Back on Drums

So the Queen got a call from someone from our old church who's actually related to us by marriage (I believe, but it's complicated to explain said relation). We were surprised when we discovered her at the church via the kitchen dedicated to the family relation. Anyway, she is president or vice president of the local chapter of "the world's largest volunteer service organization" (I don't remember which), and they're having a shin-dig here in town and wanted live music. They're apparently having a drummer shortage at the church (not my fault, I'd like to add, since the last service I was there, they didn't want me to play drums), so having remembered that I'd played before, she asked if I would be willing, and being a little starved for the opportunity to play with someone, I accepted. There was a rehearsal last night...

Well, it was called a rehearsal anyway, and I guess it was in a loose sense of the word. They have a program, but of those involved, few showed up, and those that did were huddled around the piano trying to figure the music out with the pianist. I know the movie came out in 1995, but who would have thought people unfamiliar with The Lion King? Yes, the program revolves around some of the music from The Lion King as well as some other sources, but it was that show's music that was giving them fits because they either didn't know it or didn't remember it. Being an avid Elton John listener, I was able to provide some assistance in tempo and I even played-and-sung through one of the songs on the piano to let them hear how it went.

I did occasionally play some rhythms on the drums, but it was more incidental to what they were doing and for me to get a feel for the music and to get an idea of what I would do when it all came together. At the end of the night...well, at 7:00 when church began and we had to stop rehearsing, I am truly afraid for them in regards to having this program together by next Friday. A couple of the no-shows came as little surprise to me that they didn't show, since they are the holier-than-thou leaders of worship whose time was probably far too precious to be bothered with something as trivial as rehearsing (I have mentioned the need to be able to sight-read to play with them, right?).

Part of me does feel a little bad for the praise and worship service as the drums provide a solid beat for them to get into the music, but I have to remember that the reason we ended up going elsewhere was for the princesses to have peer to peer interactions, not because of any real frustrations. They've never asked me to return, nor have they expressed any need for me to play with them in all that time. Part of me wants to help, but at the same time, I have responsibilities outside of my desire to play again.

Well, it's always hard to go back somewhere that you've moved past. It's like seeing an old girlfriend and wondering what might have been, when you clearly know why you're no longer with her. Such is the case here. I wonder how the church is doing out of curiosity, but we need to continue looking forward not back, and if our path leads back there, then we cross that bridge at that time. For the moment, this gig is simply another path leading on, and we'll just have to see what (if anything) comes of it.