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05/16/2003 Archived Entry: "WE WELCOME THE RAIN, ETC."

WE WELCOME THE RAIN, ETC.

The rain is great and we need every drop we can get, but it did curtail some activities we had planned. Last night the lunar eclipse just wasn't visible through all the atmospheric soup. And today, the thought of sloshing through the rain for the prison tour was just a bit over the edge. I was really looking forward to that as many changes have occurred since the last time I was "inside".

The Middle School music program last night was a delight, as it always is. The music teachers and students all gathered together to put on a wonderful performance. They always provide a lot of variety in their music so that it is something new for the audience and challenging to the student. The band did a very good job with sight reading a musical score they had not seen previous to last night. It is so rewarding to see their improvement during the school year. A little practice tooting a horn can go a long way to make a better musician.

But the thing that is most enjoyable is seeing the fun the kids have in performing and how seriously they take it. At least during a performance that shows. They are quiet and attentive to the director whether it is Boley, Webster or Hakoda, and they seem to love the sounds their combined voices or instruments produce. That's something the audience appreciates too.

Someone I know was given the High Five award at SMU on Wednesday. The selection was made by the housing directors and deans based on who best displays what SMU should be in every respect; their residents, their leadership, their ability to solve problems...in other words, who they think is the best role model of what an Resident Assistant at SMU should be. They reviewed all 52 RA's for the award and someone special to me has a beautiful plaque to show for her hard work. She'll be home on Sunday only to leave on Friday for her 12 week internship in Gaithersburg MD with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Our only family gathering during her time at home will be Tuesday evening for dinner and the middle school promotion. A special guy is being sent to high school, and I think he is well-prepared for that, thanks to the great teachers we have in the middle school. If he doesn't stop growing, we may have to send him straight to the NBA. Not really!

Speaking of family, our oldest grandson has recently moved to Manhattan so he is around now for our family gatherings. The company he works for appreciates his contributions to the company so much that they allow him to live anywhere he chooses. They will just fly him out of "anywhere" to go to work, which is really nice. He's lived and Omaha, Kansas City and Chicago. He toyed with moving to Boston but finally discounted it because of the logistics of living there. We're happy he has chosen Kansas again as his home. He did it the way I think our young people should: go out in the world and make their mark, then proudly return to Kansas where their contributions are needed and will be greatly appreciated.

I'm looking forward to Friday as I'm going to meet my namesake. Only in recent months have we discovered this connection: her mother, who was my neighbor in Salina when we were young, named her daughter after me. The daughter knew of the connection, but never knew my last name. We discovered each other through my recent connection with her brother and completed the circle. Peggy is a veteran CIA agent...the equivalent of a two-star general. That's a pretty lofty achievement, I'd say. I wish we would have time for a long conversation, but the circumstances of the day won't allow that. A little will mean a lot.