More flexibility

With an unusual (for us) ministry opportunity coming up in November, the group I've been singing with is augmenting our usual reflective, piano-only accompaniment with a fuller band. A couple of us will switch off on guitar, playing together on one or two pieces, and we'll have a drummer and another percussionist - and we'll toss in additional percussion as appropriate - as well as a bassist. We already had everyone lined up except the bass player. We have this new parishioner we haven't been able to work in much because we already have someone playing bass. His wife has been playing flute for us. I'd had him join us at an alternate Mass once, and knew he'd be perfect for this group. It looked like an ideal chance to get him plugged in with a really enthusiastic bunch of musicians. So last Monday he came to rehearse with us and meet the group, and just as I thought, we meshed really well. He was pretty excited to be working with us, too.

Well, apparently last Tuesday or Wednesday he was notified that he'd be deploying to Iraq for six months. Starting yesterday. His coworker who was supposed to go couldn't, and our bassist was the guy's last-minute replacement. I mean, what's up with that? The general couldn't find anybody besides our bassist to send?

Obviously I'm being a bit tongue-in-cheek. Fortunately, the assignment should be fairly low-risk, but it still makes for a challenging time for him and his family. I told him we'd keep him and his colleagues in our prayers, and to make sure his wife lets us know if they need anything. If nothing else, I'm hoping maybe mrs. tg can watch the kids for his wife occasionally so she can get out for a sanity break.

As for our concert, we've also stumbled upon a great backup plan. A very busy bassist we've previously worked with is - to our surprise - available that night. He'll also be able to switch off onto tenor sax on a piece that calls for it instead of bass . . .