David, A Musical

     As a lyricist, my composer friend and I have created many anthems, songs, programs which have been sung or performed at a local church, which has a very talented and sizeable choir.

    In 2019,  I was inspired by my desire to 'write a musical' and sat down and created just that:  David, The Musical.   Of course, I have no knowledge of, or experience in writing musicals,  but I looked up what the characteristics are,  after it was all done.   I do believe that it qualifies.

    It was intended to be performed as part of an Arts Series in the Fall of 2020.  Then came the Pandemic, so of course everything was cancelled.   Now, it seems that we might possibly be on track to see the realization of the dream this coming fall, 2021.   There is a local Troupe Troop which has bought in, and there are some experienced thespian types in that group.

    Act One is the back story, focusing on Saul and Samuel.  The elders of Israel gathered together to express that they wanted a king, like other countries had.

    That is where the story begins, with the song:  

So You Will Have A King

                              

So you want a king, do you?

Do you know what a king will do?

Let me tell you what is true!

 

God will take your sons

And make them work all day,

Driving chariots, feeding horses

Servants in the fields;

Runners, workers, slaves!

They will fight near and far;

A king will make them men of war!

 

A king will draft your daughters;

He’ll always have his way;

He’ll make them cooks and bakers too;

Slaving o’er the stove all day;

They’ll clean the palace, shine the gold;

Do exactly as they ‘re told.

 

So you want a king, do you?

Do you know what a king will do?

Let me tell you what is true!

 

A king will take your vineyards,

Your olive groves and fields.

He’ll take the best of everything;

Your sheep, cattle, offspring;

And bend them to his will.

 

Are you sure you want a king?

Let me tell you what is true.

If you do, there’ll be hell to pay;

You’ll cry out to the Lord all day.

He will not hear what you have to say.

 

From the Lord, you have turned away.

From the Lord you turned away.

 

StoryWorth Gift

     A year or so ago---either for Mothers Day or my Birthday--my youngest daughter gave me the best gift ever!   It was a subscription to StoryWorth.   

    The way it works is that the company sends you a question every week to answer.   (or you can choose your own question, which I usually did).   They are questions about your life, your experiences,  your memories,  your beliefs,  your accomplishments, your failures, and so forth.

    At the end of the time,  you have produced around a 200 page book about your life.   My book is entitled:   Nancy Rehkugler:  The Stories of My Life.   

    It was the perfect gift for me, as one who always enjoys writing.   The book also has assembled within it more about my personal history than most any place I can think of!

    The last question I answered was:   How Do You Want To Be Remembered?   

    A couple of other examples are:

What Do People Get Wrong About You?

What was your Wedding Like?

Describe your most memorable birthday.

What would you tell your three year old self.

What memories do you have of your grandparents?

    And so forth.   I think I might have answered about 50 questions!

    I have ordered my copy of the book,  which I wrote about my life over the course of a year!   Daughter who gave the gift may also order a copy, since it was her idea!

    I would observe that it all required quite a bit of personal reflection and insight.   When I edited and ordered my copy,  I scanned many of the answers to the questions I had given.   After reading the content,  I concluded that there were several themes that were repeated throughout.

One was how much I was affected in my childhood and youth by being 'shamed" by my parents about my weight and appearance.  That was devastating to my self-esteem and confidence, of which I had little in my early adult life.

Another theme was about how I eventually achieved a very happy marriage, of which I am really pleased and proud.

There is quite a bit in there about my calling to ministry, and the journey that required.

Included were quite a number of accounts of great challenges and struggles and difficulties to overcome, at every stage of my life.

And finally,  it is clear that by the senior years,  I have achieved great confidence and am able to see myself as the competent and creative person I am!

    It was a most fascinating experience.   I have done a lot of writing,  but precious little has included "the stories of my life."

I recommend this as a wonderful gift for anyone to give:  StoryWorth.com

 The Pandemic Year

For some reason,  during the past year,  I decided that I wanted to lose 30 pounds.  At first,  it was because I gained weight during the  three month shut-down.  Then after losing the first 10 pounds,  I decided to keep going and see if I could reach a new goal.

It has been a long and grueling process.  I would never have been able to do it with the usual social events involving food,  but during the past year,  none of those happened,  so I could make all my own foods, without the temptations of buffets or desserts or restaurant extravaganzas.   That has mostly been about salads, healthy new recipes, and doing without desserts or carbs.   I have become a Pinterest queen!  (a computer site for healthy recipes and ideas)    I so appreciate finding new recipes that I love!

Gerry also lost weight.   Both the content and the amount of our food consumption has drastically changed during this past year!

I am about to post the photo of me after the 30 pound loss.  As usual,  I am not at all happy with the way I look.   But I do feel so much better in my body,  and that was the primary goal!  I look and feel better in my clothes.   I have had to replace most of them.  I have also become a fairly skilled tailor,  one who alters!   Tops are the easiest.  I have altered several lined blazers,  but those are very difficult!

The first challenge is to maintain my weight loss.  I notice that most people who lose lots of weight gain it all back.   Just in case,  I have saved my favorite clothes in larger sizes!

The secondary goal is to lose another five pounds by the time of my 75th birthday,  which is coming up next month.     I hope I will manage to do that!

To Myself:     Nancy,  you can do whatever you set your mind to doing!!