Choo Choo Here We Come

Here we go again.

It is time once more for my yearly tradition of accompanying Jen to her SAI Region 23 competition in Chattanooga, and per usual I am looking forward to it. We both look forward to it, but in completely different contexts. Jen goes to perform and compete; I go to observe and enjoy. Jen goes through an elaborate pattern full of final run-throughs and last-minute preparation; I enjoy killing time at a local coffee house for hours on end waiting for the show(s) to start. This is always a strange thing for me, as I am certainly not a part of the organization (nor could I be without some dramatic surgery), but I enjoy the best part of being an outsider: getting to watch those who have worked so hard for so long, my Jen being the most important to me, do that thing that brings them joy - sing their guts out for their region. I was recently reminded of the line from the Olympic runner Eric Liddle in Chariots of Fire, as he observed that God had made him fast, and "when I run, I feel His pleasure". I know what it is to feel that. It is a wonderful thing to watch someone you love do that thing they really feel "made for", whether or not it ever winds up being more than hobby - it doesn't matter. I go to see Jen experience God's pleasure as she sings. It's a nice bonus to see others enjoy it too.

So I look forward to the intermixing of moments of impossible suspense and moments of solace and solitude. It's a jerky sort of vacation for me, but I can't wait. I've told Jen that she's not allowed to win this year. I also secretly hope she doesn't listen :)