a bit frustrated, I circled around to find a spot while belittling myself about being put out that the church parking was full.  It's a good thing the lot is full not an inconvenience.  I quickly blame the dreary, miserable weather for my impatience.

As I walked into the lobby I found myself struggling to find a way through.  Why are all these people still milling around?  All I knew was that I needed to get through to the sanctuary for praise team rehearsal.  As I made my way I sensed an out-of-ordinary buzz.  What were they all talking about?  

"Is it new?"

"Did the church buy it?"

"Do we have enough money to buy something of that stature?"

What in the world were they talking about?  I was just here on Wednesday evening and I didn't notice anything new, albeit we are in the middle of renovations, maybe they laid some new carpet or put in a new window.

As I walked into the narthex and made the turn into the sanctuary.  I saw it sitting center stage. A black, baby grand piano.  Several members were gather around it admiring its beauty.

It took my breath away.  There it stood next to the alter with the stained-glass window for a backdrop.  The colors from the window bounced and danced off its glass finish.  A lovely red and white floral arrangement accented the gentle curve of the piano.  A massive, yet elegant presence

The sound crew finished setting up the equipment and Sherry announced that it was time for sound check.  The group broke up and drifted away.  There she was, little Jena standing on her tip-toes peeking inside at the strings and hammers.   Her face was filled with complete fascination.  

We all took our places and Sherry began the first song.  Jena remained; transfixed by the movement of the felted hammers.  It was as if you could see the wheels of her mind processing, saying, 'how does that work?'

We finished our first song.  "Jena, what do you think of the piano?" asked Sherry the keyboardist. 

"Well, I'm not sure about how it works, but it matches my shoes."  Holding her dress out of the way and sticking out a foot so we would all be sure to see, Jena gracefully showed us her black, patent leather Mary Janes.  With a bright smile and a wink of an eye Jena skipped off.

The baby grand was upstaged by the wondrous mind of a six year old.