The Kitchen Table

7 April 2007 by Sandy, csj

I decided to add a new section to this blog that would encourage folks to initiate conversations that may not fit with the topics of my choosing on the blog. Some of my most satisfying encounters with people, both inside and outside my congregation, have happened around a simple kitchen table or in similar settings. So please, feel free to engage me and other readers in conversations that I hope will be enlightening or “lightening” (we all need a laugh once in a while).

P.S. - The picture above is of the hearth in the original kitchen in Le Puy-en-Velay, where the first six Sisters of St. Joseph lived. (Thanks to Kelly for the suggestion to include it!)

14 Responses to “The Kitchen Table”

on 26 April 2007 at 10:05 pm1 Reggie Hudson

First and foremost, Glory Be To God.

O.K… discovered you on Sister Julie’s site. You are someone that loves music . I as well. Let’s see….. just from what little repertoire I know of you…..You play Clarinet and saxes. They are marvelous instruments! Even the Angels are partial to horns. I just took up playing the clarinet, alto, soprano and tenor saxophones about a year ago and have fallen in love with them. I also own French Horns, Trumpets, Cellos, Violins, Flutes, Pianos and innumerable Guitars and Basses. Not good at a single one of them, but won’t put them down or give them up for any promises of this world.
My question is , are we a privileged few that get to understand what David could do by driving away even Angelic Beings? Noticed your living alone forum……I don’t have a choice, I’d drive someone crazy. They’d have to listen to me all the time. Have considered myself very blessed. I’m at the point in life I’m an old grandpa and I wear that understanding with gratitude and praise for God.

Your Brother In Christ,

Brother Reg
on 26 April 2007 at 10:42 pm2 Sandy, csj

Welcome, Reg!

I’ve seen your encouragements to Julie on her web site, also. She does a great job…and I enjoy your posts to her site.

I got a chuckle about your observation that you’d drive someone crazy if they had to listen to you - do you mean listening to your playing your many musical instruments?

You remind me of my first year of novitiate, when I expressed an interest in learning guitar, and one of novitiate staff asked me if I already knew any instruments. I told her that I had played clarinet through high school, but hadn’t touched it since (for over 7 years). Anyway, she encouraged me to take it up again, so off I went to the basement to try to minimize the trauma to my other 13 housemates.

At that time, it had never occurred to me that one could play clarinet at Mass, and my big debut at the “mothership” was playing an excerpt from the 2nd movement of Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto (was it the film “Out of Africa” that featured this piece?) at the presentation of gifts. I shocked the heck out of a lot of people who never knew I played anything.

I would never have imagined that today I would be wailing away on the sax as part of a gospel choir when, back then, I had to write out every note transposed to the right key for the clarinet.

Thanks for being my first visitor to the kitchen table!

P.S. - I love the cello!! It’s cool that you have one. I could listen all day to cello music!
on 26 April 2007 at 10:50 pm3 Sandy, csj

I just looked at how the comments for this page appear on the sidebar…
“Sandy, csj on The Kitchen Table, Reggie Hudson on The Kitchen Table”… maybe I’ve just worked too hard this week, but the image in my mind is too funny, as in “ON” the kitchen table. My mom always thought I was a wild one…what a hoot!
on 26 April 2007 at 11:32 pm4 Reggie Hudson

Well little sis. us musicians are a strange bunch (referring to the side bar). But we’re never what we appear we are, are we?
The topic of driving someone crazy, if they had to listen to me…………..refers both to my playing and actually having to listen to me. Trust me, many should count themselves blessed that they don’t have to listen to me as well.
Music is a marvelous manifestation of God’s Love. It’s sad we live in a world that wants to hear only self gratification. Try and do something tomorrow that you can’t do today…… has always rang true in my heart and in my ears.

Thanks Sis,
Brother Reg
on 27 April 2007 at 8:27 pm5 Reggie Hudson

O.K. Disregarding the risk of being put on the kitchen table again, I just had to comment! Just read your blog about “Walking Eagle” and laughed my you know what off. Thanks sis. I”m going to jump out of here and come back with links to the Contra Bass Clarinet and Sax. It’ll blow your mind sis.

Brother Reg
on 27 April 2007 at 9:36 pm6 Reggie Hudson

Sister, here are the links.
The first is for the contra bass clarinet. The monstrosity you see in the whole group picture of the clarinet family is the Contra Bass Clarinet.

http://www.jayeaston.com/galleries/clarinet_family/clarinet_p_Leblanc_clarinet_family.html

Here is the contra bass sax
http://www.jayeaston.com/index.html

Enjoy and marvel sister! Listen to some of the sound clips. You’d swear you hear strings where there are no strings being played.

Brother Reg
on 29 April 2007 at 9:47 pm7 Sandy, csj

Thanks, Bro, for the links to that web site! Very informative and impressive. I think I’ll stick with my B-flat Selmer Series 10G. I’ve moved too often to even think about accumulating too many more instruments…
on 30 April 2007 at 8:02 pm8 Reggie Hudson

Sis,
Not familiar with the 10G series but am well acquainted with Selmer. Since I own several different horns Selmer is somewhat of a lust point for me(a confession moment). They are by far the finest horns ever made.
Have you ever just set back and wondered, “how in the world did someone ever come up with this instrument?”. We think learning to play it was difficult, what about the concept of the creation of the instrument itself? It baffles and humbles me greatly. There are rudimentary principles of physics in the very design of this instrument.
The Lord never ceases to amaze me.

Brother Reg
on 9 May 2007 at 10:12 pm9 Reggie Hudson

O.K. Once again I sit at the kitchen table and there’s no coffee, no donuts. You’d think that maybe there would even be an occasional cherry cheese cake. Just giving you a hard time sis.
How’s the clarinet and sax playing going? Just sharing something I sent to Bill in an e-mail earlier. Quote from Bach…”Music is given to us for the edification of mankind and the Glorification Of God…..anything else is not music”. I cried like a baby the first time I read those words.

Brother Reg

p.s. you know maybe even a Starbucks Vente Ice Mocha would be nice at the table.
on 21 May 2007 at 3:05 am10 Sandy, csj

Reg,
For your donut, go to this post:
February 20, 2007
How about I work on the coffee another time?
on 28 June 2007 at 12:07 am11 Kelly

Just thought i’d leave a note to say howdy. I have been reading your blog for awhile now and really enjoy the topics you write about. I am an associate member of the SSJs in Erie so, it was neat coming across your blog. I have a suggestion…maybe for thise part of the blog to give it a homey look maybe put up a picture of the kitchen in Le Puy…. God’s blessings…and hopefully I can find some good conversation to join in on!
on 29 June 2007 at 1:57 am12 Sandy, csj

Kelly,

Great idea…I was actually in Le Puy last year, and I do have a photo of the kitchen hearth there. Thanks!
on 30 June 2007 at 10:53 pm13 Kelly

That was quick work! Must have been an awesome experience being there. I would love to visit there someday.

BTW….do you have any advice for someone discerning?
on 1 July 2007 at 3:58 am14 Sandy, csj

Kelly, sounds like you are discerning vowed membership, is that right? Feel free to send me an e-mail..perhaps we can connect sometime. You can send me an e-mail from the “About Me” page on this web site.

You might also want to check out my friend Julie Viera’s web site, “A Nun’s Life” (see my sidebar for a link). Her sidebar has a section called “Decoding Formation”. It may or may not be a good starting point for you.

I’ll be on retreat July 6-12, so if you e-mail me and don’t get an answer right away, don’t despair….