I was Lay Eucharistic Minister (LEM) at tonight's healing service and it was my first time. Even though I'm familiar with all the other services, I almost never attend the Wednesday Healing Services, so I was totally unprepared for it.
When the priest appeared, shortly after the 6:00 PM starting time, he gave me hurried instructions on what to read. He also gently guided me at certain points in the service. It went fairly smoothly. It wasn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Instead it had one of those feelings of comfortable familiarity, as in a group of old friends who have known each other for years and don't have a problem with minor changes in the routine. I liked it. So did everyone else.
As I was driving back home after the service it occurred to me that I had "winged it." I knew the general direction I was to go in, but the path I followed was one of faith and God's will. It occurred to me that it was very similar to what was happening in the classroom I'm student teaching in. It is something all teachers experience. We make our lesson plans, prepare our props, script our lines, and when push comes to shove sometimes you just get off script. Things usually work out anyways. You can always go around again in the classroom. So sometimes, as my CT does, I'll be winging it in the classroom. That kind of idea used to make me squirm. I don't feel like that now. In fact, I feel pretty calm. Maybe this experience with the service was a gentle reminder from above to "go with the flow."
Peace! Hope! & Joy!
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Winging It
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Lee,
Many, many, MANY years ago I taught freshman English. Although I was conscientious enough to prepare for my classes, I used to find that my best teaching seemed to occur rather spontaneously, almost off the cuff. A flow of ideas might be generated by a student's comment, or I might, in reading a passage aloud, have a sudden fresh inspiration about a piece of literature. I would move in a new direction and it would seem as though I was making it up as I went along. Yet it turned out well!
I believe such directives, whether coming from "above" or "within," do have a divine origin.
Hi San. I've had a few of those moments myself but not when I'm in front of the classroom. It was more when I am working one on one or with a small group.
I agree with you. Divine both in and out. :)
Peace!
Lee: Well done. I think the parish hall will open the door to a lot of improvisation over the next six weeks. It certainly felt that way when I LEM-ed this past Sunday, with a rolling wave of folks during communion: much more intimate: I liked it. Peace.
Thank you Murat. Nice imagery of the communion. I like the change. I hope some of it sticks. Change is main ingredient in my definition of life. So if we are changing then "Yay" and "About time."
See you on Sunday.
Peace!
Post a Comment